An Ancient Tale - The Young Boy And The Fox In Need.

There is an ancient tale about a young boy who got lost in a deep, dark forest. He had gone with his mother to a stream to wash their families clothes.

While his mother was washing, he went off playing. Playing hide and seek with himself. He saw an animal tail disappear into the undergrowth and like any inquisitive boy, he followed it.

He thought it was a fox and he wondered if he could be quiet enough to follow it and glimpse it again. He went deeper and deeper into the forest.

He didn't feel scared, yet. There were the usual birds singing and the raw beauty of the big trees, strong and tall. Unyielding and each, hundreds of years old.

He saw another glimpse up ahead. He smiled to himself. He was going to be a brilliant tracker when he was older. His father would be very proud of him.

He continued to silently move along the game trail. Being careful where he stood, not to crack any twigs and give himself away. Suddenly, he heard a low growl.

It was a black panther, staring at him intently with her large yellow eyes, her tail twitching reverently. He froze and for the first time, the terror gripped him like a vice.

He couldn't move even if he wanted to. A second ago he was excited about his future and how he was going to make his father proud. A yet, now, a second later, it was about to be all over.

He was about to be food for another creature in the jungle. It was at this moment that the fox he had been following suddenly reappeared at his side.

It was a large male, magnificent and majestic looking. The boy thought the two animals would fight over him and the winner would get to eat him as their prize.

However, the fox stood its ground next to the boy, growling and whining and showing it's sharp teeth to the panther.

Suddenly, the young boy realised that the fox had come back to protect him. He started growling as well and the panther, realising that she was outnumbered, decided this was going to be too much effort.

She turned and disappeared into the undergrowth. The boy turned to the fox and nodded his thanks and gratitude.

The fox looked back, deep into the boys eyes and then turned and walked a few paces before looking back. Suddenly, the boy understood that the fox wanted him to follow him.

He took a few steps and the fox turned and started trotting off. The boy had to run to keep up with him, not worrying about trying to keep quiet anymore.

The fox kept looking back to make sure the boy was following. Then the boy had another thought, was this fox leading him to another certain death. Leading him to his den where his young starving cubs waited for a meal.

He hesitated for a second but the fox whined at him. He became agitated and the boy realised that this wasn't about being a meal, something was wrong and the fox needed his help.

And anyway, there had never been any stories of a fox taking a human. They only fed on small rabbits and similar sized animals. And so, he ran on, deeper into the thick, dark forest.

Never giving a thought on how he would find his way back. Then the fox came to a clearing and stopped. There was another fox, a female, lying down at the other edge of the clearing.

She was clearly distressed as she whined and growled. She barred her teeth and snapped them at the boy but the male nuzzled her to quieten her fears.

The boy could see she was trapped in a snare. It was quite far from their own village so it must have been set by another tribe.

That was even more dangerous, the boy knew. For they would surely kill him if they found him stealing their food.

The male fox looked at him imploringly. His eyes pleading for help from the boy. He knelt down and could see a vine that had been made into a rope, wrapped tightly round her back leg.

It was a simple yet effective trap. The boy worked quickly, knowing that they were all in danger of being discovered at any moment.

He had a small flint knife on him but he knew that if he used it, the other tribe would know that someone had set the fox free and it would cause a big problem.

And so, instead, he used his fingers to slowly loosen the vine. Trying not to hurt the female at the same time.

Finally, he managed to make enough room and the female fox yanked her leg out and sprang away. She stopped a few metres away and licked her leg furiously.

The boy realised the significance of what he had done. He felt the gratitude not only of the two foxes but also of the universe. He felt this warmth in his heart.

This knowing that he had done the right thing. He felt this deep connection to nature.

The two foxes set off once more and looked behind to make sure the boy was following them. They hadn't gone far when they stopped close to a rocky outcrop.

He heard squeaking and realised that they had baby cubs, hiding and waiting for their parents return. The female fox looked deep into his eyes for one last time and the boy could sense her gratitude.

Then she turned and disappeared into the den. The boy stood for a moment, feeling warm and loved. Then the male fox urged him to follow him.

He knew they had to get back to his mother before all hell broke loose and a huge search party would come looking for him. The fox guided him back to the river.

It was dark now and his mum was nowhere to be seen. However, he knew the way home from here.

Despite that, the large fox stayed with him as they both made their way to his village. Then the boy noticed lots of waving lights.

He realised that there were a bunch of people from his village, holding fiery torches that had indeed come to look for him. A smile spread across his face as he realised that he was safe and the exciting adventure he had had.

He looked around for the fox but he had gone, like a ghost disappearing into the night. However, he saw a dead rabbit at his feet. A gift from the fox and something to appease his no doubt angry family that he had disappeared.

The boy learnt many lessons that day that would set him up for his life ahead and a wonderful story to tell his tribe.