The Fishermans Little Fox (for Iz The Panda)

[cp 2000]

Even though he never had much interest in children, Henry was aware that many of them could be difficult when it came to eating their greens, though that didn't mean he was going to put up with any of that kind of nonsense from Tilly. "I don't care if you don't like it" the fisherman said firmly, putting his hand on the table to stop the fox girl from pushing her plate any further away as he fixed her with a stern glare, "I cooked it and put it on your plate, so you're not getting down from this table until you eat it".

A frown spread on the foxes face as her caregiver denied her, returning the glare for a moment before breaking, letting the plate get slowly pushed back to her. She let out an exaggerated sigh and took the plate back, sticking her tongue out at Henry before slowly beginning to eat the greens, keeping a pout the whole time until her plate was clean.

[cp 2000]

Whilst the girls cheek did not go unnoticed by Henry, he decided to let it slip as he waited for the child to finish eating her cabbage. "Right, go on then" he said, getting to his feet and picking up the girls empty plate before carrying it over to the sink, "you can go play now if you want, just remember to stay in your room and don't get up to any mischief".

"Finally..." Tilly groaned, sliding out of her chair. "Yessir," she said in a forced tone, quickly scampering away. She made her way to the bedrooms, glancing at Henry's for a moment, wondering if her bed would be just as comfy.
She eventually found her bedroom and plopped down on the bed, a little annoyed that her bed didn't have the same fluffy feeling, but still was happy it was her own. After a while of rolling on her bed, she found herself getting bored and wanting to explore, so she stuck her head out the door and searched for Henry.

[cp 2000]

Having cleaned the girls plate, Henry had returned to his living room armchair to read the newspaper he'd been flicking through moments before the arrival of the little fox girl.

However, he soon realised that he'd been reading the opening line of the fourth article for the best part of fifteen minutes, as he'd been unable to take his mind off of the rather disconcerting fact that he was going to be stuck with this little fox girl for the best part of a month, perhaps longer if the rep was unable to find her a permanent home.

Exacerbating his frustration, was the fact that he knew next to nothing about her, besides the fact of course that she'd recently been left orphaned and homeless, something he never would have guessed if the rep hadn't told him given the childs bright and wide-eyed demeanour. This thought caused Henry to grimace in irritation, as whilst he would much rather keep the kit at arms length both literally and figuratively, a small part of him felt like he should at least attempt to talk to the girl about what had happened, though the mere idea of this made him more than a little uncomfortable.

Noticing the coast was clear, the sneaky fox managed to creep out of her bedroom and begin exploring. The house wasn't particularly big because it was just Henry and the only things she found beside his bedroom were closets for supplies and a bathroom.

It wouldn't be true if the Tilly wasn't a little upset about the recent event, but it seemed that her way of dealing with was to block it out, as she hadn't talked or cried about the event since it happened, keeping those emotions to herself and expressing them in mischief.

Speaking of mischief, the little fox soon finished her exploring and found her way into the living room, spotting Henry and crouching down so he didn't see her. She snickered quietly as she snuck up to the side of his armchair, suddenly pouncing up so she hung over the arm of the chair. "Whatcha doing!" she blurted out in an attempt to startle Henry.

[cp 2000]

Being preoccupied with his own thoughts, Henry hadn't noticed the young fox girl when she playfully crept into the living room, prompting him to jump slightly in surprise when she left over the arm of his chair and frown down at her in mild annoyance.

"I was enjoying some peace and quiet" he grumbled, though he still folded up the newspaper and set it to one side, as he guessed there was probably a reason as to why the kit was pestering him. "Do you want something?" he asked, folding his arms and turning his attention back to the child lain across his armrest, "you're not still hungry are you?".

The little kit just shook her head and rolled over on the armchair so she was leaning backward over it, prompting her shirt to raise just above her tummy. "Nuh-uh. I'm just bored, Mister. I can't stay in my room ALL day!" she said, raising her arms towards the ceiling.

As she did, her body slipped forward and she landed right in Henry's lap with a squeak, looking up at him and giggling after a moment. She used her small feet and poked Henry's shoulder. "What do you do around here for fun?"

[cp 2000]

Looking down at the little fox girl lying on her back in his lap, Henry sighed and lifted her up off his lap, standing her in front of him and folding his arms once again as he sat up straight against the back of the chair.

"Why don't you go play in the back garden if you're bored?" he curtly suggested, picking up his newspaper once again as he spoke and opening it up, creating a paper-thin barrier between himself and the child. Given how the girls presence in his home still made him rather uncomfortable, Henry decided that the best strategy was to let her entertain herself in between meals, baths and bedtime, wanting to keep as much distance between himself and the kit as he could.

A small frown spread on the fox's face as she was lifted up and set on her feet, getting a cold response from her caretaker.

She listened to his suggestion about going outside to play, keeping a cheeky plan she had in mind for later. But first, she wanted to test Henry more. She stood on her tippy toes and slowly peered over the newspaper, glancing down at the words on the paper and quickly looking away from the pictures of a burning forest. "Is this all you do, Mister? Kinda boring," she teased. She leaned forward a bit more and let out a yelp as she purposely fell forward, pushing the paper out of Henry's hands as she landed in his lap, looking up at him with a cute smile. "Hi," she snickered.