The forest spreads out below like a thick blanket of nearly bare trees with the wide lake shinning in the middle. It's quite a view for the group making their home in the cave above. While Gilbert spends most of his time by the lake fishing and Allistor hunts as much as he can Alfred rarely leaves the cave. It's taken most of his time to make the cave ready for the winter ahead of them as well as the training Abel's insisted on.
"Alright one more time." Abel starts picking up his wooden staff and throwing his apple core down the side of the mountain. "You're doing well but,"
Alfred smirks picking his up ready for one more round. "But nothing I could kick your butt if I wanted to."
"Cocky today aren't we?" Abel moves aside with ease as the younger man rushes him. "If you're not careful you'll take a tumble off the side of the cliff."
Alfred's able to stop himself and spin around. "Dude I could handle this mountain with my eyes closed." Just as he says it his back foot slips. "Fuck!"
In a split second Allistor takes a hold of his staff and pulls him back to his feet. "That's a good way to twist your ankle."
"And snap your neck." Abel adds as Alfred quickly scurries away from the edge. "So maybe Allistor should take you hunting for the rest of the day."
"I ain't hunting anymore today." The fox says pulling out a few hidden herbs from his bag. "But…" He looks back at the Omega before standing. "I'll still teach you a thing or two."
"Should I bring the staff?"
"Just your knife will be fine and your small bag." He answers taking a few handfuls of dried fish and fruit from their food supplies.
Alfred takes a few strips of fish and follows him out and down the path. "So what are we doing?"
"Did your Mum ever show yah how to gather herbs?" When he's not answered the fox looks back at the man. "Well I'm gonna show yah now then." He walks off the path towards a group of walnut trees. "It's something all Foxes should know how to do."
Following Alfred nods. "What are we getting exactly? Besides walnuts."
"Take off your shoes."
"What?"
Allistor slips his off. "Take off your shoes so you can feel the earth below yah." He says moving deeper into the woods. He waits a moment for his companion to catch up before speaking again. "I'm gonna tell you a story of our people."
Suddenly Alfred's eyes widen as a sad smile appears on his face. "The Moon's sons?"
"Oh you've heard this."
"Once but," Alfred starts holding tightly to his bag remembering his mother's story. "Can you tell it to me anyway?"
With a warm smile Allistor starts to walk again past the walnut trees as his keen eyes look around carefully. It's a story that's been pasted down by his people for generations. "Mother Moon had three sons whose names were Wolf, Coyote and Fox. Wolf and Coyote always thought they were the Moon's favorite and being proud men would try to howl louder than each other. They would call louder and louder until only their voices could be heard at night. This upset the Moon because she couldn't hear any of her daughters the Owl or Frog so one night she called down to them. 'Stop this fighting. I can't hear anyone else not even your youngest brother makes such noise.' She said loudly." He stops kneeling down picking a white flowering plant and slicing off the roots.
"Wait…"
"I'll finish in a moment but take some of this, only get the roots and flowers. It's a very powerful but it's used for lung or stomach infections." Once they finish he stands and continues with both his search and story. "Wolf and Coyote looked up at her confused. 'But Mother,' they said together. 'We howl out for you to show our love.'
'Nonsense,' she answered looking down on the darkened world. 'You're pride is letting yourselves been seen. How do you expect to hunt if you let your prey know you're there?' Neither could answer her. 'You do not see Fox do such things.'
At that moment Coyote chuckled. 'Fox has to stay quiet otherwise he couldn't get any food.'
Wolf agreed. 'Yes and it's sad that he doesn't show you more respect. He chooses to eat instead of howling his love to you.'
Now Fox was listening the whole time and what they said angered him. He stood up and called up to her. 'Mother I choose to live for what other way would be better to show my love to you?' He pointed to his family. 'I love them as I love you so I chose to provide for them.'
The Moon smiled down at him and said, 'My son you have done well and as reward I will ask Mother Earth to show you how to thrive and grow. You will never howl to show your love for me like your brothers but you will understand the world more than they ever will.' So while Coyote and Wolf continue to howl out we look to the earth for the Mother's guidance and love." He chuckles warmly. "Least that's how it goes anyway. I know a few other Fox tribes have variations of it but,"
"That's what my Mother told me once when my brother and I were little…we were out in the woods and she found a willow tree and while she took off the bark she told it to us." Alfred looks over at a tall willow tree. "It helps with pain right?"
Allistor nods. "Yeah get a bit and be careful not to hurt the tree."
As Alfred breaks away some of the bark he looks back. "Who are the Silver Snow? Is it an all Fox tribe?"
"It was…it was one of the oldest Fox tribes in the Northern Mountains." The red haired fox knows what's coming and while it's painful he'll answer all of the Omega's questions.
Alfred can hear the pain in the older man's voice so while he wants to ask he looks back at the forest floor. "Is that peppermint?"
"Aye, do you know what that's used for?"
As he picks it Alfred answers. "Yeah stomach problems right?"
"It also works well for fever. You dry it and make tea with it." It goes into both their bags and soon their bags are full of herbs and plants. "Okay yah got any more questions?"
With the sun setting Alfred decides it's time to ask something he's wanted to know for a long time. "What happened…to your tribe?"
With a soft sigh Allistor looks up at the setting sun. "My little brother was feeling sick so I went out to get him something…I don't know how but I got lost and by the time I found my way back it was well past midnight." He stares as a few stars start to appear above them. "The buildings were already on fire, hell most were already nothing but ash…" He feels his heart sink deep into his chest remembering that night like it was yesterday. "My people were gone. Some littered the ground dead but most just disappeared. I searched for survivors, for anyone hiding in the caves around us but," He stops pulling out his tobacco. "I never found any of them."
Alfred watches for a moment as a chill runs down his spine. "Not even your brother?"
"None of them…I had three brothers and it was like they vanished. It wasn't until I found out later that a few Foxes we took in a week earlier…had fucking sold us out to another large tribe that was short on Omegas." He shakes his head. "Fucking pieces of shit, all of them and I swear to god if I ever find them I'll slit their throats." He slams his fist against the side of a tree before his anger subsides.
Alfred's unsure what to say as a warm glow starts to shine down from their cave home. "They…might still be alive."
"Yeah." He says softly looking over at the omega. "And I'll find them someday." He motions towards where they left their shoes and together they walk towards the warm glow above. As they get closer he wraps his arm around the teen's shoulders. "I have a few more stories if you're interested."
"I am." Alfred says inching closer to him as a sudden winter chill blows past. "Damn it."
"Yeah winter's here and I'm sure we'll get snow soon." Allistor can see his breath in the waning light. "If not tonight."
With another howl of the wind Alfred shivers. "So what we got is all we can get?"
"Yeah but we'll still be able to hunt and ice fish so we'll be fine through the winter."
"Hey you two get your asses in here so I can close this fucking flap."
With a sigh Allistor shakes his head. "Then close it already Abel and shut up." They reach it just as the first few flakes of snow start to fall. As Alfred ducks inside to get out of the cold Allistor looks back at the land below them. "It's gonna be a cold one this year…"
