Chapter 1

The sun streaked across the grassy landscape, piercing the darkness with its flickering rays. Glowing fingers of light stretched across the horizon, slaying the once moonless night. A cool mist hovered over the lush green landscape dotted with forests, grasslands, and small buildings. A new day had begun, much like any other day in the village. It must have been around seven o'clock, which was the time when most of the village awoke. Cattle herders already began to tend to their livestock, children got up to be of some help for their overworked parents, and the women started a small breakfast for their family, which could hold one out until noontime. It was not much, but it was livable.

Selena was a small dot located in the vast country of Uno, surrounded by expansive fields and obstinate forests. Many dwellings were scattered on the edge of the village, while the shops and the market place were located in the center of the settlement, bordered by a dirt road that had been used thousands of times by countless souls. Many people went to the market to buy fruit, tools, or just to talk to one another about anything during the day.

One by one, the wooden shacks awoke – the dark dots on the landscape became more noticeable once the lights of the shelters were switched on. One dwelling, on the far south end of the village, suddenly glowed with a dim light from the kitchen. This house was similar to the rest, as it was built out of wood, straw, thatch, brick, and other materials. Inside, Vikki McCloud was preparing mealtime for her family. She had always been loyal to her job in her household. It was hard to find food, and even harder to buy it, so she had an essential role in her family. Her husband, James McCloud, had already begun to move the stubborn cattle out of their barn into some fresh pasture for grazing. Cattle ranching was what most of the men did in the village. It earned little pay, but if times got rough, one could always slaughter a cow and have the meat for a few weeks or months, depending on how rough times got and how well they could preserve it.

The vixen set a plate out on the lone wooden table next to the warm iron stove. "Fox!" she called out. "The food is made!"

A sudden flash of light flooded from the back room, and standing in the doorway was a fox of no more than eleven. Only a young kit, he whimpered and rubbed his eyes to begin the day. The fur around his muzzle and mouth was a snow white, which was common for a young kit his age, while the rest of his fur was a burnt red color. He had yet to reach adolescence though, which was typical. Although he was bit lean compared to others his age, he was muscular from helping his father out in the field, which was what the son of the household usually did.

The most prominent feature of him was his unusual green eyes. His eyes were the subjects of many discussions in the town of Selena. It was odd for the villagers, since most foxes boasted blue, brown, or black eyes, and so they labeled Fox as a "peculiar child." Though he was never directly persecuted for his oddity, his parents tried their best to help the kit ignore the rumors that circulated about him.

In an attempt to blend in, he donned the typical kilt and white vest for a boy his age. Though the cost was dear, his father had traded a good milking cow to put him in sturdy leather boots, and his mother had painstakingly sewn the McCloud family crest upon the left side of his green kilt. He was more important to them than all the cattle in the world, they reasoned, and so when he was only two, his father had passed down to him the red bandana tied about his neck, his prized possession that he could barely give away.

"It is a breakfast you love," she spoke in a light tone. "Leaves and the meat of the calf you killed yesterday. Remember to save some meat for your father, for he has not eaten yet." She gracefully pulled a chair out for her son and hugged him.

Fox stared up at her with a smile. His mother was a beautiful vixen, who was thought to be the "prettiest vixen in all of Uno," according to the villagers. She was petite and thin. Her hands were delicate and soft, even though they prepared meals for her son and husband every day. They felt like silk as they moved up and down the kit's back. She wore a long silky pink dress, which was flowing and smooth, but not large on her. A green ribbon was tied around her neck, for she loved the color green, but since she already had a pink dress, she couldn't afford a green one. A headband was placed over her hair to keep it out of the way when she cooked.

"Yes mother, I'm not very hungry today," Fox replied with a grin. "I will save some meat for father."

His mother released him. "Sit down at the table, love, and I'll give you your meal."

Fox sat in an old rickety chair at the dinner table in front of the window that displayed the new day rising. The table had been there since the family moved into the shack, along with the stove and the straw bed located in his parents' bedroom. There were no forks, or any utensils for that matter - just plates and pots scattered around the kitchen and in the sink. That was the way the McClouds lived; they learned to use what little they had in the best way possible.

His mother handed to him the plate full of meat and leaves and smiled at her son as she kissed him on the forehead. "There you are my son," she whispered, "and eat slowly since I do not know when dinner will be. Your father may have to work a little harder today, and he really needs your help with the ranching. The cows were restless last night, from what he told me." The aroma of the meat would seem sour to most, but for the walk of life in this region of Uno, it was a meal.

