He's squinting again, reaching out with one hand to brace himself on the side of the car. Light catches on a patch of fur as the shapes move closer -- bright, orangeish-red.
With dawning awe, Felix whispers, "I think they're foxes."
He's never seen wild ones before; just photographs, or pictures in storybooks.
"They've got people who take care of wild animals if they're hurt, or if, um." Felix, mindful of the cubs, peeks under the car again. "You didn't see their mom or dad, did you?"
She shakes her head silently, and holds out a hand to the first cub; it sniffs her fingertips, and squeaks plaintively again. The second cub is inching out behind its litter-mate, young enough to be unsteady on its legs.
Okay. Letting them smell his hands is, apparently, the way to go.
Still with the same uncertainty -- and the same quiet awe, which has never been too far away -- Felix offers both hands to the smaller cub, palms up, fingers spread. He tries to imitate the same sound Kaya made before: tik-tik-tik. "It's okay," he whispers. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Felix cracks a grin at that, and a brief giggle escapes before he can stop himself.
The other cub teeters the last few inches to his hands. Felix cups them together; as the cub leans in to sniff his fingertips, it overbalances and flails with its front legs to catch onto something.
That something turns out to be Felix's fingers.
Oblivious to the way Felix's eyes widen, it props its paws more solidly against him and begins a thorough exploration, wet nose tickling his palms.
Clearly, Felix's wrists warrant as thorough an examination as his palms. The cub, legs shaking with the effort, tries to hoist itself fully into his hands; quickly, Felix flattens them on the ground to make things easier.
Very carefully, Felix eases himself up. The cub -- which almost, but not quite, fits neatly into his cupped hands -- lifts its head with a startled squeak, trying to turn a circle as it leaves the ground.
"Shhh," Felix whispers again, with another small and soothing smile. He brings it close to his chest. "It's okay."
To Kaya, not much louder: "Maybe we could take them back to the bar. Somebody could help there."
But their mother's not here, and they are, and there's got to be somebody in Milliways who knows how to take care of baby foxes. Felix opens his mouth, on the verge of saying that aloud, then closes it, trying to figure out a nicer way to voice his thoughts.
"We could look for their mom first," he suggests. "On the way th -- "
The last word dissolves into a squeak of his own as the other cub pokes its nose down the front of his T-shirt.
Apparently, whatever the fox finds there is simply fascinating. Fascinating enough, in fact, for it to scrabble about as it dives all the way inside his shirt.
Felix's squeaks abruptly turn into yelps.
...And laughter, because good lords, that TICKLES.
Felix wraps both arms around the squirmy lump, still laughing helplessly as he tries to coax it out of his shirt (or, if nothing else, try to stop it from going any further down his shirt). "Out," he wheezes, "c'mon -- "
The lump surges back up toward the collar, and a second later, the cub's head reemerges. Felix gasps a breath, grinning, as the two stare at one another.
Then the cub leans in and licks Felix's nose, snuggling more firmly against him.
Felix looks down at the cub. Content, for now, she yawns hugely and tucks her head against Felix's neck.
"Um." He thinks, absently reaching to stroke her fur again. "Sometimes if I'm kind of thinking about the bar, it'll show up when I open a door. We could try that?"
no subject
He's squinting again, reaching out with one hand to brace himself on the side of the car. Light catches on a patch of fur as the shapes move closer -- bright, orangeish-red.
With dawning awe, Felix whispers, "I think they're foxes."
He's never seen wild ones before; just photographs, or pictures in storybooks.
no subject
"Hey," low and warm, "don't cry. Hey." The squeaking sound again, and then a coaxing tongue-click: tik-tik-tik. "Come on. Come out."
One of the fox cubs, braver than the other, puts its nose out into the daylight and whines at them insistently.
no subject
Uncertain: "Should we call someone?"
They have people around here who take care of injured wild animals. But...the foxes aren't acting like they're injured. Just scared, like Kaya said.
no subject
"Call someone?"
The words make sense, but she has no idea what he means.
no subject
He'll skip the telephone explanation for now.
"They've got people who take care of wild animals if they're hurt, or if, um." Felix, mindful of the cubs, peeks under the car again. "You didn't see their mom or dad, did you?"
no subject
no subject
Still with the same uncertainty -- and the same quiet awe, which has never been too far away -- Felix offers both hands to the smaller cub, palms up, fingers spread. He tries to imitate the same sound Kaya made before: tik-tik-tik. "It's okay," he whispers. "I'm not going to hurt you."
no subject
She makes a tiny stifled squeak of startlement, not too unlike her earlier imitation of the fox cubs.
no subject
The other cub teeters the last few inches to his hands. Felix cups them together; as the cub leans in to sniff his fingertips, it overbalances and flails with its front legs to catch onto something.
That something turns out to be Felix's fingers.
Oblivious to the way Felix's eyes widen, it props its paws more solidly against him and begins a thorough exploration, wet nose tickling his palms.
no subject
"They're so tiny."
no subject
Clearly, Felix's wrists warrant as thorough an examination as his palms. The cub, legs shaking with the effort, tries to hoist itself fully into his hands; quickly, Felix flattens them on the ground to make things easier.
no subject
The cub in her lap tries to climb up her front, sniffing at her shirt.
no subject
"Shhh," Felix whispers again, with another small and soothing smile. He brings it close to his chest. "It's okay."
To Kaya, not much louder: "Maybe we could take them back to the bar. Somebody could help there."
no subject
Her head's bowed over the cub in her lap. She's stroking its rust-colored fur, head to tail, over and over.
no subject
"We could look for their mom first," he suggests. "On the way th -- "
The last word dissolves into a squeak of his own as the other cub pokes its nose down the front of his T-shirt.
no subject
no subject
Felix's squeaks abruptly turn into yelps.
...And laughter, because good lords, that TICKLES.
no subject
"No no," she tells it through her giggles, "you stay put."
no subject
The lump surges back up toward the collar, and a second later, the cub's head reemerges. Felix gasps a breath, grinning, as the two stare at one another.
Then the cub leans in and licks Felix's nose, snuggling more firmly against him.
no subject
The cub on her lap yips again, wagging its brush of a tail.
no subject
He hasn't stopped smiling, though.
"Good boy," he murmurs, and carefully settles a hand on the fox's head, giving its ears a gentle rub. A beat passes. "Or, um, girl."
no subject
A pause.
"Can we take them to the bar? Maybe find someplace to keep them?"
no subject
"Have you ever gotten there on purpose?"
no subject
"...I've only ever gotten there once."
no subject
"Oh."
Oops.
Felix looks down at the cub. Content, for now, she yawns hugely and tucks her head against Felix's neck.
"Um." He thinks, absently reaching to stroke her fur again. "Sometimes if I'm kind of thinking about the bar, it'll show up when I open a door. We could try that?"
(no subject)
(no subject)