Chapter Seven: In Which, a Friendship Grows Further Than Before

He leapt up onto a metal stump, feeling it teeter dangerously underneath him as he fought for balance. The red-six-tails soon caught up, gathering around the base of the stump and growling loudly, pushing it with their forepaws.

Kalikow bravely kept on as it rocked back and forth, crouching down low as he prepared to leap. With a mighty yip, he leapt from the stump and onto another, pushing the one he had just leapt from firmly with his hindpaws, causing it to fall straight onto the three. They yelped as the metal, as well as all of the stump's contents, fell onto them, but were soon still as the Eevee dashed away to where he had caught Eldora's scentsmell.

Eldora and Akayo both nuzzled each other as they padded down a path between two of the tall-two-leg dens, excitement growing as the heatsmell intoxicated them both, making their bodies hot with passion and emotion.

They came to a dead end in the path and began playing, rolling and licking. Eldora felt incredibly happy, but something at the back of her mind would not leave her alone…

Yipping loudly, he ran straight past the path. Had it not been for the incredibly strong scentsmell he suddenly caught, he would not have noticed the two red-six-tails at the bottom of the path. One of them was Eldora, and the other one was… his ears flattened. A Vulpix male.

Letting out a low growl, he stepped towards the pair, both of which glanced up at him with obvious surprise. Akayo began growling also, top lip curling back as the Eevee approached.

Eldora looked from one to the other in despair, leaping up between them in an attempt to keep them away from each other. She yipped and called out to both of them, being careful to use words they'd both understand. Kalikow stopped growling and his ears swivelled forwards while the male red-six-tail continued his harsh snarling.

Even as she tried to explain to the Eevee what was happening, Akayo leapt over her and faced him, eyes glinting in a deadly fashion as he told the poor fox that Eldora was his and that she had chosen him, and therefore Kalikow had no right to be there.

With a wretched look upon his face, the young maned-single-tail gazed at the vixen, large ears neatly folding back once more as he asked her if it was true. And then, in the same breath, he told her that he had liked her before even the alluring scentsmell had begun to make his head dizzy. He said that the other male had been hypnotised, that he didn't like her at all and was only looking to mate with a pretty female.

Eldora yipped with surprise at his forwardness, but Akayo uttered a terrifying bark and leapt at Kalikow, biting and clawing at his ruff and neck.

The Eevee yelped in shock and began to fight back, not knowing how to attack and so relying on instinct instead. The vixen whimpered loudly and ran over to them, but the ferocity of the battle forced her away again as the two dog foxes snapped and snarled, biting through fur and flesh, blood staining their muzzles.

Kalikow's mane protected him against any attacks to the neck while the Vulpix was helpless to his enemies' direct attacks. They parted briefly, panting and gasping for air before leaping into the fight once more, yipping and yelping as they fought for the affections of the dearly loved female.

Suddenly, just as Kalikow was about to get a grip on Akayo's neck the Vulpix kicked him in the stomach, throwing him off with a snarl and pinning him down, lashing at his ruff with his forepaws and tearing out tufts of fur. The Eevee yowled with pain, struggling to push off his assailant while looking towards Eldora with an imploring look on his face.

The vixen recognized that face. That was the face she had rescued all of those moontimes ago. That was the face she had laughed at when it had licked a Durin and begged for water. That was the face she had licked when it had looked at her with those sweet, brown eyes one night.

That was the face she was giving up by giving into her own emotions.

Yelping, she bowled straight into Akayo, knocking from Kalikow's struggling form. The dog Vulpix leapt to his feet with a look of shock on his features, spitting out a lump of fur. In an instant the Eevee was on his feet, limp from exhaustion but still growling, still trying to fight.

Eldora nuzzled the beige-coloured cheek, murring softly. Kalikow stopped growling and looked at her, ears drooping slightly as his fur blushed pink. Akayo gave a snarl of disgust and scampered off, his numerous wounds suddenly illuminated by the sun as he left the path and ran off back towards the den.

Eldora couldn't care less. She had done the right thing, and never had she been happier with a decision.

Together, they walked upon the paths of the shining place, begging for food from the tall-no-tails and playing by the metal trees until the sun went down. Then, their fur illuminated by the soft, white light of the moon they padded to the upturned crate and curled up together, delighting in each other's scentsmells and the touch of each other's bodies against the other, something they had not realised they had missed so sorely.

And though the Eevee felt as though he was padding through a dream world as the vixen still let off that intoxicating heatsmell, he managed to look past the scent and see her for who she truly was; a snappy, moody little Vulpix whom he loved more than any other in the world.