All The Little Foxes Read online

  Published by Gatekeeper Press

  3971 Hoover Rd. Suite 77

  Columbus, OH 43123-2839

  Copyright © 2015 by Karen Elizabeth Russell

  All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Layout Design by: Mr. Merwin D. Loquias

  ISBN: 9781619849204

  eISBN: 9781619849266

  Printed in the United States of America

  FOR DAD.

  For Marmie, Marge, James, Jennifer, Dennis and Barbara.

  To Don (Mon Petit Pomme De Terre). For Roxxie, and Number 40.

  For Joshie For Being My Number 1 Fan.

  For Sandi For Loving The Papa (And His Bratty Kid). And Kevin (For Being Kevin).

  CHAPTERS:

  1 - In The Beginning

  2 - You’ve Got A Friend.

  3 - More Than A Feeling

  4 - It’s Only Words

  5 - Every Rose Has Its Thorn.

  6 - Let’s Dance!

  CHAPTER 1

  Deep inside the lush evergreen wood, just outside the tiny town of Belford, and about a mile further down the road as the crow flies, lay a place called Fox Township. Nestled in the rolling hills at the outer edge of the furthermost western corner of the kingdom, Fox Township was well known as a warm and inviting destination, a place in which many a pride had set up home. It was also a picturesque winter vacation spot that attracted visitors the world over, and was famous for its snow-covered peaks and succulent fir-laden valleys.

  But the frozen tundra, rising summits and holiday postcard scenery were not all this municipality had to offer. True to its name, Fox Township was home to many a skulk of foxes. There was a cornucopia of colorful characters that resided in the township, and every dynasty in this community was looked upon as just another sector of one large extended family.

  As you passed through town on any given day, you would find young fox and old, big fox and small-most of whom had never ventured very far away from this cozy, cavernous kingdom, each and every fox being noteworthy in his or her own right.

  Fox Township was home to a vast array of characters, ranging from the old town wealthy to the newest middle-class families and every type in between, all living among the lush evergreen harmonies without question or judgment of one another. It was not uncommon to make the acquaintance of Horatio B. Pepperschmidt, the beloved township mayor for more than twenty years. Down on the main street, Mayor Pepperschmidt often lent an ear and shared stories with the town folk, such as Clyde Clemmens, proprietor of the general store, or Miss Elizabeth Alsace, the township’s oldest resident at 112 years.

  There was certainly an array of personalities that called Fox Township home, each with a story to tell-one more engaging and at times more exotically embellished than the next-but perhaps the two most memorable characters who could ever cross your path as you made your way through this sleepy little hamlet did not have many feats of fancy tales to tell just yet, as they were two of the township’s youngest residents – Edgar and Jules.

  These particular pals had known each other long before either were old enough to cross the road without an adult watching. Both cubs knew everything there was to know about the other, and it mattered not the time of day or season, wherever you found Edgar you were sure to find Jules, and vice versa. To say this pair of pals were tight would have been a drastic understatement. They had been there for each other through thick and thin.

  When one got grounded for behaving badly, do you think you would find the other frolicking freely without a care in the world? Heck to the no! The fox who could independently meander while his pal was in solitary confinement would too confine himself to the four walls of his own family domain until his pal could roam free once again.

  You could also bet your bottom dollar there would never, ever be a brand new premiere of the latest robo-cop vampire in space sci-fi epic playing in the theater that would find one of these pals there without the other – this sort of thing simply did not happen.

  It was all or nothing with this pair, and not only in good times and carefree days. When push came to shove and all the chips were down, Edgar and Jules were always each others lifelines.

  If even the scent of trouble came around Edgar, you could bet Jules would rally to his rescue, and there was no one there in Jules’ hour of need faster than Edgar. These pals had battled united together in banded brotherhood, from the smallest of playground scuffles and juvenile misunderstandings, to standing true in the fiercest code of honor against all who rallied with question or force against he who was called BFF.

  No one in the township would forget the incident that took place not all that long ago, when Jules was the only one there for his pal. It was a very trying time when all of Fox Township had seemingly turned their backs on Edgar. You see, he had shown up at the ‘Awesome Autumn Anomaly,’ which just happened to be the all-time biggest faire this side of the Rockies.

  It was at this wonderful fall festival where one by one, many a town folk stood back in horror, as they cast their eyes upon Edgar making his way through the crowd. It seemed everyone was under the impression our fine friend had fallen victim to a severe case of the mange, when in all reality – it was simply the not so successful hair-cut Edgar had received when the new ‘Cut-Rate Cutters’ franchise opened up in the town square.

  For one solid month, all of the town folk kept their distance from Edgar – both children and adults alike. They walked on opposite sides of the road when Edgar made his way through town, and peered out from behind curtained windows if someone came knocking at the door, pretending not to be home if the figure gracing their doorstep even remotely resembled poor Edgar.

