It was a beautiful summer morning in mossflower woods, with dew still on the leaves. A fox was running for his already messed up life through this forest, mud spraying after last night's rain. A badger wasn't too far behind him. "YOU'RE GONNA FUCING PAYYY!" the words wafted through the forest. This only caused the fox to run faster. "How does she know where I'm going," he thought out loud. After all its fear that gives men wings. The badger's earth shaking footfalls were getting closer and closer by the second. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Where am I running to," he thought.
Thump, Thump, Thump, just as he thought the badger would land on him he saw an old hollowed out tree. The fox changed his course and made a dive for the hole. To his surprise the floor of the dead tree was sunken into the ground. He sat down and forced his body between two roots. He then noticed that his bag of loot was still sitting in the entrance of the small cave. The fox grabbed the bag and dragged it into the cave and set it on his right side. The crashing rampage and flying leaves of the badger pounded past the fox's hiding spot.
However the fox could feel a growing presence in the cave. Then he heard a low, menacing hiss. He then set his hand on cold scaly skin. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness he felt his world go silent. "Hello there, yawn little foxy. Two large reptilian eyes suddenly captivated the fox. "Today, you die." The head of a death adder flew and struck at his exposed neck. But something caused the fox to flinch, causing the adder's thangs to miss his throat and major arteries. The snake recoiled its head and slithered away through a small hole in the tree.
The pain came in a wave to his entire neck where the venom was injected. He knew that he only had a few minutes to live, then the adder would come back and swallow him whole. He felt a lone tear trickle down his cheek and drain into the wound, causing it to burn. Then he had a feeling of nostalgia about his hiding spot. "Where do I remember this tree fro…, wait, the tree, this is practically my back yard!"
He felt suddenly rejuvenated and got up out of his hiding spot. He then broke into a reckless sprint and ran for home. The fox was now crashing through the forest's many bushes and shrubs. Another animal was crashing through the forest in hot pursuit of the fox. He thought he felt the venom doing its damage, but he kept pounding on. Two large redwood trees towered over the surrounding landscape. In between the two trees sat a small wooden house made of various logs.
Smashing through the front door he looked around and saw a round rug on the floor. He lifted it up and pulled on a small handle. A trap door was lifted and revealed an opening scantly large enough for a mouse to fit through. He then sat down and lowered his rather thin body through the hole and shut the trap door. The fox now stood in a small root cellar. There was a row of shelves on the right side of the room, and a small bed on the left.
He started looking for herbs, when a small bottle caught his eye, a hand etched label on the side. "Veenum nuetrelizzr," he said to himself. Then he remembered that the bottle came from an old healer ferret that lived at a sandstone quarry with bad spelling. "Venom Neutralizer!" he almost yelled. The fox had heard of this miracle potion before. "But how much do I use." He took out the cork and let a few drops fall into a fang hole. The pain increased tenfold, causing him to make a noise that was a cross between a hiss and a scream. He did it 3 more times, in each fang hole, holding his muzzle shut to not give away his position to the pursuing creatures.
The natural oils in the dock leaves he used would stop any infection from occurring. He then wrapped a white bandage around his neck and hobbled over to the small bed. The fox fell back onto the beds inviting linens and instantly fell into a troubled and eternal sleep. After all, barely 5 minutes ago, Chickenhound the fox had killed Brother Methuselah, Redwall abbey's recorder and gatekepper, in cold blood.
