Panting, I skidded to a halt, my makeshift apple clutched tightly in one hand. The growls had stopped, replaced by the familiar sound of soft padding against the forest floor. My heart still pounded in my ears, but as I squinted into the shadows, the source of the sound revealed itself.
The little black fox.
He emerged from the underbrush with an air of supreme indifference, his sleek coat catching the faint rays of light filtering through the trees. His eyes glimmered mischievously as he padded closer, a small slip of paper tied neatly around his neck with a frayed string.
"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, half-relieved, half-enraged. "You nearly scared me to death! I thought you were some kind of forest demon!"
The fox ignored my accusations, sitting down with a huff and lifting one paw as if to say, Yeah, yeah, spare me the dramatics. His eyes flicked pointedly toward the note, clearly expecting me to retrieve it.