~ Tale of the Fiction Fox ~
Chapter One

For those left without parents and those without the ability to have children there is the Shelter of Sanctuary. A magical deity that the inhabitants of the deep wood follow with very good faith locates the forgotten orphans of the forest, takes them into His loving embrace, and brings them here to be cared for. That is, until a childless pair of mates come to find the one to make their family whole. The deity knows of them as well, and he matches each orphan to the family He believes will care for them best and love them most. It is here that a certain fox cub is now being kept.
A victim of the most unfortunate of circumstances, this cub was literally released from his mother's womb and forgotten, right then and there. No other creature in the wood could have imagined why the parents did such a thing, but still the horrific act was done. Defenseless and unable to open his eyes from being too young, the cub cried and cried until it was able to crawl. He wandered aimlessly through the woods he was unable to see, hoping that someone would find him and keep him safe. He had a feeling that someone was meant to be there for him, so he devoted every ounce of his newborn strength to find that someone. After days of crawling and searching, however, his small reservoir of strength ran out.

He curled up against something large and solid--likely a rock--and cried out endlessly and desperately for someone to come and save him. He was tired, hungry, and all alone. If any more time passed, he surely would have passed to the next life. Fortunately, that was when the poor cub heard calming heavenly music and a certain glow around him. Then, the most warm and gentle yet masculine voice slowly whispered in his ear.
"Hello there little lost cub. There is no need to worry now. I have been watching you, and now I have come to save you. I am here; you are safe now. Let me lift you up, and I will take you away to a place where you will be happy."
This voice, of course, was that of the deity. The cub was young and did not understand Him, but he acknowledged his presence and was relieved to find that his efforts were not for naught. He crawled to the voice and allowed the deity to take him away, for that was what he wanted. He felt warm and safe in the deity's embrace, and he let a calm slumber overcome him from both exhaustion and the feeling of being safe at last.

The cub woke up some time after to find that the feeling of arms wrapped around him was gone. There was still warmth, however, so he still felt safe and secure. He felt something soft as he was lying on his back and something else all around him; perhaps as if he were in some sort of container or shell. He felt sheltered and unexposed, and this contributed to his feeling of safety. As if to clarify this, the deity spoke to him again soon after.
"Hello again, little cub. You are safe in my shelter now; well protected and cared for. I bet you are hungry, hmm? Here; let me feed you."
The cub felt something against his mouth, and instinctively he opened his jaw slightly to let it lower inside. He then wrapped his small teeth around it, bit down, and again instinctively began to suck. He then felt the wonderful sensation of his first meal, a delicious and warm liquid, begin to rush through his mouth and down his throat into his stomach. He felt his stomach filling for the first time and his strength returning; it was as if he was coming back from death itself into glorious life and sustenance. This was what the cub had searched for, and now it was his. He continued to drink, and through instinct he brought his small front paws up to feel another container where the life-giving liquid must be coming from. He used his newfound strength to hold onto the container as he continued to drink, and he began to smile and giggle in delight. His stomach began to protrude from drinking so much of the liquid, and so the deity removed his supply of it.
"That will be quite enough for now," the deity said.
The cub somehow understood Him and allowed his supply to be removed. He trusted the voice, for it led him to food and safety. He was helping, so the cub decided to follow His instructions. Therefore, he listened when the voice spoke again.
"Guess what, little one? There is a family coming to get you. They will take you to your new home, where you will be cared for and loved by a real mother and father. You will be alright, and out of here fairly quickly to a loving family."
The voice sounded happy for him, so the cub felt the same. He kicked his paws and giggled in delight. He was going to have a family; what every child of the wood should have and what he's been searching for. The deity recognized the cub's happiness, and this brought him to joy.
"I see you are excited to see your new family, little one. They won't be here for a while now; perhaps you should get some rest. They will be here when you wake up."
The cub felt the deity patting his head, and he eventually followed His instructions and fell asleep once again in safety.

