1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

I AM SOOOO SORRY, GUYS!!!!! I have had a ROUGH past two weeks what with early midterms and this psycho guy that keeps calling me, but I finally have chapter twenty three up so I hope you are all still with me here! SORRY!!

The Next Political Dynasty: finally got this thing updated! Hope you're still with me!

Frostbite: Yeah, it took me awhile to figure out why simba ran off in TLK as well, but I always knew for some reason why Copper went after Tod. Glad I cleared it up for you, and keep reading!

Anonymous but Curious: I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but like I said previously, I had a rough two weeks, and don't necessarily want to talk about it, but I hope you are still going to read my stuff!

SunRise19: Lol, it's spelled "suspense". Glad you think of this story like that, keep reading!

Tonyboy: I feel bad for all of them as well, and sorry but Swift won't get a chance to explain until WAY later! Also, I have some supernatural events coming up in the future, so that should be interesting. Keep reading!

Cathy: Sorry I worried you, and thank you for hoping I was okay. But I am okay, I just had a bad experience with an older guy and I was confused on how to handle it, but I had a talk with a trusted adult friend and now everything is fine. And at last you get to see what happens next!

The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation

Part Two: The Older Years

Chapter Twenty-Three: Into the Darkness

Tod was unable to sleep the entire night. He just kept wondering how his son was managing on his own in the forest. He knew that Swift was able to fend for himself, but it was all a father's love and care that kept him up.

How coincidental was it that Swift would manage to get himself in the same mess that Tod himself had gotten into with his old friend Copper? It was almost as if it were meant to happen. Perhaps Mother Nature had a plan after all, but at the rate it was going, no good would come from it.

Early that morning, Tod could bear it no longer. He had to speak to Copper about this feud that their sons were having. He didn't care if Amos did try and shoot him, this was important and the fathers needed to do something about it. So before the sun rose over the horizon and the rest of the fox family arose, Tod quietly exited the den and headed off for Copper's farm.

Smoky had stayed up all night, anxious to get going and track Swift down before he got too far. His mother, Belle, had been bawling continuously over Ace's death and Copper and Beulah had stayed up half of the night trying to calm her down. At long last, she ended up crying herself to sleep, therefore allowing the rest of the family to do so. Whenever the three of them were soundly sleeping, Smoky quietly pulled his collar off his rope in order to free himself and stole into the darkness.

As he walked, he could barely see the glimmer of sunlight that was beginning to peak out. The forest was beautiful, but Smoky didn't pay any attention to it. The only thing on his mind was avenging Ace's death and getting redemption for, in his mind, causing Chief's death. The poor dog never learned the actual truth of his uncle's departure, so his thoughts were clouded with the belief that he had been the one to cause the old dog's passing.

He had gone maybe two miles when he heard a strange noise in the bushes. He tensed up and froze, growling lowly in the direction of the noise. Maybe it's Swift, he thought as he prepared himself to pounce upon whoever emerged. At last, a figure did come through the bush . . . and it was a fox. The two creatures stared silently at each other for a second, each surprised to see the other. The fox was the first to speak.

"Um . . . are you Smoky?" the forest-dweller asked.

No, it's not Swift, Smoky thought glumly as he listened to this animal. "What's it to you?"

The fox was taken aback at the dog's rudeness, surprised that this was Copper's son. "Well, I heard quite a bit about you," he began. "My son told me what happened to your older brother."

Oh my gosh, Smoky said mentally, the hair rising on the back of his neck. This is Swift's father. "Yeah, I'm sure he told you plenty, huh? Did he also tell you that he is the one that caused his death?"

"Now listen, I think you are just assuming . . . "

"Shut up, will you?" Smoky growled. "I don't want to hear what you have to say. You're a relative to that murderer, and even worse you're the one who sired him. You're just as bad as he is, in my opinion."

Tod was beginning to get uncomfortable around this kid. He must've been really messed up with all the dying that had been going on. "Listen, Smoky, I understand that you're upset about your brother's death, but that is no reason to blame my son. He's a good kid, and I know that you two used to be friends and maybe you still can if you just take down the wall in front of you and realize that—"

But as Tod spoke all these things, Smoky's mind became filled with a terrible rage, and before the fox could finish lecturing him, the black-and-tan hound and suddenly lashed out and clamped his teeth around Tod's neck. He bit so hard and so fast that the fox could hardly think and wasn't quick enough to fight back. Smoky released him after a second, and growled,

"Don't think you can protect your son. His day his coming, and I am going to make sure it happens soon."

The fox weakly watched the hound exit off into the deep part of the woods, helpless and unable to keep him from leaving. He felt something cold and wet around his neck and realized that Smoky had bit him deep in his neck and drew blood. He tried to stand up and staggered to a nearby tree stump where he could prop himself up in order to breathe better. If he didn't get immediate help soon, he knew he might not make it. But how was he to get help if no one knew where he was?

Oh no, Tod's injured badly and Smoky is beginning to scare even ME! Don't freak out guys, he won't be this scary the entire time, he is my favorite puppy you know! Keep reading and please review!