Part One. The Tale of the Great and Magical Lord Volpetail and his Fox-tailed Servant in Boots Begins!
Once upon a time, which is when all fairy tales begin, there was a farmer and his four sons. But this particular farmer was very old and very poor and like all old poor men, he died. To his eldest son he left his small vineyard to harvest the grapes and make wine, to the next son he left a small orchard of olive trees to harvest and make oil, to the next he left a small flock of sheep to sheer their wool and make cloth, but to the youngest he left nothing but a pair of old boots, a leather belt with a big rusty buckle and an old bow with quiver and few ragged arrows to hunt himself what food he could. So with no way to make himself income and support himself, the poor young pimple faced lad set out into the woods hungry and down hearted.
The lad, who had never before shot a bow and arrow, faired very poorly. All of his arrows were released too quickly, aimed too high, and all landed in the branches of trees no matter what they were aimed at. As night fell in the woods, and he could hear the howling of wolves in the distance, he began to worry because he only had one arrow left. Finally, he saw a piece of silvery fur glistening in the twilight up in a tree, being very still and silent. He guessed that it's owner was asleep and he at last had his chance. It was very beautiful fine fur, and if he could at least sell it in town he could have a place to sleep, or food, or more arrows to fair better and he crept up very closely to the fur and shot an arrow to the centre of it.
The fur bristled and there was a loud yelp as it's owner, which was bigger then the boy expected, leapt into the air. Claw tipped limbs flailed in the air as a small child jumped from the branch screaming and at the same time a melodic laughter rose to echo the scream.
Very frightened, the lad hid behind a nearby tree and watched as the child with silver hair matching the fur pulled the arrow out of what was now known to be a fox tail. He watched the child carefully, he had never seen a human child with an animal's tail before and thought he never would again. But the child was bare of clothing except for a worn white tunic which looked too big. Then the child jumped down from the branch, arrow at hand, and two fox ears appeared from the child's silver hair and bright yellow eyes looked straight at him to cause him to shiver.
"This is your arrow, isn't it, sir?" the child asked accusingly shaking it in the air as bare feet with clawed toes stepped forward.
A pair of red eyes watched from the shadow of the branches where the fox tailed child had leapt, and the laughter which had earlier come from that direction was quieted as if to listen.
The scared, hungry young man stammered as he fumbled with the bow in his hands and looked from fox tailed child to the eerie eyes in the tree's shadow, "Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't know the tail belonged to you! I am all alone in the woods, hungry, and all I have is this bow and that arrow to live off of for the rest of my life!"
"That is a very sad story, and you are a very unfortunate man, but I have collected many more arrows today which have appeared in my many perches, so I think you have no other choice, sir, then to hand me over your bow; it is useless with out it's arrows." the fox tailed child nodded very matter of factly to the man and held up a hand full of arrows.
The young man held his hand out and took a scolding tone with the arrogant child, "Now wait just a minute! Those are my arrows, I lost them while trying to catch myself food! You should give those back to me, I need them!"
The melodic laughter rose up again and this time was revealed to belong to a cat of the same human nature as the fox, only shrouded in dark robes and tailed in red, "Don't be the fool," Speaking to the fox, the cat child scoffed, still seeming amused, "He will not lend you a bow any more than he will ever be happy in his life."
"Of coarse he will be happy!" the fox child laughed, wagging that white tipped tail smugly first at the cat in the tree, then to the confused young man as each yellow eye narrowed with much mischief, "You have no need for your bow, but I have need for it. How about you give me your bow and I will repay you with more then you could possibly catch with these arrows."
The young man, who was not known for his wit, thought this over while the cat child dispassionately watched during a bit of grooming, "Hmm . . . Very well, here is my bow, but what shall I do if the wolves come and I have no arms to protect myself with?"
The fox tailed child took the bow eagerly and pointed the hand full of arrows up to the child's previous perch where sat the cat, "Climb that tree and wait for me, it is very comfortable, I assure you!"
