Too long I know. There's something about the fall semester that is bent on killing my muse. This time it was me losing my usb containing my fics. I did have backups but they weren't much. But hey, it's a new year and a fresh start.
Also, new cover art! I drew it myself during writer's block. The full picture is on deviant(art) under NVCAtakeo24
Many thanks to J Shute Norway for taking the time to edit this chapter.
April 24, 1915, outside Istanbull,
That evening, in a large home, lived a family of corsac foxes named the Aghvesy. They consisted of a tod named Daniel, his wife Maria, and his two older children Seth and Skye.
Daniel worked as a merchant and owned a shop in the marketplace, selling local and foreign goods. He had moved from his people's home, near the holy mountain of Ararat, to start a new life in the bustling capital. In the beginning he endured the hardships of opening the shop and keeping it afloat, made worse given the hostility to his species. The circumstances pushed him to the breaking point, nearly causing him to give up and return home a failure. But, using the merchant skills he learned growing up, Daniel innovated and made good on his promises, eventually growing wealthy and gaining a reputation as an honest fox.
Daniel had met his wife, Maria, when the vixen came across his shop. The vixen had been born and raised in the outskirts of the city. While their background was completely different than that of Daniel's, Maria and her family lived comfortably regardless of the negative behavior directed at their species. She had been raised to care for the home and family since she was a kit, a role she happily fulfilled. While she had other interests and dreams, circumstances forced her to focus on being a caretaker, yet she still held out hope.
For those special occasions, Maria and her family would spend a few days visiting the illustrious marketplace in Instanbull. And it was on this particular trip that Daniel and Maria had their first encounter.
Daniel's world came to a standstill upon seeing her and nothing else mattered except for Maria, the tod finding himself mesmerized by the magnificent color of her coat and her beautiful blue eyes. So entranced was he that didn't realize she was standing right in front of him, trying to ask him a question. Brought back to reality and suddenly feeling embarrassed for his behavior, the tod quickly pretended that he was checking through his inventory as the reason for not hearing her the first time.
Maria slowly raised an eyebrow, knowing that it was a lie but chose not to pursue it further, which Daniel felt grateful for. The two proceeded along with the conversation before he proposed a quick tour. While showing her around his shop, the tod attempted to impress the vixen, complimenting her while exaggerating how the particular items they were looking at would be perfect for her.
In the end, she finally called him out on his blatant attempts, unable to contain her laughter any longer. "I know what you are trying to do, and it amazes me how you can be so successful at being a merchant yet fail at courting a vixen."
She proceeded to leave, hoping to leave him with some dignity, but the tod refused to back down. "Wait, I wasn't ready yet! I promise that I am much more charming and endearing! Honest! Can I just get a second chance, please?"
Maria stopped momentarily, giving Daniel hope that she would return. Instead, the vixen turned her head to flash a smile and a wink at him before continuing on her way.
Daniel sighed in disappointment, but seeing her giving a sign made him smile, optimistic that it wouldn't be the last he would see of her.
In fact, she appeared at his shop again the very next day. Daniel could barely contain his excitement but had to restrain himself for blowing his second chance. After taking a moment to calm down and look professional, he happily greeted Maria and kindly asked her the reason for the visit.
"And what do we have here? What would bring such a beautiful vixen such as yourself around to my humble shop again?"
Maria had to restrain a chuckle, but she couldn't deny that she was enjoying it. With a smug look, she responded, "It appears that we never did complete the tour of your shop yesterday before my abrupt leave. Perhaps we could continue, and also, I could get to know your name."
Taking the hint, Daniel smiled and had to hide his tail wagging enthusiastically behind him, more than happy to answer to her complete satisfaction.
From there on, the two foxes became acquaintances and later entered into a relationship. When Maria first introduced Daniel to her parents, they were justifiably skeptical of him in spite of his wealth and honorable reputation. But eventually, they grew warm to him and approved of the relationship. Time passed and after much courting and persuasion to her parents, Daniel revealed his wish to take Maria as his wife. He was met with a crying Maria crushing him in a hug and a smothering of kisses.
