Epicness in a Tree

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With blurry eyes and wobbling legs, Kiri dragged herself into a low-hanging bough of the tree she had been sleeping near. Her throat and eyes burned and the air held an acrid scent. She wasn't quite sure why but she was sure it wasn't safe to stay on the ground. Closing her eyes, she briefly registered the sound of something rustling in the bushes before she dozed off.

Kiri let out a happy bark. (Fox equivalent of a bark? xD I dunno i feel like they make yapping noises) She, too, lapped up a few drops of the clear cool liquid, dipping her warm paw pads in momentarily as well. "Onwards!" she said cheerily

(Yea. People call it barking.)

Dusty followed the stream along its bank, though she didn't watch where she was going and was constantly tripping over loose rocks and debris. The young grey fox glanced into the trees, watching as the dappled sunlight shone through the canopy, lighting the forest floor below.

Kiri noticed the constant tripping of her companion and snickered. "Maybe you should watch where you're going" she giggled as the gray fox tripped over yet another stone. As she spoke, she noticed the gurgling of the stream had gotten quieter. Looking away from Dusty and to the water, she saw that they had reached where the stream began. A spring of water that came from a crack in a huge rock. Kiri turned and saw large bushes, and many huge trees. Prey scent was abundant as well. "How about somewhere around here?" the gray fox suggested. In fact, the place seemed like a paradise.

"Maybe I should." she chuckled, glancing down at her paws, stepping over the first rock she hadn't tripped over.

She stopped and looked around at the small spring. "Its perfect!" she grinned, padding over to the crack in the rock to sniff it up close and to taste test the water.
At least here, at the source of the stream, there would be next to no danger of their water supply getting thoroughly exhausted, or contaminated. And if they ever needed to fish, they could just wander slightly downstream.

Nosing about, Kiri searched high and low for a den. Well, honestly, being as short as she was it was more like low and lower. "Any luck over there?" the young fox called, seeing as she herself wasn't doing so well.

There was a cluster of trees surrounding the area, joining with the rest of the forest further below. Dusty scouted the roots of each one for any suitable places until she came to one and grinned.
"What about this one?"

There was a slight slope where this tree had grown, and the roots had created a shelter beneath the tree because of the way they had grown on the slope. The space inside was big enough to fit a small family of foxes.

Kiri trotted over to Dusty and padded into the den in the roots of the tree. She sniffed about and found that it was actually rather roomy and quite cool and damp. Coming back out, Kiri yipped excitedly "It's great! A perfect den" she decided.

Dusty smiled and ducked inside to take a closer look at the place that would now be their new home. She turned to look back up the small slope at Kiri,
"We should find some moss or something, instead of just sleeping on the cold, hard earth."

Dusty vaguely remembered sleeping in a mossy nest at some point before the fire, but the memories were fuzzy along with the rest of her life before the blaze.

"Or feathers if we can find them. Imagine that! Sleeping on feathers~" Kiri cooed dreamily. Shaking her head to get rid of the fantasy, the fox pup turned to see large rocks by the streams banks. "I bet moss grows there" she stated simply

"Lets go check it out!" she smiled, bounding over to the rocks. She sniffed at the moss before gently collecting it and making her way back over to their new den.
She gently placed the moss into a pile inside the sheltered area.
"We could always try and look for a bird to catch Kiri..." she suggested, "I mean, we would have lunch and feathers if we could catch one."

Kiri nodded "Yea, you're right. So, how do you suppose that we catch one? I mean... Don't birds like... fly?" Kiri tilted her head in childlike ignorance. In fact, almost any pup knew that birds had to stop flying at one point. Perhaps Kiri was slightly below average in the intelligence department?

"I suppose..... But it would just mean that we'd have to be quick when we pounce!" she laughed, demonstrating her pounce by leaping onto a nearby stick. She then scented the air again to see what prey she could detect. She knew the smell of rabbit now for definite, but she couldn't smell any rabbits either.