Before the young man could reply, the child scampered off with that shining silver fox tail swishing in behind and the cat gracefully leapt off to follow with one last purr of amusement, so the young man climbed up the tree and fell asleep hugging his knees trying to keep warm.
"You will do him no service," the cat spoke, nearly completely hidden in the dark of the night.
"Of coarse I will, especially if you were to help! He could be something great, after all, with our help . . . " the fox stretched and flexed the string of the bow, testing it's strength and range.
"Foolish fox, no man can ever be made happy . . . especially by you." That red tail swished indignantly as the cat turned away, insulted.
"Pompous Puss, I shall try with all the foxly cunning I can just to show you." Swatting that silvery tail, the fox turned away with the bow and arrows.
So it was the fox which undertook the task of bringing the miserable lad happiness where he had none, and the cat which left sulking at the fox's enthusiasm to the burden.
That night, the child shot the arrows with miraculous accuracy and strength, sending them through the heart of a boar. And the child cumbersomely dragged the body the whole night to the gate of the nearest palace which over looked the sea. It loomed, twisted towers of gray matching the skies above it like talons reaching in vain for the blurred glow of sun hidden in the shroud of cloud. Standing at the gate before two miserably bored guards, the child in the tattered tunic demanded entrance, offering the boar to the king as a present.
The guards laughed weakly, with an obnoxious sarcasm that comes from adventureless lives, and pointed out that the child's sharp toes scratched the wood of the bridge and would damage the expensive floorings of the house but demanded the child's own tail as payment for entrance.
The child dragged the boar off insulted.
In the seaside town, the child sold the tasty boar to the local, pale cheeked Innkeeper, "For payment, I would like a pot of the stew and a room for the night for my master and I." The sleepy-eyed Innkeeper did not see this to be too huge of a demand, and granted the fox tailed child the wish. So as the boar was stewed, the child quickly returned to the tree where the young man was sitting awake and frightened.
"Oh, fox tailed child, I was so frightened! Wolves were circling the tree all night and owls were screaming at me! I thought I would see my end that night, I won't spend an other night in this tree! Give me back my bow and arrows!" the young man demanded, climbing to the ground with some trouble wearing those big old boots.
The fox tailed child stared in thought for a long moment, squeezing those wide yellow eyes before shouting at the young man for his ungratefulness, "Now listen here! Don't be so hasty! Here I've gone and gotten you a hot meal and a bed to sleep in for tonight and you demand your bow and arrows back already? Some gratitude! No, instead you should give me your boots and belt, I think that would suit better for all the service I've done for you!"
"You've gotten me a bed and a hot meal!!" the young man, overcome with joy, scooped up the fox child into a hug but then dropped the child to the ground abruptly, "My boots and belt?? Are you mad? What shall I wear on my feet and what shall keep my pants up? And what guarantee do I have that this will pay for my bed tomorrow and the day after and the rest of my life? No, young fox, I have thought it over, I appreciate what you've done for me for tonight, but I must take my bow and arrows back or I might not eat tomorrow or for the rest of my life."
"Well, come eat and sleep in a soft bed tonight, that might soften your heart to me and you will realize that you can trust me fully and that I will take care of everything." the child held out one clawed hand to the young man, and he accepted.
So the young man was led to the Inn where, as promised, he shared a hot meal of stew with the fox tailed child in a room with a real bed. And he took off his boots and belt and stretched out on the bed to go to sleep with a satisfied stomach, "You may sleep on the rug, young fox, and then tomorrow I will take back my bow and arrows and hunt for myself. I thank you for this night with a full stomach and a bed, but I have my entire life to think about and one fox child cannot carry me through it one night at a time."
"Very well, Master, I hope you sleep well." the child curled up on the rug and closed those bright yellow eyes pretending to be asleep and when the young man began to snore, the child took the boots, the belt, and the bow and arrows and climbed out the window.
