Chapter Text
The last thing that Fox sees as he enters the living room is Simon’s peculiar orange jacket as he bolts out the door with his younger brother. He overheard something about playing outside between them and their father beforehand, not that he cared to pay much attention.
“Ok boys, don’t be out too…!”
Wolf doesn’t get so much as a reply before his young boys are out the door, his brood rushing off to preoccupy themselves.
Fox, amused at their haste, smiles as he props himself down next to the large canine. He holds, in his hand, a silver tray of tea cups, sugar cubes, and small pastries for both of them to have tea over.
“My dear wolf, I don’t suppose even the most minor of etiquette would kill them? It is only polite to address your father when he speaks to you.”
Wolf huffed dryly at his vulpine companion. Wolf knew well enough that it was a rhetorical question. Although, he couldn’t help but feel there was a level of truth to that statement. His boys, what was he gonna do with them?
The soft steam of a cup of black tea infiltrates Wolf’s nostrils, and he quickly composes himself. Today, they were gonna catch Rabbit.
The sly smile on Fox’s face remained poised, perhaps a little more so, as he saw Wolf’s determined expression. He could read him like a book. He liked that about him though. Predictability, that is the thing Fox loved most in anything really. Stress is the enemy to happiness and a sly predator like him need not be at all preoccupied with such thoughts that were beneath him. He was the smart one, the pretty one, the predator that used cunning subterfuge to get his way.
“I have the most brilliant plan!~” Fox exclaimed, gripping his teacup gleefully as he stared into Wolf’s eyes, those deep dark brown irises of his. Wolf is as focused as can be as he listens intently.
“A wire trap!” Rabbit won’t be evading this one! I am absolutely positive! Our plans have been failures up to this point because we did not have subtlety on our side! However, once he sees a beautiful cabbage in the meadow, luscious but not so much as to be suspect of something foul, he’ll walk over to it and…” Fox, noticing just how enthralled he is, tones it down a notch, realizing he was practically bouncing like a school boy seeing an ice cream truck.
“Well, I shouldn’t say anymore. I’m sure you can fill in the gaps, my dear, and we’ll be filling our gullets with only the most savory of meat.”
Wolf grins, his tail thumping beside him. A wire trap, why didn’t he think of that? Fox was the plan-maker between them though. Of course he’d come up with something like this.
“Fox, you’ve had a lot of good ideas, but I think this is your best one yet! No complicated stuff, just a simple but killer trap.”
“Well, your ‘rudimentary’ philosophy on hunting has grown on me recently.”
Wolf grins even wider. A spark gleams in his eyes at the “compliment.”
“Fox, that is so touching. Really, it means a lot coming from you.”
Fox, though his wolf was indeed a brute, he was his brute. He subtly brushes his tail against Wolf’s under the dining room table and smiles. Wolf was so touched that, even though he could just be imagining things, Fox could’ve sworn he saw the faintest moisture in those eyes.
“Yes yes dear now, let us get to work! You’ll collect the cabbage and-”
“HOLD ON!”
Wolf retorted in a matter-of-fact tone, raising an eyebrow at Fox’s words. Fox was stunned for a second. Did he say something wrong? Why would Wolf interrupt him? Did he forget something?
“Don’t you remember that one time we pretended to be nice to Rabbit so he’d trust us? I was the one who did all the leg work. You promised that, the next time we ever pulled a stunt like that, you’d collect the cabbages or cabbage in this case. You didn’t forget did you?”
Wolf looks at Fox conspiratorially. Ah, he had said that. Fox hoped, and as such forgotten, the possibility he’d have to do some of the physical labor for a plan. He thought Wolf would’ve forgotten about that little stipulation altogether. However, the aftermath of that whole incident became a fight, and he didn’t feel like repeating that again with Wolf. Wolf really did not like getting pelted by cabbages when he got trapped in a hole, and it has become quite the sore spot for him recently. He made it known as such the same evening of that incident. Fox averts his gaze and silently exhales. The only thing worse than actually doing physical labor was looking stupid in front of Wolf. A promise is a promise and even if such words were just about as concrete as sand on a beach to Fox. He couldn’t break faith with Wolf this time, although maybe that was because he couldn’t think of a good enough way to weasel out of it.
“Fine. You’ll be setting up the trap though, in your own style. I’d like to get this plan underway today if possible.”
Fox waits a little more nervously than he’d like to admit for Wolf’s gaze to change. In just half a second though, Wolf immediately brightens up, alleviating any tension in the room. All it took was stroking his ego a little bit by getting him to design the trap this time.
