Once there was a patch of woods surrounded on three sides by human dens and on one side by a cemetery. The patch of woods was called Singer’s Peace.
Singer’s Peace was the territory of two foxes, Garnet and Singer, who raised their children in full observance of the Rules of the Woods. They brought their children to Story Circles with the other upper predators of Singer’s Peace so that they could learn about the outside world, about the Rules, and about the important life lessons that all young foxes need to know to survive and thrive.
Every year, Singer would give birth to children who would go on to become independent foxes, (usually) ready to go out into the human-infested world to find territories of their own. One year, Singer gave birth to three very special foxes whose stories far exceeded those of any other foxes before or since.
Maple
Energetic, adventurous and stubborn, Maple has wanted to go out into the world since she was very young. When she wasn’t sneaking up and pouncing on her brother, she was dreaming of traversing dangerous terrain to find a beautiful woods of her own. After the unfortunate death of her father, Maple headed south and ended up, to her shock and horror, in a place the humans called “City”.
Dawn
Peace-loving, gentle and resilient, Dawn just wants to find a nice place where she can rest and enjoy life. She is the last to leave Singer’s Peace, volunteering to help her mother raise her next batch of children after the death of her father. Tragedy and heartache struck all that year, but after the perils had passed, Dawn’s mother convinced her that it was time for her to find her own way in the world. She would head east, towards the horizon she was named after, and eventually found a home in reedy marshes by the vast sea.
Tangle
Brave, curious and impulsive, Tangle can be a bit prickly when things aren’t going his way. After a terrible and consequential encounter with the Old Predator (see the story “Tangle and the Night of Bitter Air”) Tangle eventually makes his way north towards the legendary Idyllic Reaches in search of a patch of woods where he can feel safe.