I'm pulled out of my slumber by the incessant droning of an alarm and groan. I am finally able to open my eyes. Rolling over to look over the edge of my bed, with a groan I get out of bed. Then of course my feet touch the cold concrete floor of my room. Making me groan again, it's just awful to wake up needing to go to the bathroom but between your warm bed and the cold porcelain throne. Nothing to keep your feet warm with the ice cold ceramic tiles for the bathroom floor and the concrete floor that is probably only a degree warmer but it's still too damn cold.

Rubbing the crusted sleep from my eyes as I am woken up by the cold. While stretching my arms to try and get some life into them, I am forced to stifle the accompanying yawn. I finish up to move on to taking my hot shower to finish waking me and to put me in a good mood. I don’t know about other people that have lived in this kind of situation, but I am in a terrible mood when I become awake enough to not be able to go back to bed. This is the result of having to do the morning shuffle to the bathroom across what always feels like the icy north.

Clean, warm, and comfortably awake now I begin to dress for the day. Today like most days I decided to wear one of the pairs of BDU’s from my Dad, who was a career Ranger. With a standard brown undershirt on first then I pull up the pattern for today which I chose as Woodland. Then finishing with my usual pair of Combat Boots that were issued to him before I had been born. Tying them tightly with the pants tucked in and the excess is pulled over the top of the boots. I quickly check the time on my watch, deciding that I have enough time for a quick load of laundry. I put on my glasses before grabbing my dirty clothes hamper heading to the stairs.

I carry myself up the flight of stairs leading out of my room in the basement into the kitchen. I enter the kitchen, setting the basket of dirty clothes in front of the laundry room door. Turning around to check the weekly chore board on the door. Noticing that everyone has checked off that they did a load of laundry already this week. Shit, this means I will do them myself. With the monthly communal laundry day will be after I leave the country.

Deciding that I may as well wait and ask if anyone had any dirty clothes that they want washed because I don’t have more than ⅔ of a load, we always do our best to conserve our family resources. So with that out of the way for now I turn my attention to my demanding stomach which wants breakfast. I then do what is expected of the first up, I head to the fridge to start breakfast. Breakfast is nothing really special, just eggs, ham, bacon, and hashbrowns. It is however enough to wake the rest of the family, soon the sound of the usual morning breakfast shuffle could be heard throughout the house. After everyone had found the kitchen through their hazy half-asleep state, we all sit down to enjoy the hot breakfast.

“Anyone have any laundry that needs to be washed?” I ask when I find most of us taking a break from stuffing our faces.

“Yeah if you're offering to do a load. I have a few things that could use one.” My eldest brother states with a heavy sigh after taking a long drink from his coffee. He gives me his signature blank stare to me with his bleary blue eyes and his rough stubble marked with crumbs. Causing me to break into a laughing fit that seems to bring him to world of the living just to give me this very annoyed look. “And what are you finding so funny, Little Kit?” David asks in a heated tone letting me know that he is a little pissed off to have me laughing at him so early in the morning.

The fact that he was using the nickname the family, followed by everyone else in the area, of Little Kit lets me know that he is mostly joking. I don’t really mind that everyone I know calls me ‘Little Kit’, it actually makes me feel quite proud of how I earned that reputation as the town’s ‘Kit’. Absently running my hand through hair remembering how I got it.

******

Several years ago

Around mid morning I had found a red kit under the back deck, he was just so small. I didn’t really think anything of it then, that I just knew it was a boy, I never thought about it putting it off as ‘normal’. Well not knowing what I was really doing I decided to crawl under to help the kit, I was barely small enough to fit in the small space in the far back where he was. Once I was about a third of a meter away, the kit suddenly charged at me. Instead of trying to get around me and escape, or even straight out attacking me the kit did something completely unexpected. The kit had ran to the bottom of my sweatshirt and crawled up into it staying about upper stomach. A moment later I am snapped out of my surprise realizing that it is easier now than what I had planned. I mean the whole point was to bring the kit out to make sure it was okay. Now it had burrowed in a way that I don’t have to use both my hands to hold it on the crawl out, just keeping one on it to keep it in place.

