Midnight stepped onto the fresh soil, smelling the damp earth.
A paw mark printed on the soil. Midnight quickly kicked dust to cover it.
"Psst," said a whisper.
Midnight turned her head to the left. A long snout poke her. "Psst, it's not safe out there," said a fox, her fur a beautiful shade of sunset, and her eyes bright, brilliant green. "Come."
A bullet whizzed by, and the fox commented, "The night-shift guard."
Midnight followed the fox into the tall corn. "How did you talk to me?" asked Midnight. Foxes were never considered to understand their language.
"Jack-of-all-trade," said the fox in an important voice. "By the way, I'm. Mari."
"Mari, huh?" asked Midnight, pronouncing it the way Mari did- Ma-ree. "I'm Midnight."
"Come on, I smell the guard," said Mari. "This way!"
The fox jumped into another curtain of tall corn stalks. Midnight followed, spotting a diamond light behind. Mari was waiting, and she leaped again into another wall. "I've been hiding here feeding on their chickens for years," snickered Mari. "They were naive to think I'm dead, shooting me in the paw and tail."
Midnight followed Mari to a small hole in the side of a tiny hill, and Mari cleared the path with her claws on her white paws. Midnight squeezed after her. "I'm home!" Mari cried.
Two orange foxes stumbled forwards. "Sunset, Sunrise," sighed Mari. "You're both safe. Than goodness."
The two foxes nodded and said something in a series of squeaks. Mari smiled. "I forgot they can't speak of what we're speaking now."
Mari and the cubs talked for a while. Mari just smiled. "...Midnight," Midnight heard her say.
"She..." Mari's conversation with the two faltered. "Oh, sorry about my twins."
Midnight nodded. Moonlight entered the hole, reminding Midnight that her fifth day slowly approach her. Mari smiled. "You need any help going around the fields?" she asked sweetly, her eyes green calm.
"Yeah, I need to find a path to some ruins," said Midnight.
Mari blinked. "Ruins?"
"On second thought-"
A shot rang and one of the twins started to cry. Mari immediately rushed to the hole, and started to patch it with soil. Mari then hushed the kit, and then quickly instructed, "Come, it's not safe!"
Mari quickly dug a hole pretty deep, then pushed the twins and Midnight to a well-covered area. From where they hid, Mari hushed the twins. Midnight looked at the hole, intently. Then, a human's face peered in, and an eye swept through Mari's house. Examining the hole Mari recently dug, a long pointed thing entered, poked to the hole and there was a bang! The human then crept back up.
"What did he just do?" asked Midnight, curious.
Mari sighed in relief. "I dug a hole deep enough so that they're deceived to think I escaped there."
Mari poked her head out, making sure the human left, but a gunshot startled her. In a frenzy, she dug a hole and pushed the twins in. "Move it, move it, move it!" cried Mari.
The twins ran, but got tired too quickly for Mari's pleasure. She urged one of them up her back and carried one in her mouth. Midnight covered the hole the best she can before running.
Mari dug another tunnel, shaking the twins violently. Pityingly, Midnight helped Mari dig, even if she was not able to do it well. Another loud sound of a bang! erupted. Midnight and Mari dug faster. Then, they two dug upwards, towards the ground. Mari's head emerged first. She quickly hopped up and helped Midnight up. "Come on! I hope we don't get spotted!" Mari cried. "There's another guard nearby..."
Another shot. Mari leaped. "Humans are just too quick," she complained, trotting ahead.
A squeal. Mari replied to the little fox who was holding on to her.
A shot, a cry. Mari stopped running, and looked back. "Sunset!" she cried, dropped Sunrise and turned.
"Mari, no!" Midnight cried. Sunrise hid behind Midnight.
Another shot. Midnight gasped. The human caught up.
Mari scooped Sunset into her mouth and began running, Sunrise tension rising up Midnight's paws. Another shot, and Mari ran even faster. This time, multiple of shots were fired, but not towards Mari or Midnight.
A shadow loomed over Mari, Midnight rushed to help, but skidded to a stop. It was too late, a rotting fence poked through the soft soil, separating Mari and Midnight.
"Take Sunrise with you! Go!" Mari cried.
Midnight gulped. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" she cried.
"No it's not. It's fate. Now, go!"
Midnight padded forwards, and grabbed a squealing Sunrise in her mouth. She ran, and heard a shot.
She looked around. There was a falling tree. Midnight didn't know where it was, but all she could hear was her howl: "MARI!!!"
Author's note: I hope you all are happy with this chapter being long. Again, this wasn't how I planned the chapter, but the ending was the same- Midnight shouting for Mari.
Also, I think I added the followers button, so you can follow this blog. If it isn't up, tell me which one it is.
NUUUU MARI!!!!
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