The two married and, using the wealth Daniel had accumulated over the years, they purchased their current house. While Maria's family eventually returned to their homeland, they were happy and assured that Daniel would take good care of her, each side promising to visit. While the tod continued his work in the shop, the vixen continued her role of caring for their new home and assisting her husband at the shop when needed.
Eventually, the two foxes revealed to each other their desires to grow their family. A year into their marriage their wishes were finally fulfilled. Yet tragedy struck on the day of the delivery. Maria had given birth to four kits, but two did not survive for very long in the world. Daniel and Maria took a moment to mourn their loss, but the cries of the surviving two kits overwhelmed them with sadness and joy. When it came to naming their kits, Daniel chose the boy and Maria chose the girl.
Daniel named the boy Seth. After the stillbirth of the first two kits, the irony of the name didn't escape him. In fact he certainly felt it was appropriate. From the moment he first held Seth in his arms and heard his first cry after nearly suffering the same fate, Daniel knew that he would be a strong fighter just like him in the same world he would grow up in.
Maria named the girl Skye because of the unique condition. The parents had noticed that Skye had been born with completely white fur. Yet when the kit opened her eyes for the first time, they were greeted with a magnificent set of blue eyes. The combination of colors led Maria wanting to name the kit Sky, but she felt it could be different. Taking a few moments to ponder, Maria decided to add an e at the end of Sky to keep the same pronunciation yet add an element of uniqueness.
With much love and care, Seth and Skye would grow up to be healthy and intelligent foxes.
Maria and Skye were preparing for the dinner, waiting for Daniel and Seth to return home from work. The mother was cooking the meats and baking bread while the daughter prepared the vegetables using the ingredients from the family garden. When all the food was ready, Skye assisted her mother in bringing the plates of food and pitchers of drinks out. The vixens had just finished setting the table when they heard the front door open and, moments later, saw Daniel and Seth enter the room.
"Hello, my love! We're home!" Daniel cried happily with his arms wide open.
The vixens promptly ran up to the tods and embraced them in a hug. The parents gave each other a kiss before moving on to their children and doing the same, showing their affection and love.
Maria broker her hug with Seth and asked about work. "How was your day at the market?"
"Performing well as expected!" Daniel said. "The shop has seen an increase in demands because of the ongoing war. I've had to order more merchandise. Although my supply of foreign goods has decreased." His cheeriness slightly waning.
But Seth's ears slightly fell, knowing what the increase in business meant for the family, "We are sorry if this is causing Father and I to be away from home. Even when we are here, business has kept us from spending more time together."
His father remained silent but shared the same looks and feelings as his son. This led to Marie giving him another kiss on the cheek.
Skye held her brother's paws and gave him an assuring look, "You and Father have nothing to apologize for. You are only supporting us, and Mother and I will gladly continue to do the same for you."
Their assurance brought their smiles back and Daniel was about to respond when his nose twitched. He picked up the aroma coming from the table and his eyes fell on the hot food that was waiting for him and his family. He closed his eyes and hummed in delight. "Mmm! That smells good!"
"You came home just in time!" Maria smiled. "Skye and I have just finished cooking dinner."
"Yes, let's eat before the food gets cold!" Skye said. "We made your favorites!"
Seth chuckled at the enthusiasm, "And it will taste as good as it smells."
The tods helped the vixens to their seat before taking their own. Daniel folded his paws and the rest of the family followed.
"Seth, would you do the honor of blessing the food?"
"Yes, Father." He closed his eyes and so did the other foxes. "We give thanks for this food that has been prepared for all of us. We also give thanks for Your continued blessings and protection in this time of war. Amen."
"Amen."
The family began to eat, none of them speaking and just letting the stress from the day's work flow out for the time being. The four foxes were delighted and satisfied at the hard work and preparation Maria and Skye had put in. After dinner, the family cleaned up the table and the kitchen while also properly storing any leftovers for breakfast the next day.
