Chapter Text
Long ago, towards the North-East of Great Britain, there was a large, ancient forest where no man dared to venture. The forest was the home to a mass array of animals, both big and small. One of these was a small family of around seven red foxes; two adults, their four kits, and a teenager who was almost two years of age, and still playful as he had been since he was a young cub himself. This teenager, a male named Bramble, preferred staying with his father, who took great care of him, treating him like a young prince as the two of them played together. His mother didn’t seem to show this same affection, as she favoured the four cubs who always seemed to be by her side, playing with her none-stop. He always wondered if there was a reason his mother never seemed to acknowledge that he was there, but he loved her all the same.
“Dad, how come we’re never allowed to leave the den?” Bramble asked, pulling at his father’s ear, as if he were trying to rip it off. His father, getting annoyed by his son’s antics, awoke with a groan, getting slowly up to his feet, which were already starting to ache due to his old age.
“Because, as your mother no doubt told you already, it’s too dangerous to go out there, young prince. There’s all sorts of predators out there that might try and eat us,” He replied, looking towards the woods as if there was something there that shouldn’t be. He turned his head, facing his son, his eyes narrowed, “Promise me; you won’t go anywhere past the stream, OK?” He said, bowing his head down so he was at eye level with his son.
“OK, dad. I promise. I’ll stay right here, where it’s safe. I won’t leave the den, ever,” Bramble replied, a hint of mischief in his tone; he was quite tempted to go into the woods, to see what was out there beyond their den. Knowing he couldn’t leave, he went off to play with his mother and the kits, who were all excited when he arrived. They played for hours, not stopping until they got tired and decided to rest for the day. One of the kits decided to pull on Bramble's tail, prompting him to snap at them. As they were getting ready to lay down for the night, Bramble’s father came to the den, trotting up as slow as he could so as not to wake anyone.
“I’m heading out to find some food. You keep an eye on them, will you?” He said to his wife, giving her a warm smile.
Bramble’s mother lifted her head, nuzzling her husband on the snout. “Don’t be too long,” she responded, before laying back down, snuggling up with the cubs.
Bramble decided to lay down by himself, away from the others as he watched his father leave the den. He was unable to get any sleep due to the thunder that rumbled in the distance as heavy rain poured down, and watched his father walk off, deep into the woods. He was up all night, and didn’t know when his father would be back, or even if he would be back, as he knew how dangerous it was out there. It was getting close to morning, the sun starting to rise from the horizon, covering the forest in a blanket of bright, white light. The rain died down, now, having become nothing more than a mere drizzle, and Bramble was starting to feel worried; his father hadn’t come back, and it didn’t usually take him this long to find food, maybe a few hours at most. Wanting to find out where his father was, he decided to sneak away from the den while the others were still asleep, and ventured into the woods, hoping to find his father and return before they knew he was gone. He was even willing to go past the stream, where he was told not to go due to the many predators that lurked there. As he looked back, he saw his mother get up and walk off in the opposite direction, ‘Where is she going?’ There was something unusual about her behaviour; she had never left without telling anyone where she was going, and she had that look in her face that one might have if they were up to something. However, he decided not to think about it too much and brushed it off as mere coincidence. He was more focused on finding his father, wherever he might be. He had to be around somewhere, and Bramble didn’t know where to begin. He looked down; there were no tracks, as the rain had washed them away. He tried to get a scent; nothing. It was as if his father had gone invisible, not leaving any sign he was there.
He searched for hours, yet there was still no sign of his father anywhere, not even at his usual foraging spot where he often went to get food. He listened out, in case he could hear his father, but the only sounds coming from the otherwise silent woods were the cries of birds up in the trees, and he was starting to become even more worried; something was very wrong, and he wanted to know what it was. As he was about to turn around and head back to the den, knowing the others were likely to be worried about him at that point, a small pack of minks ran up, surrounding him from all sides like an army surrounding a dangerous adversary. One of them, whom Bramble assumed to be the leader of the pack by the way he was behaving, strolled up to him, close enough their snouts were almost touching.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Bramble the fox! I thought we told your kind not to come here!” The mink said, eyeing the fox with suspicion. He spoke with a deep voice, which contrasted with his small stature. Bramble looked down at the Mink, noticing a scar down his back and a small notch in his right ear. He had heard about a group of minks who had been terrorising his family and preventing them from leaving the den, but this was the first time he had ever encountered them in person, and this didn’t seem like a kind of meeting he’d have wanted, even with someone as bad as them.
“You must be Blaze,” Bramble said, glowering at the mink, who didn’t seem to be disturbed at all despite the amount of harm Bramble could cause him. On the contrary, he almost seemed to be smiling, his teeth bared and he let out a soft chuckle; somehow, he knew Bramble wasn’t willing to hurt anyone, regardless of who it was.
“Yes, I guess I am. At least, that’s what everyone calls me after I set fire to half the forest many years ago. No-one can remember my original name, not even myself,” Blaze replied, in the sort of tone one might use during an interview. He circled around Bramble, who was shaking in fear. Bramble was starting to become aware of why his father warned him not to leave the den, and especially not cross the stream; these guys were trouble, and he knew it. These were the predators his father had warned him about the previous day, before he had disappeared.
“Where’s my father?” Bramble growled, desperate to find him. He had a feeling Blaze was involved in his disappearance in some way, but still wanted to know for certain, not being one to jump to conclusions unless he had concrete evidence for his claims.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you, Bramble. Although, if I’d hazard a guess, I’d say he’s not here right now,” Blaze replied, glancing around the forest as if expecting Bramble’s father to appear out of thin air. He and the rest of the minks left, heading deep into the woods and leaving Bramble alone.