Fox looked down at his plate and grimaced. Running his overworked hands against the table, his grin suddenly faded. "Mother, why do we have to be different? Why can't we have a good home like other people, who have food to eat all the time and have real beds?" Fox remembered how when he was small his family traveled to a large town with big houses with actual beds and couches to sit on inside them. They ventured to that city in order to do what his father called "business." The memory was still fresh in his mind.

Fox watched as his mother pulled out a chair and sat in a next to him. She gazed into his eyes with a frail smile. Fox could tell she was trying to hide something, but he wouldn't question her each time she did.

"Our country is under a lot of trials now," she replied. "If God is willing, we will get through them and all live in peace. But until that day, we will live like this. It is difficult, but it makes us appreciate what little we have."

"But why, why do we have to wait?" He fidgeted slightly in his chair as he waited for his mother's response.

Vikki reached out and stroked Fox on the cheek with a soft hand. "Oh, my young man, why do you ask so many questions? Did you dream last night?"

Fox shook his head. "No. Why do we have to live poor, mother?"

Vikki sighed as her gazed shifted to the floor. "The leaders of our country are fighting against each other. We live like this to avoid being hurt or killed, and for your protection."

"But I want to fight and protect you from them!" Fox protested. "I can do it mother, you'll see!" He banged his fist on the table.

As Vikki lightly sighed, she shook her head. "Fox, it's much more complicated than that. If I told you, you would not understand." She turned away from him. "Throughout your life, you will be hated because you are who you are: a McCloud. But one day, you will rise above all of that. Never lose sight of that, love." She lovingly smiled back at Fox, and added, "But for now, we just have to be together. That's not bad, is it ?" She stood and stepped forward to her son, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

"No." Fox pretended to ignore the kiss as he got out of his chair and stepped toward the front door.

"Now then, go to your father. Tell him to be back before sundown, okay?"

Fox looked back at his mother, who sat down in a chair. "Yes Mother," he replied.

Fox opened the door to the house and ran to get to the pasture, which was a fair distance away - about a four-hour journey, if one had a good pace. For the ranchers, the farther away from the village one got, the better the grass became. Better grass meant healthier cattle, which in turn meant improved wages.

Fox ignored the ranchers as he sped past them. From the little that he gathered, he could hear them asking each other how their herd was doing and where the best fields were for grazing that day. Every once and a while, a speeder bike would zoom by to deliver news to the community, but the noise of the engines didn't startle the young kit. Instead, they amazed the young fox each time he saw one drive by the village. One day he would have his own bike, he reasoned.

Fox ran to his father's pasture and arrived there around noontime, not stopping along the way for any reason. A final emerald hill, and his father, James McCloud, was in full view. He could see him perched on a hillside, watching his cattle graze peacefully. But he wasn't a very skilled rancher because that was not his interest. Fox's father was a tall and slender fox, wearing a thin, long white jacket. Under his jacket was a green jumpsuit, the kind a "pilot," as he put it, might wear. Leather boots, which were so black that light could barely strike them, were worn on his feet. At forty-two years old, he was certainly just passed his prime.

As Fox approached his father, he noticed an odd creature next to him. His arms were spidery and wiry, which reminded the kit of thin tree limbs, and his legs were wiry but powerful. His head was boxy and was gray skinned, but it wasn't really skin at all – it looked much harder than that. Shorter than his father, the creature stood next to him with his hands on his hips, speaking to him about something. Fox tried to keep a safe distance in case he would bother them. Suddenly, his father let out a relaxing laugh, and reached over to hug the creature, to which the creature responded with a strong hug and shook with laughter, bellowing out a hearty chuckle. The way the creature jerked with laughter made Fox crack a smile across his visage. Fox crept beside a tree stump undetected and listened.

"Oh, we've been through a lot together, you know that?" The creature said in the midst of a graceful laugh and a warm smile. "James, I still can't believe it." He shook his head. "We've survived so much. God has surely watched over us."

James nodded. "Yeah, He's truly blessed us." Then, the fox forced a smile on his muzzle. "But He's given us too much sometimes, I think. We don't deserve it after what we've done, but He still loves us."

"Yeah," the creature replied. "So, how is your family? Is Vikki working you too hard?"

"I swear, Frankjo," his father whispered, "she holds my heart in her hands. I don't know what I'd do without her." He nonchalantly began to scratch his ear as he gazed out at the overcast sky. "She sooths my worries with her graceful hands and kisses me every day with lips so perfect I swear she is an angel sometimes." Then he turned to Frankjo. "I love her, Frankjo, more than I can ever realize, but I know she loves me more."

Fox listened in as Frankjo suddenly gazed into the eyes of his father. "Never lose that fire, okay?" He cleared his throat. "How is your son?"

