From the pond a white blur shoots off and moments later a loud snap resounds throughout the clearing.

In the clearing an emerald green and golden-red fox sit, staring up at the blur, eyes wide, the trees sway all around them, wisps of fire float up in goodbye.

"Imagine being so fast the wind calls goodbye for you," the green fox said, turning to the golden-red.

"One day I'll be even faster than Ness," the golden-red fox replies, flames flaring along its body.

The two sit in silence.

The trees creak in the gentle winds.

Snow silently drifts down around them, sparkling in the shimmering green and golden-red flames.

Their tales drag lazily from side to side along the ground, scorching it slightly as they look up at the snow drifting down, and the white blanket that blocks the starry sky from sight.

"Cú, I'm going to stay in redwood for many days." The green fox stands, looking at the golden-red fox.

"But Emer, why? I thought you were going to be leaving redwood by noon every day?" Cú stands, confused, fires dimming.

"I want to talk to one of the nine-tailed Elders, I can feel myself getting so close to sprouting my second tail," Emer says, and then takes a few steps back, green flames flaring all around her; the snow melts quickly in the clearing as the temperature rises dramatically.

"I won't make this goodbye drawn out. I'll be back before there's a halfmoon. Until then Cú,"

And with that she shot off into the wood, green wisps floating into the sky, green flames searing a path through the snow,

Within seconds the heat and colour from her flames is gone, and all that surrounds Cú is his golden-red flames and wisps floating into the sky; returning the goodbye without any words.

He stands for a time and then sprints off himself, flames dim.

Amongst the clusters of trees Cú trots.

Twilight falls and the world quickly grows dark in the snow.

Flames burn along him as Cú jumps through the wood, as familar with the trail as can be.

His destination, a great big tree with deep brown wood. This tree lies seperate from many of the other trees.

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Wind rushes through the leaves as a ball of light comes closer, a cluster of beautiful golden-red flames streaming along the elegant fox.

Murmers of goodnight can be heard whispering through the trees as Cú weaves through them; wisps of fire answer, floating in the air; a fox's greeting.

He had learned that from the other firefoxes.

He knew he could stay with the other firefoxes, but chose not to.

Cú paused as he came to the edge of the trees, where a bare circle of charred ground lay around the tree.

He glanced up at the tree and sighed. There was no murmer of goodnight from the tree, nor would there ever be for it was not an ent.

Cú walked now, the fire on him dimming and dying out as he walked to the hollow in the tree that he called home.

As he walked into the hollow the fires died completely and plunged the surroundings into darkness, the snow blocking out all light.

Cú stood and stared at the wall in the dark, sighing deeply.

He looked at the pictures he had charred into the wall,

a fox sitting, tender looking, with another next to it standing valiantly.

Cú whimpered, twirled and dropped onto the bedding it had gathered over the years; laying in the home it had built over the years all alone, shivering once while it whimpered a last time.

As always he couldn't sleep.

Turbulent breathing and whispering leaves were all that could be heard.

After a time of lying in the dark and drifting snow that fell through the opening of the hollowed tree, three balls of fire puffed into existence.

Warmth filled the hollow tree and all the snow immediately melted.

They floated, circled each other and slowly changed.

One became small and slowly morphed into a fox shape.

The next one grew twice the size of the first, and also became a fox shape.

The third and final grew the largest, although only a little bigger than the second. The three firefoxes ran around each other in delight, romping and pouncing around together. The larger ones nuzzled each other affectionately while the smallest clammered over them for attention.

Slowly, the turbulent breathing calmed.

The three firefoxes curled together and grew dim with the calming breathing.

Occasionally the foxes would grow incredibly dim, only to suddenly flare to life as Cú's eyes opened again.

Slowly, the colour of fire was replaced with the white of snow, with the slightest bit of golden-red flames lingering on Cú's body.

The calm breathing of a fox floated out of the hollow, from the lonely tree that stood apart from all the others;

housing its lonely, sleeping fox.

Snow drifting slowly in the dark over the lonely clearing.