The Fox who would be a Knight
By Drakelah
"Arthire! Renyfar! Come in for supper!" An over-worked foxwife stood on the very toes of her feet. She busied herself wiping off her hands from the flour and goose grease while she peered at her sons on the horizon.
"Not now mother!"
"Pirates are on the attack!"
In the distance, two forms play fought with wooden swords.
"If there are any pirates, I'm sure your father will beat them soundly when he comes home from court!"
"But mother – "
"No more excuses! Both of you, inside and wash your paws for dinner!"
Practically jumping from the hill where they played, the two foxcubs scampered down the road, kicking up the dirt and dust wherever it was loose.
They jostled each other for first place, tripping and kicking with their small feet.
"Stop that! You're going to hurt each other!"
"That's the object, mother!" Arthire wrapped his arms around Renyfar's neck and they both tumbled over the threshold to the house.
Sighing, the foxwife just stared after them, "Boys."
After the boys had fought their way through the kitchen, down the hall, and into the washroom, they shoved each other back down the hallway to the table.
Their mother snapped her fingers at them and they instantly stopped, their attention focused on the door. Just a touch after, the door swung open to reveal a tired foxknight, weary after a long day at court.
He was instantly besieged by his two young sons, "Father!"
Lifting the boys in his arms, he fairly slung them over his shoulders and turned to his wife, "Edelata? I seem to have captured two rogues. A bit youngish to eat, though, eh?"
Both boys protested loudly.
The foxwife laughed, "The younger they are, the more tender, Armadito."
Still carrying the boys, he leaned over and kissed his wife, "Dinner smells lovely."
"We still have time to add a couple of insolent little ones."
"I think these ones can live, for now." Armadito deposited each of his sons in their own chairs. Striding back over to his wife, the parents brought the dishes of food back to the table.
"So, what did everyone do this fine day?"
"Renyfar and I fought the pirates!"
"Pirates?"
"Yeah!"
"Each day, there's some new evil around our house Edelata. Today it's pirates, tomorrow it may be rogues or scallywags, or rapscallions, or dishonest traders, or perhaps mercenaries from an evil kingdom far away."
Both of the boys seemed far too pleased with this prospect for their mother's taste and she shook her head, "Well, at the very least, I have two young apprentice knights to prowl the yard for any trespassers."
Renyfar raised his fist in the air and growled out the meek beginnings of a battle cry.
"Not at the table, son." Ordered his father and the family began to eat.
"What happened at court today, dear?"
"The king is most concerned for the welfare of the young ones."
"He is?"
"Three more have gone missing."
Concerned came into the foxwife's eyes, "Three?"
"None were foxcubs, but we are troubled that it might be, someday."
"Three what, father?" Arthire raised a timid voice.
"Human cubs. Magicked away like lightning."
"Human cubs can't take care of themselves though! We're fighters!"
For once, their father did not endorse their bravery, "I want you to listen to me carefully. Stay away from that place. Nothing good will come of going there. Do you understand?"
"Yes father." A chorused response.
"Good, now I don't want to hear anymore about that." Picking up his spoon, the father was silent a moment, indeed; the tension in the room was running much higher than usual.
"Alright, tell me about these pirates."
The day was dull. Both foxcubs were forced to content themselves with sifting the loose dirt with sticks they had procured in the nearby wood. Elbows propped up on their tiny haunches, both boys looked down at the designs they were drawing.
"I wish we had something to do."
"We could fight pirates again!"
"We fought them yesterday; I'll bet they ran home to their mothers."
There was an immediate return to the shuffling of rocks and stones while both of them considered the immense gallery of villains that they could face upon this day.
A rustling in the nearby weeds and bramble scared both of them straight up onto their feet pads.
"What was that?"
"Maybe it's the evil king; the one father always talks of."
"He's come to take us away?"
"Not without a fight." Arthire pulled out his wooden stave and leveled it at the rustling thicket, "Who goes there?"
When no responded was issued, Renyfar took a tentative step forward, "Come now! This is Renyfar and Arthire Didymus, two knights in training! We demand answers!"
All was silent and still and both boys leaned in.
A large sheepdop pup came barreling out of the grasses straight for them.
"Run!" Both boys took up the call, and it appeared that the pup did too, as he, in fear for his own life, followed after them as they all fled an unknown assailant.
"He's still chasing us!"
Out of breath, his brother peered back, "What do we do?"
"Turn and fight!"
The young cub jumped and landed flat on his back, his feet and hands up to defend himself. Nearly instantly, the pup toppled over him in a tangle of too long limbs and mussed fur.
Renyfar stopped and went back; ready to defend his only brother. In truth, there was little to defend him from.
Arthire scrambled to his feet and stared at the pup that was sprawled out rather ungainly upon the ground.
"Who are you?"
It merely looked up at him with scared eyes.
"Can't you speak?"
The little dog shook its head.
Renyfar nodded, "Where's your family?"
The pup got up and ran in a circle, looking every which way imaginable. He started in one direction and halted, and then began another.