“Thank you, Fox. I really REALLY appreciate that. I thought you were about to pull the wool over my eyes and convince me to do all the work again with only your vision in mind. You get the goods, and I'll set up the trap. By the meadow right, near the hollow log, right? I’ll make it look as inconspicuous as possible!”
Wolf’s voice is soft and assuring. He was genuinely satisfied. Fox raises an eyebrow and puts a hand over Wolf’s, lulling him further.
“Now why would I do something like that, dear? ‘Pulling the wool over your eyes' what a wild imagination. Such uncouth behavior, that is not how a gentleman acts towards his most beloved companion. Who do you take me for?~”
His grip tightens slightly on the canine’s hand. Wolf looks down and his maw noticeably droops a little. Fox wonders if he’ll say something this time. The silence is short but noticeable. Wolf doesn’t speak but he doesn’t move his hand away either. His eyelids widen ever so slightly as he stares at their physical union. Fox, unsure if to be amused or disappointed, speaks up again. His voice lowers to meet the softness of Wolf’s.
“By the hollow log. I’ll give you the wire to set it up, but I’ll be sure to check in case there’s any kinks in your design. I’ll rendezvous with you shortly…or just wait for me here after you’ve completed our little ruse. I don’t think anything will be going on until later tonight.~”
Fox hands Wolf some wire
The faintest eyebrow rise occurs on Wolf's face before his expression returns to normal. He looks longingly at his vulpine companion before slowly leaving, his bottom leaving the chair before his hand leaves Fox. With an audible creak of the door, he’s gone and Fox lets out a groan as soon as he knows Wolf is far enough away to not hear. Even if it's just a cabbage, he’s the pretty one, not the laborious one.
Fox wandered to the cabbage patch and oh… what does he hear in the distance? Barry and Simon playing with that rabbit girl. What was her name? Oh yes, Lucy. Maybe one of these days he could convince those pups to be a ploy for a future trap of his. Now that he takes a closer look though, he has noticed something. Just as there’s a distinct path from Wolf’s house to the patch, there’s one to and fro the Rabbit residence.
“Roger! You’re late, again!”
Lucy handled the female rabbit doll in her hands with gentle care. A soft smile marked her face as she played “House” with Simon and Barry. Simon was surprisingly good at this. He handled a male blonde-haired robot looking figurine in his hands, engaging in the role-play dialogue. Lucy didn’t like how different the toys looked to one another, but it was a compromise she had to make considering that’s what he insisted on bringing. Still, she was gonna get even on him ruining the immersion.
“Jennema, whatever have I done? I’m not late for anything!”
Simon spoke in his faux-British accent. Barry, meanwhile, handled a separate dinosaur figure named “Derek.” His dialogue had finished earlier. The scene earlier had played out with Roger forgetting about Jennema and choosing to spend time elsewhere, his ego getting in the way of what was important. Derek had been, incidentally, behind it, fueling his recklessness with ideas telling him that he should only worry about himself.
“No, no you are! You always do this! You say one thing but mean another! Whenever I want to spend time with you, to tell me how you really feel, you always find a way to lie or fail me! Today is our anniversary! We’re going on a year! How could you?!”
Lucy said emotionally, she was really getting into this. Even the doll’s dress began to get smudged as she handled it.
“Wait, can we pause?”
Simon said, looking at Lucy confusedly.
“What was I supposed to say after this scene?”
Lucy looked at him frustratingly.
“The picnic! Your dialogue was supposed to lead into the picnic! Roger was supposed to convince Jennema to go on a picnic with him the following day to make up for him forgetting about their anniversary.”
Barry chimes in unprompted.
“Uh, Lucy, how are we supposed to do that next part?”
Before she can respond, Lucy realizes something. Oh no…she forgot to bring the tablecloth from the outside table of her house with her, the table used for high tea with her dad. That’s what she was gonna use. She looks at Simon with a face of worry.
“Simon, could you do me a favor? For forgetting your lines, can you get the tablecloth from my house and bring it here? You won’t need to go inside since it's at the front. My dad isn’t home anyways, and Terrapin is at his house buffing his shell.”
“What?! That’s such a long walk!”
Simon whines, dreading the distance.
“Can’t we use something else instead?”
Lucy smartly remarks back at him, lifting her chin and closing her eyes in a presumptuous manner.
“Well, it’s either that or I won’t play with you. The choice is yours.”
Simon groans, dad is gonna be out for a while doing who knows what with Fox, and he knows Barry wants to spend time with Lucy. Maybe…he’d actually be a little happy having a little alone time with her while he goes out to get the tablecloth. Because, well, Barry loves her! He loves teasing him about that.
“Ok, I’ll go, but only because I know Barry loves you and would love some alone time!”
Simon giggles as Lucy pouts at him, having been humbled by his smarter retort for once. He made sure to say that "loves" with extra teasing emphasis.