"Fox?" James said. Fox's ears perked up. "That kit's amazing. Every day he looks older and is growing as fast as a jaku tree. It's incredible how much he knows already. He's so strong in both body and spirit, which is a big weight off my chest." Frankjo nodded. "But I know someday I won't be able to protect him anymore from them, and he'll have to figure things out on his own."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen anytime soon, right?" Frankjo said warmly while placing a gray hand on James's shoulder. Fox's father nodded his head and smiled again. "Hey, I'm going to go, alright? Someday, I'm going to have to go to your home so I can meet your son and see Vikki again."

"When you feel the time is right, old friend."

Frankjo looked back with a grin and hopped onto his speeder bike, rested in a ditch nestled between two hills. Fox could barely see the vehicle, and he squinted harder to get a better look. Revving the bike a few times, the creature kick started his vehicle and sped off into the distance, careening over a few small hills and into the steamy horizon.

Fox stood up after the sounds of the engine became inaudible and began to walk to his father, pretending he just arrived at his pasture. His father shook his head with a grin still placed on his face as he focused his view on his cattle, which were grazing just below him in another ditch a few hundred feet ahead of him. Fox's attention then turned to his boots, which squashed in the soft soil. Dew was still glistening on the grass, which was unusual for this late in the day. Fox reasoned it was due to the light fog that enveloped the Unonian landscape. The dew quickly began to soak through the worn out leather, so Fox tried hard to dodge the puddles in the soil.

"Fox!" his father shouted. Fox looked up to see his father walking toward him. "Fox, are you ready to help me today? I really need a strong man to help me take care of these cows today. Do you think you can do that? I mean, you sure look strong, and I know I've heard good things about you. So, what do you say?"

Fox smiled. "Yes father, what should I do?"

"Nothing yet," his father replied with a sudden chuckle. "But soon we've got to move them over to that hill way, way over there, see?" Fox nodded as he followed his father's finger. "Then we'll play or something while the cows do their job. That's about it for today."

Fox sat down in the cool grass, making sure his kilt didn't touch any parts where the ground was sopping wet. Birds chirped nearby, adding to the serenity of the atmosphere. But Fox was still confused. Fidgeting where he sat, he looked up at his father, who stared casually at the landscape in front of him. "Father, who was that man who you were talking to?"

Turning to his son, James sighed. He cleared a spot in the grass and sat down next to Fox. Then he took the kit and pulled him close to his body, setting him on his lap with a grunt. "You mean the person who just left on his bike?" Fox nodded. "He's a Careinian, Fox. Careinians are from Canvhis."

"That's a Careinian?" Fox asked with a hint of surprise. "But he looks so different! Is that how they all look in Canvhis?"

"No," James replied with a smile. "Not all people who live in Canvhis look like him He's just a part of a different race, that's all. Just like how we are foxes. He's a Careinian Car – a different race."

"Do all Careinian Cars look like that? Why are they gray? What is the matter with their heads?" Fox looked up at his father with a confused glare. It was as if the gates of a room full of questions were forced opened in the kit's mind.

"Yes, Fox, they all look the same, for the most part. They all have that human-like body and those funny shaped heads. They are gray because that's how God made them, Fox. It's the same reason why he chose to give us red fur and some other foxes blue fur and some gray."

"What are they like?" Fox's eyes widened, hoping to know more about these Careinians.

"They all love to be powerful and strong. But not that one. He's different. He's very humble, and he's helped me more times than I can count."

"How?"

His father grinned. "Well, maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

Fox paused as he looked out at the Unonian countryside. Green grass sprawled as far as the eye could see, with an occasional group of trees placed around the land. The sun poured its light onto the ground, giving life to the green around him. "What did he want, father?" Fox asked.

James's grin began to fade. "Oh Fox, let's save that for later, okay?" Fox nodded his head.

Suddenly, Fox's father stood up and breathed a great sigh through his nose. Beckoning his son, he grabbed his staff and headed toward the cattle. Fox stared up at his father with intent, not because they were finally going to do something, but because he knew so much. I hope I can be as smart as he is someday, the kit thought. Shaking his head, he refocused his gaze on the grass.

"Fox!" his father called out. "We're moving the cattle over to that field I showed you a few minutes ago, okay? Start moving them out!"

Fox knew what he had to do. Finding a large staff on the ground, he sped to the back of the herd and gently began to strike the rears of a few cattle. Eventually, the gluttonous beasts began to move forward, swinging their heads left and right and bellowing out grunts and moans.

"That's it, keep it going!" his father shouted. He began to run up to the lead cow and grabbed it by the rope around its neck, leading it to the new pasture. All of this was routine for the animals.

