Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
=====
The golden-hazel eyes shifted from left to right, then, satisfied, the young foxmaid snuck slowly forward on her belly inch by inch. Clasping the sack filled with preserved fruits to her protectively, she scurried forward silently until finally disappearing into some green foliage. Hidden by the undergrowth, she looked around one more time to make sure all was well, then, chuckling inwardly to herself, gingerly plucked a damson from the bag with two claws. Holding it delicately, she nibbled it, savoring the autumn- sweet taste that all fruits had when preserved by Maracia.
Sensing a movement near her, the fox could see Maracia looking for her. "Where are those fruits? Amber, if you're behind this- where are you?"
The hedgehog matriarch swiveled her head around, trying to catch sight of the fox. Finally she heard a small movement that sounded incredibly similar to a preserved damson being dropped and landing on a leaf. The fox cursed silently, and Maracia smiled grimly.
"No point hiding now. Come out."
She obeyed slowly, avoiding the hedgehog's stern gaze. "Amber," Maracia began.
The fox winced inwardly. She hated her name. It sounded too nice, too cheery, too everything-that-she-was-not. But she had never been able to express this thought to Maracia, who had chosen the name.
The hedgehog continued her lecture. "This isn't the first time you've tried to make off with something. Food, weapons- it doesn't matter. You don't have to be a thief. You shouldn't be one." Amber looked up at Maracia, who sighed and shook her head. "We'll discuss this later. Come."
As they walked back to the dwelling in silence, Maracia wondered, //Have I done the right thing in adopting this vermin babe?// When she had first come opon Amber, she took the foxbabe in out of pity. Over the seasons, she had come to love the fox almost as the daughter she had never had.
Maracia sighed and ran a hand over her face tenderly. The action made her wince. Long ago in her youth, her family had been attacked by a rabble of ferrets, and during the fight a pike had been gouged into her face. The ferret continued to beat Maracia with his blade until she was near death. Luckily, a squirrel nearby noticed the sounds of the skirmish, and had quickly jumped to the hedgehogs' aid. After the ferrets had been chased off, her family had managed to keep Maracia alive, but her cheek wound had become infected and never completely healed. Her gruesome appearance had kept her from finding a mate, and because of that she had never had any children of her own.
Turning her attention back to the problem at hand, Maracia sat next to the stream runnig by her home and dangled her footpaws absentmindedly into the slow current. As Amber grew older, her vermin nature seemed to present itself more and more. At first it was just the odd scone. Maracia managed to ignore it, reminding herself that she in her youth had snitched scones from the windowsill as well, while her mind muttered to itself that she had only done that once or twice.
Then it began to show up more and more frequently. Maracia didn't pay much attention to it until she noticed a dagger missing from her storage. She had found it underneath Amber's pillow. The lecture she had given the young fox hadn't changed the behavior. Things still went missing more and more, and although Maracia strived to teach Amber that it was wrong, nothing was helping. //Maybe I was wrong in taking her in,// she thought, moving her footpaws back and forth. //But what else could I do? I couldn't just abandon her. I'll just have to keep working at it.//
She looked at her charge in a sideways glance. Amber was leaning against a tree, looking at the ground. Maracia was always intrigued by the foxmaid. She seemed a regular fox from first glance, but at a closer inspection one noticed the silver stands of fur stood out on Amber's otherwise brownish body, making her look much older than she actually was. Her eyes were ever- watching and as silent as her tread.
Amber, meanwhile, was shuffling her paws back and forth. She really didn't like stealing, but it was an impulse, something she couldn't seem to control. This morning, when she had noticed the bag of preserved fruits, Amber hadn't even thought; she'd just grabbed it and snuck away.
She now looked down at her paws, inspecting them critically. //I'm different from Maracia, I know that, but why do I have to be so different?// Amber thought. She looked back up as Maracia approached her.
"I don't really know what I can say to you that will make a difference," she began. "Amber, you know that I care for you very much, but this is very much out of hand. Please try to fix this before it becomes a serious problem."
//If only you knew,// thought Amber as the hedgehog went inside the dwelling. But Amber didn't know all of it either. She had no idea that her urges were her vermin side trying to gain control of herself and her actions. But then there was the other side, gained by growing up with a non-vermin. Amber stood up desicively. //From now on I'll try to keep my paws to myself, for my sake and Maracia's.//
=====
Thanks to Keita for reviewing Chapter 1.
