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The Fox And The Fox’s Uncle And The Fox’s Uncle’s Friend

Once upon a time there was a little fox. He was lazing in a patch of shade one morning when over walked his uncle — his father’s older brother. “Come, little one,” his uncle said. “It’s time we get something to eat. A friend of mine wants to go with us, a guy I met a few months ago in the woods. He is cool. You will like him. He’s one of those foxes who is just down for anything.”

So the little fox hopped up and accompanied his uncle to the forest’s edge.

There, they waited. The uncle explained to his nephew that he had been introduced to his new friend through Kyle, the fox who would sometimes come by the den after dinner to run around a big rock a few times. “Kyle knew this guy from back when they were kids,” he said. “They’re cousins or something. Or maybe their parents were just really close friends.”

The little fox nodded. He knew that sometimes, foxes who you called your aunts or uncles were not necessarily your blood relatives. He kicked a rock to amuse himself while his uncle scanned the forest for movement.

“Should be here any second now,” he said. “He’s usually on time,  unlike Kyle. Kyle’s a total mess, if you ask me. But we’re still close. Everyone’s got something, you know what I mean?”

The little fox didn’t really know or care what his uncle meant by that, but he nodded anyway.

Soon, another fox emerged from the forest! “Hi, little fox,” he said. “My name is Justin. Your uncle and I go way back.”

The little fox nodded. Justin led them into the forest with him.

“Let’s go find some berries!” Justin said with a grin. “Nothing like spending time with some friends. I had one of those mornings where I didn’t talk to anyone and I was starting to go kind of crazy.”

“Totally,” said the fox’s uncle. “Happens to me all the time. I need to hang out with someone at least, like, three times a week to feel normal.”

“You’re telling me,” said Justin. “I’m exactly the same way.”

The little fox followed along, his short legs flying beneath him to keep up with his uncle and his uncle’s friend.

Suddenly, they stopped. “Raspberries!” cried Justin, the fox’s uncle’s friend. “These look delicious.”

All three foxes began picking the delicious berries off the bush with their teeth. But as they were snacking, the fox’s uncle was struck by an idea.

“We should bring some of these deeper into the forest, to Luke. Remember him? Kyle’s old hunting friend who’s best friends with your friend Maddie?” he said to Justin. “He loves these berries. Remember from that time we were all hanging out by that pond?”

“Yeah, I remember,” said Justin. “We should do that again, it was a lot of fun. I always forget to plan stuff like that, but I never regret it when I do.”

“So true,” said the fox’s uncle.

The little fox was now a few feet away, sniffing at what he thought was a mushroom but turned out to be a…toe? Yes, a human toe! But before he could investigate any further, his uncle called him over.

“Come on, little one, we need to go!” called the fox’s uncle. “Let’s bring these berries to Justin’s friend’s friend!”

So the little fox left the toe alone and scampered away with his uncle and his uncle’s friend.

But before they could get far, another fox crossed their path.

“Hey, D-Man!” called Justin. “D-Man, what the heck is up, dude?”

The fox ran over. “What’s up, Justin?” he said.

Justin turned to the fox’s uncle. “D-Man is my friend,” he said. “I know him from jail. I was in jail awhile for kicking a rabbit in the head one time”

The fox’s uncle nodded. “Sometimes people go through tough experiences together, and that makes their relationship strong,” the uncle explained to the little fox. “That’s why Justin and D-Man are close.”

The little fox nodded again. This did not matter to him much one way or the other. He was beginning to get tired.

“Anyways, D-Man, we’re on our way to bring some berries to this other friend of a friend, want to come with?” asked Justin.

“I’d love to, but not today,” said D-Man. “On my way to stick my head in a puddle.”

“Well, let’s hang out soon,” said Justin.

“Sure thing,” said D-Man.

And the fox, the fox’s uncle, and the fox’s uncle’s friend continued on their way.

But before long, they arrived at a clearing where they saw another fox lying in the grass — it was Luke! Kyle’s friend!

“Luke! There you are!” called the fox’s uncle.

“What’s up Luke?” said the fox’s uncle’s friend.

“Not much,” said Luke. “Great to see you guys! What’s up, little fox? I’m a friend of your uncle’s.”

The little fox nodded. He knew that already.

“Well, Luke, you’re in luck, because we were just about to bring you some berries,” said the fox’s uncle. “Check it out!”

He spilled the berries out of his mouth and onto the ground, where Luke sniffed them before quickly lapping up three with his tongue.

“Wow, thanks guys!” he said. “It means a lot to me that you remembered I like those. I love hanging out with you two.”

The fox’s uncle and the fox’s uncle’s friend nodded in agreement.

Then, they looked over at the little fox. “Say, little fox, you’ve been a good sport walking all around with us today,” said the uncle. “Wanna see something cool?

The little fox’s ears perked up. “Sure!” he said.

The three older foxes led him back around a nearby tree, where there sat a broken beer bottle.

“It’s beer,” said Justin. “Humans drink it to have fun. There’s still a little in there. Go ahead, take a lick.”

“Just a little lick now,” said the uncle. “Drink too much and you’ll feel sick.”

So the little fox extended his tongue into the beer bottle and licked its cold, glass surface. How bitter it tasted! And there was a little dirt in there, too, he noticed. He made a face, and the three older foxes chuckled.

“You’ll get used to it,” said Luke. “One day.”

The little fox, eager to impress his uncle, wiped the grimace off his face. “I love it!” he said. “It’s awesome. Beer is awesome.”

“But remember that it’s just for grown-ups,” his uncle said with a grin. “Now, let’s get back home before dinnertime.”

The foxes then turned to head back home after a long day of exploring. The little fox was honestly pretty bored after spending so much time with adults, but he was happy at least to have learned a valuable lesson: that sometimes you have to hang out with your uncle’s boring friends for a while, but if you’re lucky, they’ll let you try a little bit of beer.