  Jules however – never left his friend’s side. He had Edgar’s back, even going so far as keeping his pal in various hats, bulky sweaters and other accoutrements to help mask this temporary set back. Never one to be out-done, Edgar took many a stand of solidarity with Jules – like the time a couple of peanut-butter eaters from the wrong side of the tracks made their way into town, trying to prove they were kings of the wood.

  Being the normal with bullies, the intruders were mostly all talk and very little action, only picking on those they viewed as non-threatening. Their chosen target in Fox Township? Jules. But this was merely due to his gentle and unassuming nature. It was obvious Jules carried with him a heart of gold, and was not one that went out of his way to inflict pain on others.

  This young fox always looked the other way when someone would try to stir up trouble. Jules was genuinely a nice, easy going soul who tried to see the good in everyone. In a word, he was an easy target for a couple of gutless wonders.

  Little did this strife-laden pair know, but much to their dismay when they found out, with Jules you got Edgar, who in fact was not so gentle and unassuming, and who could fairly be described as the complete opposite. With just a few choice words and a blank, menacing stare that would frighten the birds right down from the trees, and Edgar had this problem-some pair backing down and heading tail between leg, over the border from which they came.

  If you were an outsider looking in on this picture, you would think Edgar and Jules were brothers. ‘We are better than brothers, we are best friends for life!’ Each had been heard to proclaim on more than one occasion. ‘You can’t pick your brother, but you can pick your best friend!’ they would say, and there was nary a better friendship match made in al
l the land.

  This dynamic duo of the lush evergreen wood loved everything out of doors, from stump jumping and log rolling, to fishing the streams and chasing rabbits.

  And you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who adored building mud-castles deep in the bemired wetlands after a long summer rain more than these two characters. There was a lot more to Edgar and Jules besides their love for roaming the hills and valleys.

  Both had a penchant for everything from video games to shooting marbles on a snowy afternoon in front of the warm hearth-and there was nothing these pals adored better than eating ice cream on a blazing hot summer day, as they walked along the railroad tracks – knowing that if they just kept walking, they would make their way well past the end of the railway line, where all the great mysteries that lay in wait far beyond Fox Township would be revealed.

  On the flip side of the coin, there was not all that much our two pals did not like – but if pressed to name one thing they did not care for in the whole of the entire world, these two characters would have been quick to agree-’GIRLS-YUCK!’ The cubs viewed girls as silly creatures, but much to the folly of our fine furry friends, vixens were around just about any corner you could venture down – there were just zero ways of avoiding this fact.

  It mattered not the time of year, whenever the two turned around, there always seemed to be some kit on the prowl, and there seemed to be an endless throng of the fairer sex when autumn came, and all the kits and cubs of Fox Township gathered to set upon a new academic journey.

  Girls had to be put up with throughout the school year, and if that were not bad enough, on occasion Edgar’s kid sister Esme, with her best friend in tow, was known to try and tag along with Edgar and Jules. For the most part, the fellas had girl dodging down to a science. This was a fairly easy task to accomplish in class, as there was no chance of a gal trying to talk to the cubs – due to the reminder notes posted on just about every bulletin board throughout the entire school system.

  These notes were a reminder to students that once they entered the classroom, they were entering a no chit-chat zone, and all focus needed to be on the teacher at all times. Oddly enough, this was the one time the cubs did not mind adhering to classroom etiquette.

  Once freedom arrived – that is, when the bell has rung, the situation could get a bit sticky. For instance, you would think the cafeteria at lunch-time would be a tricky place for girl avoidance. After all, this was where everyone for a while was unleashed from classroom formalities, and could freely sit and talk to whomever they pleased.

  In any other township, this scenario might have posed a problem – but not in Fox Township, for every girl in this land knew you did not trod upon the boys table during a meal due to the potential of squirt gun retaliation. These carnivorous cubs took their food and eating territory in the most serious of nature.

  That being said, avoiding these silly creatures after the last bell of the day rang, when all the kits and cubs were free for the afternoon took a more artful set of skills. This was the time of day the cubs ran the risk that any girl at any given moment could very well stroll on up and start making cow eyes and conversation at time. This was very much an all too real possibility, unless you had a super-fast school yard evacuation plan, such as the one perfected by Edgar and Jules. This was much more than a plan – it was a code which they lived by since their earliest days of kindergarten.

  When the bell rang, you did not look left, you did not look right. You just ran – and you never stopped or looked back until you reached the safe haven of your own front step. This did take a bit of work, but the fellas pretty much successfully crafted the fine art of girl eluding – with only that occasional minor upset – the bane of Edgar’s existence, Esme.

  Little sis was a well intentioned young fox who only wanted to tag along with big brother because she admired him so much – Edgar was her hero, and within family limits, if truth be known, Edgar relished Esme’s hero worship stance – after all, she was not a ‘girl-girl.’ Esme was not one of those silly cow-eyed making creatures Edgar had complete disdain for. She was little sis, who held a special place in big brother’s heart. Just as Edgar was always there for Jules in his hour of need, he was always there for little sis. No one had ever even remotely look at Esme the wrong way when big brother was around! Edgar would jump leaps and bounds to Esme’s defense.

