Big Bad Fox and the Three Little Hedgehogs
Part Four of the Nursery Series
"I made the best den!" Treekit meowed at her siblings from under a pile grass.
"I made the beautifullest den!" Leafkit declared from under a pile of twigs.
"I made the coolest den!" Brackenkit exclaimed from under a pile of rocks.
They fought over who made the best den. Their arguing rang through camp disturbing the elder's afternoon nap, the other queens kits, and the deputy's patrols.
"Who made the best?" They all asked their mother with frustration.
The queen wanted them to stop being so loud. Obviously Brackenkit made the best den because rocks were strong and sturdy. But the two she-kits would have a fit if she said that.
"I'll just let you three decide." The queen said, sitting down and looking at her kits that hid in piles of things.
"What?"
"Come on!"
"Kittypet."
"I will let you three decide after I tell you the story." Their mother meowed.
The kits exchanged glances. They shifted around to get comfortable inside their piles of grass, twigs, and rocks. The queen laid down and crossed her paws. Hopefully they would stop their bickering. She had a good idea for a story.
"Once upon a time, there were three hedgehog brothers. They didn't like each other very much, so they lived in seperate dens. The first hedgehog lived in a den made of grass."
Treekit smirked at her littermates. Just like the first hog, her little den was made of grass.
"The second lived in a den woven with twigs."
Leafkit purred and lifted her chin up proudly.
"The third had made a den of rocks."
Brackenkit's eyes sparkled.
"But one day, a big bad fox walked through the forest looking for little hedgehogs to eat."
The kits all gasped in surprise.
"He found a den made of grass and he could smell the hedgehog that lived inside. So the fox went up to the den.
'Little hog, little hog, let me in!' The fox demanded.
'Not by the quils of my chinny chin chin!' The young hedgehog squeaked.
'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your den down!' The fox warned.
The hedgehog didn't let him in still. The fox was angry and hungry. So he took in a big gulp of air and blew a strong breeze at the hog's den. It blew away, leaving the hedgehog right in front of the fox."
"I hope he gets away!" Treekit mewed.
"I hope he'll be brave." Brackenkit said.
Leafkit poked her head out of the twigs and puffed air at Treekit. Her little den fell down. The gray she-kit squeaked and ran over to Leafkit's den and squeezed her way in. The two she-kits stared up at their mother from under the twigs.
"The little hedgehog ran away as fast as he could. He hopped and skipped and dodged the fox. Finally, the hog had found his brother's den, the one made of twigs. The two hedgehogs were in the twiggy den hiding from the fox."
Treekit and Leafkit sighed in relief.
"But the fox followed the scent trail. He found the second hedgehogs den of twigs. He walked up to the entrance.
'Little hogs, little hogs, let me in!' The big bad fox demanded.
'Not by the quils of our chinny chin chins!' They squeaked.
'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and blow your den down!'"
The two she-kits' eyes widened with suspense. Treekit dug her tiny claws into the soft earth, and Leafkit scooted deeper into the pile of twigs.
"The two hedgehogs still didn't let the big bad fox in, so the hungry and angry fox took a deep gulp of air and blew their nest down! The two hogs screamed as the fox leaped at them."
"I hope they get away!" All three kits shrieked.
The queen chuckled and flicked her ears as Brackenkit blew a strong breeze at his sisters. The thin twigs tumbled over, leaving the two she-kits running around like scared mice. They ran over to their brother and squeezed their way into the pile of rocks. Brackenkit rolled his eyes.
"Heh. Well the two hedgehogs dodged the fox and scampered deeper into the forest. The big bad fox chased them, chruning up leaves and earth in his wake. Then the two little hogs found their brother's den. It was made out of stones."
Brackenkit lifted his chin proudly. He seemed to know that he had the last den standing because it was the best.
"They ran into the den and all three hogs hid from the fox. But the fox could smell them. He padded over to den and said,
'Little hogs, little hogs, let me in!'
'Not by the quils of our chinny chin chins!' The three squeaked."
The three kits huddled together, fearing what would happen next.
"'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your den down!' The fox warned angrily.
But the hedgehogs refused to let the fox inside the den. So the fox took a deep gulp of air and blew the strongest breeze ever at the hogs and their den."
The three kits wailed and covered their eyes.
"But the den of rocks didn't blow over. The fox blew and blew and then he gave up and went elsewhere in the forest."
"Yay!" The kits cheered.
"Wait, does that mean Brackenkit has the best den?" Treekit asked.
"Yes."
And from that day on, they learned what was easy to knock ovef and what wasn't.
A/N: I'm going to use shortened versions of these in my fanfics because I just love them to death, so you all could use them too. :)
And you can read more of Treekit and the queen in Amber Fur, my beautiful one-shot :'D