The family then retired to the den to rest from their meal, each fox occupied with their own tasks or interests. Daniel worked on the orders for his shop while Seth accounted the numbers from the day's sales. Maria sat at a table with numerous potted plants and was individually working on maintaining their good health. Lastly, Skye was sitting a chair, reading one of her books. This one about the Industrial Revolution.
It was out in the market that Skye began to discover her current interest. Hearing of the many different inventions and patents that exploded in recent years, Skye began reading and researching about them. She was fascinated the most with the invention of the automobile.
Land travel had mostly consisted of walking and paying larger mammals to pull carts and carriages for many years. Skye had been born around the time the first automobile had been invented, but it was only after the turn of the century that they started to become more common. While they were slowly being introduced to her homeland, her father had been fortunate enough to purchase one when he and Maria first moved into their new house. Skye couldn't have been more excited at the opportunity to operate an automobile for herself.
Feeling fully rested from dinner, Skye returned the book to its place on the shelf and walked over to the front door, where she picked up a lantern.
"I'm going outside."
Maria looked up from her plants and saw Skye at the door. She nodded in acknowledgment, "Don't stay out for too long."
"I promise Mother."
With that, Skye lit the lantern and exited the house. There she saw the family automobile parked a short distance away. While the moon was out tonight, the vixen brought the lantern along just in case she wanted to see the finer details. Smiling, she strolled over to it and stopped in front of the engine.
Setting the lantern down on the ground, Skye opened up the hood of the automobile and waited a few moments for the moonlight to shine down, allowing her to see the different components of the engine. Satisfied with the lighting, the vixen started to carefully inspect the parts, pretending to be one of those repair mammals that specifically worked on automobiles. Skye was also eager to apply the knowledge she gained from the numerous books. While unable to physically do it, she still mentally worked out various scenarios and speculated among other things.
"Enjoying yourself?" A sudden voice came.
Skye yipped and hit her head on the hood of the car engine. After taking a moment to nurse the area, she turned around to see her father standing next to her, a smug look on his face from her reaction. She glared at him for a moment before letting out a giggle. "I hate it when you scare me like that."
Daniel chuckled in return. "How can I resist with you so focused?" He strolled up next to his daughter and peered inside the engine of the car. "So, my daughter, is there anything wrong? Do I need to arrange for any repairs?"
Skye shook her head. "Everything looks good so far."
"Great!" He said, satisfied with the report. "Do you want to continue?"
"Yes please."
He nodded once. "Okay, but please do not spend too much time outside. Before you know it, morning will come."
"I will Father."
With a nod, Daniel returned inside the house while Skye remained outside with the automobile. After thoroughly inspecting the engine, the vixen pounced into the driver's seat. She grabbed the steering wheel with her paws and pretended to start the engine and begin driving. For her birthday years ago, Daniel decided to show her how to drive, even letting the vixen pull out. It had been one of the best birthdays Skye has ever experienced. Since then, she was granted the opportunity to spend time in the automobile as she wished.
Skye was finally brought back to reality and sighed heavily, her paws still gripping the steering wheel. Despite the family's wealth, owning a vehicle was considered a luxury and even then, only royal mammals owned multiple. She was grateful for her father's wealth that allowed them to own even one. She vowed that in the future she purchase her own car and treat it with care like a child of her own. Skye finally acquiesced herself from the vehicle and returned to her family inside.
The vixen joined the rest of her family in the den. Maria was the first to notice her daughter as she put out the lantern and set it down, and she greeted her with a smile.
"Did you enjoy your time in the car?"
"Yes, Mother." Skye nodded as she walked over to the bookshelf again. This time she opened one of the lower drawers and picked up a wooden box before taking a seat.
With the box in her lap, Skye opened it up to see the contents. Inside were a knife and a block of wood that had already been carved down a significant amount. The vixen grabbed both items with one paw and carefully set the box between her legs which was partially filled with wood shavings.
