The Art of Pride
By Frank Lew
Fox, Rabbit and "Skunk Fu!" do not belong to me but Cartoon Saloon. Story by me
Genre: Romance
Story: One shot
Disclaimer: Originally conceived as a Valentine Day fan fiction but was put aside by other work, TAo Pride is the first Skunk Fu! fan fiction I've written in a year and a half. This is a short, pretty brief one-shot about Fox and Rabbit during the Winter. Enjoy!
The early morning frost had melted off the bamboo leaves, leaving them moist and glistening. The soft untouched blanket of snow looked right out of a Japanese watercolor painting. On this day an orangish-red fox stepped out of her burrow, equipped with a long checkered scarf. In her paws was a cup of warm herbal tea that she took one or two sips from on her stroll. She strut down the snowy path, swinging her tail back and forth until a sharp voice broke her solitude.
"Well, well, how's little-miss-foxy this day?" Fox turned her head in the direction of a male rabbit wearing a dark blue scarf, leaning against a stump. On his face was the usual smirk he gave her. The blended smirk of competitive with flirtation.
"Hm," Fox said sticking her nose up at him, "I was on my early morning walk. Til' you interrupted me fluff-butt."
"When does asking what your doing count as interrupting?" Rabbit asked.
"No matter, I have better things to do. So if you don't mind I'm off to see Master Panda then I'm headed back to my burrow for the rest of the day."
"Ooo…sitten' at home rest of the day, reeeal productive," Rabbit said. "Meanwhile Pandy puts moi on twenty-four-hour-lookout."
"Twenty four hours?" Fox exclaimed. "Please, knowing you your bound to blow it off by then end of the day. Crane said this was blizzard whether."
"Ya well Ninja monkeys deal with this whether all the time. I've been out here all morning and I ain't leavin' till the jobs done. Or at least, till I kick some monkey butt."
Fox rolled her eyes, "oh please. The point of patrol isn't to wait around and kick butt, it's too watch out for intruders." A gust of wind ran by the pair, making Fox tie her scarf closer to her body. "Brrr…I'm leaving, and I can't wait to see you frozen like ad ice-cube when I get back Rabbit."
"Suit yourself foxy!" Rabbit called, "not my fault you can't stand a bit of cold."
By the end of the day Fox's meeting with Master Panda came and went, as well as her daily practice and meditation. As evening approached and the air got colder, she threw some wood into her fire pit and heated up the burrow. Since this wasn't enough, she covered her shoulders with a blanket and read from her scrolls. "Brr…it's so cold…"
How much heat did she need? She had a warm den, an average fur coat, a fire pit and a blanket yet she still wasn't warm enough? Maybe she had left a window open. Fox got up to inspect the windows when she saw something outside. Wiping the frost off, Fox could see a figure standing on the hillside like that morning. It was Rabbit, still sitting outside with his ears flapping in the wind. She could see a pillar of snow piled up on his back. When Fox said that ice-cube comment earlier she didn't mean literally. "Rabbit..." Suddenly her den didn't feel so cold any more.
Rabbit had snow up to his ankles, his eyes sore from the amount of ice crystals hitting them. All he had to hold onto was a bamboo stick he used to fight with.
"Hey," a voice said approaching him. Rabbit turned around and saw Fox with a compassionate smile on her face. In her hands were two blankets and a cup of tea. "Need some company big guy?"
"I-I d-don't need a g-girl's help. It'ssss just a b-b-bunch of s-snow," Rabbit said in a shaky voice. It was obvious by his slurred voice that he was lying; yet he also had a sense of aggression and seriousness in his voice. Fox ignored it and draped one of the blankets over his shoulders. Without saying anything or even looking at her, Rabbit instantly took hold of them. Then she brushed the snow off his ears and fur.
"Feelin' any better?" she said handing him the cup of tea. Rabbit took the warm drink and held it close to his chest rather then drinking it right away.
"Ya…I guess. Thanks Foxy."
Fox smiled and sat down near his legs. Carefully she wrapped her tail long poofy tail around both of them. Rabbit's cheeks burned and he asked, "What are ya' doin'?
"I asked if you wanted company," Fox said. "I'm always willing to hand over a fur coat."
"Ya but…uh…" Rabbit choked getting a wad of her orange fur stuck in his face.
"Don't be shy tough guy," Fox said, holding his hand and nuzzling the tough hare rather affectionately. His face a bright pink, Rabbit fell backwards into her warm tail and went to sleep. "Your such a dork…"