The Fox and The Owl

Quick, short puffs of air cut through the cold winter night as a small, hooded figure dashed through the trees. The silence surrounding the forest was deafening, with only the sound of snow crunching under the girl’s light footsteps echoing in the dark. She had managed to put some distance between her and her assailants, but she knew they’d be hot on her trail before she could even think to relax. Though, if she didn’t rest up soon, she’d surely be caught even quicker than that. What she needed was a place to hide.

Her safe haven came to her in the form of an old, abandoned barn sitting atop a hill in the middle of the vast forest. The paint had long since faded under the harsh sun rays, and decaying wood stuck out from all sides, rendering the old building unstable, but it was better than nothing. Without anymore hesitation, the girl hurried up the side of the hill and took shelter in the rickety barn, making sure to shut the large door as best she could behind her. When she turned around, she noticed how the inside didn’t fare much better. Minimal moonlight shone through the boarded up windows and gave light to the barren interior; Hay was strewn about the dirt floor, rusted tools lay abandoned and the ladder leading to the storage loft looked untrustworthy at best. Still, it beat sleeping out in the cold.

Before the girl made it even a foot into the barn, a quiet hoot rang out in the large building and stopped her in her tracks. She peered into the darkness and spotted a young barn owl tucked safely away atop one of the rafters, staring at her with large, curious eyes. Even from where she stood she could tell it was injured. The girl sneered. Of course she’d wind up stuck in a barn with the one creature she despised the most while she was on the run from murderous hunters. But one measly owl wasn’t going to deter her from setting up camp for the night. With a heavy sigh and a roll of her eyes, the young girl headed deeper into the dark barn in search of a safe place to rest.

Her vision had long since adjusted, but a little light wouldn’t hurt. Luckily she had found a lamp hooked on a wooden pillar near the entrance with just enough oil to get her through the night. She lit the lamp with a match she pulled from her pants pocket and hooked it onto another beam, smiling triumphantly at her small victory. Next, she needed a proper place to sleep. After a bit of searching, the girl found a lone bale of hay hidden in a dark corner and dragged it closer to her only light source, heaving out a loud sigh from exerting so much energy. Hay was a lot heavier than it looked. Deciding to take a short break, she sat down on her makeshift bed and stretched out her arms, allowing the hood of her viridian cloak to fall back. She covered her mouth with one hand as she let out a yawn and mussed up her short auburn hair with the other, pulling apart any tangles that may have formed in her loose curls.

Goosebumps appeared on the girl’s tan skin as frigid air seeped through the decaying walls of the barn and a shiver traveled up her spine, causing her to hug her cloak closer to her small form. Another hoot echoed throughout the barn, and the girl turned her head to look up at the offending owl. Her green eyes narrowed at the sight of the creature and her lips drew back in a snarl as she scrunched up her button nose.

“What? Never seen a girl on the run from hunters before?” She asked rhetorically, her light voice cutting through the air. The owl simply blinked at her and tilted it’s head, offering her nothing but silence. “Damned beast.” She scoffed and pulled her hood back over her head before she lay back on her haybed, deciding she’d had enough nonsense to deal with that day. She needed to get some sleep before she went crazy. As she stared into the darkness, her eyelids drooped lower and lower, until her vision went black.

***

“...Adrienne!” A familiar voice echoed through the murky darkness that was her unconscious state.

‘Huh?’ Black nothingness stretched on for miles in every direction. She could hear the voice but she couldn’t find it’s source.

“Come here Adrienne!” It called, drifting further and further away, fading into the void.

‘Mother? Is that you?’ She tried to follow the voice, but with every step she took she sunk deeper into the bleak nothingness.

“Adrienne, where are you? Come here!” It was even further now, completely out of reach, and it wasn’t coming back.

‘Wait for me, mother! I’m here! Don’t leave! Please, don’t leave me!’

***

Adrienne shot up from her haybed with a start, her chest heaving with each quick breath and a cold sweat rolling down the back of her neck. Her hands trembled as she clutched the sides of her cloak, and she took a moment to calm her breathing before she stood up on shaky legs. The young girl busied herself with plucking loose hay from her hair and her clothes when the barn owl made its presence known again with yet another judgmental hoot. A sigh left her lips, and she faced the owl with a mean grimace.

“Excuse you, but I do not talk in my sleep. You’re delusional.” Adrienne denied and pointed an accusing finger at the bird. “Nasty, wretched voyeur.” She spat, and grinned smugly when the owl’s feathers ruffled in offense. With her head held high in victory, Adrienne walked towards the entrance of the barn with purposeful strides as her dark cloak fluttered behind her in a dramatic flair.