  There were times when Edgar viewed his little sister as a bit of a pain, like when she tried to tag along on his adventures with Jules. Both of the little cubs could put up with Esme for the most part, but when she teamed up with her bestie, and they both tried to tag along, well that was just double trouble-which Edgar and Jules simply could not tolerate.

  This is when the cubs turned tail and resorted to ‘scare tactics’ to keep the girls out of the way. It was easy for the fellas to accomplish this, especially when they whipped out their imaginary can of ‘sis-a-way’ – a secretly invented spray repellant that could only be viewed through the eyes of boy cubs. The fellas chased after little sis and company, threatening to spray the girls with their spooky concoction, guaranteeing the vixens would be taken away in a puff of smoke, never to be seen or heard from again for over one hundred years.

  Big brother’s antics always sent Esme and company running, leaving Edgar and Jules to go about their adventures, laughing hysterically at having scared the girls away. They would playfully mock and joke one another, trying not to notice the position of the shadows on the ground that were wistfully letting them know it would be time for them to go in soon. The hour was nearing for all the little kits and cubs to settle in. They would soon be in the land of sweet dreams – resting and recharging, so they could get up in the morning and do it all over again.

  As the days and nights went by, all the little foxes counted the days that lead up to that most wonderful time of year – that time of year where they could roam free as the breeze and do as they pleased.

  That magical time children had been dreaming about since the dawn of the very beginning, and perhaps just an hour and a half before that – SUMMER VACATION! Summer was a particularly happy and care-free time for the two little cubs, as they loved nothing more than spending the long, hot summer days frolicking along the countryside, finding adventure after adventure.

  Edgar and Jules virtually disappeared from the world as they went off exploring the lost nooks and caverns that had long been forgotten by most of the township. This was only played out of course, after they spent the better part of the morning diving down into a rushing waterfall, making way to the crystal blue waves below, on a mission to hunt buried treasures by day-and followed by watching hours of fireworks and catching fire-flies in glass jars, which added sparkle to the back-drop of the evening sky by night.

  Summer also brought with it two county faires, the ultimate celebration of the season, not to mention the baseball games, camping trips, and long hay rides through the countryside, with everyone singing and having a grand time. At days end, when the sun was sinking low and the lazy day was edging its way into dusk, Edgar and Jules were known to take refuge in their super-cool hidden fort the two had built a few summers past.

  This was a secret hide-a-way, the mere existence of which was sworn to secrecy by blood oath. So you can see, when all was said and done, it was certainly a good life there in the sweet Fox Township summertime. Day after day, from the beginning of June all the way through the end of August, it was an absolute endless paradise that felt as if it would go on forever.

  The heat and the sun made it unthinkable to stay indoors, and just at that moment in time when it seemed like the thermometer could not go up any higher, there was nothing more refreshing than to get drenched in a cool, late-day summer rain, that cascades through the mugginess, breaking the oppressive heat.

  But alas as we know, and rightfully so, there are three other seasons throughout the year, each just as wonderous as summer – and summer, just like all good things, eventually must come to an end. Sooner
or later, September, like a cat, slinks onto the scene with autumn at its heel, arriving just at that precise moment when no one is watching.

  With impending autumn, an early morning chill begins to fill the air. Summer faires make way for autumn expeditions. Watermelon and corn on the cob are replaced by pumpkin pie and apple cider.

  There is an new feel in the air, a cool crispness of renewal – and there was also the scent of eagerness for all the little kits and cubs of Fox Township. September not only brought with it autumn, it also brought the dawning of an exciting, anything is possible new school year.

  That particular year found Edgar and Jules entering grade five, and both were tickled pink to be having Miss Tramatonna as their teacher. It was very well known since each and every little fox entered the classroom for the first time as little kits and cubs, that Miss Tramatonna’s grade five class was truly a thing of legend, for she was a teacher that made learning fun.

  Many a student that had passed through the schools hallowed halls would have gladly continued on in grade five all the rest of their learning days, rather than leave such an enlightening and fun atmosphere. Of course no self-respecting kit or cub would have given up on the kid code and gladly be free of summer vacation just for the opportunity to sit in a classroom all day. But knowing they were about to embark on this enthralling chapter in their mind expanding journey, made the first day of class a bit easier to surrender to.

  Much to the delight of each and every young fox, the legend of Miss Tramatonna and her classroom dynamic did not pale in any way, shape, or form. From day one they commenced on a learning frenzy that true to all the hype and lore, did not seem like learning at all. Histories were told, word form and structure were learned, and math was easily broken down into baseball averages and tasty apple pie sections.

  Before they knew it, all the kits and cubs were fractioning like they had been doing so all their lives, never realizing they had just been taught a mathematical tool they would be using today, tomorrow, and for many years to come. All the little foxes were learning without realizing it, and being rewarded for all their hard work.