Skye carefully scanned the wood block in one paw while holding the knife in the other, searching for the spot for her to begin. Recalling from her previous sessions, the vixen brought the long sharp edge of the knife down and started raking it across the wood. She made sure that the wood shavings landed in the box and, if some happened to fall outside the box, Skye would promptly clean it up.
Her father had first given her the set as a birthday gift after the lessons with Skye. The vixen was curious as to the purpose of the set.
"Why are you giving me this Father?"
"Because I know the chances of learning to drive are extremely small, but that doesn't mean you should stop working with them. Now you can learn how to model them!"
Skye had been overjoyed and nearly crushed her father in a hug at the gift, happy that her interests and dreams can be fulfilled in a hobby.
Eager to begin, Skye nearly ruined the block with her reckless carving were it not for Daniel seizing her paws before the blade touched the wood.
"Skye, I know you want to start, but I think you need to learn how to carve first, right?"
She blushed in embarrassment, meekly nodding in understanding.
From there, Daniel taught her how to hold the block properly when cutting. He told Skye to imagine she was cutting food to learn precision, but he also advised her to use a little more force since wood was a much harder material.
Skye understood and carefully followed her father's advice and instruction. First, taking the time to practice cutting and carving through preparing the food in the kitchen. Once she felt satisfied with her progress, the vixen moved on to the wood itself. Skye initially felt nervous about ruining the block, but her father assured her not to focus on getting it right on the first try. Instead she should keep making progress and learn from the mistakes. As she did so Daniel told her how she reminded of himself when he first opened his shop.
The first model didn't turn out as Skye had expected, much to her disappointment. But, nonetheless, the lessons and techniques she learned were important. Proud of his daughter's accomplishment, Daniel provided Skye with another wooden block for her to continue refining her skill while keeping the first model as a treasure for the two. Back in the present, Skye took a moment to look at the first model, which was proudly being displayed for the family to see on the shelf where she got the box from.
After another carving, Skye held up the block, turning the object around to inspect her work. On the second attempt, she decided to be more creative and, this time, there were no hesitations when she began carving the wood. The first one had been based on pictures of existing automobiles, so for the second model Skye wanted to see if there were any possible improvements. She occasionally would have a picture of an automobile from one of the books with her as a reference in case she didn't know what to work on next.
A series of loud noises rang throughout the house, bringing the fox family out of their tasks or interests.
"I got it," Daniel said, getting up from the chair and walking over to the front door. The rest of his family returned to their business, waiting for him to return.
Upon opening the door, he was shocked and surprised to see three uniformed predators: a wolf, a lion, and a brown bear, standing and towering before him. Taking in their appearance, Daniel immediately recognized them as with the military. The lion and the bear wore the standard uniform for frontline soldiers. Meanwhile, the wolf wore an officer's uniform, having a patch that signaled his rank along with a few medals honoring his actions.
"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed, surprised at their appearance at his home. "Is there something I can help you with?"
The wolf officer stepped forward, keeping his professional appearance. "Is this the house of Aghvesy?"
Daniel nodded. "Yes."
The wolf gave one long look at the fox to make sure that he was speaking to the right mammal. "And are you the father, Daniel Aghvesy?"
The tod became confused at the direction of the conversation but replied nonetheless, not wanting to cause trouble. "Yes?"
"May we have this conversation outside if you don't mind?"
"Of course," Daniel understood that meeting with the military or the government may require privacy. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him before turning his attention back to the soldiers.
"Now then," Daniel continued. "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"
The wolf procured a folded document from his uniform. The canine opened up the paper and held it out with both paws and began reading the lines word for word. "By order of the Minister of Interior, you are hereby under arrest. As a former member of the National Vulpine Party, you are suspected of causing upheaval behind Ottomammal lines and cooperating with Ursussian forces."