When he regained consciousness, the cub heard voices different from the one he had heard before. Many of them were conversing, and it sounded as if they were approaching his container.
"Your assigned child is right this way, Miss." The first new voice spoke. "He will love to see you."
"And I am sure that I will love to see him," the second replied with a warm feminine voice. "Now, you said that this one is very young?"
"He is likely the youngest child we have ever had in the Shelter. The poor thing was born and then abandoned."
"That's awful; who would do such a thing to an innocent little cub?"
"We aren't certain; the parents have never been identified. Not even the deity can locate them. Well, here's the container where he's staying."
The voices were right in front of him now, and the cub could barely contain his excitement. He felt strange however; as if something was different than the day before. He was just lying in darkness, eagerly awaiting the opening of his container to identify the beautiful voice outside. It was then that the cub realized what was different. His eyes were opened. He knew this for when the container began to open in front of him, he was temporarily blinded by the light from outside. The cub winced and covered his eyes, but when they adjusted to the light he discovered the source of the second voice.
Before the cub now was a beautiful mature white female fox with brown eyes and an enormous smile directed toward the adorable little cub she was staring at. The cub she saw had a combination of brown furs; darker on his back and lighter around his belly. He also had light blue markings on the tips of his ears, underneath his dark brown eyes, on the tip of his tail, and across the sides of his body. The cub and the vixen stared at each other for moments on end, admiring each other's beauty and realizing what role they will have in the other's new life. The vixen's face expressed sheer happiness and joy; clearly she was pleased with the look of her new child. The cub then realized who this person was. This was to be his new mother. Upon this realization, the cub began to violently wag his tail, kick his legs, and giggle in delight. He desperately attempted to roll back to his feet and crawl over to her. The vixen realized this, and she smiled even more.
"Aww...hello, little one. Here, let me help you. Poor thing can't even stand up yet..."
She picked up the cub and brought him into a warm embrace against her glimmering white fur. The cub nestled into the fur and continued to giggle happily while fidgeting continuously out of excitement. The vixen began to pat his back in order to calm him down.
"There now, it's alright. Oh, you're so precious."
She held the cub tighter and began to rock him back and forth. They had just met, and she had already shifted to her new role as a mother.

"Hello there little cub," she told him to make him look up to her, "I'm your new mother. I'm going to take you home with me and care for you like your real parents should have."
The cub nuzzled her ever the more, and in response the vixen just fell more in love with him.
"Aww, he's perfect. I love him so very much; can I take him now?"
"Of course you can," the other fox replied, "just come over this way. We just need to handle a few things before you take him home."
While carrying her new cub, the vixen followed the other fox to a separate room of the shelter. As they made their way there, the cub looked around the Shelter to observe its beauty. The shelter in itself was a brightly lighted cave in the deep wood, and where several rows more of the egg-shaped containers were placed up on fitted pedestals for the visitors to walk between like aisles in a human supermarket. The lights of the cave were free floating enchanted dandelion puffs given a luminescent glow, and with many of them aimlessly hovering above in the cave it was a miraculous sight to behold. The separate room they were heading to was located next the Shelter's entrance and exit, and as the cub looked outside he saw the bright morning forest calling out to him. He waited patiently, however, for he knew that his mother would be taking him away very soon. That was when he returned to his mother. She was beautiful and affectionate; she wanted him for a child just as he wanted her for a mother. The vixen noticed his gaze and returned it, bringing up a smile as she admired her new cub.

"Hello, little one. I'm taking you home very soon now; just be patient alright?"
The cub just embraced her as tightly as he could, showing his appreciation for this new figure in his life. The mother of course returned this gesture happily; she was glad to see the cub so excited and happy.
They entered the other room and the vixen sat down to wait patiently as the Shelter assistant began to bring up the child's information.
"Let's see here...well you are familiar now with the fact that the child did not even interact with his parents."
"Yes."
"As a result, the child was never given a name. Around the shelter, we've just been calling him 'brown fox', for he's the only one with those colors. It will be up to you and your mate to decide a name for him."
"I see. My mate and I would be honored to give him a name."
"He's very young as well; he just opened his eyes today it seems. You're the first thing he's ever seen."
"Oh my, really? I-...I've already made such an impression on him..."
"Indeed you have. He is also still underdeveloped; he can't walk yet and he can't have solid food. The deity will provide you with the means to feed him."
"I understand."
"Well, I believe that is all you need to know. Just be sure to give him plenty of attention; he's been without it for some time now."
"I understand, and I will."
"Alright, then you are free to take him home. Enjoy your new child."
"Okay, thank you very much."
When their conversation was concluded, the vixen returned her attention to the cub.
"Alright little one," she said while smiling down at him, "it's time to take you home."

