text: CHAPTER 1 “Caw!” The crow screamed from his perch on a nearby tree. I looked up lazily from the trail I was following. Beady black eyes stared coldly back at me. His friends joined in on the cawing, as if taunting me. It didn’t bother me, though, and I continued on my way with my catch in my mouth. Stupid birds. They had nothing useful to say so they just shouted angrily to seem imposing. Once I was safely back at my home, I packed away the mouse I had caught for dinner and stretched out contentedly. I would eat it later. I always felt like getting a little exercise before meals to build up an appetite. My hole was buried deep under a short oak tree. It was hidden and well protected by exposed roots - an ideal home for a fox. I poked my head back out of my burrow tentatively, sniffing around. A new smell had attracted me earlier and I was dying to find its source and I had made up my mind to seek it out today. Also, lately a lot of new animals had been appearing in our forest and I was really excited to see what new creatures turned up. The other foxes all laughed at my curiosity. They said it would lead to my death. I didn’t see it that way. The forest had a thousand different ways to kill me at any given moment and I had only made it this far on my own by always knowing my surroundings. If there were changes to my hunting grounds, whether it be climate, new game, or a new predator, I wanted to be aware of it. I sniffed around and started heading back the way I came. The forest was very lively, which was surprising at this time of day. The warm summer weather must have proved too tempting for everyone and I found myself in the company of many small woodland animals. Squirrels were chatting in their trees, a pack of voles was out walking single file, and birds were singing songs on every tree. I barked loudly a few times to let the animals nearby know it was safe to be around me right now. It was a rule of the forest that if a carnivore was openly making his presence known, that he was not hunting and meant no harm to other animals nearby. This law was sacred and I had never seen it broken, at least not in the few mile stretch of land that I stayed in. After a few meters I caught on to the scent again. Thrilled, I chased after it at full speed, barking occasionally to let everyone know I meant no harm. Seeking out new sounds and smells always excited me and on top of that, it was my favorite time of day. I could see the last glimmer of orange and pink and gold in the sky fading out between the trees to my west. A strong wind brushed through my fur and I soaked in all the different sensations around me. All the sights, sounds, and smells hit me and I sighed contentedly. It was a warm summer night. This time of day, just as the sky started to darken and the wind began to pick up, was my favorite time to go for a trip through the forest. Delighted, I let out one powerful, proud bark and charged full speed ahead towards the new smell I was chasing. Soon enough, evening turned into night and the sky became a dazzling black and purple ocean full of jewels. I began doubting that I would reach my destination before it became too dark to see but the smell had grown much stronger and I knew I must be close by so I kept going. I had never gone this far north before and was worried about getting lost as well. By now I was able to distinguish two unique scents coming from the same direction. One was completely new to me but the other seemed familiar, although I could not recall it. I didn’t think too hard about it because I was too caught up in my own thoughts about the day and everything I had done earlier. Besides the troublesome crows that had moved into the trees nearby, I had a run-in with some of the black foxes while I was hunting. I was still absorbed in my thoughts when something caught my attention. Up ahead I heard a branch snap on the floor and instantly I was on my guard. The forest is a loud place in general but every once in a while a sound would seem out of place and my gut would tell me something was wrong. Fear sunk in as I looked around cautiously, trying to identify the cause of the noise. For a while everything was silent and I became completely still as I crouched down and waited for a potential predator to make its move. I was very large for a fox but I was still only a slightly more challenging kill than usual for the owls and hawks that would hunt at this time. Minutes passed and there was absolutely no noise except for the chirping of various bugs. I started thinking I was being paranoid and decided to move on but every instinct in me warned my body to sit absolutely still. I willed myself to lift my front paw and take one step forward and, in a split second, the area surrounding me turned into a storm of violent action. A giant rat came darting straight for me hissing at the top of her lungs. She wasn’t speaking. She didn’t want to talk and she wasn’t simply making me aware of her presence. This was a battle cry. This was her trying to scare me before she attacked. Surprised as I was that a rat would charge at a fox, I reacted quickly and lunged straight at her, but another animal reacted much quicker. I saw a flash of grey light and a powerful gust of wind knocked me off balance. It took me a moment to collect myself and understand the scene before me. A great grey owl had appeared seemingly from thin air and was mauling the rat in a flurry of talons and beaks. I was terrified but also completely mesmerized by this act of extreme savagery. I backed away slowly to not draw attention but I could not look away from the bizarre sight. It was over in a few seconds. Slowly the owl stood up straight with his back to me while still looking at the dead rat near his talons. Fear crept in and I could not move. I didn’t want to do anything to attract his attention. Owls did not eat foxes but they were prone to random acts of violence and never needed a reason to kill. “You do not need fear me, fox.” He spoke in a high pitched yet booming voice that did not seem to suit him. “I was never interested in you to begin with. Well, not as food, anyways.” He added. He sounded pleased. Hoping this meant I was safe, I cautiously stepped towards the giant owl even though I was so afraid I was shaking. “Hello. I am Ragvilus. You helped me earlier. I think the rat was going to attack me,” I began, not sure what to say to this owl. “Aaah, I found that amusing.” He laughed, ruffling his feathers happily as he turned to face me. “Maybe she thought an injured fox would be more appealing to me than a large rat.” “Would it have been?” I asked. Despite my best efforts to stay calm my voice quivered noticeably as I spoke. The owl turned his head completely around and hooted. He stared at me with vertical eyes that looked both completely insane yet infinitely intelligent. After a few moments he answered with a simple, “Yes.” Then he slowly began turning back towards his kill. “Where are you going, Ragvilus the red fox?” he continued as he spread open his wings and revealed his enormous wingspan. “Just a few meters north of here.” I answered truthfully. “Do you seek the other foxes up ahead?” He asked. This caught me off guard. I had no idea other foxes were nearby. I considered lying to the owl and saying they were my friends to seem like I had a pack with me. In the end I decided against it because it occurred to me that an owl would not be intimidated by foxes and that if he wanted me dead I would already be dead by now. “No. I noticed a new smell today and wanted to investigate it.” At this, the owl froze. He folded his wings completely and turned his head slightly so he could see me from the corner of his eye. “Strange new animals have been entering our forest. Isn’t it exciting?” He asked. For some reason his voice became very grave. “But sometimes it does not pay to be so inquisitive. Red foxes are so very rare.” His ominous words once again put me on edge. Without thinking I began backing away but it was unnecessary. The owl picked up his prey and began lifting himself up into the air. With two flaps of his enormous wings he was already a few feet in the air. “Do you know why this area has been especially crowded lately?” He continued. I had heard bits and pieces of it but as a predator and an outcast amongst the foxes, I did not have very many chances to find out. “The cold northern forest was lit completely ablaze. A fire like this has not been seen in my lifetime or in many lifetimes before.” By now the owl had disappeared amongst the treetops and his voice began to fade. “Many new animals. So very exciting. But look out young fox. There are many monsters that lived in the cold northern forests and even monsters fear fire.” A fire in the north? I was confused by the ominous threats left by the strange bird. Shaken up, I turned around and looked at the trail I was following. Maybe it was time to give up on this. Maybe this was a sign that my curiosity was finally a bad thing. I took one more deep breath and thought about what my strange new smells could be. Then it hit me. I recognized one of the scents. It was the smell of smoke and ash. I have no idea why but a sense of urgency set in at this and my gut told me I had to get to the source of the smell and get there fast. I had no logical reason to do so but my gut had never steered me wrong before. I took one last longing look at the trail behind me then sprinted towards the new smell.