The word shocked couldn't properly describe Daniel's reaction to the charges being levied against him. But that immediately gave away to outrage at the government for even doing such a thing. "This is madness! I've worked with their leaders for years and they would never do that!" His anger was quickly replaced with fear when he saw the lion and the bear scowled and aimed their weapons at him. The two large predators pulled the slides back on the rifles to show their seriousness.
The wolf calmly proceeded with carrying out his orders. "Please do not make this difficult."
Before Daniel could respond, he heard the front door slamming open and Seth crying out to him. "Father, what is happening!?"
Daniel turned around to see his wife and children, hearing his outburst, came rushing to see the commotion, only to halt in their steps, shocked and terrified at the sight before them. Daniel's fear towards himself then changed to his family as the bullets from the soldiers' rifles could easily rip them apart. The predators remained silent and the atmosphere remained tense, neither side moving from their spots.
Maria was the first to finally break the silence. "What is going on here?!" She shrieked.
The wolf officer calmly explained his purpose to the rest of the family, "Your husband is under arrest under suspicion of colluding with the enemy and sabotaging the war effort."
"What?!" Skye and Seth yelled.
"That's impossible!" Maria cried.
"It is what the Prime Minister suspects," The wolf continued. "And we are only following their orders." He turned his attention back to Daniel, "Now I ask again, please come along willingly or we will be forced to take action."
Maria quickly charged forward and stood in front of her husband with her arms spread out. "No! You can't take him!"
The bear and the lion promptly aimed their rifles at Seth and Skye, who were attempting to protect their parents, threatening to shoot them if they interfered. The siblings promptly halted in their steps and raised their arms in surrender.
With Seth and Skye taken care of, the wolf officer focused back on Maria. "Madam please."
"No!" She bared her teeth at the soldiers and barely avoided growling at them.
Left with no choice, the wolf reached down to his waist. The eyes of Daniel, Seth, and Skye widened in terror when they saw the officer draw his pistol and aimed it at her.
The wolf pulled the hammer back on the weapon. "I insist." His tone and face sounded and appeared threatening, his patience at his limit.
Daniel realized that if the standoff continued, his family would be harmed or worse, and he would still be taken away. He needed to defuse the situation now, and he knew he was the only one who could calm his wife down.
He carefully placed his paws on his wife's shoulders and looked the wolf in the eyes. "Wait! I'll go! Just, allow me to say goodbye to my family first! Please!"
The wolf stared at Daniel and Maria and then at Seth and Skye, who were standing terrified behind their parents. Finally with one paw raised and the other returning the pistol to the holster, the wolf ordered the soldiers to stand down, who promptly obeyed but remained cautious.
"Very well, I will give you a couple of minutes."
For the first time since the conversation started, Daniel smiled, a wave of relief overcoming him. He let out a huge sigh, "Thank you."
The family stepped back inside their home while the soldiers waited outside to give the family their privacy. After the door closed, Daniel felt like he was struck by a gray bullet and felt the air being crushed out of him. A loud sobbing from his wife reached his ears as she buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and calmly stroked her with his paw.
Daniel then turned his head around to his children, who stood with tears in their eyes. He motioned them forward with his head and they too joined their parents in the embrace. All of them weeping silently, trying to enjoy their last moments together before Daniel had to leave.
"Seth…Skye…" The father finally spoke.
The two foxes looked up to listened to what he had to say.
"Seth, do you remember what I taught about running the shop?"
He nodded silently.
"Good, you're in charge until I come back." Daniel then turned to Skye. "And you. Take care of your mother. Both of you will need to be there for her."
The two foxes nodded with determination in their eyes, understanding the burden of taking care of the household falling to them now. Vowing to do everything they could.
A loud series of knocks on the door interrupted the moment. "Time's up!" The wolf shouted.
Sighing heavily, Seth and Skye slowly and reluctantly pulled away from their father, but their mother refused to move. Daniel looked to his children again with regret in his eyes at what they must do. They understood and set about the painful task. Seth stood behind his mother while Skye behind her father.
