Warming Up

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Candor kept his distance from the boy as they headed home, peeking at him curiously whenever it seemed like he wouldn't notice. Though, it seemed Anthony was just as curious about Candor, as almost every time he snuck a glance, their eyes would meet. The boy would smile, and Candor would look away, doing his best to make it seem as though it had been mere coincidence. His heart, though, would hum nervously in his chest, and he would dart off, his nose glued to the path as he pretended to be unbothered, chasing imaginary mousetrails round Mistamakay as they walked.

It was hard to stay hesitant around the boy for long, though. It seemed as though Anthony was good enough... A bad person wouldn't share their breakfast, after all, and Candor had already munched up half a biscuit by the time he realized he had taken it straight from the boy's hand. He had frozen in that moment, his heart racing. He didn't dare look up at the boy, but he could feel his gaze on him. Still, his curiosity got the better of him, and he braved a peek. And, of course, just as before, their eyes met. He kept eye contact this time, pausing briefly as he considered his options before finishing the biscuit, his gaze still glued uncertainly to the boy's as he crunched the rest of it down. Anthony smiled, laughing softly before tossing him a small bit of sausage. Which... certainly did help Candor warm up to him a bit more.

After that, Candor tried to go about his regular activities. Out in the garden he went, ready to chase grasshoppers and butterflies, perhaps scare away the odd mouse or two. Those stupid rodents simply loved chewing away at the plants in Mistamakay's garden, and it had been causing the old man quite a bit of distress. Candor was determined to put a stop to it, but after the recent, entirely accidental trampling of one of the flowerbeds, his time outside had been... limited, to say the least. A few minutes here or there, if the old man was willing to spend the time watching him closely. It really wasn't fair, how was Candor supposed to know those dainty little flowers would crumple under his paws like that? He tended to avoid the beds now, if he could help it... but Mistamakay took no notice of his efforts.

So, he was quite pleased when the old man let him into the back garden again, it nearly took his mind off of Anthony completely. He took off happily, nose to the grass, taking in the scents of the morning. He eyed the old man, who had settled on an old wooden bench, and was watching him with his all-seeing gaze. Candor made sure to very clearly walk around the recovering violets, making eye-contact with the old man the entire time. He sniffed the air, bounding over to the old redcurrant bush, excitedly munching the last of the season's fruit. Well, the ones he could reach, anyway. Mistamakay eventually took notice, and Candor darted away from the bush as the old man began scolding him. 

He quickly turned his attention to something else, hoping the old man would let it go. It would be unreasonable to send him inside for a few... dozen or so... currants. Luckily, Mistamakay didn't seem overly upset over a handful of berries, and sat back down on his bench with a sigh.

Candor, with the tart sweetness of the currants still lingering on his tongue, began to chase after grasshoppers in the pathways, creeping up to them slowly before pouncing toward them with a great leap. Those things were quite tricky, far more difficult than beetles, and they seemed to notice him fairly easily if he got too close. Still, Mistamakay didn't seem too happy about seeing them in the garden, so he figured he might win back the old man's favor by catching some. After a few thrilling chases, he actually managed to catch one, and he proudly brought it over to Mistamakay, who chuckled, scratching him behind his ears as he presented it.

"Oh? Is this for me?" He said, his voice warm. "Well... thank you. you're shaping up to be quite the little hunter, Candor." The old man smiled at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he accepted the catch. Candor wiggled happily, making a small, proud sound in response. He soaked in the praise for a few moments more before zooming away, reinvigorated by the old man's words. 

Perhaps he set his sights a little too high after that, though. Dragonflies, tantalizing as they were, lazily perched on blades of grass or flower stalks as they liked to do, were far faster when flying than was at all reasonable. Candor wasted a bit more time than he'd care to admit chasing those stupid, beautiful things round the garden, not catching a single one. It wasn't until he heard the gate open that he abandoned his pursuits. He sped over to the gate excitedly. He heard Mistamakay call out to him, but he ignored it, quickly worming his way through the open gap.

He wasn't going to go anywhere, he just wanted to see who it was. And... it was Anthony. Which, made sense when he actually stopped to think about it. He immediately felt several times less adventurous, sheepishly sniffing around the boy's ankles for a short moment before quickly bounding several lengths back into the garden, stopping to stare at him.

Anthony chuckled, caught off guard. "Hi–!" he said, his gaze following the little fox as he darted away. The boy entered the garden, closing the gate behind him. He was smiling, still laughing slightly. Candor moved himself behind Mistamakay, who had, by this point, reached his side.

The old man scolded him, though there was a fond look on his face. "Candor, you shouldn't just run out like that, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest!" He said, leaning down slowly to rub between Candor's ears. Candor glanced at the man briefly before turning his gaze back toward the boy.

Anthony grinned, squatting down to his level. Candor perked up as he smelled... cheese? He tilted his head slightly, his gaze focused on the boy's hand as he opened it, presenting a small piece of the stuff on his palm. He barely hesitated before creeping forward, snatching the morsel from the boy's hand as quickly as it had been offered. He took a small step back as he ate it, but he didn't dare retreat all the way. The boy's pockets definitely held more of the stuff, and he seemed quite the giving type. 

"You like cheese then, do you?" he said, his voice soft and friendly as he pulled out a few more pieces from his pocket, offering them one at a time. Candor very happily went back to the boy, enjoying the salty little treats as they hit his tongue.

Mistamakay chuckled. "Look at you, spoiling him so much already." 

Anthony smiled as Candor licked his empty palm. "I saw him through my window... He's been running around all afternoon, I figured he'd appreciate the snack."

