Fox among cats

      Night. Silver fireflies shone in the black sky. There were countless of them. It looked very beautiful. Five fox puppies were born that night.Their father watched the tiny lumps swarming by their mother’s side. Suddenly his eyes widened.       — What’s wrong with this fox cub? — he asked loudly enough. Mama Fox looked at her lover uncomprehendingly. Turning her gaze to the cubs, she noticed that one of them was too tiny and weak.       — Oh, my baby, he’s really very small. — she mumbled sadly.       — I don’t think he’ll survive until tomorrow. — the fox muttered, frowning at the puppy.       — Don’t even think about killing him, Oak Leaf! — mother snarled sharply, covering him with her paw.       Oakleaf rolled his eyes and, with an exasperated sigh, came out of the hole, mumbling something to himself. The mother fox sighed with relief and looked at her cub again. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, honey.” — she whispered softly.

***

      — Hey, guys, that’s enough! — the fox cub screamed, trying to get out of the brothers and sisters who were piling on him.       — Don’t whine, but try to get out, squirrel! — one of the foxes shouted back to him.       — I’m not a squirrel! — The redhead squeaked indignantly. — Please stop it!       He tried his best to get out, but they held him tightly. As soon as he had a chance to escape, the cubs started biting him. With one strong jerk, he was still able to get out. The cub hid in a hole, pressed against the bare ground. Why are they constantly mocking him? After all, he didn’t do anything…       — Why are you sitting alone? "What is it?" asked the mother who came up. The kid said nothing and began to examine his paws. — They didn't take you to play again, did they? - the fox continued. Then the fox cub turned his gaze to the clearing.He didn't want to talk about being beaten, because he didn't want to seem like a weak coward. After all, he decided to tell his mother about everything: — They said I was too small and weak to play with them. And they also said that I'm an outcast and you don't love me. — Said the fox cub and turned his gaze back to the paws. From this, the Fox's eyes widened, she sat down next to him and began to lick his fur between his ears       — Don't listen to them! What do they even allow themselves? Insulting your own brother! Mind boggling! — mom snickered.       The fox cub looked away. If they find out that he told about it, they will start to mock even more.       — Hey, don't be sad my honey, do you remember what will happen tomorrow? — the fox said kindly to cheer up her baby.       The cub thought about it. He looked at his mom and asked:       — Is this the day you give us names?       — Yes! That's right! — the fox answered and licked his ear. - It's time to go to sleep — she said — go to the hole, I'll call the others for now. — The fox cub hastily nodded and ran into the depths of the warm hole. When everyone was already asleep, the father of the foxes returned to the burrow after an unsuccessful hunt and was about to go to sleep when he suddenly looked at the fox cub with a furious look. He took him by the scruff of the neck and gently pulled him out of the hole. He didn't stop for long to make sure everyone was asleep, then took the fox cub by the scruff of the neck again and dragged him to the deadly cliff. Halfway through the journey, the fox cub woke up because a birch branch passed over his shoulder. He opened his eyes sleepily and began to look around. His father noticed his movements, he gritted his teeth and told him that he was taking him hunting. The fox cub's eyes lit up with joy. — Really?! Are we going to hunt with you?! That's great! — the little fox exclaimed loudly. — Hush! — the father answered nervously — you'll scare away all the game! — he abruptly turned in the direction where their hole was and walked on.The fox cub was overwhelmed with joy and excitement before his first hunt. Until that time, he had only learned to take a fighting stance. When they came to the very edge of the cliff, the fox realized what was happening. His father never liked him and threatened to kill him someday. The fox cub's eyes were very round, he began to try to escape and call for help. At this time, the fox threw his son into the cliff with a flourish.       