=====
The golden-hazel eyes shifted from left to right, then, satisfied, the young foxmaid snuck slowly forward on her belly inch by inch. Clasping the sack filled with preserved fruits to her protectively, she scurried forward silently until finally disappearing into some green foliage. Hidden by the undergrowth, she looked around one more time to make sure all was well, then, chuckling inwardly to herself, gingerly plucked a damson from the bag with two claws. Holding it delicately, she nibbled it, savoring the autumn- sweet taste that all fruits had when preserved by Maracia.
Sensing a movement near her, the fox could see Maracia looking for her. "Where are those fruits? Amber, if you're behind this- where are you?"
The hedgehog matriarch swiveled her head around, trying to catch sight of the fox. Finally she heard a small movement that sounded incredibly similar to a preserved damson being dropped and landing on a leaf. The fox cursed silently, and Maracia smiled grimly.
"No point hiding now. Come out."
She obeyed slowly, avoiding the hedgehog's stern gaze. "Amber," Maracia began.
The fox winced inwardly. She hated her name. It sounded too nice, too cheery, too everything-that-she-was-not. But she had never been able to express this thought to Maracia, who had chosen the name.
The hedgehog continued her lecture. "This isn't the first time you've tried to make off with something. Food, weapons- it doesn't matter. You don't have to be a thief. You shouldn't be one." Amber looked up at Maracia, who sighed and shook her head. "We'll discuss this later. Come."
As they walked back to the dwelling in silence, Maracia wondered, //Have I done the right thing in adopting this vermin babe?// When she had first come opon Amber, she took the foxbabe in out of pity. Over the seasons, she had come to love the fox almost as the daughter she had never had.
Maracia sighed and ran a hand over her face tenderly. The action made her wince. Long ago in her youth, her family had been attacked by a rabble of ferrets, and during the fight a pike had been gouged into her face. The ferret continued to beat Maracia with his blade until she was near death. Luckily, a squirrel nearby noticed the sounds of the skirmish, and had quickly jumped to the hedgehogs' aid. After the ferrets had been chased off, her family had managed to keep Maracia alive, but her cheek wound had become infected and never completely healed. Her gruesome appearance had kept her from finding a mate, and because of that she had never had any children of her own.
Turning her attention back to the problem at hand, Maracia sat next to the stream runnig by her home and dangled her footpaws absentmindedly into the slow current. As Amber grew older, her vermin nature seemed to present itself more and more. At first it was just the odd scone. Maracia managed to ignore it, reminding herself that she in her youth had snitched scones from the windowsill as well, while her mind muttered to itself that she had only done that once or twice.
Then it began to show up more and more frequently. Maracia didn't pay much attention to it until she noticed a dagger missing from her storage. She had found it underneath Amber's pillow. The lecture she had given the young fox hadn't changed the behavior. Things still went missing more and more, and although Maracia strived to teach Amber that it was wrong, nothing was helping. //Maybe I was wrong in taking her in,// she thought, moving her footpaws back and forth. //But what else could I do? I couldn't just abandon her. I'll just have to keep working at it.//
She looked at her charge in a sideways glance. Amber was leaning against a tree, looking at the ground. Maracia was always intrigued by the foxmaid. She seemed a regular fox from first glance, but at a closer inspection one noticed the silver stands of fur stood out on Amber's otherwise brownish body, making her look much older than she actually was. Her eyes were ever- watching and as silent as her tread.
Amber, meanwhile, was shuffling her paws back and forth. She really didn't like stealing, but it was an impulse, something she couldn't seem to control. This morning, when she had noticed the bag of preserved fruits, Amber hadn't even thought; she'd just grabbed it and snuck away.
She now looked down at her paws, inspecting them critically. //I'm different from Maracia, I know that, but why do I have to be so different?// Amber thought. She looked back up as Maracia approached her.
"I don't really know what I can say to you that will make a difference," she began. "Amber, you know that I care for you very much, but this is very much out of hand. Please try to fix this before it becomes a serious problem."
//If only you knew,// thought Amber as the hedgehog went inside the dwelling. But Amber didn't know all of it either. She had no idea that her urges were her vermin side trying to gain control of herself and her actions. But then there was the other side, gained by growing up with a non-vermin. Amber stood up desicively. //From now on I'll try to keep my paws to myself, for my sake and Maracia's.//
=====
Thanks to Keita for reviewing Chapter 1.