"I wonder what a bird smells like.." Kiri mused. "Well i suppose we'll only learn through experience. I'll go this way" she jerked her muzzle in one direction, down the stream. "And you can go that way" she pointed her muzzle up stream this time.

Dusty nodded and followed her nose upstream. She began to investigate every new scent that she could not remember smelling before. It wasn't long before she actually did stumble upon a few birds.
Memorizing their scent, she began to try and stalk towards them, though she was too noisy, as her tail kept brushing against other plants and scaring the birds away before she could get close.

Kiri had just about as much luck with finding the birds as she padded down stream. She took care to tread lightly, for she knew that birds were probably rather touchy. Creeping up on one to the best of her ability, the fox launched itself towards the rather small bird. She didn't succeed in capturing and killing the bird, but it did leave behind some of its feathers. Grabbing the bundle of fluff in her mouth, Kiri dropped the soft downy plumage in front of the new den.

Dusty hadn't had as much luck. The birds she had scared away hadn't lost many of their feathers on their way out, just a few tiny ones, which she gingerly added to the pile that Kiri had collected.
"I guess I'd better stick to fishing then." she laughed.

Kiri joined in with laughter of her own, a soft chime like laugh. "Well, I suppose we should settle our beds now. Soon it'll be dark out. Who knows what creatures run amok in the night!" the small fox exclaimed. "I want to wash up in the stream first though. I'll meet you back here in just a bit" she scurried off without another word, plopping into the stream and ridding herself of the days filth, dirt, muck, river mud, feathers, and even the stray bit of clinging rabbit fur.

Dusty nodded and as Kiri went off to clean her fur, she got to work with the moss and feathers, creating a nice area inside the shelter of the roots, where they could sleep without being spotted from the outside.
The young grey fox had dust all in her fur from earlier that day, but she decided she would wash it off in the morning as getting her fur wet now would only make her cold and in turn more alert and unable to get to sleep.

Plodding out of the stream, Kiri shook out her fur. Hearing a loud crack behind her, the fox's eyes grew wide in alarm. A ferocious sounding hoot came from above and sharp talons clicked just inches in front of her nose. With a squeal and a whimper, Kiri flew towards the root-den, paws kicking up dirt to, hopefully, deter the Owl.

Dusty, hearing the squeal pricked her ears and swiftly rushed to the entrance of the den.
She glanced around to try and find out what was happening and saw Kiri rushing back towards her with an owl close behind her.
The young grey fox had no idea what she could do to help her friend as she ran for her life...

As Kiri raced for the den, she bowled Dusty over and the pair tumbled in, landing in the nests. Kiri scrambled for the very back of the den, curling into a defensive position and shaking all over. "Quiet" she whispered to Dusty, as she knew that the owl wouldn't give up that easily.

Dusty got back onto her paws after Kiri had bowled into her and sent her flying across the den.
She lay on her belly on the slight slope of the den, making herself look as small as possible, whilst still being able to look outside.
She watched as the owl hooted loudly and flew around the den, trying to find the best way in. When it was certain that the main entrance was currently the only way in or out, the owl reappeared by the front of the den.

Kiri wanted to growl and yip, threaten and bite the large bird but knew somewhere in her brain that it would be futile. She was almost positive that the bird wouldn't be able to get in so she was okay with staying where she was and keeping quiet. Of course, hearing the deep hoo's and caws, she couldn't help but shiver and shudder. She kept imagining the talons clicking and clinking in front of her eyes.

Dusty blinked as something unexpected happened. A mouse, desperate to get home whilst the owl was occupied by the two cubs, scurried along behind the bird. Unfortunately for it, the owl heard its tiny footsteps on the leaves that remained on the ground from the last leaf-fall.
It quickly changed targets, deciding that a mouse was easier to get at than two fox cubs hidden partially underground.

Kiri silently cheered, climbing out of her spot once the wing beats had subsided. "Alright! I'm really tired now" she laughed.