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A Winter's TaleLoading...
By Sofiya Sharova
As Winter, I have seen many tales unfold,but none so curious as the one of the black fox.
Let’s start at the beginning.It was a cold winter’s night, the one humans call Christmas.There was a feeling of togetherness in the air.Even the animals deep in the forest felt it.They were all together in warm, cozy ,homes.But one did not share in their merriment.It was the black fox, who prowled like a shadow across the snow It went from place to place searching for that togetherness.But it was turned away at every door, seen as an omen of ill fortune. It felt lonely, and sad that no one wanted to be around it. In the silent snow, it whimpered.Someone whimpered back. It followed its nose under a nearby bush and found a snow white hare,lying injured under it.Why it didn’t pounce, I don’t know. Perhaps it wasn’t hungry, or it thought the hare was sick, and wouldn’t make a good meal. Or maybe,just maybe it felt bad for the little hare.And as I was about to pick it up in my frosty embrace,the fox picked it up instead and carried it back to its den.I followed with a whirl of snowflakes. The fox came to its den under a low hill. It padded into the dark den. Down went the tunnel,until it came to a room. In the room there was a nest of moss and feathers that looked cozy and warm.The fox put the hare in the bed, carefully turned over the hare, and bound up the injured leg with a strip of long and bendy bark.After making sure the hare was comfortable,the fox curled up on the cold ground beside it.
In the morning , the fox woke up first and went to go get food.When the hare woke up,it saw the fox standing over it.It jumped up, with its chest heaving and back against the wall in a second. The fox backed away calmly and dropped something out of its mouth. It was some berries that shined in the gloom of the den. The fox backed away calmly to the other side of the den and curled up into a ball with its tail over its nose. It watched the hare with one eye open.The hare hesitated . Then, tentatively, it got down from the bed.It nibbled the berries. It ate a few.The fox came closer. The hare went back to bed.
This became their routine for the next couple of days. The fox would,get up, get food, and bring it to the hare. The mistrustful hare would eat it cautiously and go back to bed. Despite this, the hare and the fox became friends.One day the fox brought food and backed away. The hare hopped down, and instead of eating on the spot,nudged the berries over by the fox and began to eat.It nudged a few berries over to the fox . The fox was confused. The hare nudged the fox, and then the berries.The fox hesitated.Then snapped the berries up in a few quick bites.The hare thumped its feet happily. The fox chirruped in response. The fox then went up the tunnel. After a while, it heard thumping behind it. It turned around and saw the hare behind it, happily following.The fox continued.It got to the snow covered clearing.The hare followed it.The hare’s foot landed hard on the snow and threw some up on the black fox’s pelt.The fox, excited,threw some snow back on the hare.The hare shook it off. After a few rounds of this, it was pretty clear that the animal’s equivalent of a snowball fight had begun.And the two friends laughed and played,there among the whirling twirling snow.
The End!
Let’s start at the beginning.It was a cold winter’s night, the one humans call Christmas.There was a feeling of togetherness in the air.Even the animals deep in the forest felt it.They were all together in warm, cozy ,homes.But one did not share in their merriment.It was the black fox, who prowled like a shadow across the snow It went from place to place searching for that togetherness.But it was turned away at every door, seen as an omen of ill fortune. It felt lonely, and sad that no one wanted to be around it. In the silent snow, it whimpered.Someone whimpered back. It followed its nose under a nearby bush and found a snow white hare,lying injured under it.Why it didn’t pounce, I don’t know. Perhaps it wasn’t hungry, or it thought the hare was sick, and wouldn’t make a good meal. Or maybe,just maybe it felt bad for the little hare.And as I was about to pick it up in my frosty embrace,the fox picked it up instead and carried it back to its den.I followed with a whirl of snowflakes. The fox came to its den under a low hill. It padded into the dark den. Down went the tunnel,until it came to a room. In the room there was a nest of moss and feathers that looked cozy and warm.The fox put the hare in the bed, carefully turned over the hare, and bound up the injured leg with a strip of long and bendy bark.After making sure the hare was comfortable,the fox curled up on the cold ground beside it.
In the morning , the fox woke up first and went to go get food.When the hare woke up,it saw the fox standing over it.It jumped up, with its chest heaving and back against the wall in a second. The fox backed away calmly and dropped something out of its mouth. It was some berries that shined in the gloom of the den. The fox backed away calmly to the other side of the den and curled up into a ball with its tail over its nose. It watched the hare with one eye open.The hare hesitated . Then, tentatively, it got down from the bed.It nibbled the berries. It ate a few.The fox came closer. The hare went back to bed.
This became their routine for the next couple of days. The fox would,get up, get food, and bring it to the hare. The mistrustful hare would eat it cautiously and go back to bed. Despite this, the hare and the fox became friends.One day the fox brought food and backed away. The hare hopped down, and instead of eating on the spot,nudged the berries over by the fox and began to eat.It nudged a few berries over to the fox . The fox was confused. The hare nudged the fox, and then the berries.The fox hesitated.Then snapped the berries up in a few quick bites.The hare thumped its feet happily. The fox chirruped in response. The fox then went up the tunnel. After a while, it heard thumping behind it. It turned around and saw the hare behind it, happily following.The fox continued.It got to the snow covered clearing.The hare followed it.The hare’s foot landed hard on the snow and threw some up on the black fox’s pelt.The fox, excited,threw some snow back on the hare.The hare shook it off. After a few rounds of this, it was pretty clear that the animal’s equivalent of a snowball fight had begun.And the two friends laughed and played,there among the whirling twirling snow.
The End!
