Chapter Two

Twilight hour was always good for hunting but Vixen resolved herself to stay in the set. She gently pressed her nose behind the cub's ear and sighed, she really hadn't wished for him to be this young but she was glad that he was alive. She licked him affectionately, her mind battling between whether it was okay to mother him so much or whether she should hold back and give him some air. It was a hard decision for her.

"Fox," she said gently wanting to test him, "I'm glad so many of our friends are alive despite others growing old and passing on. At least we have each other, right?"

"You couldn't expect for so many animals to live such long lives but if we had stayed in Farthing Wood, they would never have their lives last for so long. Not without water. And we get to see so many of the next generation of hares and squirrels and the moles," Fox commented and Vixen smiled. At least his memories were in tact when he was sleeping despite the voice being so young.

"I do miss our walks together but are you feeling better?" Vixen asked him and Fox smiled.

"I'm doing better, my lungs feel clearer, my heart stronger, I feel young again," he said before yawning. As he opened his eyes though, he had a more confused look on his face and he backed away from her fearfully. He looked around the set. "This isn't home. This isn't…where are my siblings?" he asked nervously before looking down. "Mother said not to go off on my own or I'd get lost."

Vixen smiled sadly as she saw that the memories had left him as he had woken up. At least she could speak to him when he was half asleep and have the old Fox back. She sat up, wrapping her tail around her paws.

"Are you often going off on your own?" she asked him trying to act kind and as if he were one of her own cubs. She should have had more than one litter with Fox but there were other things that had gotten in the way such as blue foxes and rats. She regretted not having more cubs with him.

"Well, I like seeing different things in the woods," Fox admitted. "Mother says I'm a bold one because I like adventuring. Can I do some adventuring today?" he asked with a proud glimmer in his eyes. Vixen watched him, seeing the sparks of her mate in his younger form.

"How about we go together? There might be dangerous things around here," she tried to protect him, her concern showing. She didn't want him to become overwhelmed if there were other animals who wanted to interact with him. She wasn't sure how confident he was. He had always appeared confident.

"Dangers?" Fox blinked as he turned his head to the side and blinked at her. "Are there any dangers here?"

"Well, not that I know of," Vixen said honestly, "but this isn't the Farthing Woods, I'm afraid. This is an entirely new place and I would feel it a great honor to accompany you today," she told him and Fox nodded, he let out a yawn and scratched himself behind the ear.

"Don't you have a mate?" he asked her and Vixen felt her breath catch in her chest.

"Well, yes, but he's away right now. I know he's safe though and that's all that matters, now, aren't we going to go out?" she asked and Fox blinked at her before nodding. "Good, I fancy a little bit of a stroll," she tried to say kindly although she couldn't ignore the fear that he might somehow get into trouble.

…..

…..

Vixen made sure to keep her steps slow so that the young cub could keep up with her. She smiled upon him affectionately as he looked at her paws but as soon as he raised his head to look at her she sat down and watched a bird flying in the night sky. She didn't know this one. She looked down at Fox, trying to act as a mother to him rather than his mate.

"Do you see those birds up there?" she asked as she raised a paw and then paused as the young fox cub started to run around in a circle before rolling on the ground. She had to admit that he looked adorable. She wished that she had gotten to know him as pups, it would have been very interesting and quite enjoyable. "Fox?" she asked and saw the baby animal looking at her.

"Oh, sorry," he said as he approached her and sat beside her. He looked up at the sky. "Do you think we could catch them?" he asked and Vixen turned to him surprised.

"No, I don't think that we could reach up so high, maybe after they've landed," she said before seeing the younger version of her mate run ahead to jump upon a pine cone. She laughed gently as she saw him start to kick it in the air. He really was a lot like her Bold.

"What have we got here, then?" Vixen heard a familiar voice and she stepped forwards. She bowed her head as she saw the blue fox and gently put a paw on Fox's side so that he would pay attention. "Wow, if I didn't know any better then I'd sa-"

"Ranger, what do I owe the pleasure this night?" Vixen asked as Ranger gaped at her.

"What on earth?" he asked as he looked her over, "Vixen? How can you…you look younger than…how could…"

"I'm not sure how exactly but there was a magical pond, I know that it sounds strange and not very likely but I found a place in this park where the water turns you young again. I only wanted a drink but Fox…"

"I heard," Ranger said as he bowed his head, "Owl told Charmer this morning, very unlikely to get through the night is what she said. I wanted to come 'ere and pay my respects. I know that my father cau-"

"I don't blame you for what your father did, Ranger, and neither does Fox," Vixen replied before she nudged Fox who slipped behind her paw. Ranger paused as he looked at the cub, he did have similar markings to the Farthing Fox but he was fluffier, smaller, less dignified.

