*Author’s note. This is intended to be a continuing series of stories told in the manner of a children’s tale, but not necessarily for children.

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Tommy the rabbit heard the soft chirp. He pulled out the smartphone from his carrying pouch and swiped it open. A message from Gillian the deer. Typical. “Were u?” It said. He looked around, the rocks towering over his head, the pine trees around. “Home. What up?” he replied back. The sun felt good on his back. It’d been a long Winter. He held the phone in his paws for a couple seconds, but there was no reply. Twitching his nose, he sauntered over to a few fresh green sprouts of grass. A soft crack of a twig a few yards off suddenly sent adrenaline racing through his system. He whirled around and saw Peter the fox eyeing him from a distance, one paw about to set down, his hindquarters beginning to crouch slowly.

Peter smiled, his tongue flicking out quickly. “Hey there, rabbit. Nice that Spring’s finally here, huh?”

Tommy eyed the fox carefully, nose twitching, legs ready to spring. He affected a calm demeanor. “Yeah. Sun’s out. Grass is growing. Nice day, you know.” His burrow was just a few yards away, but the fox was blocking the route diagonally. He might be able to make it in one quick leap, or… he might not.

The fox inched himself down until he was sitting on his hind legs, licking his paw nonchalantly. Stared at Tommy. Tommy could feel the rush, the warm flow of blood through his body. He could make it if… if… what was that chirping sound?

“You gonna answer that?” The fox asked, his ears pricked and eyes focused.

“Oh, yeah. Just, uh…” Tommy back casually a few steps away, making a show of reaching for his pouch as he put a couple precious feet between himself and Peter. He swiped the screen, still tense and ready to dart at any moment.

“Hey, Gil, what’s up?”

Gillian’s excited, high-pitched view came through with the characteristic nasally deer tone. “Oooh! Tommy! You won’t believe the fresh meadows down around the creek! You’ve just got to see!”

“Uh, sure, Gil.” He replied.

Peter sighed, stretched down until he was prone on the ground. “Hey, don’t mind me. You wanna talk with your giiirlfriend, go ahead.”

Tommy inched slowly back some more. He could see the tenseness in the fox’s muscles. “Sure Gil, yeah. Down at the creek. Yeah, I’ll be there, be good to see you.” He tried to talk cool, but it came out rushed and breathy.

“Tommy, are you with somebody?” Gil might not be bright, but she had some kind of intuition. Had to give her that.

“Well, actually, you know the fox, Pete? He’s here, first time seen him this year. We’re uh, we’re catching up.”

Peter sat up, seemingly bored. “Hey you talking to that deer? The one always going on about birch bark and eating right?”

“Yeah. What if I am?” Tommy felt anger, but, well, as much as he’d like to kick the stupid fox’s eyes out, it’d be a one-sided battle. What with those teeth and all.

“Oooh! Let me talk to him!” Gil breathed out. Tommy couldn’t believe his ears.

“What? You want to talk to… to a fox?!” He glanced over at Pete, whose eyes were lazily half-closed, but whose ears were pricked. Right. The. Eff. Up.

Gil cooed, or as much as a deer could coo, “Yeah, you know I always dug him. What’s wrong Tommy? You mad or something?”

Tommy put down the phone stared at it. Pete stretched nonchalantly, got up, rubbed his back against a nearby tree. “Uh, she, uh. She wants to talk to you.” Tommy finally stammered.

Peter came over, while Tommy simultaneously backed away. “Sure she does,” He winked at Tommy. The fox sat by the phone, picked it up with his paws. “Hey you,” he said.

Tommy backed off in a wide circle. Went to the entrance of his burrow. Sat back, washed his face with his paws. Twitched his nose. Peter was laughing softly into the phone. Tommy’s nose twitched again.

Pete put the phone down. “Hey, man, thanks for letting me use your cell.” He stared at Tommy, not unkindly, but not particularly friendly either. “It’s okay, you can come get it, I’m heading off anyway. Going to the creek, you know?”

Pete gave one last unreadable look, whether disdain or derision, Tommy couldn’t tell, but he seemed amused on some level. “Yup, going down to the creek. See you ‘round, rabbit.” The fox trotted off, tail held just-so.

Tommy slowly hopped over to his phone. He put it in his pouch. Hopped over to the fresh sprigs of grass. Tried to eat some, but didn’t feel like it. He waited for a soft chirp. Sat and felt the sun on his back and waited for a chirp.

He was still sitting there when the sun finally started down and the crickets started up.