Daniel began counting down, "One…two…three!"
Skye ripped Maria's grip on Daniel while Seth yanked her away and held her back with all his strength. Fortunately for them, Maria calmly surrendered her struggle, falling limp in her son's grasp.
Daniel wasted no time going to the door lest the soldiers intervened. He opened the door and stepped outside to meet them.
"Okay, we can leave now."
The wolf motioned his paws at the lion and bear and they moved to stand side by side Daniel. The tod turned his face back to his family one last time with a longing look.
"I love you."
Maria, Skye, and Seth watched as the soldiers escorted Daniel to a new automobile parked a short distance from the house. The three foxes watched him enter the car and the soldiers drive away until they disappeared from their view, leaving them alone in the house.
At that moment, Seth started to feel her mother descending and quickly reacted to prevent her from collapsing hard on the floor. Skye noticed this too and quickly assisted her brother. The siblings guided her mother to her knees as the latter finally broke down in hysteria.
Wailing filled the house and the tears flowed relentlessly. Skye and Seth could only look at each other as they tried their best to comfort their mother, but no amount of hugging or soothing words could bring the grief-stricken vixen any relief. Eventually, their resolve soon crumbled and they too joined Maria in weeping for their father.
Later that night, the wailing had quieted down, but that did little to change the emotional trauma that had been inflicted on the family. Seth and Skye had taken their mother to her and Daniel's bedroom and laid her down. The siblings first stayed together before taking turns trying to comfort their mother, but she did not respond to any of their communication. She had finally stopped crying altogether but remained still and silent on the bed.
Skye was lying on her bed in her night clothes, alone in her room, when she heard the door open. She lifted her head just enough to see Seth slowly stroll in and towards the bed. Neither said a word as he sat down near his sister. Skye could see the exhausting and sadden look on his face from the efforts to comfort their mother.
"Has mother said anything?" Skye asked.
"Only prayers," Seth said.
She let out a small sigh of relief at the small but important progress. She then changed the conversation to a more important topic, "What's going to happen to father?
Seth let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know. But the important thing is that you and I stay strong not only for him, but also for mother."
"Yes, we must. Can you run the shop by yourself?"
"I may need to hire an assistant. I can't conduct the business and fill out the orders like father. What about you? Are you able to care for mother and the house?" Sharing the same concerns for his sister.
"It will be difficult, but it must be done," Despite the promise of his return, Skye's worries kept going to the worst case scenario and it was eating at her. She needed to address the elephant in the room. "What if he never comes back?"
Seth's exhausted look quickly changed to that of a harsh glare. "I refuse to dwell on that thought and so should you for our sake."
Skye flinched at the stern talking and she understood that Seth didn't mean it in a bad way, "You're right. It's just been bothering from the beginning."
"It has for me too," Realizing that the evening has taken its toll, Seth decided to end the conversation there. "We can continue discussing this tomorrow when I get home from work."
Skye nodded in understanding, "Okay. Goodnight Seth."
He smiled, "Goodnight Skye."
After her brother left the room, Skye blew out the lamp next to her and pulled the blanket over herself. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. Despite her efforts, her mind kept returning to the traumatic events that transpired only a few hours ago. The sadness and pain slowly crept back and the vixen was making a desperate attempt to remain calm. Remembering the reassuring and comforting words from her father and brother.
But the full reality finally came crashing down on the poor vixen and the dams burst wide open. Tears began to flow from her eyes and whimpers were emitted from her muzzle. Skye quickly worked to quiet the noise, but the tears continued to stain the fur on her face and her pillow. The vixen slowly took deep breaths to calm herself down and while that quelled the physical pain, the emotional ones remained vibrant as ever.
I'm going to leave you all to figure out the historical event Skye will be a part of. The hints are given in the date and location at the beginning of the chapter
But good news. We're heading back to Bunnyburrow for a few chapters! The bad news...it's still over 3 years away from the armistice.