The old man sighed, smiling. "Oh, I'm sure he appreciates it."

Candor sat back expectantly, licking his chops as he stared piercingly into the boy's eyes. 

Anthony just presented his empty hands, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry Candor, there's no more."

The little fox huffed, standing back up.

The boy laughed softly. "Hey, hey, hold on a moment, won't you at least let me pet you a few times before you leave?" He said, holding his hand out to him.

Candor paused, sniffing the boy's hand for a second. Well... he had given him cheese. He held still, staring at the boy shyly.

Anthony smiled, taking that as an invitation. He reached out, gently scratching behind his ears a few times. 

...It did feel quite nice. He supposed Anthony wasn't too bad at this. He held still for the boy, who, growing more confident in his patting abilities, began to stroke the little fox's back.

The boy smiled at him. "See? That's not so bad, is it?" He said, scratching under Candor's chin. Candor tilted his head into it, licking his lips a few times and making a small, pleased sound. It really wasn't so bad...

He heard Mistamakay chuckle warmly from his bench. When had he gone back there? Candor turned to look at him, and Anthony gave him one last pat before standing up. Candor glanced back at the boy before darting away, back to the old man's side. 

"You won him over quite quickly, didn't you?" The old man smiled at the boy, before reaching down to stroke the little fox's back softly. 

Anthony grinned. "He still likes you best, Grandfather."

Candor tilted his head up at the old man. Right, 'Grandfather.' Is that what he was supposed to be called? He kept forgetting about it, but the old man seemed to respond to it quite well.

'Grandfather' just smiled warmly. "Well, it's a good idea to keep giving him treats like that. I'm sure he'll be stuck to your side in no time."

Candor held still, allowing Mistamakay... or, er... 'Grandfather' to scratch his ears. He licked his chops, staring into the boy's eyes. Yes, more treats did sound like a good idea. 

Anthony chuckled, leaning down to pet him again.

Candor pulled back, standing up and darting away from them both, his heart racing excitedly. He sat down several meters away, sneezing. He watched as Anthony stood back up, smiling. Though he looked, perhaps, a little disappointed. His attention didn't stay on the boy for long though, as a little white butterfly swooped down directly in front of him, and his gaze followed it eagerly. He leapt to his feet, giving chase. The way those things flew was honestly mesmerizing. Unfortunately, after his first snap at it, the meandering creature decided to stop teasing him and flew higher, exiting the garden. 

He gave a frustrated huff, when suddenly, he saw something move in the corner of his vision. He turned to it. It was... a leaf? There, right near him, was Anthony, holding a branch with a leaf still attached to its end. He liked the way the thing moved, and he wound up, his gaze following it eagerly. The boy smiled, wiggling the branch. The little fox wiggled slightly, pouncing toward the leaf. Anthony, the cunning boy, moved it away at the last second, laughing. Candor took chase, and he and the boy ran round the garden for what felt like ages. The boy seemed quite pleased, and Candor supposed he was having a lot of fun too. The old man had never played with him like this...

It all came to an end when he finally did catch the leaf, taking it in his jaws. it didn't taste very good, and he spat it out almost immediately. Unfortunately that was already too late. The thing had come loose from the branch. 

Anthony just tossed the branch aside, squatting down and rubbing Candor's ears. "Good job, Candor!" He said with a little laugh. "Too quick for me, aren't you?"

Candor's first instinct was to pull away, but the boy's praise felt deserved. He puffed up his chest slightly, obviously proud of himself. He supposed he was quite fast, wasn't he? He bunched up, feeling mischievous...

Suddenly, he zipped away. He stopped after a few bounds, staring at the boy. Anthony made no move to chase, so he ran back over to him, circling him a few times and darting from side to side, making some excited noises in his throat. The boy smiled, catching on. He leaned down slightly and followed the fox's movements with his hands out. He made a move, as if trying to catch the little fox, and Candor darted away, yipping excitedly as the boy chased him. 

'Grandfather' chuckled from where he was now tending to the garden, pulling out weeds. They ran right past him, Candor looping around behind him with an excited yell. He hid behind a bush, huddling down. He couldn't help the few anticipatory sounds that escaped him as he watched Anthony approach. He leapt out at the boy, pouncing at him, landing on his foot and jumping down on it a few times with both of his front paws. Victory!

Anthony laughed. "Haha– aww, you got me!" he said, leaning down and rubbing Candor's face with both hands. Candor's whole body wiggled, and he made a long sound in his throat, biting softly at the boy's fingers. That was right, he did, he got him! 

Mistamakay... 'Grandfather' stood up, chuckling softly and shaking his head. "Candor, no biting." 

Candor pulled back, glancing at 'Grandfather' briefly before licking the boy's hand a couple of times in apology.

Anthony smiled. "It's like he can really understand you!" he said, amused. 

'Grandfather shook his head fondly, smiling down at the little fox. "Yes, well... he can be quite clever, when he wants to be."

Candor, the clever beast in mention, had gotten distracted by a little ladybeetle on some grass, and was staring at it intently.

Grandfather just sighed. "I've finished in the garden. We should head back in, before it gets too much hotter. Unless you'd like to keep playing with Candor?" He asked with a smile

Anthony shook his head, laughing softly. "No, no... let's head in. I think he's worn me out, for now." He smiled at Grandfather and began moving toward the gate.

"Come along, Candor." 'Grandfather' called out, walking slowly toward the exit as well.

Candor looked up from his bug, happily scampering over to follow them in. He trotted right by Anthony's side, just ahead of 'Grandfather.' It was safe to say, he wasn't feeling so shy anymore. He could already tell, he was going to like having Anthony here.