Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney.
A/N: Major thank you to all who read and reviewed for my last TFATH fic! Never in my life have I had THAT many reviews for one story! Okay, here's the new one I promised you, which follows the adventures of Copper as he goes from innocent puppy to hunting dog. It's pretty much the untold story behind that scene in the movie where they show him learning how to hunt during the winter, only I stuck in more action, way more drama, stuff like that. Enjoy!
Winter's Rising
Chapter One: Too Little
"Better get used to it, Chief. He's for you to look after, from now on."
Amos Slade's remark still seemed to ring true even though it had been several months since he said it. It seemed like such a long time ago when the Master had dropped baby Copper in front of Chief's barrel, an action that required no further explanation. If Master wanted him to raise the little pup for him, then the old dog wasn't going to argue with him . . . although at first he had absolutely rejected the idea of even getting attached to the puppy.
But as time passed on, Copper began to grow on him, and Chief actually rather liked the idea of being a sort of father to little orphan. In fact, he couldn't imagine how he'd survived without having somebody to actually talk to. Humans don't speak Dog, you know.
As the white crystals fell out of the sky that crisp November evening, Chief looked back over his shoulder to see how his little friend was holding up in the deep snow. Copper seemed to be having fun, leaping into the Master's footprints in order to travel. His legs were still to short to carry him through the snow, so he'd improvised and found a fun way to get to where he was going.
Until suddenly, the little Bloodhound-mix disappeared completely underneath the powdery substance of winter, having accidentally stepped into a much deeper snowdrift. Chief rolled his eyes, knowing he was going to have to go and fetch him out. The bigger dog went over to where he had seen the pup vanish and began to nose away the cold wet snow until he saw the top of Copper's head. The little pup, embarrassed that this had happened of course, shook the remaining material from his head and looked up at Chief, who then snatched him up out of the hole by the collar and continued to follow the Master back to their cabin.
Copper hated it when he made a fool of himself, even when it was something as trivial as falling through a snowdrift. He had never seen snow until just a couple of weeks ago, and naturally being a child, had to ask what it was. At first, he had enjoyed playing with this new discovery, usually running to snap at the falling flakes and catch one on his tongue. But then it kept on falling and falling until it was too deep to play in, and Copper decided that he was tired of the cold weather and wished for Spring to hurry up and arrive.
At the present moment, however, he simply wished that he was big enough to travel in the snow without any assistance. And naturally being a child, he couldn't help but ask,
"Chief, when am I going to big enough to walk through the snow? Am I always going to be too little?"
If Chief had been aggravated, even for a second, hearing the innocent question diminished the thought and put a small smile on his face. He shifted Copper's collar further back into his jaws so that he could answer,
"Now, Copper, you know you can't stay pint-sized forever. I was a puppy once, too, you know. And I didn't stay small, did I?"
"But didn't you ever think you were never going to grow up?"
"A couple of times, yes. I was just like you, needing help to walk in the snow. Don't you worry, you'll shoot up like a weed in a few months, you'll see."
Copper looked up lovingly at him, although he really couldn't see that well dangling in mid-air. "I can't wait 'til I'm big like you, Chief."
The Trigg hound couldn't help but chuckle at him. "Sonny, you just stay a kid as long as you can and don't try to grow up so fast. By the time you get my size, you're going to wish you were a puppy again. It's not easy being a grown-up."
"But grown-ups get to do whatever they want, don't they?" Copper asked, with a bit of a confused look etched on his face. "What's so hard about telling other people what to do?"
This kid is wearing me out. Chief saw a light up ahead, and he knew that meant they were nearing the cabin. Thank heavens. "Copper, it's not so much as telling people what to do. It's more than that. You have to act all responsible, setting examples for everyone, and acting serious. You don't have as much free time to just goof off and act like a puppy, because . . . well, you're not a puppy, and . . . oh forget it, just enjoy being little while you can."
Chief plopped Copper down on the ground where it was shallow enough for him to walk on his own and barked a few times at Amos so he would hurry up and open the door to the shelter. Copper looked down at the ground, sighed, thinking that he was never going to grow up. He then walked himself to the front door where the Master was waiting for him to get inside, and then the door shut out the cold dark world to leave the hunters in peace.
Okay, sorry if I made anyone fall asleep, but I had to start somewhere. It gets better as it goes along, I promise! If you're still awake, lol, then please review!