The Fox and the Hound
Slip 'N' Slide
Tod the fox and Copper the hound were the best of friends. There wasn't a single day that went by where they wouldn't meet up and engage in a fun activity, whether it was spurring each other on in friendly competition like the time they went head-to-head in a high jump challenge, being as cheeky and mischievous as they could like when they came up with playful tricks to scare each other, or just enjoying and appreciating each other's company like when they bathed and relaxed in the lake and just spoke about how much they cared for one another, Tod and Copper always knew how to have a good time. And this such day would be no different as the pair were once again ready to engage in one wild, fun-filled game that would definitely bring joy to their day!
The two met up in their usual spot, the fence that separated their two places of residence. Tod was always the one that got there first and he would wait for Copper to come out of his barrel. This time would be just the same, Tod eagerly waited by the fence and Copper walked out of his barrel, the pair exchanging beaming smiles as their eyes locked. Copper headed over to Tod and they embraced in a tight hug. "Great to see you again, Copper!" Tod said happily "You too!" Copper replied, the two really enjoyed each other's presence. They let go of each other as Tod started to talk. "I have another great game for us today!" he said "You always do!" replied Copper "You never fail to come up with something fun!". Tod smirked "This game will be fun…" he said "And not just fun, this will also be a wet and slippery game!" Copper's face lit up, he was excited to see what Tod had in mind. "Wet and slippery, huh?" Copper said, raising his eyebrows "I sense something mischievous from you, Tod!" Tod laughed, he was known to be cheeky, something Copper always acknowledged, much to Tod's delight. "Oh, you know me well, Copper!" Tod said with a grin on his face "Let's hope you're ready for this, follow me!" and with that, Tod took Copper into the nearby woods.
It had rained in the woods the night before. The ground was soaking wet and the mud was deep and thick. Tod led Copper around the trees and over the logs; eventually they arrived at a long slope stretching down into the woods. "Here we are!" Tod said, pointing towards the muddy slope. Copper took a look at it "Ok Tod" he said, "Tell me what you've got for us!" Tod began to explain the game "Alright, so this game will really pit us against each other! All we have to do is race all the way down this long, steep slope to the bottom! Whoever reaches the end first wins! I call this game 'Slip 'N' Slide' because that's what we're gonna be doing a lot of!" Copper took another look at the slope, "It's very wet and muddy, Tod" he said with a playful unsure tone. Tod smirked and raised his eyebrows "Oh, you better believe it Copper! We're gonna get down and dirty today! Tod was really proud of his idea and Copper seemed just as eager to start "Oh this will be fun, Tod! I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get a little muddy! We can just wash off in the lake afterwards" Copper said. Before they were ready to start, Tod mentioned one other aspect of the game "Oh and there's one other rule about this game!" he said with his cheeky grin "And what's that?" Copper asked "Well you'll have to wait till we get down to the end to find out!" Tod said. Copper wasn't surprised by his friend's mischievous attitude "Tod, I should've known that you had something up your sleeve!" he laughed, "I always do!" Tod replied, "I like a good surprise!" With that, the two friends lined up alongside each other, ready to start their long, muddy race to the bottom "Are you ready?" Tod asked, "I am ready!" Copper replied "Try not to get mud on your face!" Tod teased, knowing that this was certain to happen. They got into position and approached the top of the slope, Tod began the countdown "3…2…1…Go!" he yelled and they took off down the slope, the race to the bottom was on!
Tod and Copper slid down the slope, keeping their speed up and staying side by side for most of the way. Their paws were caked with mud as they slid through it and more mud flew upwards and splattered all over their chests, but Tod and Copper didn't care, they were having such a fun time! As they approached the middle half of the slope, Copper suddenly slipped forwards onto his belly, but he took advantage of this and tensed his body to gain more speed as he pulled ahead "See you at the bottom, Tod!" he called out as he took the lead. Tod managed to shift himself around, he flicked his bushy tail under him so he was sitting on it and he began to glide over the mud like he was using a mat on a helter-skelter. "I'm not out of it yet!" he yelled out and he managed to catch up with Copper. The end of the slope was soon in sight, Tod and Copper both tensed their bodies to try and get the last burst of speed to pull out the win. They were neck and neck as they headed towards the end and as the finish approached, they crossed the line at the same time, the race ended in a tie! But they weren't completely finished. As Tod approached the end, his tail caught the slight kink where the slope met the ground, he was suddenly thrust forward and he landed face first into the mud! Copper's belly slide allowed him to keep up his speed and after he crossed the line, he kept sliding and ended up a fair distance away from the finish, eventually coming to a stop near some tall trees. The two had both done a great job, they were evenly matched all the way through and they both ended up winners as a result of their tie!
