Silky Fur the Adventurer

In a beautiful mountain forest lived a kind little fox named Silky Fur. He was given this name by his friend, a boy who loved animals dearly and whom the animals trusted. On many evenings they met beneath a certain tree, playing together until, at last, Silky Fur curled up in his arms and fell into a peaceful sleep. Sometimes his little human friend’s eyes grew heavy as well. Only an old owl watched the two friends with a small, knowing smile.

But it is not always summer - and this is where our story begins.

For our little fox hated winter. Not only was it bitterly cold, but there was also a great deal of snow, and finding food became very difficult. And his human friend did not come either. It was a terrible time for all the creatures of the forest!

One evening Silky Fur was wandering about. He was hungry, and so he set off determinedly towards the village. From house to house he went, searching for something nourishing. The chances were not good - but suddenly something caught his eye: leaning against the wall of a house stood a pair of skis, complete with poles.

An idea struck him like lightning!

Are you surprised? But yes, our little fox knew exactly how to use skis! After all, he had watched the whole winter long as the holidaymakers raced down the mountain like mad. In no time at all he had stolen the skis, hurried to the slope, strapped them on, took the poles in his paws and shot away — towards the valley and towards spring.

Winter, farewell!

When he reached the valley, Silky Fur recovered from all his little tumbles, placed the skis neatly beside the lift station and continued his journey with his bundle on his back, walking over the last patches of snow into the green land beyond.

Snowdrops lined his path, and the farther south he travelled, the warmer and sunnier it became. He already felt much better and enjoyed his journey with all his heart. Every now and then, a cheerful and very careless little mouse crossed his path, so our little fox did not have to remain hungry. Full of hope, he wandered ever onward, passing several farms along the way. The days grew warmer and warmer, and soon he reached a large, mysterious forest.

“Yes,” thought Silky Fur, “this is a place where one could live!”

At the edge of the forest stood a farmyard, and he had to pass through it, for the path led straight through the farm and not across the fields. Oh dear! 

There were many chickens running freely about - and they made a terrible racket when they saw the fox. And Silky Fur had not meant any harm at all ... But the dreadful commotion brought the farmer running. He immediately fetched his gun and chased poor Silky Fur with furious shouting.

Run, little Silky Fur, run as fast as you can!

And our little fox ran for his life and escaped by the narrowest of margins. Finally, the angry farmer fired one last load of shot after him, but Silky Fur managed to duck and escaped unharmed. Now he desperately needed somewhere to rest.

Far away from the farm with the angry farmer, Silky Fur spotted a small stable with an open door and slipped inside. The stable was empty, but the manger was filled with sweet-smelling, fragrant hay. Tired as he was, our little fox crawled into it — just for a few minutes, only to catch his breath. But almost immediately he fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion. After some time, the owner of the stable returned home: a friendly Shetland pony. When it saw the sleeping guest, it smiled. Very quietly it whispered:

“Sleep on, little fox. We are all alone here, and you are safe.”

Then the pony lay down in the straw and kindly watched over the sleep of its unexpected visitor.

The next morning, Silky Fur thanked his friendly host and continued his journey until he could once again disappear into the great forest. He walked all day and, when evening came and the moon had already risen, he reached a large clearing. But this was a strange forest indeed, unlike any he had ever seen before. Strange trees and unfamiliar plants grew here, and all of them seemed to hold a secret life of their own. So Silky Fur walked carefully onward, a little shyly, when suddenly the ground beneath him began to move.

It cracked open, and from the opening rose the figure of a mighty Daimon, spreading its great wings. All the animals around him — even the proud stag — sank down in a reverent bow, and so did Silky Fur. The magnificent being lifted its face towards the sky, and its beautiful wings carried the Daimon upward into the heavens. All the animals watched it go and shivered with awe.

What an experience! To witness the birth of a Daimon was an unbelievable stroke of fortune! But Silky Fur searched for a sheltered place and spent the entire following day there. The excitement and the magical surroundings had exhausted him. 

In the evening he continued his journey and unexpectedly met a friendly goblin. The little creature spoke to him, and soon they began a conversation. The goblin told him a little about the forest and its inhabitants, and Silky Fur would have loved to become friends with him. But then a grumpy badger appeared. He pushed himself between the fox and the goblin and possessively placed one paw on the shoulder of the still-smiling goblin. The goblin merely shrugged and said, while being gently pulled away: 

“That is my friend Grimbart — he is just a little jealous. Goodbye, perhaps we shall meet again!” And then the two of them disappeared, leaving the little fox staring after them in complete surprise.

While Silky Fur was still standing there, puzzled, he heard a deep, unbelievably loud buzzing sound. He looked around — and there, flying low between the trees, came a gigantic hornet. The creature was enormous ... and incredibly fast! Our little fox became frightened when he saw the fierce expression on the hornet’s face and immediately fled. He discovered a hollow between the roots of a huge, ancient tree and quickly crawled inside.

And BRUUUUUMMMMM! The hornet flew past only inches away. Silky Fur ducked down and hoped that it had not noticed him. Trembling, he remained there- oh, how frightened he was! Such a terrifying creature with such an angry look!

Our little fox stayed in the tree hollow until the following evening, for he first had to recover from his fright. And yet, this forest was so beautiful, so quiet and enchanted. Silky Fur could never tire of looking at it.

But this forest was truly not as harmless as it seemed! Hardly had he set out again when a small army of mice forced him to stop. They waved their shields, brandished their tiny swords and spears, and shouted:

“No fox shall threaten us here in our forest! We will not tolerate hunters in our woods!”

Silky Fur was completely bewildered. He had not done anything at all! But the mice would not let him pass until he promised that he would not harm a single mouse in the forest. Only then did they allow him to continue his journey.

And secretly, our little fox began to think that perhaps a vegetarian diet might not be such a bad idea after all.

The forest stretched endlessly in every direction. It seemed as though it would never come to an end. Silky Fur wandered from clearing to clearing and rested beneath many an ancient tree. Every now and then his eyes grew heavy, and he woke again because a cheeky little leaf had fallen onto his nose. When the sun went down, he happily continued his way.

Even a fox is not always safe from becoming someone else’s prey. A gigantic eagle had spotted him and was rapidly approaching, its powerful claws stretched out towards him. The little fox could already see the enormous talons before him, when suddenly a beautiful green fairy-like figure appeared from the tree and commanded the eagle to stop. The eagle turned away in disappointment and flew off.

Not every inhabitant of this enchanted forest was an enemy, after all. Silky Fur was deeply relieved and filled with gratitude for the protection he had received. The fairy gently stroked him, and suddenly his fur began to glow. Yes - she had placed a magical protection upon him, and in this way he was accepted into the forest.

Now he was allowed to feel at home.

And so Silky Fur was soon welcomed into the community. Neither the mice nor the eagle looked upon him as a stranger any longer. At last, our little fox had truly found a new home, and he was completely happy. Completely? Yes, he was. But he still wandered far and wide. Somehow, he had not yet found complete peace. Our little fox was a little restless and explored the lands around him. Naturally, he also left the forest from time to time, for there were beautiful flower meadows all around it.

And then, one day, it happened.

There, in the middle of a meadow full of flowers, a beautiful white little vixen was playing. They saw each other ... They slowly walked towards one another ... And suddenly, two little fox hearts began to beat in the very same rhythm.

How beautiful the world was!

They ran and played together like two children, and the sky had never been bluer, the meadow had never been greener, and the flowers had never been more colourful. They felt as if they were in paradise.

And when dawn broke, they wandered together into their new life as a pair.