literature

Badgers and Damsels

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Joseph x Talaendril

Joseph

Aryn's feud with Blutwald was finally at an end, and though Joseph was sorry for how things had ended, he was glad that, if nothing, it was over. Athena had taken Alcatraz as her mate, and now she would need time to heal her family's wounds. Joseph felt he would be a distraction, and chose to go his own way, at least for a while. 

The silence of the hills was an abrupt change from the vibrant pack life of Aryn, but not unwelcome. Roving had always suited him, lonely though it might be. Joseph had been travelling North for some time now, following the river, and had come into country unfamiliar to him. His nose led him to a field, bright with autumn flowers, and hopefully something interesting.



Talaendril

Darting through the brush, Talaendril was hot in pursuit of her catch of the day; a nice, plump vole. She nearly had it in her grasp, just inches from her snapping jaws, when suddenly it veered left and raced into a hole. The pale fox skidded to a stop, frowning, and poked her nose in. She instantly recoiled, wrinkling up her nose in disgust. A badger hole! How disgusting. Why did her prey have to run in there? She stood there for a little while, tail lashing as she debated if going in after it would be worth the meal. The den's occupant didn't seem to be around...

Of course, she had been wrong before, and just as she had leaned forward to peer into the hole, an angry shriek rang out and suddenly there was a badger in her face, baring its teeth and snarling like some kind of monster. In a flash Tal was racing off, the badger hot on her heels, and she found herself greatly regretting her decision to stick around. She could very well die over a stupid vole! Just her luck.



Joseph

Bat-ears flinching backward, Joseph jerked to a stop as a harsh scream echoed through the valley. A badger? And judging by the commotion, an extremely unhappy one. Joseph flicked an ear, pursing his lip. Who or what could be foolish enough to start trouble with such an animal?

Curiosity getting the better of him, the reynard hopped across the river, bouncing from rock to rock and landing with dry paws on the opposite bank before darting into the brush after the disturbance. It didn't take him long to find it, but what he saw threw Joseph into a sharp and sudden stop.

It was an angry badger, all right, chasing a vixen! "H-hey!" He barked nervously, dancing from paw to paw. The striped pursuant didn't seem to have any intention of giving up it's hunt. Intervening would be stupid and might even get Joseph hurt, but he couldn't very well sit around and wait, could he? 

With a growl, the grey fox bolted forward again, nipping at the badger from behind. The creature spun on it's thick paws, clamping it's jaws down barely a hair's breadth from Joseph's snout. "Leave her alone!" The fox hissed, fluffing out his autumn coat though the badger would hardly be intimidated by the display. 

Huffing and snorting, it lunged experimentally at the new challenger. Joseph danced back, sparing a glance past the animal to make sure the other fox was allright.



Talaendril

Though she was running as fast as she could, Tal knew realistically she would tire long before the badger did, and it would catch up eventually. That wasn't a pleasant thought at all... So she tried not to think about the 'what ifs' and just focused on running for her life.

She was just beginning to feel herself tire, the badger's muzzle practically inches from her hind, when a bark caught her attention. Her ears swiveled back to focus on the sound and as it did, the badger seemed to become distracted, turning away from her. She spun with it, peering around the beast to try and see what was happening. She spotted the other fox as he glanced her way, ears flicking up when she met his gaze. 

Now, she could definitely have just turned and ran... That would have been the smart thing to do, at least, to leave him and save herself. Instead, however, she found herself leaping around the badger to land at his side, baring her teeth. Maybe with two against one, despite the size difference, the badger might run off... or that was the hope, at least.



Joseph

Inside, a wave of relief washed through Joseph when the blue-eyed vixen returned to help. He thought he could probably escape the badger, but facing it alone was a daunting prospect. The creature hesitated, weighing it's advantage, and the he-fox took the opportunity to dart forward and nip at the larger opponent. It growled and sidestepped, making a halfhearted swipe at Joseph as it moved back.

"Listen, sir," Joseph really hoped it was a 'sir', otherwise that would be really embarrassing. "Listen - I'm sure whatever she did, she's very sorry about it. It won't happen again." It was rare enough different species even took the time to communicate to each other, and Joseph hoped the badger would be inclined to seeing reason, and more interested in being left alone than continuing to teach the she-fox... whatever lesson it was trying to teach her. Looking over at the pale female, Joseph tilted his head meaningfully, "Right?"



Talaendril

When the tod opened his mouth and spoke, Tal had to try very hard not to blatantly roll her eyes. Was he serious?! A badger wasn't about to listen to reason! Talking it over definitely wasn't going to work at this point.

"Oh stars..." Tal huffed, knowing this was pointless. Instead of waiting around much longer on the hope that the beast would listen, Tal took matters into her own paws. With a hiss, the vixen dove forward, startling the badger with her ferocity as she snapped her teeth right at its face. She was quick, much quicker than the badger, as she darted back and then lunged again, biting at whatever she could get a hold of. She wasn't so much trying to kill or maim the thing, she just needed to use enough force to send it packing.

