"Kuro's Story"

Kuro's Story by Matthew Goldie

Note From The Author

Before you read this story, I'd like to point out that the characters in this story are foxes. They stand, walk, and talk like humans. They're normally called "furries". I'm not sure why, but, foxes are my favorite animal. So, I suppose that's why I decided to write this story about them. All of this is fiction (of course) so things that would normally happen in real life don't necessarily happen the same way in this story. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this story!

Prologue

Kuro had just laid down to rest, when he heard rustling noises outside the tunnel. He pushed himself up with a grunt, and shook himself awake. What is it now? He thought.
He quickly ran into the dark shadows, and stayed hidden. Within a few seconds, he saw a very small figure appear from the bushes ahead. He strained his eyes for a better look, and slowly stepped towards the stranger. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a peach colored fox, maybe a kit, he wasn’t quite sure yet. Despite the fox’s small stature, he was still very careful, for he never underestimated anyone. He prepared his strike, his fur tingling with anticipation; it’s been a while since he’s had a challenging opponent.

He pounced his enemy with full force, and easily pinned the stranger down. He was about to strike when the stranger yelled, “Please, don’t hurt me!”
“What do you want? Who are you?” Kuro asked sternly.
“My name’s Inami, I…I ran away from home. I don’t mean any harm, I’m only a kit, please!”
“Quit your whining, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as he let his grip loosen from her, “what’s a little girl like you running away from your home anyway? Shouldn’t you be with your mother?”
“I have no mother; she died giving birth to me. The only one caring for me was my father, and he hates me.”
“I’m sure he is only mean to you because he cannot handle losing his mate, so he takes out his anger on you.” As soon as he had said that, he thought of Koi, and looked over to where she and the others were sleeping. Koi was sitting up straight and staring at the two of them. He quickly jogged over to her and whispered, “Go back to sleep, she’s just a kit that ran away from home.”

Koi stared into Kuro’s bright brown eyes before yawning, closing her eyes, and going back to sleep. He quickly ran back to Inami asking,
“Do you want to stay for a while? You look tired.”
“No, I don’t need help from anyone.”
“I insist you stay, you must be starving!”
She sighed, and said, “Fine, but don’t try to convince me to go back home.”
“I can’t exactly guarantee that, but I’ll try my best to keep quiet,” Kuro responded with a smirk. He had felt the sudden responsibility to help this young kit learn the consequences of leaving her home. He didn’t want her to end up the same way he did.

Chapter 1

The bright sun shined high in the afternoon sky, as the members of the Kinara tribe below went about their day. Each fox in the tribe had a specific duty, whether it was to hunt food, heal wounds, nurse or train kits, scout the land, and many other jobs. Healers mainly consisted of females, mostly because of their slim bodies to quickly maneuver and hide. Not many members of the tribe are healers because healers are not allowed to have a mate, since it would distract them from their work, and more importantly, it would weaken their connection to their ancestors. It’s important to keep a strong connection with their ancestors so that they can receive messages from them. These messages are usually within dreams, but they can happen at anytime, and anywhere.

Kuro was just a kit at the time, and was learning how to fight and hunt from his trainer, Enell. His orange fur became ruffled from the heavy winds of New Birth, and his amber eyes were glowing bright with curiosity. He was going to be a young fighter next moon, and he had been getting lessons from Enell since he was first let out of the nursing hole. Koi, on the other hand, was in the healers den, which was to the right of the nursing den. Koi was being taught how to cure wounds and illnesses from her teacher, Rena, who was the youngest among the healers. Rena was given Koi as her student from the leader of the tribe, Karanus, so that Rena could become another teacher for the healers. Koi’s black fur was perfect for the night, and would make an excellent stealth fighter, or scout, but Koi decided to be a healer. She liked to help others and be able to see the changes she made. So, she figured that being a healer was the next best thing. Being young, she didn’t think that not being able to have a mate was a huge price to pay at the time. Koi was learning how to heal small cuts and wounds, while Kuro was learning how to stay hidden when hunting for prey.