"What is he doing?"
"Looking for his family I think."
"Do you think mother will let us keep him for a pet?"
"If not, we can hide him in the bushes and feed him our leftover vegetables."
Both boys nodded at one another and took off after the pup. He led them on a merry chase past the trees and the brush until the foliage began to give way.
The impossibly high stone walls of the labyrinth came into view as the green forest began to wither and turn to dust. The secure little glen of the fox kingdom had shriveled into the desert land that surrounded the majority of the goblin king's greatest puzzle.
"Arthire? I don't think we should go any further."
His brother pointed at the retreating figure of the pup, "We have to bring him back, he'll die out here!"
"How do you know he doesn't live in the desert?"
"Nothing lives in the desert!"
Renyfar sighed and stared off into the distance. Arthire grabbed his brother's paw and pulled him out onto the sandy hills, "Let's go!"
The two foxcubs' small paws slipped and slid as the ground gave way under their feet and they stumbled down the hill.
The sheepdog pup was running at full speed towards the labyrinth wall, his long tangled fur trailing after him.
"Stop! You'll run straight into that wall!"
And so the sheepdog pup did.
Both of the cubs stopped in their tracks, falling over one another.
"Where did he go?"
"He ran through the stones!"
"He couldn't have!"
"But he did! I saw him and so did you!"
They approached the stones, their paws raised in front of them, in case the whole thing was just one of those desert illusions that their father had warned them of.
Oddly enough, the stones were cold beneath Renyfar's paws, despite the blazing sun.
Emboldened by his brother, Arthire took two steps forward and fell flat on his face.
"Arthire? Where'd you go?" Renyfar's frightened voice reached him and he pushed himself off of the ground.
"I'm right here, Renyfar!" Arthire looked around him; his brother's voice seemed to be coming from every direction. The desert was gone behind him, only the cold stones remained. It was almost as if the labyrinth had swallowed him.
He ran his paws over the wall that he'd seemingly stumbled through. It was solid; he could find neither hide nor hair of the door that had once been there.
"Renyfar?"
"Arthire?" His brother's voice came back to him, farther away than before as if his brother were walking away.
Suddenly, a bark alerted him and he looked down the long trail that seemed to stretch for forever. There was the sheepdog pup, looking back at him.
"How do I get out of here?"
The pup cocked his head and seemed to shrug.
"Well, how did you get out of here?"
Another shrug.
His brother called his name again, he sound further away than before. Arthire began running down the length of the labyrinth, trying to chase his brother's voice.
"Arthire? Arthire?"
"Renyfar? I'm here!" He stopped in his tracks and yelled at the very top of his lungs.
He could no longer hear his brother's voice. With the beginnings of tears in his eyes, he sat down on the dirty, leaf-covered floor and wondered what would become of him.
The sheepdog pup came and sat next to him, obviously scared to be alone in the strange and cold place.
"My father is going to be very upset with me." Arthire sighed.
Nudging him, the pup looked around and whined.
"Why did you lead me here?"
But the sheepdog of course, never had an answer.
"'ello." A friendly voice came from the stones, and the foxcub stood up in a rush.
"Who's there?"
"I am! Turn 'round!"
Arthire faced the wall and spotted a small blue worm looking back at him, "Do you know how to get out of here?"
"Sorry no, I just live here, never leave really."
"Is the goblin king here?"
"He lives in the big castle at the center of the labyrinth. I would just stay away from there."
"I wish I knew how to get out of here."
"Well, sometimes in the labyrinth, you'll find what you need most by not looking for it. I'd give it a try, lad."
The young cub looked back and forth, "Do you recommend a direction, Mister – "
"Oh, no names, I'm just a worm. Who are you?"
"Arthire Didymus."
"Nice to make your acquaintance, Mister Didymus."
"I'm going to be a Sir, one day, you know. My father's one of the best fox knights there is, and one day, I'll get out of here and the king will knight me."
The worm nodded, sympathetically, and he nodded the boy to the left, "Never right to go right, try the left."
"Thank you, Mister Worm."
He bid his farewell to the worm and sighed, starting off down the long trail.
Behind him, someone whined and scuffed on the ground, and he turned around.
The sheepdog pup looked at him forlornly, his face down, ashamed of the situation he'd put them both in, and unable to apologize.
"I'll need some help, this labyrinth is very big."
Running up to him, the sheepdog missed his stop and slid forward a big before coming to a halt.
"I don't even know your name."
The sheepdog shrugged and looked up at him.
"My grandfather's name was Ambrosius. Would you like to be Ambrosius?"
The sheepdog had no opinion one way or the other, and so it was so decreed by Arthire that he should be so called.
The pair walked down the long path; deliberately trying not to look for the way out, and walking further in.
Arthire held high hopes that his father would come and find him, or that he would find a magical door out of this place.
Either way, he would continue to practice and train like his father had taught him. If he should ever come across that goblin king, he'd be ready for him.