"Yar!" Fox shouted as he whacked a slow one in the rear. Looking up, Fox checked on the group. In front of the kit was an exodus of cattle, bearing a chorus of bells and moans. "Yar! Move!" Another cow picked up the pace as the group began to move closer together.

"Make sure they're close together, Fox," James shouted, "because we can't afford to lose one! Keep your eyes focused on them!"

Fox nodded as he ran over to his right and whapped a beast on the side a few times, making it move back in the right direction. Why can't you ladies ever just follow orders? he thought. Then, with a jerk, he turned around and pushed another to his left.

Over fields of green, Fox ran all over the herd as they cascaded over to new grass. Everything was routine now for Fox. Ever since he was seven, he had helped his father with the cattle and left his mother behind each day, leaving her alone to find food and tend to the house. Fox didn't mind ranching – even though it was hard work, it was much more exciting than going to market in the village center or sweeping out his room. Fox also loved the openness of the whole countryside. It was as if these fields had never been touched by any being in hundreds of years, and they extended out in all directions like a sea of green, with the hills being stagnant waves.

Finally, after a good amount of walking, Fox noticed his father stop. Running around the herd to keep them close together, the kit went to work. His main job was to keep the cattle together. This was very important since each lost cow could be the difference between plenty of food for the winter or hardly any at all.

"Fox!" his father called out. "Come here!"

Fox looked up and raced to the front of the pack. He loved to run, to be the first one there to be helpful. "Yes?" he huffed.

"That should be good for now," James replied. Rubbing his hand in Fox's hair, he gazed out at his animals, counting with his eyes to make sure all of them were accounted for. "Good work, Fox," he finally confirmed. Fox smiled. James began to walk around the group, making sure none of them was sick or injured. Typically, he did this at about this time of day, trying to keep a routine for his life.

After checking the udders of one of the countless beasts, James looked up at Fox and grinned. "This one seems to be in order," he said as he stood up with a grunt.

"Father?"

"Yes?" James asked.

"How do you know where to go for them to graze?"

James paused. "God guides them, not me. I just listen, that's all. See Fox, there's a time for listening and a time for speaking. You just have to know when to do those things." He paused as he picked Fox up and set him on his shoulders. "Do you see this, Fox?" he asked. Fox nodded. "Land, land as far as the eyes will carry. It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yes father," Fox replied.

"One day it'll all be yours, Fox. All of it. And when you own this land, many years from now, will you promise me one thing?"

Fox let his gaze fall to his father's head. "What?"

"Fox, remember everything that I taught you, everything I've said to you each day you and I have started ranching together. Remember to be just, to be careful in all that you do and keep other people in mind when you make decisions. Remember to be merciful, to always forgive. Remember to be protecting also, to help those who need help and be there for them. And above all, love, Fox. Remember to love." His father looked up at him. "Can you do that for me, Fox?"

Fox nodded his head slowly. He had no idea why his father used to tell him those things, but they seemed important to him, nonetheless. Fox adored his knowledge, so he obeyed him without giving much thought.

"Live, Fox. And never give up, right?"

Fox nodded again. "Yes, I will."

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Evening soon settled in as Fox and his father traveled back to their home, right after they set the cattle in their shed a few hours ago. Exhausted, the young kit tried hard to keep up with his father, who seemed to be racing back toward the house. This happened every night, it was like he was afraid that Vikki wouldn't be at home or something. Fox followed close behind as his father stormed up to the front door and knocked exactly seven times. In an instant, the door opened and light flooded into the darkness.

"Vikki," his father awed. "Vikki, I missed you so much." He wrapped her arms around her and began to kiss her muzzle all over, like he was afraid it wasn't going to be there the next time he saw her, Fox noticed. Then they hugged silently together.

"James, I could never use my words to speak of my love for you," Vikki whispered. "I'm thankful God has blessed us like that." They began to wrap their tails around each other and close their eyes in a long kiss.

Fox lost interest. He had no idea why they did that and was even more confused with why they kept on saying "love." It couldn't be the same love that his mother used when he kissed him goodnight. It certainly wasn't the same love his father spoke of every time he went ranching. No, this was different. Even though he watched them kiss each night, he now knew it was different. It was love between a fox and a vixen, something he couldn't grasp firmly yet. In Selena, there was only a handful of young vixen, and each one barely spoke to him because of his green eyes and the fact that he worked a lot. It wasn't that he wanted to be left alone, because he liked women very much, but he couldn't figure out why. Either way, Fox stepped into the house and sat down in a kitchen chair, running his hands over the rickety wooden table.