The scuffle didn't last long, as the badger seemed to decide it wasn't worth the trouble. With one last swipe, the badger turned and went off back toward the den. Tal chased it a few feet, then stopped to rest as she watched it go, panting. Once she was sure it was out of sight, she turned to the male.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" She said, exasperated. "You can't just talk things out with a badger!"



Joseph

Joseph tensed as suddenly the vixen charged, eyes growing wide in alarm. She attacked with such sudden ferocity, and it was clear the reynard wasn't the only one taken aback. The badger made sure it had the last swing, but then quickly retreated back to its burrow where such aggravating interactions could not bother it. 

And then the vixen rounded on him. He curled his ears back, and Joseph felt a flare of indignance. And a little hurt, too. She hadn't even tried! "Well, now we're never going to know." he retorted, whiskers twitching. Remembering now why he so rarely interacted with his own species, his better sense told him to turn and walk away. Instead, he dropped into a sit and curled his tail around his paws, "I was trying to help."



Talaendril

Talaendril huffed out a breath, staring for a moment at the smaller fox. Either he was crazy or just a pacifist.... Neither of which sounded safe. With a grunt, Tal flicked her ears back somewhat sheepishly and glanced away. "I had it under control..." she muttered through her teeth, though even she herself knew she had been in deep trouble. 

After a pause, Tal sighed and turned to look at him again. She approached slowly, tail swishing, and stood before him."What's your name, then?"



Joseph

"Clearly." Joseph quipped in reply, ears blown back. He tilted his head as she approached, thinking perhaps this whole thing had been a mistake. Some creatures were just too proud to acknowledge aid. But even as the thought crossed his mind, the fox felt guilty. He hadn't helped because he wanted to be thanked. He'd helped because it was the right thing to do. 

Sighing, he got to his feet and replied, "I'm Joseph." And then, after a moment of hesitation, "What's yours?"



Talaendril

"Talaendril." The vixen replied smoothly, giving a faint smile. "If it's easier, you can call me Tal." She added, knowing many found her full name to be too difficult to use. 

After a pause, Tal continued. "Pleasure to meet you, Joseph... And thanks for the help." However unnecessary, in her stubborn opinion. She looked him over curiously for a moment before leaning slightly forward to give him a quick sniff. He didn't smell like her home. "So, Joseph, where are you from? You don't look like a northern fox"




Joseph

"Talaendril." Joseph tested, finding he liked the sound of it. Curling one ear forward, the reynard's grimace lessened in intensity somewhat at her thanks. As she seemed comfortable enough to sniff at him, he did the same, almost meeting the vixen nose for nose. And then she asked where he was from.

Don't be weird. He told himself. "Well that depends on your perspective." The reynard replied, a glint of amusement in his tone. "Maybe I'm from so far north it's actually south..." The minute the reply came out he could have buried his head in the dirt. What's wrong with me? Why couldn't I have just answered her without spouting nonsense? "I, uh... I really am from the south..."



Talaendril

Tal laughed at his reply, amused by the male's apparent humor. He was a funny one... Though not in a bad way. She was starting to like him. "You're the first fox I've met." She admitted, chuckling. "I live near a pack of wolves. Most foxes stay away from them." 

After a brief pause, Tal circled him, idly brushing her tail under his chin as she looked him over. "So," she began as she went around to his other side. "What brings you so far north? Wouldn't you rather be warmer in the south?" She'd finally made her way around now and stood again before him, swishing her tail behind her. 



Joseph

"The f-flirt d'huh, firs-t?" He garbled, flustered by her unexpected touch. This was a game Joseph was not versed in, and the sudden change in Tal's demeanour caught him off guard. Vicious badgers? No problem. But this vixen was another thing entirely.

Leaning back unconsciously, the fox curled his tail around his paws as the heat rose in his cheeks. 
"I just... uh, ahem. I was just curious about what was up... here." And haven't I found it. Jeeze. "Saving damsels in distress... y'know... heh..." 

He shook his head to clear it, whiskers quivering. "I actually live with wolves, too. In Aryn." Shifting from paw to paw, he felt the intense need to not be standing still, or at least, face to face with the vixen while she was staring at him like that. With a lopsided grin, Joseph chuckled and god to his feet, "Would you, uh, like to go for a walk? Maybe?"



Talaendril

Tal couldn't help but chuckle at his response, tilting her head. He was easy to fluster, despite his bravery before."Damsel? Oh, please..." She laughed.

A walk? Her ears twitched at that. She supposed it wouldn't hurt. "Alright, Joseph. Lead the way."

Skin by SimplySilent | BG by Tumana-stock
Summary:
Tal gets into a spat with a Badger which Joseph attempts to save her from. At first resentful of his interference, Tal soon begins to take more of an interest in her 'rescuer', leaving Joseph bewildered and more than a little flustered

FOX
FOXES
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FOXY DARLINGSSSS