She slowly pushed open the large barn door with a bit of effort and shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight that reflected off of the white snow. She blinked a few times and cautiously lowered her arm when she was certain her corneas wouldn’t burn away the second she fully opened her eyes, then turned back to the owl. Unsurprisingly, it was watching her closely with it’s large, unblinking eyes.

“I’m going to go hunting. Would you like to join me? Oh, wait,” Adrienne tutted and shook her head condescendingly, feigning concern for the injured bird. “You can’t. How unfortunate.” She couldn’t help but cackle when the owl squawked in annoyance and turned it’s back to her. “Well, I’m off then. Don’t wait up for me, ha!”

She was gone for no more than two hours before she came storming back into the barn, with her hair an absolute mess and her mood noticeably soured. The owl didn’t dare make a peep as it stared at her with curious eyes, watching as she plopped onto her haybed and let out a loud groan of frustration. To say her hunt went bad would be an understatement; all she had managed to catch were an unusually fat chipmunk and two meadow-jumping mice. Granted, it was the middle of winter, but surely this was punishment for mocking an injured animal. It wounded her pride but these were the consequences she had to face.

With a heavy sigh, Adrienne lifted herself up and wandered around the dead barn in search of some firewood. It took her a while, but she eventually found a few pieces of adequate wood and set them down a little ways away from her makeshift bed. She made quick work in setting up the campfire, then sat down in front of it and pulled her spoils out from a small pouch attached to her hip. Adrienne took out her hunting knife from it’s spot in her boot and began to carefully cut into the rodent’s flesh when she noticed a certain owl staring at her from the corner of her eye. She noted it’s unwavering gaze when she experimentally waved the fresh meat and clicked her tongue in annoyance before she pulled the meat close to her chest.

“Oh no you don’t,” She started and pointed her knife in the owl’s direction. “This is my catch! Go find your own food. I’m sure you can figure it out, even with that clipped wing of yours.” Adrienne waved dismissively and turned her back on the bird before she continued to skin the pelt off of the dead chipmunk.

The barn was relatively quiet as she prepped her small meal, and while the sun hadn’t set yet, it dipped low enough into the horizon to make the already dim hayloft even darker. The old wood creaked as the chill winter winds picked up in velocity and Adrienne’s small campfire flickered, causing her shadow to misshapen for a moment. Just as she was about to skewer her cleaned chipmunk meat and cook it, a gentle coo rang out from the rafters. Adrienne spun in her seat on the ground with a huff and readied herself to chew out the damned owl when the sight of it made her pause.

It was tucked even further into the corner of the rafter, where the beam met the ceiling, as if it were trying to hide from the crisp air, and nursed it’s clipped wing close to it’s chest. Adrienne stared at it for a long moment with furrowed brows and barely registered the small twinge of guilt she felt as a reluctant sigh fell from her lips. She halved the soft chipmunk meat with her hunting knife and pocketed it, along with one of the mice, and quickly got to her feet. She opted out of using the decrepit, rotted ladder and instead used a slightly more trustworthy barrel as a catalyst to scale the barn wall with ease before she launched herself forward and grabbed onto the rafter. All the while, the young barn owl never once took its eyes off the girl’s lithe form.

“Stupid, useless creature,” Adrienne grumbled as she pulled herself onto the thick wooden beam. She took a moment to catch her breath before she began to scoot herself along the length of the rafter. “Can’t even hunt for yourself. It’s no wonder you were left here all alone.” Though her words were mean, there was no bite behind them; her light tone was more akin to a gentle scolding rather than a distasteful insult. With a shake of her head, Adrienne fished out the pieces of meat from her pocket and carefully laid them on the beam for her owl companion.

A look of genuine concern crossed her features as the barn owl slowly waddled out from the darkness of the corner and revealed it’s pitiful state. It’s light brown feathers were dirty and unkempt, and a plethora of small scars littered it’s beautiful heart-shaped face. She felt the urge to comfort the poor bird, but she knew better than to touch an injured, wild animal. With a quiet sigh, Adrienne moved away to give the owl the space it needed, and quickly but carefully made her way back down from the rafters. The two ate their respective dinners in a comfortable silence.

Later that night, when Adrienne was bundled up in her cloak and ready to drift off to sleep, she turned her head in the owl’s direction. All she could see was the bird’s silhouette with the little moonlight that seeped through the covered windows, but a small sense of security washed over her knowing it was still there with her.

“Goodnight, owl.”

***

“Adrienne, where are you? Come here!”

“Coming mama!” Tiny feet scampered across the forest floor as elated giggles filled the night air. A five-year-old Adrienne ran aimlessly through the campsite as she chased after a moth, before she suddenly crashed into her mother’s side. She fell flat on her butt and blinked a few times, then burst into laughter. Her mother simply tutted and bent down to scoop the small, giggling child into her arms with a soft smile on her lips.

