Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Okay, lol, hope you have a safe year of college, and keep reading!

Forever Young: Suspense is the answer to successful writing . . . lol, just kidding, I don't even know what that means! Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: I know sniff it is pretty sad, and things get sadder as time goes on...

narfgirl: We'll have to see if he's okay or not, so keep reading!

Lone Wolfdog: OMG, I have the plushie too! runs to hug Drover plushie Tee hee, thanks I'll try to find time to write them someday!

The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation

Part One: The Younger Years

Chapter Five: Where Are the Children?

Vixey woke up with a yawn inside the fox family's den. Another morning, another chance to catch breakfast for the cubs. Tod was still sleeping soundly beside her. She glanced over to where her two children usually slept and—found them missing!

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, fully awake now. "Tod! Tod, wake up! Swift and Autumn are gone!"

Tod woke up a little groggily when he heard his wife half-way screaming in his ears. When the information became fully registered into his head that his two kids were gone, he perked himself up.

"Gone?" he asked, getting up on all four legs and crawling out of their den. "What do you mean, they're gone?"

Vixey crawled out after him. "I just woke up and they weren't there anymore. You don't think they would wander off without telling us, do you?"

"Well, Autumn might not, but I'm pretty sure Swift might," Tod had to admit. "That boy, he reminds of me when I was a cub—not a good thing."

"Tod, what if—what if something bad happens to them; they don't know how to defend themselves, they're only a few months old!"

"Stop worrying, Vixey," Tod assured her. "I'll go out and look for them. In the meantime, you stay here in case they come back on their own. Understand?"

She nodded. "All right." They rubbed noses before Tod turned tail and started off into the thicket. "Tod, be careful!"

"Heh, heh, that old Calvin," Amos laughed to himself as he and the dogs drove on home. "He sure screwed up by messing with the laws. Not only has his nice house been repossessed by the government, all his fancy belongings are on the market too! Good thing I grabbed that furniture when I could!"

When he had gone to town because of the letter he had received earlier, he was able to pick out anything of his brother's that he wanted—and since he already had Belle, he decided to go ahead to take his furniture too! Copper and Belle were in the back of the truck "guarding" it to make sure nothing fell out when they hit a pothole.

"I can't wait to get home, I'm worried about the pups," Belle mentioned as she looked on down the road.

"You and your sense of impending doom," Copper laughed. "Listen, nothing happened while we were gone. Chief can handle those three just fine."

"I know, but I have this feeling that something happened while we were gone."

Finally, they began to see the house up ahead. Copper was certain everything would be just as they left it . . . the pups playing around in the yard while "Uncle" Chief took a nap in his barrel. Wait a minute—what barrel?

"What in the name of?" Amos muttered to himself as he drove up the driveway and slowed to a stop.

Copper and Belle exchanged looks and jumped down off the truck. Copper got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. There wasn't a soul to be seen on the whole farm. Even Chief's barrel was missing from it's spot under the oak tree. Belle gave him a look of fear.

"Copper?"

Amos got out of the truck as well and scratched his head in confusion. That crazy Chief, he's always managing to get loose from me. He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a deafening whistle. "CHIEF! Get on over here, boy!" He continued calling for the dog, but he never did come.

Copper was really worried now. Something bad really must've happened. He started barking towards the forest, but he didn't get a response. Belle started pacing nervously and whining.

"Copper, what is going on? Where is everybody?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he told her. "I'm going out there to look for them. You stay here with the Master in case anybody shows up."

Without wasting a second, Copper turned and bounded off into the forest, despite his Master's calls for him to come back. He just had to find them!

Dun dun dun, so now the proud fathers are off to hunt for their missing kids! Will they run into each other in the process? Will they find the children? Gotta keep reading to find out, and please review!