The two quickly finished their training, and was able to spend the rest of their day freely. Kuro and Koi quickly met up at the center of the tribe, which was where most of the chatter and gossiping took place. They both stood up and stretched as they greeted each other.
“So, how’s training going, Koi?” Kuro asked as they sat back down.
“Good, how about you?” She replied.
“I’m doing okay, I still have plenty to learn,” Kuro said with a sigh.
“What’s the matter? Is something bothering you, Kuro?” Koi asked worriedly
“No, I’m fine, I just uh…need some rest is all.”
“You’re sure?”
“Well… actually, there’s something I want to show you, if that’s okay with you.”
“I suppose–”
“Great! Follow me!”
The two quickly set off into the forest, with Kuro leading the way and Koi desperately trying to stay behind.
“I’m gonna’ get you Kuro!” She yelled playfully.
“Haha! No you won’t!” Kuro yelled back.
Just then Kuro tripped with a powerful thump. Koi gasped and quickly caught up to him.
“Kuro, are you alright?” She asked with a hint of fear in her voice.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kuro replied as he rubbed his head.
Kuro stood up with a grunt and said,
“Oh, we’re here!”
“What is it that you wanted to show me? I don’t see anything here.”
They were at a small creek with trees and plants shrouding them in shadow.
“Close your eyes and I’ll give it to you.”
“But…”
“Trust me; I won’t do anything insane, I promise!”
And with that, Koi shut her eyes tightly and awaited the surprise. Kuro quickly dug out the gift from its original hiding place, and firmly grasped it in his paw.
“Okay, open your eyes.” Kuro mumbled.
Koi’s eyes shot open and her gaze landed upon the gift. It was a diamond shaped stone.
“I made it using that stone and I scraped it against some boulders until I got that shape. Do you like it? I worked really hard on it!” Kuro asked with anxious eyes.
Koi looked at the stone, then back at Kuro, then back to the stone. The stone looked similar to Kuro’s birthmark, which was a yellow diamond on his left cheek–which was Koi’s right facing her.
“I love it,” Koi said as she quickly hugged him. Kuro felt his face begin to blush. Koi quickly realized what she was doing and let go.
“You’re blushing!” Koi teased.
“I know, I know!” He said trying to cover his face with his paws.
“How about we get back to camp? Devia and Rinhi must be waiting for us.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
“Race you!” Koi said as she ran off towards the camp. Kuro hastily followed behind and easily caught up to her.
“Hey!” She screamed.
“Gotta’ catch up!” He yelled back as he stormed ahead of her.

When they made it to the camp, they found Devia and Rinhi chatting amongst some other members of the tribe. Devia had a white pelt and blue eyes, while Rinhi had a gray pelt and brown eyes. Devia stood and walked into her den, probably going to take a nap as she usually does. Just then Koi’s father, Tinoro, called her into his den for some company.
“Coming dad,” she called out to him, “I’ll see you guys later!” She yelled behind her as she approached her father. Now it was just Kuro and Rinhi. He sat down on a pile of leaves, the sound of his shuffling being heard by others around them. They had a small conversation about how well the tribe is doing, and about how close their training was to ending until Rinhi asked,
“Are you still trying to…you know, get Koi to like you?”
“Maybe…” Kuro said staring into the sky.
“I don’t mean to be harsh, but, you remember that she’s a medic, right? Medics can’t have mates.”
“I know, Rinhi, I know. I just…feel like I can’t–won’t give up.”
“Don’t have to be so dramatic about it…”
“Shush. It’s not like your relationship with Devia is any different.”
“Yes it is, Devia isn’t a medic."
“Oh shut up. You know, I gave Koi that gift I told you about, remember?”
“Oh yeah, yeah. How did that go?”
“She loved it. She gave me a hug too…”
“Kuro, you’re blushing.”
“Shut it!” Kuro gave him a friendly punch in the arm. He looked out over the horizon to find the sun setting.
“Well, I guess I better go rest for tomorrow, see you later!” He said to Rinhi. Rinhi grunted in response as he made the way to his den. Kuro walked into his den, sat down, and stared outside until it was utterly dark. Within minutes, he fell asleep.