“Ugh, that’s so gross! Just go away and get the tablecloth will you?”
He gets up and heads for the path to Lucy’s house. Barry is left with Lucy, trying to make small talk with her after having been given this slightly embarrassing opportunity with her. Simon makes it a good 50 meters or so away from his brother and friend. The path to Lucy’s house stood before him. He takes a single step and…
“THWACK!”
Fox grins maniacally behind a distant tree. That was the signal. The rabbit girl fell for the trap, and she didn’t even know it was there! He knew it was a great idea to keep some wire on him! He was gonna need it anyways to touch up on whatever Wolf set up near the hollow log. Like father like daughter, he supposes. He gets not one but two rabbits to make into a stew tonight! That wire trap had to have rendered her incapacitated for a little. Now for the coup de grâce!
Suddenly, his heart sinks. He hears not the hushed sounds of a rabbit entwined by a trap but instead the whining, sniffling, and crying of a young boy, a young wolf to be more precise. He turns his head and sees Simon grovelling on the floor, clutching his right leg. The wolf bites his lip before screaming loudly for several seconds. Whatever pride he had just now vanquishes as he stands still like a statue and is forced to hear the desperate cries of a wolf. Such a trap would’ve easily choked or stunned a smaller herbivore. A carnivore though, they’d only fall, perhaps a little too hard if it were a small one. A low “SNAP!” sound follows after with the wire wrapped around him snaps, unable to hold him down.
He thinks to himself for a few seconds. The path is right there, but he cannot go. It is faint, but he can hear the familiar patter of smaller footsteps approaching the scene. With a swift dash, he crouches down next to Simon. He gently lifts his head and uses his remaining arm to place a hand on top of the wolf’s injured leg.
“SIMON! What happened?”
Fox’s voice is exasperated and panicked. He increases his breath rate to make it sound like he’s just ran a mile to get to him.
“I…I don't know! My leg it hurts…so much! Something made me fall down and…and my ankle hit the ground really hard!”
He only manages to get a word in every couple of seconds. The pain is searing hot. By now, Lucy and Barry are mere seconds away from witnessing what has happened, having overheard the shrieking all the way from their play spot and running as fast as their legs will allow them to. Fox bites his lip in dread. He looks and looks on the floor and there. Right as the two young children make it, something coiled and hampered together is suddenly beneath Fox’s shoe.
“SIMON!”
Lucy arrives first, her rabbit legs giving her the great speed supported by the wind, followed by the younger wolf some 8 seconds later. Barry especially looks horrified. Lucy tries to look away, not wanting to see any potentially twisted appendage. The younger wolf tugs at Fox’s vest, like a cub desperately wanting seconds at the dinner table.
“What happened?! Why is Simon crying!”
Barry shouts, moving over and crouching down next to his older brother. Fox, acting quickly, tries to position Simon upright. He grabs him by his arm pits and tries to maneuver him upright. At the same time, he positions himself in such a way where he’s able to carefully push a particular thin line of wire behind a nearby tree with his foot.
“Here, Simon, try walking.”
Simon tries and manages to put some weight on his left leg, but when it comes time for the right, he immediately buckles, falling to the floor in agony with his tears mixing with the dirt. Unable to think of any alternatives, Fox, hoping to not get scoliosis, lifts the wolf onto his back, Simon using his shoulders as support. Some of the boys' snot drips down and stains both Fox’s fur and his vest. The vulpine has to pretend to not be disgusted.
“Barry, grab you and your brother’s things. We are leaving. NOW.”
Fox tells Barry. They get off the path to Lucy's home and trek towards the one to Wolf’s. Lucy is left speechless, but not trusting Fox, she can only stare sympathetically at the two wolf brothers before she leaves. Only Barry is able to look at her briefly, but he still stands still in shock for a good minute or two. Fox’s stress and adrenaline overrides being over-encumbered by Simon, and he quickly makes progress home, neglecting Barry. Interestingly though, Barry managed to pick up something weird behind a tree, situated at the corner of his peripheral vision as he made his way back to Fox. With toys in hand, he stops and picks it up. It’s right next to where Simon fell over. “What is this?” He thinks to himself. Is it a shoelace? It feels a little hard to be one. He shrugs and stuffs it in his pocket, collecting random things as he usually does. Hopefully he doesn’t forget to take it out of his pocket. Maybe Simon or dad knows what it is. Fox is here but now is not the best time to ask him. Even when Barry catches up, Simon is still crying and sniffling next to Fox’s face because of the sheer agony. His tear filled eyes can only stare into Fox’s orange fur as he tries his best to not fall off the already struggling vulpine.