“There you are, you little troublemaker! Where’ve you been, hm? Busy chasing those pesky lil’ moths again?” The woman asked and playfully pinched Adrienne’s chubby little cheek. The small girl squealed in delight and took her mother’s hand in both her smaller ones, then flashed her a bright, big, triumphant smile as she nodded vigorously. There was a noticeable gap where one of her canines used to be, and Adrienne habitually prodded at her pink, fleshy gums with the tip of her tongue.

“Sure was! Those moths fear me, and shall do as I say! Ha ha ha!” Adrienne proudly declared, and her mother couldn’t help but chuckle at the display.

“Is that so? Well, my little Moth Queen, that’s very impressive, but the best rulers lead with trust and loyalty; Fear only brings about one’s downfall.” Adrien huffed. Of course her mother would turn playtime into a lesson. The woman sat down in front of their campfire and placed Adrienne in her lap, then wrapped her arms around the small child as she rested her chin atop her head. “It’s better to befriend and gain the trust of all living creatures than to make them fear you. You share your home with them, after all.”

Adrienne turned her attention to the dark forest surrounding them, and gasped quietly when an owl hoot echoed throughout the trees. She huddled closer to her mother and clutched onto the soft cloth of her tunic. “...I have to befriend All of them?”

A soft hand threaded through her messy curls in a comforting gesture as a quiet hum rumbled through her mother’s chest. She gently cupped Adrienne’s chin with her free hand, then carefully turned her head away from the direction of the forest and towards her loving gaze.

“Yes, all living creatures,” Her mother reaffirmed softly. When her daughter’s tensed shoulders didn’t ease, the woman pursed her lips together in thought before a mischievous smile spread across her face. “Including cute little Moth Queens,” She added, and peppered Adrienne’s face with dozens of little kisses all while the girl laughed and squirmed in her grasp.

They played together for the rest of the night.

***

Adrienne awoke with tears in her eyes. Tentatively, she brought a hand up to wipe the wetness from her eyes, when it all came reeling back to her. How cruel of her dreams to plague her with such bittersweet memories; to remind her of a time she could never return to, when she was at her happiest. Her fingers trembled as she tightly gripped her cloak and thumbed its edges in a feeble attempt to calm her nerves. A soft coo came from the owl above her, and she opened her mouth to speak to it when a boisterous shout in the distance interrupted her.

“We know you’re in there, demon!” It called, and Adrienne’s blood ran cold. Silence followed, but the girl’s keen ears picked up on a high pitched whistling sound cutting through the air.

Just then, a burning arrow shot right through one of the lazily patched up holes in the wall and stabbed into the dirt floor. It’s embers spread throughout the loose hay and within seconds, a third of the barn’s perimeter was engulfed in flames. Adrienne cursed under her breath and leapt to her feet as she quickly assessed the situation. The barn door was out of the question; even if it wasn’t up in flames, it’d be too risky to go out front. Accessing the roof through the storage loft wasn’t an option either, unless she wanted to get shot down with an arrow. It seemed her only means of escape would be through one of the boarded up windows.

Adrienne covered her nose and mouth with her cloak as she hurried over to the nearest window, and nearly managed to rip off the first plank, when a panicked squawk stopped her in her tracks. Looking up, she watched in horror as the owl tried and failed to fly away from the oncoming flames. If she were to stay and help the bird, they could both miss their chance to leave, and they’d both end up dead; But the thought of leaving her friend to die a fiery death evoked feelings of devastation in her. Her body was moving on it’s own, and before Adrienne realized it, she was clambering up the side of the barn in an eager attempt to reach the owl.

She had narrowly avoided falling from a great height when she leapt for the beam by digging her sharp nails into the wood, then managed to pull her full weight onto the rafter with a bit of a struggle. She could barely see her hands in front of her due to the black smoke that clouded the barn’s ceiling, and every breath she took burned her lungs, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from helping the owl. Adrienne covered her nose and mouth again with one hand, then cautiously pulled herself along the beam’s length.

“Here, let me help you!” She called out to the owl when it’s silhouette came into view. She stretched her arm towards the bird and, in it’s panicked state, it pecked at her hand hard enough to draw blood. Adrienne hissed in pain and quickly reeled her hand back, but before she could curse at the owl, the rafter cracked and shifted under her. She whipped her head around and caught sight of the flames growing dangerously close to the wooden beam, and her eyes widened in fear. They were running out of time.

