The Fox

I had been watching him for some time. A fascinating character who never ceased to entertain me, a simple fox, innately inclined to trouble. He was one I always kept an eye on amidst my many travels. For a long time, I thought he would stay an amusing fable to me, but our futures were intertwined one fateful afternoon. He had taken to the mud in a patch of trees and covered himself in the red earth. He lay there seemingly lifeless, covered in the blood of the earth, until a bird came down to peck. As soon as the bird’s feet hit Reynard, he gobbled it up. Engorged by his victory, and his meal, the fox jumped up and exclaimed,

“I, Reynard the Fox, am the greatest Trickster of all.”

And I laughed.

So began our solemn tale. I could not let his ego grow any larger than it already had, for fear his head might block the sun for every other creature. But what would I do? I pondered for a long time under my favorite tree. An ancient being that helped me find the necessary path in my most troubled times. A sturdy body and a head full of knowledge, borne forth in crisp red fruit. A place where I had watched the original trick, what a day for mankind. But that is a story for another time. This is the story of Reynard and his boisterous ego. After my ruminations, I had come upon my way forward. The fox claimed to be the best, so we would see. I would forgo the laws of nature and bend his future path. I would steer him into the lives of the greatest Tricksters to walk this earth. I would find out just how great this Reynard could be. I would watch carefully, for I alone would bear witness.