The next morning, the young man awoke very angry because all of his possessions were gone and he would have no where to go the next night. He sat in the room crying until noon because the fox tailed child had played such a horrible trick on him and he was a very miserable person because of it. He would starve for sure now!
And then he panicked when he heard a knock at the door feeling that the Innkeeper was there to kick him out on the streets for sure. He was just crawling out the window when the Innkeeper called to him from the door, "Master, I bring you your breakfast as you ordered!" Rather suspicious, he went to the door and found that he indeed had a full breakfast waiting for him, and had apparently renewed his stay at the inn for a week.
"Where is your clever fox tailed young servant now? He is ever so pleasant and charming! You are so lucky to have such service!" the Innkeeper told him with the hint of a new twinkle in his eyes, and his cheeks now full of colour. He nervously agreed and shut himself in the room to eat alone and nervous, wondering if the Innkeeper would sound so pleased when he found out the young man and this fox tailed �servant� did not possess the money to pay for the room and the meals.
That evening, when he was sickened with guilt and anticipation, there was an other knock at his door and it was none other then the mischievous fox child with the big rusty buckled belt tightly pulled around the middle of the tunic, the big boots upon those clawed feet, bow and arrows strung at the child's back, and a tray of wine and dinner in those clawed hands, "Good evening, Master! I hope you like this bed because you will be dreaming in it for at least an other week!"
The young man quickly closed the door behind the child and proceeded to scold the fox tailed �servant� for the mischief, "What were you thinking? You stole all of my earthly possessions and lied to the Innkeeper and now we will be executed at the end of the week when we are unable to pay!"
"Ah, but I have not stolen your tongue or your wit, Master, do not worry yourself, there is a whole week ahead to pay for this and then you shall be set for life!" the fox tailed child set the tray down and smiled smugly.
"Set for life??" the young man nearly screamed, "How can I be set for life by a bow and arrows, belt and boots, and one thieving fox tailed child? I should sooner be set for life off the price of your tail!"
"Hmph!" the child sulked and uncorked the wine with sharp teeth and took a big drink. Then the child took the spoon and began to eat the food right off the tray.
"Hey!" the young man grabbed the child by the tail and lifted the thief into the air, "That's my food!"
"And why is it yours? Because I gave it to you is why! Same as that bed and this wine: all worth more then your worn out old boots, cheap bow and unbalanced arrows, and rusty buckled belt. I told you I would give you more then the worth of your gifts to me, and I have done so!" the child scolded back.
"All right, for all you've provided me, I forgive you for the theft. But tomorrow there will be no more. I will take back my belt and my boots which I did not give you, and earn this room and my life myself. You may keep the bow and arrows as a gift and payment if you must." the young man put the child down and sat to eat.
"Very well, Master, if that is your true wish, I suppose you have no want of my humble services . . . " those furry fox ears fell and the child slumped down on to the rug miserably, hugging that silver tail.
"Of coarse that is not my truest wish, fox tailed child, but I have little choice but to work." the young man said down to the miserable child, "My eldest brother gained a vineyard to make wine from for his living, the next eldest gained an orchard of olive trees to make oil to sell, and the next from him gained sheep to sheer wool from and milk for his living. What was I given to life off of? Useless arrows, old boots, and a belt with a rusty buckle!" he sighed and drained his glass of wine.
"Not so, Master," the child tipped the bottle over the glass and refilled it, "In my possession these items are hardly useless! Tell me what your real truest wish is, Master, and it will be granted!"
The young man drank his next glass and laughed, "I wish to marry a princess, live in a palace and live happily ever after!"
"What a fitting end!" the child exclaimed and refilled the glass once more before tipping the bottle over the child's own dry tongue, "You provide a very sporting challenge, I will have great fun with this!"
Soon after their conversation, the young man passed out and the child moved him to his bed. Then after tucking him snugly in, the child crawled out the window.