As the panic began to set in, Adrienne swiftly but carefully crept towards the owl until she was close enough to see it clearly but not crowd it. An apologetic look crossed it’s features momentarily when it spotted her bloody hand, but a deep crack splintered across the length of the rafter and caused it to screech in fear. The center of the beam began to cave in, and the fire was closing in on the two at an alarming rate. With pure adrenaline rushing through her veins, Adrienne lunged for the owl and cradled it close to her chest, then braced herself as the wooden beam finally collapsed.

There was a brief falling sensation, and then her vision went black.

***

“...I need you…”

Hot tears blurred her vision, but the sight of her mother on the ground before her, all bruised and bloodied, would be one she could never forget. Adrienne, aged eleven, tightly clutched her mother’s hand in her smaller, trembling ones, and bit back a sob.

“I need you to be brave for me Adrienne, okay? Can you do that?” Her mother whispered through labored breaths as she weakly cupped her daughter’s soft, tear-streaked cheek. The girl nodded vigorously and leaned into her mother’s touch.

“Yes, of course, whatever you need mama,” She promised, her voice strained and shaky.

“Good, good…” The woman shed tears of her own, but a small smile graced her busted lip. She wanted nothing more than to stay with her daughter, even for just a moment; But her eyes were getting heavy, and her breaths were getting shorter. “Adrienne, my beautiful daughter, my little Moth Queen, I love you so much. No matter what, I will always, always, be with you. I promise, I’m not leaving you.”

Adrienne squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t bear to see her mother like this, to face reality. This wasn’t fair. Her mother was all she had left, she couldn’t lose her. She wasn’t strong enough to face this world, not by herself – she needed her mother, she’d be lost without her. A weak cough brought Adrienne back from spiraling into a frenzy, and she opened her eyes to meet her mother’s soft gaze.

“I know you’re scared, Adrienne, but it’s up to you now to keep our home safe, to protect our family. They need you, now more than ever.”

***

Adrienne woke up with a loud gasp. The distant shouting from her hunters sounded muffled, as if her head was submerged in water, and there was a slight ringing in her ear. There was a sharp sting in her lower back, as well as a small ache in the back of her head, but the adrenaline helped to dull the pain. Suddenly, the reality of the situation came crashing down on Adrienne, and she quickly unwrapped her arms to check on the small weight on her chest. Thankfully, the owl was just fine, if not a bit shaken up, much to her relief.

But she didn’t have much time to rejoice. If one rafter collapsed, it wouldn’t be long until the others followed. Adrienne slowly got to her feet and readjusted her hold on the owl, then hobbled over to the nearest window. With the bird in one arm, Adrienne began to pull off the boards that covered the window one by one, allowing for more sunlight to shine through the dusty glass. Her clawing became more desperate as the storage loft’s wooden planks groaned above them, but when the entire floor suddenly collapsed, she knew they were out of time.

Adrienne quickly took off her cloak and wrapped it around her hand, then rammed her fist straight through the window’s glass, giving them a small opening. She shook off any shards that clung to the cloth before she unwrapped it from her hand, then looked down at her owl companion, who was tucked under her arm and pressed close to her chest. Adrienne carefully lifted the bird up and bundled it in her cloak as best as she could, laughing softly at the sight of it. She brought the owl up to the small opening and was about to push it out the window when it started to squawk in protest.

“Ugh, now’s not the time to argue, owl!” Adrienne grunted as she struggled to keep the bird still. It fluttered in its confines and screeched and squawked, but she wouldn’t budge. Adrienne gently cupped the owl’s heart-shaped face and thumbed its feathers in a calming gesture. “I promise, I’m not leaving you.”

Her soft but stern tone managed to somewhat calm the bird, which gave her enough time to push it out of the window and into safety. The alarmed hoot it let out when it landed in the snow reassured her that it was okay, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was get herself out of the burning barn.

The heat was overbearing, and the smoke burned her lungs, but the voices outside were closing in, and if Adrienne somehow survived the fire, she knew the hunters would be anything but merciful. It was now or never, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Taking quite a few steps back, Adrienne shifted her weight from foot to foot, before she darted towards the broken window. Once she was close enough, she leapt forward and her body transformed into that of a young fox, allowing her to squeeze through the opening with little effort.

She landed unceremoniously in the snow, and seconds later the roof of the barn caved in, causing the entire foundation to fall. With the cover of the thick, black smoke, Adrienne transformed back into her human form and scooped up the swaddled owl before she made a break for the tree line. She freed the owl from its confines and donned her cloak once more, then helped the bird onto her shoulder.

“Told you I wasn’t leaving you,” Adrienne said in a sing-song voice, and laughed when the owl fluffed up it’s wings in annoyance. She took a chance to look back at the barn, and watched as her hunters uselessly scavenged the wreckage, then shook her head in disappointment. “So, where to now?” She asked her owl friend as she set off into the deep, dense forest that she called home.