Hello everybody! Rainy here! I've decided to start work on my idea. If your wondering about what the fox has to do with all of this, just trust me...

All will be explained!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia! All rights to the characters belong to Himaruya Hidekazu!

Warning: Possible violence and yaoi in later chapters

The rumbling of horse hooves shook the ground slightly. The sound of a horn could be heard echoing across the wooded land.

The fox cub had heard a shriek from outside the den, and had instantly recognized the sound as that of his mothers. He had watched from the darkness as the horses and the men had come, chasing her, and he could do nothing when she collapsed from blood loss so close to the den's entrance. With one well-aimed shot the mother fox gave one final twitch before going still.

Only one man saw the distressed fox cub in the hollow, his pair of warm blue eyes staring quizically into the hollow. While the other men were distracted, the blonde-haired young man, who couldn't have been much older then 19 and would have look even younger if not for the stubble on his chin, dropped off his horse and walked slowly and cautiously towards the nook where the young fox was. When their eyes met, if he didn't know better he would have said the fox cub was crying over its mother's death. The young man paused momentarily when the fox cub looked at him mistrustingly, but when the cub calmed and took a step forward, he took that as a yes for him to come closer and got down on his hands and knees so he was closer to the fox.

To the man's surprise, the fox came out and nuzzled its head against his leg before settling in his lap. Without even meaning to he found himself giggling a little to himself. His arms wrapped around the small animal and hugged it close to him, and it rested it's head on the man's chest.

"Francis, what in bloody hell are you doing over there?!"

The young man's eyebrows twitched in annoyance and the fox's ears perked up at the sound of Arthur, the young man's English cousin, yelling at him.

"Thats none of your business, you sour old crumpet," Francis hissed angrily, getting to his feet and holding the fox so that Arthur couldn't see it. Arthur's reaction was merely a grumble of annoyance, thankfully.

"Just get back on your horse, frog, and hurry up with whatever your doing." Arthur replied through gritted teeth, turning his horse around and riding away.

Francis rolled his eyes, but looking into the little fox's deep, calm brown eyes helped ease the young man's annoyance. With no better place to put the young fox, he put it into one of the side bags slung on his horse, thanking God quickly that the fox was so small and light. Then Francis mounted the horse and rode off after the others towards Arthur's manor. As they rode, the little fox watched the scenery rushing by.

( - o o o - )

As the horses were taken into the stable, Francis took the little fox out of the bag and settled the young animal in his arms. It was surprsisingly warm for such a small body, and its slow breaths filled the Frenchman with a sense of calm. Whenever he was outside of his dear France visiting his half cousin he felt twitchy. He never liked Arthur and he didn't like England, but his parents had him go there constantly. It almost seemed as if they were just sending him off so they wouldn't have to deal with him.

Francis was suddenly shaken out of his revery as the fox pawed at his arms franticly. Arthur was coming this way, and the Englishman would not want the fox around the house. Francis quickly started to walk away from Arthur while also being as nonchalant about it as humanly possible. If he looked like he was running away Arthur would suspect something and he didn't want a confrontation right now, but Arthur soon reached him and grabbed Francis by the shoulder, dragging him backwards a little. Francis shifted the fox deftly, now holding it with one arm on one side under his cloak while turning his other side to face the Englishman.

"What are you holding, ye git?" Arthur asked with a hint of scowl on his face, and Francis hid his nervousness by glaring at the other because of the name-calling.

"Why does it matter to you, you rat-haired fool?" Francis retaliated and the two had a small staring contest, bothering glaring angrily at one another, before Arthur let go of Francis' shoulder and shoved him forward a little, causing the Frenchman to stumble a little.

"Whatever it is, if I find out its something I said to not have in my house your going to get, toad-face." Arthur hissed before turning around and strode away briskly, each step prode and dignified. Francis just sneered at the man before hugging the fox tightly, its softness calming his nerves. The fox let him do this, which continued to surprise him because you would expect a wild animal to act in a very different manner. He didn't fret over it too much, though, as they went inside and Francis scaled the steps to the room he was staying in while he was at Arthur's place.

He set the fox down on the silk blankets on his bed, then changed out of his hunting clothes into more elegant clothing that he wore around the manor. Curiously, the fox looked away the entire time Francis was changing, as if it was respecting his privacy when he was naked. He noted this just before he was about to put in his shirt, and the sight made him chuckle. The fox was a strange one. He picked the fox up again and hugged it again against his bare chest, and the animal writhed a little before calming again, though Francis thought it looked as if the fox's face was flushed and it felt warmer then usual. If a fox could blush, this fox pup was. Odd.

He set the fox pup down again and put the shirt on, then, after everything looked straightened and clean he opened the door, about to leave, then glanced back at the fox. It seemed sad that he was leaving, but understanding, like it knew it couldn't come along. After a soft, small smile directed at the young animal, Francis set off to have dinner with Arthur and the rest of the family.

[A/N]

Ah, one *short* chapter done! I'll be working on this more later, I promise. Likes and reviews would be greatly appreciated and I apologize for any OOC-ness.