Fox's Glade Yer eyes- empty pacifics

@Sunday @Tuesday <3

--------------------------------------------------

Once the sun had set- and it seemed to set so much earlier every day- the fog rolled in, creeping past the sleeping mountains and threading its way into the glade, hanging warily like a cutrain draped across a clothesline to dry, hardly moving on the still air. It crept slowly, without the force of a wind to push it but it was still a mild surprise for the fox who had spotted sun dogs patterning a broken circle around the sun earlier in the day and had assumed that that meant a cold snap or a storm was coming. If that was true, it would come in like a lamb and surprise them all with the gentle fog leading ahead of more forceful winds. Still, even though the air was calm and cool, he anticipated a swift shift in weather over the next few days simply because he'd seen the signs before, and knew better than to be unprepared. 


He'd roved the mountainside, but had found that he felt too exposed, and preferred- as many foxes did- the enclosed space of a thicket or glade. He was not the only creature to have found himself a home in the glade, and had had to mind some territorial markings, scouting out the area until he'd found an older bachelor unfit to protect his den and area and had chased him out, claiming the small den and area for his own. In a sheltered area like this, it wasn't difficult to hunt down small rodents who also looked for a home- but paid no attention to the territorial markings of foxes. Those, he welcomed, of course- as well as a visit from a vixen, but they didn't seem terribly interested in the dog foxes in the area- save for two, who had seemingly already settled down together. The Todd was envious; he'd hoped to have found himself a mate before winter, but it wouldn't be the first that he'd gone without, either. 


The practical, frugal creature had filled several caches within his claimed territory as well, and had created several false caches as well- little spots where he'd stopped, dug, filled in the hole and then marked as though he'd put something there. He remembered which were true and which were empty, but others wouldn't necessarily know, unless they'd secretly been watching him from a safe distance. This was a tact of his to see if others were trespassing, and to try and get them to pause for long enough to try and raid a cache- only to find it abandoned, and a defensive dog fox on their heels. The ones he cared about most were much closer to his den, which was tucked neatly beneath an old log that had fallen and begun to grow moss. 


Nightfall was an excellent time to hunt, though, so he picked his way through the glade- mindful of the others who were just as defensive of their territory as he was- but like them, he was also an opportunist, if given the chance. And as soon as he noticed that a particular neighbour had not passed along a certain area in a few days, he chanced the expedition and began to search for any caches the male might have left unattended, so that he could get himself a prize without expending the energy. 

--------------------------------------------------