Chapter Text
Twigs cracked below her shoes as Pearl ran, narrowly avoiding crashing into the trees surrounding her. The forest was an unfamiliar place, not too far from her farm. She didn’t go here often, but recently she’d been tormented by a certain fox.
Every morning, she’d go outside to check on her crops, only to find them trampled, holes dug deep into the soil. Her livestock - particularly the chickens - was going missing, and it wasn’t long before she met the culprit.
Tired of losing her crops and animals, she had stayed awake all night - not that she slept much anyways - to try and catch the pesky animal, and sure enough, a fox came creeping from the darkness of the forest to ruin her harvest. It was a beautiful creature, smooth red fur shining in the soft moonlight as it prowled, eyes scanning the area. It lunged for the chicken pen, slipping under a gap beneath the fence. Pearl had darted over to the pen, trying to stay hidden from the animal. It was crouched, staring at a chicken, ready to pounce, but Pearl was faster. She reached for the fox, arms outstretched — but it saw her just in time, whirling around with a hiss.
Its jaws wrapped around her wrist in a warning bite. Yelping, Pearl retracted her arm in pain, and the animal took flight into the woods. Something glinted between its teeth, something shiny. It turned for a moment, long enough for Pearl to recognise her bracelet - gifted to her by her father - hanging in its mouth. It was made from silver, a small red moon hanging from it. He had given it to her when she was a young child, and she’d worn it ever since.
She gave chase without a second thought. Her gaze was locked onto the fleeing animal as she stumbled through the lightless woods, the scent of pine overwhelming as needles pricked her bare arms. She wasn’t sure where she was going, just that she needed her bracelet back from that damned animal. Ducking under a branch, she was closer to the animal than ever. If she reached out now, she could catch it…
A sharp pain pierced her head as an overhanging branch she had missed made direct contact with her, halting her chase. She toppled over with the force, feeling the leaves crunch below her. Dazed, Pearl reached out beside her, hoping to find anything to lift herself up with. The ground was softer here, and it made an odd sound as her hand made contact with it.
That couldn’t be right.
Pearl turned her head in alarm to see the fox next to her, leg trapped below her where she had fallen. It made a strange sound again, somewhere between a bark and a yelp. Pearl rolled over, groaning with the effort and pain combined. The fox slipped away into the easing darkness of the woods, slowly becoming more illuminated as the sun rose. Pearl pushed herself up off of the ground, dusting her clothes off. Just as she was turning to leave - if she knew where she was, that is - she noticed a glint on the ground. The fox had dropped her bracelet! She put it back on her arm with relief - although there was a clump of fox fur that seemed impossible to dislodge from the metal. Sighing, she ignored the soft rub of the fur against her wrist, choosing to attempt to navigate back home instead.
Eventually, she recognised the shape of the familiar farmhouse she called home. Slamming open her doors, she lay down on her couch without another thought. She could afford to lay down for a little bit after the tiring encounter, right? She’d return to working immediately after. Raising her arm with the bracelet on, she stared at the clump of fur wedged into the metal.
This fox was going to be a problem, wasn’t it?