The tale of the Fox

[AKA Azure]

This is a story Azure recently told in Cerbies.




This tale is from a scroll my mother has. It’s a collection of stories from a people who lived in a place so distant they had never heard of the gods but believe that all things have spirits and some are powerful indeed. You may wonder about the fox, seeming to be a mixture of wolf and cat, but where does it come from? This tale seeks to answer that.

Once, long ago, a mother cat died, leaving her kittens behind. Their father had, like many of the cat family, left long ago to walk his own trail. Happily, a wolf living nearby heard the pitiful mewling and took them in

These cats were raised by wolves, and grew up feeling they were wolves. They snarled and growled, whined and howled. Unfortunately for them, they weren't wolves, and as they grew to adulthood, none of the wolves who enflamed their hearts returned their affections. In fact, they laughed.

Finally, their foster parent died and they were driven out. The catwolves were saddened and went off on their own to form their own pack.

The four of them did well, and hunted together. Other cats would see them and some would make mock, but others found these strange cats attractive. However, the catwolves could not return their affections

They traveled further and further away from all cats and wolves, but even with each other for company they grew lonely. And they cried this out in their nightly howls. Some of the wilderness spirits heard them and felt sorry for these strange ones - betwixt and between cats and wolves - by appearance cats, but by upbringing wolves.

The spirits conferred, and one took some rich wolf droppings and some shed cat hair and molded creatures partaking of both natures It placed them near the catwolf pack as the members slept the day away exhausted.

Other spirits slowly reshaped the catwolves, revealing their true forms. Oddly enough their forms were similar to the shaped one. The catwolves awoke, but saw no difference in each other; it was merely their true natures revealed. But when they went out to hunt, oh, that is when things began to happen. They heard others, beautiful others, and when they ran to meet them, the newly made creatures came to meet them as well!