The Fox Necklace

• Halley Vigilia, Grade 8, Casterton Secondary College
• Short Story
• 2018

Finalist in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

The wind was strong, biting back the flesh on my skin, black hair whipping across my face, striking my eyes and brushing a dust of snow. I gripped my hood, knuckles turning white. Sitting on the edge of the village, I stared at my home. Home. It didn’t feel like home. As I stared at our village, the thought of running away from home became intriguing. Quickly, a creature zipped fast, Shocked, I scrambled to my feet. I heard the tales our elders told us; flesh gnawed off by ferocious wolves. There was something about this creature though, it was slightly smaller and had the colour of an early morning sunrise. Suddenly I felt a bump on the back of my knee and tripped. I saw the fox walking away. Forgetting my common-sense I ran after it. I ran as fast as my legs could take me, ragged breathing coming in short huffs, a stitch forming in my stomach.
The wind picked up and it started snowing softly, blurring the distance ahead. Eventually the pain in my stomach became unbearable, throbbing with each step. Stopping, I grasped for air, my whole body in pain. I closed my eyes, collapsing on the snow, defeated. The fox was nowhere to be seen. I was falling into unconsciousness. My consciousness slipped away from my fingertips like water.
I gasped, sucking for air. A fine dust of snow enveloped my body. I staggered to my feet, brushing the snow off. I looked around. Snow. It was everywhere. The village. It was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, my breathing quickened. My footprints were gone. The snow must have covered them during the blizzard. I punched the snow vigorously, my eyes swelling with tears. I looked up to see a pair of eyes looking at me. Fox. His glassy eyes reflecting me. A twig snapped in the distance. My head swerved around to see what it was. I sensed a deathly aura. Another pair of eyes stared at me. These were different from the fox’s. The eyes stared
cunning and hungrily at me. It quickly ran, I stumbled back. I prepared myself for the pain. Nothing came. The wolf was suspended mid-pounce. Amazed, I touched the wolf. It
disintegrated to snow, the wind catching the dust, swirling it in the air. I looked at Fox in awe. Was he the one that stopped the wolf? The fox scurried away with me right at its feet. We reached the barrier of Northern and Southern Alaska. The pine trees stood tall, a lingering aroma in the air.
Fox stopped and turned around. A necklace draped in its mouth, a wooden fox charm. He dropped the necklace in my hand. I admired the necklace, stroking it in my hands but when I looked up, Fox was gone. I called out to him whilst running, scanning the forest when I fell.
Getting up from my bed, I looked around my room. A fox necklace on my desk...