Clinging to his new mother all the way, the cub was taken out of the cave and further out to a different one. But this cave was smaller, and it was dark. The cub did not mind; he was just glad to have a home and a mother. The vixen took her new child inside with a smile, and she placed him down gently on the ground before she laid down next to him. The cub was not comfortable being left alone on the cold ground, so he began crawling toward his mother eagerly. The white fox of course smiled at this adorable gesture, and when he was close enough she scooped him up into her embrace.
"Aww...don't worry, little cub. It's alright now; mama's here."
The child nuzzled further into their embrace to show his affection and appreciation for his new loving guardian. The vixen nuzzled him and smiled; she was so happy with her new child. He was so affectionate and dependent of her; he needed her. This child made her feel complete. She strengthened her embrace on the cub and kissed his head.
"Aww... It's alright, little one. Mama's here for you now; there's no need to worry."
The cub was smiling and giggling as he nuzzled with his mother, who was also overcome with joy from the moment. She held the cub close and whispered reassuring words to him, and soon she remembered that there was still another member of the family that he needed to meet.
"Come now, little one, you still need to meet your daddy. Oh honey!"
With those last couple words she shouted back into the cave and soon after another adult fox, who had brown and white fur, came out to greet them.
"Come see honey," the white vixen told him, "and meet your new cub."
The new brown fox widened his eyes at those words, and he came closer to see the child. The vixen moved the cub outward towards him, and the new father smiled when the infant fox looked up to him and giggled.
"Aww... Well hello there, little one. I'm going to be your Dad."
Coming to this realization, the cub crawled over to his new father and nuzzled one of his front legs. The father then came down to the floor and met eyes with the cub once again. He began to crawl closer, and the father scooped him up to hold him close.
"There we go."
"Isn't he adorable?" The mother smiled as she spoke to her mate. "He's so very young though; I wasn't expecting having a tiny little infant to look after. But it's not a problem; I still adore the little cub."
"He doesn't seem more than a week old. Did a family really abandon their child so quickly? How does someone even have the heart for that?"
"I suppose so. They said he was born and then abandoned."
"How awful..."
"I know; it truly is. I want to hate his real parents for what they did. But I can't, because if they hadn't done it we wouldn't have a child."
She smiled to their new cub and called him over, and surprisingly the child listened and came over to nuzzle with her.
"Aww...that's right sweetheart, come here. Mama's here to hold you and keep you safe."
"Did he just...understand you?"
"Yes he did; isn't he a little genius? He knows exactly what is going on around him. He understands us and he knows what we are trying to do. He knows we're his new Mama and Papa...and he knows that he's our new baby."
Once she finished her statement, she returned to the cub and nuzzled him happily. The cub in turn nuzzled into her and slapped his tail constantly against the ground in happiness. The father watched as they showed their affection for each other, and by doing so found something peculiar about his mate.
"Honey? Are you alright? You seem...bigger."
"What?" She asked before looking down to her stomach. "Oh, that. Well...I think the deity wants me to nurse the cub."
"Nurse him?"
"I'm filling up with milk for him; I can feel it. And the cub cannot eat solid foods yet, so how else could we feed him? I don't mind; I want to do everything I can for the little guy."
"So you are alright with it?"
"Yes, there is no cause for alarm. They informed me of this; I knew this was happening and I am willing to do whatever it takes to nurture this child. I love him, honey. We've already established our bond; we cannot leave him now. We made the decision to adopt, and so we must be responsible and take good care of him. It's what the deity expects of us."
"I understand. I want to help him too; we did make this decision together after all."
The father came over to them, and the cub changed position so that he could nuzzle them both. They were all happy now; their family was complete. And thus the cub was saved and brought to a kind new family. His life was saved and prevented from ending, therefore his story can begin.