The fox cub did not lose consciousness for a long time. He looked at his father and couldn't think of anything. Time seemed to slow down. The roaring stream of water stopped. "What's going on?" red thought. He wanted to turn around and look around, but it was as if he was paralyzed. He continued to fly down with his mouth and eyes open in fear. The fox cub couldn't even blink or look away from the fox's grin on top of the cliff. When he touched the water, he immediately woke up and began to row furiously with his paws. By some miracle he was able to swim out! But it didn't save him. The waves covered the fox cub with his head, and because of this he did not have enough time to swallow air. He began to get tired and his paws gradually became barely mobile. The fox cub began to sink. When he was completely submerged under the water, he realized that his end had come, but suddenly the redhead felt that someone grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him to the surface. The fox cub immediately began to gulp air greedily and flounder like a fish on land. Above his head, someone began to hiss, and he only began to flounder faster. Finally, he was able to find the ground under his paws and began to struggle. When his rescuer came ashore, he let go of the fox cub and dusted himself off. The fox cub is trying to process in his head what has just happened to him. He collapsed on the ground from exhaustion and closed his eyes. Literally after 3 seconds, he remembered that someone had saved him, and he did not know who it was. He opened his eyes abruptly and raised his head. A light gray cat sat in front of him and licked herself, while looking at the fox cub. He began to slowly get up into the fighting stance that his mother taught him, looking at her with horror. He struck a pose and began to growl softly. The cat suddenly stopped licking itself. She raised her fur on end and began to hiss looking at the fox cub.       He was completely exhausted and did not want to take part in this duel, so he took a few steps back with his eyes round with fear, but immediately felt the water. He abruptly jumped away from the water and began to whine, looking at the water then at the cat. "Now I'm definitely finished..." he whined to himself, "I have no chance against this cat and I also can't swim away from here...". Then he sat down and began to look pitifully at the cat. She stopped hissing and smoothed her fur, then stared at the fox cub again. So they looked at each other for about 15 seconds. The cat came up to him and began sniffing, meowing faintly. The fox cub abruptly bent down and squeezed his eyes shut. The cat jerked in surprise. She started looking at the fox cub again and wagging her tail from side to side. Then she went to the water and started looking around.       — Mrr meow? — suddenly the cat meowed and turned to the fox cub. The fox cub looked at her with an uncomprehending look. "What does she want to tell me?" - thought the fox cub to himself.       — I... I can't understand you... - the redhead forced himself to say.       The cat smiled sadly and looked around again. Then she turned back to the fox cub, came closer to him and sat down next to him, purring something. The fox cub barely stood on his paws and almost fell. The cat gently took him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him somewhere.       After some time, they found themselves next to a ravine completely smelling of cats. When they went in there, the fox cub saw a Brown cat who had just come out of his cave and started sniffing. Suddenly his gaze fell on the baby, he pressed his ears tightly to his head, arched his back and began to hiss loudly. From this, all the other cats woke up in turn. The gray cat that saved the fox cub let him go to the ground and pressed his tail. The fox cub looked at the cats with huge eyes and trembled like the last leaf in the season of old leaves. "Yes, they have a whole camp here!" the fox cub thought to himself and began to carefully back away, but the cat moved him back. The kid looked at the cat, and again turned his gaze to the cats. Suddenly, a black cat came out of a cave under a rock, although to call it a cat, you had to take a good look. He looked more like a fox than a cat. When he saw the fox cub, he came closer with a hiss and started swinging at the fox cub with his clawed paw. "I need to come up with something, otherwise he will definitely kill me," he thought, and began sorting through the thoughts in his head, but could not come up with anything. He was very tired and most of all he wanted to lie down on his mother's warm belly and fall asleep. When the Black Cat approached the fox cub's rescuer, he began to hiss at her. The cat began to meow guiltily and stared at her paws, then turned her eyes full of hope to the cat and meowed something again. The black cat looked furiously at the fox cub, then at the cat. He hissed again and, lashing his sides with his tail, returned to the cave. Cats with dissatisfied exclamations also began to return to their caves. "It looks like she somehow agreed with them, probably tomorrow we will go to look for my family," thought the fox cub - "No, what I'm thinking, cats can't be trusted, and this cat didn't save me, but caught me, and now she inspires me in trust.".       Meanwhile, the cat took a deep breath and dragged the fox cub into some cave where there was a strong smell of different herbs. She laid the baby on the mat and lay down next to him. The fox, feeling something soft, yawned widely and, forgetting about his distrust, fell asleep unnoticed.