Dreaming of Summer…

Mrs Fox flicked through photographs from last summer. She was ready for the warmer weather. She was ready to lay her red fur down on the deep grassy slopes at Foxes’ Retreat again. In short, she was ready for summer.

Both the foxy calendar and the light each evening showed her that Ostara was just around the corner. It was now a matter of a few days away, and that only meant one thing for the Foxes.

“Spring Baths”.

‘Eugh!’ shuddered Mrs Fox, thinking of the most watery event that would herald the shedding of their winter pelts. She always held on to thoughts of after Spring Bath Day, knowing how she would delight and frolic, making free in the meadow with her sleek summer coat.

Mr Fox, on the other hand, always had to be coerced into the seasonal ritual. Him and Millie the Lurcher. As bad as each other. Mrs Fox had placed the tangerine bottle of Dirty Dogz shampoo on the bathroom window sill only this morning. Millie the Lurcher had sloped off, glancing over her shoulder shiftily. Mrs Fox had simply sighed. She was wise, knowing that they would all feel better once the winter scurf was out of their coats.

Mr Fox was nowhere to be found today. One sniff of Spring Bath Day preparations and he was off down the fields, chasing in the woods, surprising pheasants and sending them flapping low over the hedges with his exuberance. Mrs Fox shook her head with a smile. He would come back when he was hungry, she knew it. That was the thing about Foxes. Their stomachs ruled them utterly. Her wonderful Mr Fox had given up rabbits and pheasants long ago, and the smell of a fragrant and hearty Root Vegetable Casserole simmering on the stove would soon have him slipping back into the kitchen.

Mrs Fox turned on the screen and clicked cheerfully on the virtual shopping basket at her local greengrocers. It would all arrive on Thursday, with a smile and a wave, in plenty of time to prepare the snare for Spring Bath Day. She smiled to herself. It was the same every year. Moans, groans and excuses, then the frenzied delight as he shook himself clean and set off to lap the garden, exclaiming with excitement at how much better he felt.

‘Foxes!’ She rolled her eyes and settled her furry tail down onto her yoga mat, closing her eyes. ‘Foxes’, she smiled to herself, as her breathing deepened. ‘What was to be done with them?’