Bramble, desperate to be back with his family again, but still anxious to find his father, travelled back to the den, playing back everything Blaze had said in his mind. The mink had told him he didn’t know what happened to his father, but Bramble had a vague suspicion he was hiding something from him, some vital piece of information that could help him find his father. Did Blaze know something I didn’t? This question would not leave his mind, and he grew desperate to find answers, and wondered if there was anyone else in the forest who would know.
Before he could reach the densite, he was approached by two other animals; a young badger and an old peregrine falcon. The falcon landed next to the badger; if she were any closer, she would have landed on top of him, which both of them made notice of, giving a slight chuckle.
“Skye, Flora, what are you two doing here?” Bramble asked, glancing between the falcon and the badger, who gave him a warm smile; these two were his best friends, and he would go almost anywhere with them if he could. They would often visit him at the den, playing with him from time-to-time. But this was the first time he had seen them for a few days, as they were shooed away by his mother, who didn’t want anyone but her own family there.
“We’re here to help you find your father, Bramble. I spotted the minks surrounding you and heard you were worried, so we came as soon as we could,” Skye, the Falcon, answered. She had a visible scar down her beak. Bramble had always wanted to know how she got her scar, but she never told him of what happened; this was something she kept to herself, a secret she would carry with her to the grave.
“Yeah, shame I couldn’t arrive sooner! I wanted to give that Blaze guy a taste of my claws!” Flora added, looking down at the ground in disappointment, hoping for a fight.
“Thanks, guys. I also want to know what Blaze is up to, why he doesn’t want us leaving the den,” Bramble said. He wanted to know why the minks have such a vendetta against his family when, as far as he was concerned, his family never did anything to them.
“That’s what we’re wondering too,” Skye responded. She looked to Flora, waiting for his input, any sort of response. Flora, without saying a word, gave her a look that said he agreed with her; he, too, had no idea why the minks hated the foxes so much.
Bramble’s friends left, heading back into the forest. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should follow them, find out what Blaze was up to, and where his father was. Knowing his family would be looking for him, however, he decided to make his way back to the den, where he knew it would also be safe; the minks knew not to go anywhere near the den. However, he stopped dead in his tracks, only halfway towards the den, as a large, brown buzzard landed in front of him, its piercing stare going right through him, like it was trying to work out what he was. Bramble backed up towards a tree, his body shivering, his eyes wide.
“Ge… Gemini? W… What are you d-doing here?” He asked. He tried his best not to run away, lest he be lost in the forest with no-one around to help him. He was all alone with Gemini, who didn’t seem like the kind of animal one would want to meet in a dark part of the woods (or anywhere else, for that matter, dark or otherwise). Quite the opposite, in fact; He looked like the living embodiment of malice and violence, someone who would kill without hesitation and get enjoyment from it. His feathers were darker than most buzzards, and a single scar ran down the right side of his face like he had been attacked by something, or someone.
“Hello, Bramble. What a surprise to see you here, when I thought you were dead!” Gemini replied, a soft but distinctive growl to his voice. He looked at Bramble like he was trying to figure out if he was real or just a figment of his own imagination. Gemini used to be close friends with Bramble’s father when the two were younger, almost as close as Bramble was with his own two friends. But something had changed within Gemini; he abandoned his own friend, and started hunting down many young animals without any hint of mercy, including some members of Bramble's family. He was the most feared predator in the forest, with no loyalty to anyone but himself. Now Bramble was starting to question if Gemini had any involvement in his father’s disappearance, and if Blaze and Gemini were working together for whatever reason despite Gemini preferring to work alone.
“I… I want to go home,” Bramble said, continuing to back away from the bird, who inched closer and closer towards him, backing him up against a tree, preventing him from moving any further. Bramble was now trapped, unable to do anything. He didn’t cry for help as he knew if he did, Gemini would kill him on the spot, so he remained silent.
“You don’t have a family, Bramble. Not anymore, after Blaze burned down the entire den!” Gemini responded with feigned politeness and sorrow, but there was also a hint of malice and deception in his voice; it was clear he was involved in some way, but just wasn’t telling Bramble. He didn’t attack the young fox; he wanted him to remember these words, wanted the loss of his family to torment him for the rest of his life like a wound that would never heal. Bramble looked behind the buzzard, who moved to the side to allow him to see, and saw black smoke billowing from where his den was, and started shaking, knowing Gemini was speaking the truth. His breathing became heavier, he wanted to scream, to cry for help, but for some reason he wasn’t able to.
“No, no,” He muttered to himself, his expression alternating between dread and rage, tears streaming down his face as he was unable to move; the loss of his family affected him much more than the disappearance of his father did, and that was still something he was already concerned about. And now he knew the truth; his father was no more, he had been killed some time after he left the den, that was why he had never returned. Another question came to his mind; who had killed my father?
“Oh yes, it’s true, Bramble. Your family is no more, they’re all dead. You’re lucky you left when you did, otherwise you’d have burned up with them! Unfortunately for me, you’re still alive. But I assure you, you won’t be for long. Not if I have anything to say about it, anyway,” Gemini said, taunting the poor fox, who was in complete distress, unable to say anything in response. Bramble, wanting nothing more to do with the vile buzzard, and still upset over his words, ran off, deeper into the forest. He knew he was well and truly lost, that there was no-one around to help him; he was all alone.