Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Company, not mine...unfortunately.
The Next Political Dynasty: Thank you! I'm such a sucker for doggy romance, lol!
Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you! Lol, cool comparison b/t Buster and Gaston! I didn't even think about that when I chose the girl dog's name! I based Buster's personality on a dog I knew when I was a baby, and I'd have to say he was a bit like Gaston!
The Fox and the Hound 2: Friends in NeedChapter Four: An Unexpected Reunion
The night sky was filled with stars, and the full moon shone down on the countryside in radiant beams. All the hunters had their tents set up and everyone was asleep, ready to start the contest the next morning. The only thing one could hear was the chirping of the crickets in the deep brush.
Copper had been sleeping peacefully on the ground outside the tent when he thought he heard something move. He started a bit in his sleep then sleepily opened his eyes. Raising his head a little ways, he checked everything out only to find nothing was wrong.
"You're just uneasy because you're in a new place," he told himself as he laid his head down. He looked up at the stars above him. He remembered when he was a little puppy that he and Chief would always watch for a shooting star. They also used to make shapes with the stars, that they called "star pictures". Yeah, those were the days. They ended all too soon for him.
He closed his eyes and resumed his sleeping pattern, certain that he had just been hearing things earlier. Little did he know that he was not hearing things, but that something had been moving in the brush.
The head of a red fox peeped out of the forest and looked around the area. Tod realized that he had been correct in assuming that a huge group of dogs and hunters had been camping out here. Vixey and the kids really were in danger, so that meant that they would have to relocate.
Tod stepped out cautiously and nosed around the different tents, careful not to make too much noise or else he would be jumped on by about fifty dogs. He tried to stay mainly in the shadows, scrounging around for any kind of food. All the animals that he usually hunted had left due to the arrival of the hunters, so now he was desperate for anything edible to take home to his family.
He found one jeep looking vehicle that seemed to have a tasty smell of ham. Tod licked his chops, hopped onto the flatbed of the truck and began to search for the yummy scent. About five minutes later he emerged his head with a whole leg of ham, still quite fresh.
Tod didn't see that his movements had awoken someone from their slumber. Copper awoke again that night, this time he was positive he had heard something. He glanced over at Chief, who was sleeping right beside him, but he didn't seem to have heard anything. Copper lifted himself up off the ground and went in search of the mysterious noise.
He thought he heard something stirring from the jeep, and that really scared him. He took a deep breath, marched over to the jeep and heaved himself up on his two back legs, placing his two front paws over the side of the truck.
Copper nearly had a heart-attack when he saw a red fox pop his head out from under some baggage, holding a leg of ham in his pointy mouth. Startled, he lost balance and landed backwards on the ground. Tod was just as surprised as the hound. He almost dropped his findings and nearly fell off the truck.
Tod regained himself and peeked downwards where he had seen the dog. Copper raised his head up in order to get a glimpse of his intruder. They gasped when they saw each other, scared that one might attack the other. They stared at each other for a long while before speaking.
"Tod?" the hound finally asked, wide-eyed as he stared at his long- lost best friend.
"Copper?" the fox replied in the same manner, shocked that after two months he was again face-to-face with his childhood friend.
"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the exact same time, for the truth was they wasn't expecting to ever see each other again after that quarrel with the bear.
"I'm here for this regional hunt going on," Copper explained, still astonished that he was talking to Tod again. "What about you, what do you think you're doing here?"
"Checking things out, to make sure I wasn't crazy," Tod told him, holding the ham between his front paws. "And I was short on my food supply."
Copper noticed the meat that the fox was holding onto. "You were going to steal that?"
"I wouldn't call it that, but yes," Tod admitted guiltily. "Copper, I've got a family to feed, and there's nothing around to eat anymore. Not since all these hunters moved in."
Copper felt a pang of guilt. The activities going on in the campsite must have scared away all the other animals, leaving Tod with nothing to eat. He really hated being on two sides: his loyalty to his own nature and to his Master, and his friendship with a fox–a game animal that he was expected to track down.
"I'm real sorry, Tod," he apologized with a sad look in his eyes. "But I don't know what I can do to help. You say you have a family now?"
"Yes, a wife and two newborn cubs," the fox answered proudly. Then he went back to being serious. "But we have to get out of here, I don't want them getting killed by one of these hunters."
"How are you going to do that? Each of you carry one cub while you travel?"
"That's what I said, but Vixey (she's my wife) mentioned that if a larger predator attacked us, that we wouldn't be able to fight while holding on to a baby," Tod informed him, his pointy ears folding down in despair. "I'm so confused. I don't know what to do."
Copper felt sorry for his friend, but he had no idea what he could possibly do to help them out. If only he was able to help them relocate...oh no, that was a crazy idea! He couldn't possibly pull that off! Or could he...
"Tod, I think I just got an idea," the dog said, getting an interested look from Tod. "You say you need help travelling, right? How about while you and your wife go on and carry the kids, and I'll come along and keep an eye out for mountain lions or whatever. I'll act as a bodyguard."
Tod couldn't believe Copper came up with the same idea that he and Vixey had invented just hours earlier. It was very kind of him to offer this service, especially since it had been two months that they had last seen each other.
"Are you sure?" Tod asked him, not wanting to butt in on Copper's personal life. "I mean, how are you going to help us when you're out tracking with Chief and the hunter?"
Copper had totally forgotten about that. He wasn't sure how long they would be hunting every day. For all he knew, they would be hunting during the nights as well. Tod had a good point, when would he have the time to help them?
The hound glimpsed at Chief for a second to make sure he was still asleep. He couldn't risk being seen talking with Tod or things would get nasty. He turned back to Tod.
"All right, come back tomorrow night and I'll tell you what I'll do," Copper instructed his friend. "I don't know the whole schedule of this camp, so when I find out when a good time for me to help you is I'll tell you, okay?"
"Okay," Tod agreed, nodding his head. "This is real nice of you, Copper."
The hound shrugged and smiled. "What are friends for?"
Tod smiled back, glad to see that he still considered the two of them as friends. They may not be the best of friends any more, but at least they were still on good terms.
"Hey, you don't mind if I take this food back with me, do you?" the fox remembered to ask before he left.
"Nah, I don't care."
Tod gave him a look of gratefulness as he placed the huge leg in his mouth and hopped down from the jeep. He gave a quick look that said "see ya" and bounded off into the woods where he had come from.
Copper sighed and went back to where he had been sleeping to lay down. Many thoughts ran through his head. So many things had happened in just one day: coming to this hunt, meeting Belle and Buster, running into Tod again and promising to help him...when would it end?
Right now, all he knew was that it was going to be quite a challenge for him these next few days. He was determined to talk to Belle again no matter what that Buster said, he would have to do his best to win the contest for his Master and put that strange man to shame, help rescue Tod's family without acting suspicious...that last one would be pretty hard. Chief knew the young dog pretty well, so he knew when something was troubling him. Copper was simply going to have to act...natural.
All right! Tod and Copper finally meet again after two months! Now let's see how Copper is going to manage all the items on his "to-do" list w/o looking half-crazy!