User blog:Jazz987/Barabell

Barabell

Prologue

It was the season of heavy rain and strong gales, and a great downpour was occurring late one night in Mossflower Woods. The cold, merciless rain churned the dirt into thick,sticky mud, and the wind caused the trees and other flora to thrash about violently. The forest-dwellers were locked up tightly within their homes, warm, dry, and safe from the raging storm. Indeed, it was foolish for any beast to have so much as a toe outside in such dreadful weather. That, however, did not stop the vixen.

The mysterious vixen had been running through the forest for quite some time now, a paw constantly resting on her swollen belly. She was due for birth, but she refused to have her child until she found a safe place. Her cries and pleas for shelter rang out over the claps of thunder, but no one opened their door for her. Instead, she received confused and mistrusting stares from the windows of the Mossflower inhabitants. Why on earth would anyone supply shelter to a vermin? The pregnant vixen let out a cry as her footpaws got stuck in the sticky mud. She fell into it, her red coat stained. The vixen lied in the mud for a while; she was so tired, and just couldn't bring herself to move anymore. But, when she thought of her fast-approaching cub, she found the strength to push on. She crawled on her paws and knees out of the mud, towards the direction of a tree stump house. Surely, the beast in their would be kind enough to let a weary mother-to-be give birth? After what seemed like an eternity, she arrived at the house's door. Gathering her last bit of strength, she hit her paw against the door with a loud "BANG!" Seconds passed, and the door opened. A hedgehogmaiden stared down at the vixen. The vixen stared up at the hedgehog, her eyes begging for help. More seconds passed, before the hedgehogmaiden dragged the vixen's body inside her tree stump, and out of the storm.

The sound of a wailing, newborn fox cub echoed through the hedgehogmaiden's home. The hedgehogmaiden gently cradled her in her arms, whispering tender words to calm her down.

"There, there," said the hedgehog. "I'm here. I'm here, I've got you."

The maiden's eyes glanced at the wooden table that rested in the center of her home. The mother vixen rested on it, lifeless and covered in blood. She hadn't survived the birthing process. The cub was now an orphan. Sadness and sympathy gripped the hedgehog's heart. She glanced at the cub, who was now beginning to quiet down.

"...I'll take care of you," the hedgehog declared. "It's what your dear mother would've wanted, bless her soul. And your name? Your name will be...Barabell."