Blackfeather Woods nothing to come to

Cicero followed Kendra into the hiding place she had found, allowing her to keep the reins in her hands. Most others might lead the endeavour, thinking Kendra to be young and not yet experienced enough, but Cicero preferred to let her do as much as he could by herself. It would only do her good and develop her sense of both confidence and leadership, and she would learn problem-solving skills too. Yet it was not only he who strayed, for a lot of children would also hold out their hand to be held, ask the adult for advice around every corner. She did not only learn leadership because he offered it to her, but also because she took what was offered with both hands.

Inside of the hole they waited. This was the hardest part, particularly for a child like Kendra, Cicero knew; patience was a virtue many children did not have an abundance of. In the narrow hole, with Kendra wedged between his front legs, Cicero made no sound or movement but the soft rise and fall of his breathing against Kendra's fur.

Their patience was rewarded eventually, for after some time of waiting, in which Kendra waited admirably, a fox appeared. Cicero waited with bated breath, the steady rise and fall of his chest stopping momentarily. Ears cupped forward and he waited as the fox looked around, skittish, from left to right, then sniffed the meat. For a moment it looked as though the fox would realise that this was a ruse it should not fall for, but then it started to nibble on the meat. A smile curved Cicero's lips upwards as he watched the fox eat the meat.

While the fox was still munching, something started to change. The fox scratched at its stomach a couple of times while still hungrily devouring the piece of meat. Halfway through eating it, the fox stopped and stared at the meat, then turned its head to bite at its stomach. This caused the fox to lose its balance and it dizzily strafed to the side, nearly toppling over, before it started to hack and cough and eventually threw up on the ground.