Chapter 21: Reddy

 After a bit of searching, I found female fox pheromones on eBay. What are they, you might ask? Nothing that harms the fox. They are pee. Yes, pee. I paid one hundred Euro for a bottle, a very small one, of imported fox pee all the way from a fox village in Japan. You have to hand it to the Japanese; they know that everything can be sold. 

Well, as long as the fox in question was not harmed, I don't see a reason why I should contact PETA. Although, I think that contacting them would just escalate the situation. I heard plenty of bad things about the organization. And not only as of late, either. Anyway, with my tiny bottle of expensive pee, and my man, I venture out into the forest. 

I see a chewed through net, and fur left behind. White bunny fur. Ah, Reddy has been here. I climb to the stake-out, and get a new net. I know that Reddy will be back. Frederik is many things, and predictable is one of them. He thinks himself a top predator, and knows that I admire him. It is almost courting, the thing between us. 

"Explain to me again why it is so important for you to befriend a fox that you think that mocked you?" Ferenc asks, as I drench the new bunny, one from his nets, with the pheromones. I cover up the net, and go to secure the rope on the tree. 

"Reddy is special, Fer. We can be besties, I just know it," I tell my vampire, and he just shakes his head. 

"What if a different fox gets caught in this?" He asks, and I just shrug. 

"Then we will still get a pet. Reddy and I will still flirt with each other, but it will be an open relationship," I say, and he barks a laugh. I turn around, with narrowed eyes. "Don't make too much noise." 

"Sorry," he doesn't look any less amused than from a couple of seconds before. I take that as a good sign. Ever since I began to wear clothes size M, he has been giving my body longer glances. I can almost see the appreciation in his eyes. It won't be long, and I will bag him. 

Yes, yes. You can yap all you want that I am not romantic in the slightest, but no one can deny that, after all that waiting, I don't deserve some action. Anyway, I finish with my task, and go up on the stake out. He gets up next to me, and we cuddle together for warmth. And that is where we stay. 

Now, one must take into account that Reddy is smart. He can smell us, but he can also smell the fox lady scent I sprinkled the bunny with. A couple of hours pass. Ferenc falls asleep, but I stay vigilant. Finally, I see him. Reddy. 

Like a dancer, he waves his tail back and forth. He can smell us, this sly fox. But he can also smell the meat, and the possibility for some company. 

Yes, Reddy, move closer. Fall into the trap.

Reddy begins to take tentative steps towards the meat, sniffing the air. His eyes snap to the stake-out, and I stiffen. This is the moment of truth. If Reddy runs away now, all my hopes of getting the smartest fox in the forest as a pet will go with him. I can see his fur bristling. No idea if it helps, but I sent a silent prayer to all the saints I know. 

One of them must have heard it because Reddy goes to the meat, and the net snaps around him. I whoop with joy, and Ferenc wakes up with a start. 

"We don't have time. He will break through in a minute," even as I said that, Reddy was already chewing through the net. It is a thicker than usual net, too. That doesn't seem to bother him. Now, for the next part, I let Ferenc take the lead. He is faster and nimbler than I, so, I trust that he can take the fox from the net, and place him in the cage. 

It is a cage for cats. Ferenc used to have one, and he used the cage to take it to the vet. Then, he found it dead on the porch of the hut one day, and that had been that. Now, the cage had a use again. It was old, but in good condition. Not rusted at all. 

Reddy yaps at us, as Ferenc takes him out of the net, and wrestles him in the cage. When the door of the cage snaps shut, I take out a piece of meat from a bag in my pocket, and wave it in front of my new pet. 

"Who is a good fox? Who wants a treat?" I ask, and Reddy bares his teeth at me in warning. 

"He will bite your fingers off, and then you will spend eternity without them," Ferenc warns me, and I reconsider my idea. I pocket the meat again, and take the cage from my aristocratic vampire, who is also a one in a million beast tamer. 

"Do you think that he will like his new home?" I ask, as I walk, and enjoy the crunching of the snow under my boots. 

"If he doesn't like it, he can always chew through the wooden fence," Ferenc says, as he takes my free hand in his. We have been doing such things lately. Handholding, hugging. Couple things, as silly as it sounds. I think that Ferenc got used to me, and over his disappointment in my body shape.  

"I was thinking, now that you are no longer fat, do you want to visit the nearby town again?" Ferenc surprises me with this question. I scrunch up my nose at him. 

 "You didn't want to be seen with a fat guy?" I ask, and he is quick to clarify. 

"It is not like that. It is just that, I feel like you need more social contact than your imaginary friends and me," he tells me, and I let it slide. 

"I'd love to go out with you. It is about time you took me out on a date," I gave him a peck on his lips, and his expression brightens.