The Dragon and the Fox

Kira blinked and stretched, pawing Ava’s side. Getting up and shaking her fur, she walked outside and saw the sun ducking below the horizon, playing its daily game of hide and seek with the moon.

“Dinner!” Kira yodeled into the den, throwing a rock at her older siblings.

“Go away,” Evan groaned.

“Get your lazy butt to the Big Field,” Kira retorted, “before the snails catch you.”

She stuck out her pink tongue and then ran out of the den before Evan could pull her tail. She leaped down the hill dotted with other dens. Kira’s family was of the White Furs, foxes with a long, white coat. They were one of the smallest fox families.

A howl pierced the air, signaling that the hunters were back. The lead hunter, Blue Jay, had a wolf companion, a large gray wolf with blue eyes. He always broadcasted the start of any meal.

Kira made her way to the front of the line along with the other kits. Alphas and kits got to at first, then the other assorted families. Kira’s family was dead last, but Kira got to eat before the rest of them.

The gossip and chatter of the pack reached her keen ears. The vixens from the Gatherer group were mostly the cause of it all—they loved sharing their critic opinions on the other foxes.

“...Amelia’s fur looked so dirty today, I wonder what she got into...”

“...Tia got a new mate, I wonder if he’s as handsome as they say he is...”

“...ugh, my paws got so dirty when we were picking those berries...”

Then, they all hushed. The alphas strode down the line. Aramon, the lead male, was in the front. He nodded to Blue Jay as they approached, and Kira remembered that they were relatives.

“Before we feast,” he rumbled in his deep, commanding voice, “we must praise the Dragons for the provision of food they give us.”

Inwardly, Kira groaned. The praising of the Dragons was an ancient ritual, dating back to the start of the Fox Lands. But the process took fifteen minutes—and that was fifteen minutes that Kira could have spent eating.

“Dragons of the Sun, Dragons of the Moon, Dragons of the Sea...” Kira didn’t need to listen; she already knew about all of the Dragons. Every kit was forced to memorize them all.

First, there were the Dragons of the Sun. They commandeered the bright light that gave life to everything its fingers touched, ensuring that the plants grew, and the land was warm and fitted for survival. They were the Dragons that gave the gift of Fire to the lions, who had passed it on to the other animal tribes. It was rumored that the Sun Dragons had a palace high in the clouds, where golden winged foxes served the King Sun Dragon on his golden throne. Kira didn’t know if it was true.

Then, there were the Dragons of the Moon. They were secretive and gentle, caring for the animals under the moonlight and setting a sleepy feeling over every animal so that they could rest during the night. No one truly knew where they lived, but it was told that there was a land beyond the Sea, where the Sun never touched and the Moon never left. Everyone called it the Birthplace of Stars. The Dragons of the Moon set guards over the waters, who eventually became the Dragons of the Sea. They made the waves rise and lower.

Every other dragon was a setoff of those two major types. Kira’s personal favorite was the Light Dragons, who made the Sky dance with color every night, and who brought joy and peace to the animal tribes with their rainbow fire and music. The Light Dragons were neutral between the Dragons of the Sun and the Dragons of the Moon. It was said that they were a hybrid of both. They ensured that things like Lightning never hurt anyone. Lightning was caused by the Dragons of the Clouds, who were peaceful and happy some days, and vengeful the next, stirring up winds and rain.

It was told every animal in Cyalia that the Dragons were the ones who created the world, giving the ground its shape, and each animal its life. The only thing that escaped their reach was the Night of Darkness, but they did their best to shield the world from the shadows and demons.

The ritual droned on. Kira found herself dreaming off about a rabbit that never ran out of meat. Her mouth drooled.

Finally, the ritual ended. “...take out gratitude towards your compassion with grace and wisdom, and grant us a good day tomorrow.” Aramon sat up. “Let us eat.”

Immediately, the kits pounced on the food—a pile of rabbits. These rabbits didn’t have souls, and resided in the midst of the Fox Lands. Another gift from the dragons, Kira had been told.

Kira tore off the leg of one rabbit and trotted to the edge of the Field to watch the others. Even the kits knew enough discipline not to take more than what they could chew. Greed was not taken kindly in the pack.

She sighed when she saw her family move to the opposite end of the Field, anger hardening in her stomach. Maybe one day they would sit together, but it was clear that her family wanted nothing to do with her disgrace.

Kira would show them. She would show them all.