Foxie on a mission - A story for children aged 7-12 - PART 18

bdmomuae (65)in #fiction • 6 years ago (edited)

In a matter of seconds, both Jasper and Milo surrounded Foxie instinctively. For some reason the two of them knew that, whatever happened next, the fox should be protected. Not long after, all the other foxes we growling and showing off their teeth. What was strange though, was the calmness on Foxie's face. He didn't look worried at all but instead, he was at ease with his eyes fixed on Grandma Owl who was lighting up like a candle. Every feather on her body, every wrinkle and every peace of flesh turned into shimmering gold.

The sun had already set and while darkness quickly took over the woods, rays of light came from her as if she was a smaller version of the sun, lighting up the entire area like a lantern burning strong.

"That's it," said Jasper in disbelief. "That's the strigiformes!"

Milo's eyes grew bigger and bigger. "You're a torch?" he asked sarcastically.

"That's exactly what she is," answered Magnus.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Foxie add while stepping forward, taking care to avoid the crack in the soil. "If Grandma Owl is the 'strigiformes who shines', then surely she must have some kind of a purpose otherwise you would not have left the riddle for us to solve?"

"Aaah, so you found the note, did you?" replied Magnus while trying to hide his smile. "You should get going then. Grandma Owl will light the way!"

Milo tried very hard to be quiet. He really hoped that someone else would be the one to question what was going on. He turned his eyeballs from left to right, trying to figure out if he had been the only one feeling completely lost, but none of the other animals looked confused. Maybe I missed something while I wasn't here earlier, he thought. He started to bite his lip and was just about to spit his question out, when Jasper came to his rescue.

"Excuse me, sir," Jasper said very apologetically. "In the riddle, you mentioned that we should be aware of the 'feline'. Could it be 'wild cats' that you were referring to, or...?"

But before Jasper could finish his sentence, Magnus started to laugh. "You think that it was me who wrote the riddle?" he then asked curiously. While shifting his stick to his left hand, he placed his right hand inside his pocket and removed something, his hand shaking from age. "Jasper, go home and resume your watchdog duties. Your mission is to watch over your master. You have a weak heart and you should learn to take care of it. Farewell, old friend!"

Magnus then turned to Milo and bent down a little to put on collar around his neck. "Here, boy. This will protect you. Use it wisely - you'll know when! Follow the scent and don't be scared. Your humor is your strength!" he said and then hooked a little black bag to the collar before fastening the strap. He then closed his eyes and placed his hand on Grandma Owl's back. It lasted for a few seconds and when she nodded, she knew exactly where to go.

Lastly, Magnus turned to Foxie and took a few steps towards him. He then fidgeted in his pocket once again and took out a small golden crown and placed it on Foxie's head. With his stick raised in the air, he slowly placed the tip on Foxie's left shoulder and then proceeded to the same thing on the right. "I now officially pronounce you 'King'," he said and watched as all the foxes bowed their heads down to show respect and then removed the crown again, placing it back into his pocket. "I'll save this for you for later," said Magnus before he slowly turned around and started walking away before his old and fading silhouette disappeared into the black of the night.