Copper got back to his feet and made his way back to the bottom of the slope. When he saw Tod, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, his face was absolutely covered! Copper fell down, clutching his stomach as he laughed over his friend's funny mishap. "Look who got mud on his face!" Copper teased, echoing Tod's comments from before they started the race. Tod rolled his eyes and smiled sheepishly, he was a little embarrassed that his own words had come back to bite him "You got mud on your face too, Copper!" he said, trying to make light of his mishap. Copper did have a bit of mud on his face as well, but nowhere near as bad as Tod and he kept laughing "Not as much as you!" he giggled. Tod wiped some of the mud off his face, but there was so much of it that he'd have to wash all of it off in the lake. "Mr. Muddy Face! Mr. Muddy Face!" Copper teased, really milking Tod's funny mishap. Tod couldn't help but smile, deep down he enjoyed the playful teasing, he knew Copper was only joking and everything was all in good fun and not to be taken seriously. Tod began to laugh too "Well, I guess that's what I get for being cheeky!" he said, acknowledging his playful bit of karma and he gladly joined in with Copper on the laughter. Tod knew how to laugh at himself; he was a good sport.
The two friends shared the funny situation and eventually recovered. Their paws were filthy, Copper's belly was completely brown and Tod's tail was thick with mud, but they had had a great time! Tod then remembered his other rule, the one he said he'd explain once they reached the bottom. "Oh, and now it's time for my other rule!" Tod said "Oh yeah!" Copper replied, "Well, what is it?" Tod looked over to a long path that ran through the trees "We're going to go wash in the lake" he said "And the lake is along this path" The path Tod was talking about was just as muddy as the slope they'd just slid down "To get there we go along this path!" Tod finished. Copper saw how muddy the path was "But Tod, this path is dirty too!" he said with a slight amusement in his tone. "Exactly!" Tod laughed, "For us to go and get cleaned, we have to get even more dirty!" Copper playfully shook his head, Tod had really come up with such a mischievous trick "Tod, you are so cheeky!" he smiled. Tod laughed his cheeky laugh "You know it!" he said, fully embracing his attitude. The two ran along the path, squelching through the deep, wet, thick mud; Tod's additional rule really was causing them to get even filthier! But their reward was a good cleanup as they arrived at the lake, which was sparkling with fresh clean water. The two stopped running as they arrived and calmly walked into the lake so they wouldn't slip from all the mud they were covered in.
Tod and Copper washed themselves off, they had loved getting dirty but they were happy to get a relaxing clean in the cool lake. "That was a fun game!" Copper said, cleaning the mud off his stomach "You always come up with the best ideas, Tod!" Tod soaked his paws in the water and rubbed his face to clean off the thick mud layer he'd collected! "Thanks, Copper!" he said happily "I like to come up with new ideas, something that'll always give us a good fun day!" Copper looked at Tod, whose face was now sparkling clean again "You have to admit that was so funny!" Copper laughed, referring to Tod's muddy face "You were certain that I'd get it, weren't you!" he added. Tod laughed "Yeah I was!" he admitted "But once again I get my comeuppance for being just a little too cheeky!" Tod enjoyed dishing out his cheekiness to Copper and was never afraid when revenge came his way, if anything Tod really embraced and enjoyed that aspect just as much! Copper laughed "You certainly did get it, Mr. Muddy Face!" playfully teasing Tod with his nickname "Oh don't worry, Copper!" Tod replied with a playful vengeful tone "You'll be on the receiving end of an embarrassing mishap next time, and you can bet I'll have a nickname ready for you then!". "We'll see, Tod!" Copper said determinedly. The two laughed together, they always enjoyed engaging in light-hearted smack talk, it was just a part of the strong bond they had for each other. Tod and Copper finally finished cleaning themselves off, they got out of the lake and shook themselves dry, and they now bared their usual looks and were no longer brown!
The sun started to set and Tod and Copper walked towards the end of the woods together, it was always safe to get out of the forest before it got dark. They made their way out of the woods, back to where they lived, stopping at the fence where they met at the start of the day. Tod and Copper smiled at each other and embraced in a warm hug, their energies passing through each other. "Thanks for a great day Tod" Copper said, clutching his friend tightly. Tod hugged Copper back tightly too "No problem, Copper" he replied "We'll have plenty more fun days ahead of us, but next time we'll do something less dirty!" "Sounds like a good plan" Copper said. The two let go and shared one last heart-warming conversation "We'll always be best friends, won't we Copper?" Tod asked "Always" Copper clarified "Then, now and forever!" And with that, the two parted ways to go home, but it wouldn't be for long, as they'd meet up tomorrow all the same, ready for another fun adventure!
The End
