Chapter 1: The Party

Year: 1875

Month: March

Age: N/A

Br'er Fox took a sip from his drink and glanced around the room. The annual Spring Party was, as usual, filled with critters from all around Critter Country. Drinking, eating, dancing, laughing and just having a good time.

Every spring, the town would throw a party to celebrate the regrowth of the crops that died during the winter. For some, it was the first time they had been outside in several months, hunkering down for hibernation through the cold months.

Despite there being less abundant crops in the season, there always seemed to be plenty of food at this thing. All kinds of food; Pies, fruits, sandwiches, breads. Plenty to drink as well. Everything from "spiked" punch, whiskey, and even moonshine, a specialty made by some cousins of one of the critters.

Or so he was told. He wasn't entirely sure how true that was.

He wasn't much of a social critter. Never has been. He went to gatherings here and there, but he could find a better way to spend his time. If anything, he went for the free food and drinks. Taking another sip, he glanced up at the door, where a very familiar set of critters had just entered.

Br'er Rabbit had walked in with his wife, Molly. The two began to talk to Sis' Goose, unaware that they were being watched. The fox narrowed his eyes slightly, wanting very much to make the rabbit a midnight snack. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't do it here. There were too many other critters around. Including the sheriff, who was always busy keeping an eye on him and the other members of the Foul-Fellows Club.

Dat dinn't take long, now, he thought, glancing at the females' stomach. The two had gotten married sometime in November and it appeared, almost 4 months later, that she was already pregnant. Sure enough, her arms were around a small, yet barely noticeable belly. He couldn't help but smile slightly at this, taking another gulp of liquor.

It'd been a while since he'd had a young'un for a meal. But young rabbits, if he remembered correctly, had a certain taste to them. Sweet. And just a little tough. It certainly made for a special meal. There were already several ideas running through his head about how to catch it once it was born.

He put the cup up to his mouth to get another drink, only to notice that it was empty. Turning to the table behind him, he scanned the various beverages that were being offered at this party, before choosing to grab some of the reddish punch. When he turned back around, he was surprised to see a vixen walking towards the table. He knew of everybody who lived in this county. Yet, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen another fox in the area. Let alone, a female.

Sumthin' kinda familiar 'bout 'er dough.

She walked up to the table and poured some of the punch into a cup. Curious about who she was and where she came from, he decided to ask her.

"'Scuse me, miss, but is you frum 'round 'ere? Don't dink I'se eva seen ya before."

She looked up at him and smiled slightly.

"I jest moved here, actually. Heard 'bout this here party 'n thought it'd be a good chance to git acquainted wid de other critters."

Br'er Fox smiled at this and tipped his hat at her. He may not be sociable, but he did make exceptions sometimes. Especially if it was a pretty lady.

"I'm Rebecca." She said, pulling her long skirt out slightly for a bow.

"Name's Br'er Fox." He replied before taking a sip from his drink.

"So you stopped goin' by Fletcher now, have ya?"

He spit out his drink before looking at her with a confused look. It had been a long time since anyone around here had called him by his first name. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he was called it. But somehow, this newcomer already knew it.

"H-how'd ya know-"

"I'm actually from 'round here. We used to be schoolmates. Ya'll probably knew me as Becca."

So that's why she was so familiar. He did know who she was. He remembered her having a crush on him when they were in school. He was at an age where he found that type of stuff gross and ignored her. He remembered her moving away in their teens. He was curious to see if things had changed in the many years that had passed.

Maybe this years' party wouldn't be so bad.

XXX

It was well past midnight when the party was shut down. By that point, most of the critters had already left. The few that remained simply had one too many drinks to realize what time it was.

Br'er Fox hardly ever stayed until it was closed down. He'd drink some and eat a little before heading back home. This time, however, was different. He'd gotten so engrossed in the conversation, he lost track of time entirely.

Or maybe it was the drinks. He'd had several cups of just about everything at that point. Even the moonshine, which was admittedly pretty good. It wasn't unusual for him to get tipsy at these, but he hardly ever got drunk. He wasn't one to make a fool of himself willingly.

The two were eventually kicked out with the rest that still hung around and told to "go 'ome 'n' sleep it off." The two staggered along a road that lead back to town. At some point, she jokingly took his hat and started wearing it. Had he been in more of a clearer state of mind, he would've snatched it right off. Nobody was allowed to wear his hat, whether it be male, female, young, or old. Instead, he simply laughed, finding it funny.

Becca had mentioned on the walk back that she didn't actually live in town. Her house was on the edge of the county line, a good 15-20 minute walk when not staggering about. He hardly let anyone into his house. He didn't need any critters snooping about, seeing what it was like and all. But he decided to make an exception this time.

Upon reaching Chick-A-Pin Hill, he gave a very brief tour before going off to look for some extra blankets he had. When he staggered back into the room, he was caught off guard when she had leaned in and kissed him. It was certainly the last thing he was expecting. He had flirted with several females before but he was usually rebuffed. Most of them knew of his affiliation with the Foul-Fellows Club and didn't want to be a part of that. He had left that little detail out during their conversations earlier.

She quickly pulled back, realizing what she just did, mumbling a slurred "sorry." He didn't respond, instead pulling her into a kiss. He knew in the back of his head that this wouldn't be happening if it weren't for the drinks. He normally would've passed it off, moving on, forgetting it, stopping it in its tracks. But with his mind clouded from the drinks, he couldn't act accordingly, let alone think straight.

It didn't take long for things to escalate from there. They had somehow made it back to his bedroom with items of clothes scattered all about. Everything after that was a blur.

Eventually, the two passed out on his bed, from both a combination of exhaustion and drunkenness.

XXX

Br'er Fox woke up several hours later against the toilet. From the pungent smell in the room and the raging headache, he assumed he must've wondered in there at some point to vomit. Pushing himself off the floor, he went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, somewhat surprised that it was still dark outside. With his glass, he started walking back to his bedroom, taking small sips.

When he entered his room, he was surprised to see someone already lying in his bed. Usually, he would angrily ask what they thought they were doing and how they got in. He didn't have it in him at the moment to confront said critter. Not to mention, he suddenly remembered who it was and what had happened not too long ago.

Simply wanting to sleep off his hangover, he placed his water on the nightstand and got into bed. He'd worry about the awkwardness of the situation in the morning. Besides, he assured himself that it was a one time, accidental circumstance. It wouldn't happen again. They could forget and move on, never to bring it up again.

At least, that's what he hoped.

A/N: Ooook. Not for sure why, but the dashes I had for transitions were not showing up. I tried everything but apparently only letters work. So transitions now look like XXX.