Suddenly, he heard his parents stop. He looked up and watched as the pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes with wondrous smiles growing on their muzzles as their eyes were stuck at half-open. Fox furrowed his brow. Why do they do that? With a jerk, his mother turned her head toward Fox, and, as suddenly as their affection had started, it was over.

"How's our strong man, father?" she asked as she walked over to Fox, her dress softly bouncing with each step. With a petit hand, she stroked Fox's hair.

James walked up to her with a grin and set his hands on her shoulders. "He's certainly a wonderful man! Come on, Fox, show this woman your muscles!"

Fox flexed his right arm half-heartedly, and his mother smiled as she shook her head. "I'd watch out if I were you, James. This man might sweep me off my feet someday!"

James turned to her and laughed as he set a hand on Fox's shoulder. "Maybe, eh?" He picked Fox up by his shoulders and set the kit in his arms as he sat down with a grunt. "What's the matter, Fox," he asked. "You're not smiling like you usually do."

Fox looked over to his mother, who wore an expression of concern. "What's love?" he asked.

James and Vikki stared at each other. Fox felt silly for asking such a question, and his ears sunk. Everyone knows all of what love is, right?

"Fox," Vikki began, "love is more than being content, more than money and fame, and is much more than a full stomach. When you're in love, Fox, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is the one you love. That person means everything."

Fox furrowed his brow. "But you say you love me, and you say to father you love him too. You say you love to cook and cradle me when I'm crying. How can all of that be love?"

Vikki stared up at Fox with glowing eyes and a warm smile. "Love has many forms, Fox. You know about God's love and love you have for your parents. But someday, Fox, you will feel different love. Someday, you will meet a beautiful vixen, and she will change your life forever. Then, you might share that love one day with children."

"And when you meet her, Fox," his father chimed in as he gazed at Vikki, "stay close to her. Hold her and never let go, okay?"

Fox nodded. "Yes father," he replied.

His father set him down onto the ground, and Fox stepped toward his mother, who pushed him close to her dress and rubbed the backs of his ears. "Don't worry, Fox," she assured. "Life can be confusing sometimes, but you're strong, so you will be able to work through anything."

"You must be strong, Fox," his father suddenly said with a stern tone, a tone he almost never heard his father use before. The stone-cold command sounded almost threatening, but Fox knew he didn't do anything wrong. It was odd to hear him barge in like that, though. When Fox looked up, he noticed his mother was staring, almost glaring, at his father. "Yes, Fox," he added with his normal, smiling face and comforting voice. "I know you will be strong and determined, so don't worry. But your life will require–"

"James, please, not now," Vikki suddenly begged as she touched James's chest. It seemed that every time his father wanted to be serious with Fox or tell him what to be, his mother would stop his speech. It was as if she was afraid of something, but Fox didn't know what it could be.

Suddenly, he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Okay, Fox, you must get your sleep so that you can bring in that calf you killed for breakfast." He looked up at Vikki. "You should've seen him out there, Vikki. He knew exactly how to kill that beast! I didn't even have to tell him, nothing like I was when I was nine, thankfully. And the way stabbed it! He's going to be great." Fox smiled as he looked up at his father's warm glow.

Vikki smiled half-heartedly. "Come Fox, I'm going to take you to your bed, okay?" Fox nodded as his father patted him on the back. Even after Fox watched his parents kiss and smile again, he didn't understand their love. Then again, he reminded himself that he liked to talk to vixens and be around them, but he always seemed to say the wrong things or push them away unintentionally. He wondered if that was love, but he was too confused to jump to a conclusion.

With slow steps, he followed his mother to his room as she turned on his light. It had never changed from what Fox could remember. It had the same tuft of straw in the far left corner, along with a few books to the right. When he sat down in his straw bed, his mother sat next to him and stroked his head as he fell into her lap.

"Fox, one day you will know what true love is, and you may have a child produced from that love. Then you might understand why your father and I act different sometimes."

"Mother," Fox asked, "can you tell me why you and father love each other so much?"

Vikki smiled as she brought Fox's head close to herself. "Oh, maybe later, Fox. Right now, you've got to get your sleep, okay?"

Fox nodded as he tried to keep his eyes open. His mother laid him on the straw as she pulled a blanket near her feet and pulled it over Fox. Then, while humming her favorite song, she moved her head toward Fox and kissed him on the cheek. "Sleep tight, and do not fear, for I will be near, and be with you all of the time." With the other lines of the song still humming from her mouth, she crept by the door and turned off the light. Just before Fox fell asleep though, he saw his parents kiss be his doorway, the light of the kitchen silhouetting their bodies. For some reason, it looked beautiful.