"What do you mean they 'gave it to him early?'"
"He was seen as a threat!"
"A threat! He's seven years old! The only thing he is a threat to is our grocery supply!"
"I know, I know, but this is just how it is."
"I don't like this!"
"And you think I do? I couldn't stop them, the collars are a part of the law!"
The fox's wife sighed heavily. They both stood in their cramped kitchen that was made up of a black-and-white tiled floor and four beige walls. It was late at night, Nicholas was asleep in bed, and they had been up arguing for at least an hour. The father fox had carried Nicholas home, where they were greeted by Nicholas's mother, who immediately went into hysterics at the sight of the young fox. The two had quickly put the little fox to bed, the mother grabbing a warm washcloth to drape over his head, and then had made their way to the kitchen where the discussion had begun.
"How did this even happen? Weren't you watching him?"
"Of course, I was watching him! How can you even ask me that? He's my son!" the fox whispered back, agitated. "Look, it's been a long day."
The fox placed a paw over his eyes as he attempted to relax himself. When he removed his paw, he saw his wife, nearly in tears. Even when she was on the verge of a breakdown, she managed to look gorgeous.
She was wearing a purple shirt that had been elegantly tucked into a reddish-orange pencil skirt that fit her figure perfectly. Her bright green eyes sparkled, even in the dim light of the kitchen bulb.
"You didn't get the loan," she whispered, tears beginning to stream down her face.
It was a statement, not a question.
The father fox brought her into his arms and held her closely, resting his head on hers.
"It's going to be okay. We are going to figure this out."
"Oh," the mother exclaimed as she looked back up at her husband. "We promised that we would let Nicholas join the Junior Ranger Scouts. How will we ever come up with the money for that?"
"We can wait another year."
"They only do inductions every other year."
"Is nine too old?"
"Oh, I guess not," the mother fox sighed. "I just hoped he would be able to this year."
The father fox brought her back into another warm hug.
"I know, but we will figure this out. I promise."
A blissful moment of silence fell over the couple, as they remained embraced, letting their warmth comfort one another and the hug protect them from all of life's troubles. They were interrupted by a small whimper that came from the kitchen doorway.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Honey?"
The mother fox quickly broke away from her husband and made her way over to the little fox, who looked somewhat disheveled.
"I had a bad dream," he whined, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"Oh, well that just won't do."
The mother picked the little one up and took him back to his bedroom, where she tucked him back in and sat on the edge of his bed as she comforted him.
"Comfy?" she asked with a small smile.
The little fox nodded from his bed.
"Is everything okay, Mom? You and Dad sounded upset."
"Life can get a bit messy, Dear, that's all," the mother replied as she smoothed out a small wrinkle in the sheets of the bed.
"Were you talking about my collar?"
"Yes, a little."
"I'm sorry."
Nicholas began to cry, but from the look on his face, it was clear that he could feel the collar slightly tingling against his fur as he let his emotions go. The mother instantly scooped the little fox out of his bed and into her arms, shushing him gently.
"Don't cry now, it's going to be okay. Everyone has a collar; yours just came a bit early. You should be proud, really; all of your friends have to wait for theirs."
"R-really?" Nicholas sniffled.
"Really," she replied as she kissed his forehead reassuringly.
"Will you read me a story, Mommy?"
"Yes. What would you like to hear?" the mother asked as she began to gently stroke one of the little fox's ears.
"I don't know. Surprise me," he stated as he leaned his head against his her.
"Okay… well, once there was a little family of foxes who lived in a very big city. This city was amazing; it was so big that every mammal in the world could be found in this one place. However, the prey were fearful that the predators might do something scary, so they agreed to have a system of collars, which would help the predators not get too angry. With the collars, no one in the city was ever hurt, and they all lived in complete harmony."
Nicholas was beginning to nod off in his mother's arms, but she continued as his eyes began to close lazily.
"Then, one day, a little fox got his collar for the first time and he-he…" the mother stumbled as she fought the surge of tears that threatened to spill.
Nicholas was sound asleep in her arms. She brushed a paw over her son's collar as she thought of the society they lived in. Nothing was fair, and she knew that, but something about the piece of metal now a permanent part of her son made her realize that they would never be anything more than vicious predators. A few tears glided down her face as she placed her son back in bed and kissed his forehead once more.
"Goodnight, Nick," she whispered.