"Is that who I think it is?" Ranger asked as he looked between the two foxes. He pause as he saw the cub approach him and sit in front of him.

"Why are you blue?" the tiny Fox answered and Ranger took a step back, still trying to recover from his shock.

"Be kind," Vixen whispered and Fox blinked.

"I'm Fox," he grinned before looking at Vixen again and turned back to Ranger. "Sorry if that was unkind, what's your name?" he asked with a grin and Ranger looked once more between the other animals. He tried to calm himself and bowed his head so he could look Fox eye to eye.

"Name's Ranger, been on this land since my birth, long ancestry of blue foxes. It's nice to meet you…little guy," he said before hearing his name being called and took a weak breath in. He had recently had his own cubs born, three boys and one girl. It was because of their network of friends that he and Charmer could leave them at home.

"Ranger, what's going on?" Charmer asked before staring at the Vixen opposite her. "Mother?" she gasped as her eyes widened and she felt so strange. She was older than her own mother. She froze before trying to smile. Her eyes widened even more as she saw the tiny cub that Vixen was protecting, even younger than her own cubs. "Is that-"

"This is Fox," Vixen said with a firm look in her eyes for neither of the other two to upset the baby fox. "He is very innocent and has a lot to learn," she said as Fox sighed and rolled his eyes. Charmer nodded along slowly and Vixen bent down, lifting Fox in her mouth. Charmer's eyes flashed in surprise, her father would never let himself be carried like this if he was in his own mind, far too proud.

"I see," Charmer smiled, "Well I think that Plucky ought to be told of this," she said as she thought about how shocked her nephew would be. Despite him being the leader of the animals on Farthing ground and of Farthing descent, Charmer couldn't see her nephew feeling confident enough to start telling his grandfather what to do.

Vixen placed Fox down who looked at her confused. "Ranger," she asked with a tilt of her head, "Would you mind looking after Fox for just a moment or so, I'd like to discuss something with Charmer," she requested.

"Right," Ranger nodded as he looked around, "Let's play with that pine cone. That seems like a fun thing to do. Never really had the chance to play much as a kid. My mother would've let me but my dad didn't encourage us to have fun," he commented as he located the object that Fox had been playing with.

Charmer followed her mother a little distance away but where they could still keep the male foxes in sight. "I'm afraid that I don't quite understand what's going on," she said honestly as she saw the baby fox wag his tail and pounce upon the pine cone that Ranger was holding down for him. "Are you sure that that truly is Father?" she asked and Vixen nodded.

"You saw your father yesterday morning, you saw how weak he was and you persuaded him to eat. I thought that if there was a pond where he could restore some of his health, it was worth getting a drink but he fell into the pond instead. When I was able to rescue him we had both grown significantly younger." Vixen bowed her head solemnly and Charmer moved closer to her, gently comforting her now younger mother.

"I was so scared that he would pass away last night," Charmer admitted honestly. "He has been through so much, his skin was hanging off of him and he wouldn't eat. If this is how his life has been saved then I suppose we'll all have to adjust. It's comforting in a way, to see him so free and happy."

"I believe that he has retained some of his own memories as well," Vixen told her and saw Fox wrestling with Ranger who was being very considerate and gentle with him. "Last night as he curled beside me, he started talking as he usually does. He knew of our past together and even events that had occurred before sunset yesterday. When he woke up, he didn't remember any of that."

"In that case then maybe it will come back to him," Charmer commented and Vixen placed a paw on top of her daughter's, giving her a meaningful look.

"If he does remember and if he is able to defend himself without me being there, I'm going to go back to that pond," she commented and Charmer blinked. "I am going to become a young vixen myself, I made myself a promise a long time ago after being hunted by hounds and men that I would stay with your father. If that means that I become a young one again then the cost is worth it."

Charmer nodded, "I understand," she told her mother, "Your children are all grown…well me and Friendly are grown. If you want to live a full life with Father again then I understand that and Ranger and I will do anything we can to help."

Vixen smiled to her and bowed her head, "Thank you. I am grateful for that and so proud to have you and Ranger as our children."