[Flashback | Tom and Huck | Eight year olds playing together]

[fluctuationfeels]

Hey! Heeey [Leo whispered just as loud as a whisper could go. He was fed up of throwing pebbles that his friend never seemed to notice. He guessed they weren't big enough to make a decent noise, but any bigger might break his window and he wasn't about to get into shit with Aydin's old man. No sir.]

Aydin! Git up. Come on.

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[fluctuationfeels]

Yeah? [Leo grabbed Aydin's free hand and squeezed excitedly, his voice the same loud whisper.] Do it again!

[As the boys watched, the bush rustled once more. The fox was silent as it moved out, it's eyes silver and shining demonically in the moonlight.]

There! There it is! Lookit! Aydin!

[asilaparapet]

[Aydin wanted to scream as he saw the beautiful fox] Jeepers it so pretty!

[he kept the flashlight still, watching the way it moved and slinked across their path] Wow!

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Come on! Let's follow it! [He veritably bounced, running after the fox as it fled into the woods.] Keep that light on it, Aydin! We're gonna loose it!

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[Aydin nodded and ran after the fox shining the light on it] we're not gonna lose it

[He laughed as the ran] I wanna pet it so badly!

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[Leo wanted to pet it too! He hadn't even thought they'd get a chance to pet a fox until Aydin said it. He supposed foxes weren't at all tame, but... Maybe this one was special.]

Keep up! Come on! There it goes! [Leo pointed as the ran after it and watched it disappear into a hole in the ground.]

This is it! That must be it's home, right there! [He turned to Aydin to speak.] They call a fox hole a burrow I think?

[asilaparapet]

[he was panting rather hard as the stopped by the fox hole] a burrow? like a rabbit?

[He shined the light at the hole]well how do we make it come out?

[Aydin bent down trying to see into the hole] have ya read anything on foxes?

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Well... [Leo pondered for a minute, squinting as he looked down the hole too.] A fox has gotta be like most animals, right? You can git 'em to come out with food.

Maybe we can get some meat or somethin?

[asilaparapet]

yeah! that sounds great [he looked around like there would be food just there]

erm... well they eat meat and apples like in Fantastic Mr Fox and they eat fish

we could go get a fish from the lake?

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Hey yeah! Good thinkin' [He gave his friend an encouraging clap on the shoulder.] Wait here, and I'll go get my fishin' rod from home.

Less you think a ghost gon' eatcha while I'm gone? [He grinned.]

[asilaparapet]

[Aydin was happy that Leo liked his idea, but that was short lived when he mentioned Ghosts] I'll be fine!

[He kicked his feet and tried to be brave] A ghost wont get me, there fraid of foxes

[fluctuationfeels]

That's true enough. All right, sit tight. Imma run back faster n' you can say amen!

[With that, Leo took off running, leaving Aydin to himself in the dark wood, waiting with the flashlight. It was eerily quiet without Leo there, save for the strange noises made by the creatures of the wood at night. Leo seemed to be gone forever.]

[asilaparapet]

[Aydin watched his friend disappear into the darkness and then it hit him that he was alone. He tried to steady his breathing keeping himself occupied with other things.

Like thinking of movies and trying to remember all the words to a song] Country roads, take me home. To the place I belong, West Virginia, mountain momma. Take me home, country roads. All my memories gathered 'round her Miner's lady, stranger to blue water. Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, Misty taste of moonshine. Teardrops in my eye

[that would kill some time until Leo got back]

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[It took a while for Leo to get back with the fishing rod, even though he had run the entire way there and back again. When he got back to the woods it was hard to find the spot where he'd left Aydin. Lucky for him is friend was smart enough to sing him a song that lead him right.]

Hey. I'm back! I was gonna scare ya, but I figured you'd cry so I held off.

Got my rod! [He held the thing out happily.] Grabbed some worms on the way and baited it up good.

[asilaparapet]

[Aydin hugged him when he got back] Thanks for not scaring me

[he looked at the rod and grinned]So we can go to the lake and catch a fish for the Fox

[Aydin was so excited to pet it]how will we find our way back?

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[Leo returned the hug happily.] Yeah we can!

Hmn, how about we leave a trail? Like in that story 'bout the two kids who got lost in the forest.

I don't got no breadcrumbs or shiny stones or nothin' but... Maybe we can do somthing' else?

[He starts to look around for something they can leave as a trail.]

[asilaparapet]

[Aydin nodded as Leo spoke] That's a great idea!

[he pulled the things out of his pockets] I got a bit of string, a button and some marbles. I won 'em

[He looked so pleased with himself] but I don't think we'll be able to find em again... what if we left out clothes? it's warm enough.

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String! Clothes! [Leo exclaimed happily, an idea blooming in his head.] You're so smart, Aydin. We can unwind out sweaters and leave a long trail of string behind! [He pulled off his jumper and started to pick at the knit, finding a loose strand of wool to unwind.] Here, like this! This'll be long enough!

[asilaparapet]

[He blushed when Leo said he was smart, but luckily the dark hide that] Boy am I glad I got a jumper for Christmas

[He chuckled and copied Leo, unwinding his jumper and tieing it to the tree] now we can go to Lake and get a fish for the Fox.

[fluctuationfeels]

Damn right! [Leo grinned, leading Aydin away to the lake with his fishing rod in one hand and Aydin's hand in the other. They left a terrible mess of yarn behind them, and when they got to the lake Aydin's sweater was more of a knitted crop-top with long sleeves. The snowman on the front was now just a snowhead. Not very fashion forward.

Leo set up the fishing line like he had done a hundred times before. It was deadly quiet out there at night aside from the sounds of animals and birds out in the woods. Leo didn't seem to care about that though.]

Wonder how long until we get a bite.

[asilaparapet]

[Aydin held his hand tight, the other held the torch lighting the way to the lake. It was nice at night even if he didn't like the dark. Aydin watched Leo as he set up the fishing rod] Jeepers you're good at that

[He sat down and thought for a moment kicking his feet] at least ten minutes maybe longer, everyone says it takes a long time to fish.

[fluctuationfeels]

Ten whole minutes. [Leo pondered. It seemed like a long time, but whatever, it'd be worth it.]

We can do it. Not like my momma's gonna miss me, n'yer daddy neither. So we can stay twenty minutes. Hell, sixty minutes if we wanna!

[asilaparapet]

we can do it [he grinned and fist pumped the air]

but what'ya wanna do while we wait? [he kicked his feet and looked at the lake thinking] the water looks like the sky look it!

[he pointed at the water and looked back at Leo]

[fluctuationfeels]

Sure does! [Leo smiled.] 'Cept it's all turned around in the reflection. See? Everything's in the wrong place.

[He looked at the stars for a moment in the reflection of the water, falling silent. Those were the stars his momma loved so much. They were so bright and shining, not like the other things she seemed to love. Drinkin' and smoking and men, all of her loves were cloudy. His smile fell the longer he stared and he suddenly felt kind of sad, even though nothing bad was happening.]

I don't think you can get the future out of stars. Do you? You know most of 'em are already burnt out. The light we get is already done. How you supposed to get the future outta somethin' what's in the past?