Upon getting out, not really knowing what I should do now that I got the kit out, I race to my bedroom easily avoiding my family along the way. Once I get us there and alone with the door closed and locked ensuring we remain alone. I think I heard once that baby animals like to be swaddled because it’s like their den or something. So I head into ‘Pillow base camp’, my pillow fort. Once I get the entrance blanket down so the kit can’t run I gently take it out from under my sweatshirt and t-shirt. As soon as he feels the cooler air in my room he gave a soft cry, so thinking he didn’t like the cold I decided to place a few of my fluffiest blankets under me as I lay on my stomach with the kit in my hands. We sat there for so long just looking into the other’s eyes not moving for a long time.

After some time of looking at each other like that I guess he decided that I was not going to hurt him, so he walked well waddled to the crook between my cheek and my shoulder. Curling up into a tight ball he drifted off to sleep, I just stare at him befuddled at this. I don’t know when but I eventually fell asleep because I am woken up to my brother David pounding on my door for something. “Come on, it’s time for dinner!” David yells probably not for the first time. I notice that my kit has once again hidden this time he is hiding in my sweatshirt’s hood curled around my neck to be as close as he can while staying hidden. So not wanting to leave him alone but not let my family know about him, afraid that they will hurt him, I decided to act like everything is as it should be.

I’m eating dinner at the dinner table as usual, though I am usually not the one that is hiding something I am this time. I can feel the kit has fallen asleep again, after close to an hour of terror it probably calmed down once I had relaxed that they were not going to find him. All throughout dinner Kiyoshi had not made any noise or even moved more than the little bit to get more tightly curled around my neck. So I know he is okay, but I worry about how I am going to feed him or even what I can so he lives.

“Hey Dad, what do baby fox eat?” I ask towards the end of dinner, trying my best to keep the motive hidden. Dad looks up from his meal to me thinking about why I would ask that all of a sudden, but he shrugged passing it off as random curiosity. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding in.

“Well,” Taking a napkin and wiping his mouth. “They usually nurse off of their mother’s milk for a I think about a month before the father brings back things like mice so the babies can learn how to hunt.” He answers to the best he can with the little knowledge he has on them.

“Okay but what would they need to eat if the mother disappeared?” I do my best to keep my face as innocently curious as possible, I think it was working. Well dad is not known as being good at reading people, I just hope Julie doesn’t pick up on my fidgeting. She is watching me closely now, I think she noticed but is not sure if she did.

“Well I don’t know about what would go on in the wild, but I would think that if both parents left the cub then they would probably die. But if the cub was found by people they probably would feed it milk that is warmed up a bit. Does that answer your questions?” He asks me I just nod lightly trying to keep from moving Kiyoshi, or letting them see him.

Shortly after we finish dinner up, taking the dishes into the kitchen so dad can wash them. Quickly I try to sneak into my room before someone stops me, as soon as I quietly close my bedroom door I heave a big sigh feeling relieved no one was the wiser.

“Okay Christian, what are you hiding?” I turn around and freeze as soon as I notice my sister is sitting in my room waiting for me obviously. “Well?” She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Are you going to just stand there like a deer caught in the headlights? Or are you going to tell me before I go get dad?” I shake myself trying to put on a look of being calm while I am anything but on the inside, I even feel Kiyoshi tense up around my neck.

“Uhm --- Okay sis I’ll tell you - but you gotta promise you won’t tell the dad. Please promise that you will do that. With an actual promise not one of those you say it to get me to tell you something but then tattle on me.” I actually get out in a tone that to me sounds loaded with my nervousness but apparently it was not enough for her to catch because she slumps dejectedly before speaking.

“Okay, but first you do know I only did it that one time because it's dangerous for you to be feeding those stray animals. Not all of them were even pets some were wild animals that could hurt you very badly.” She takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly, “I promise that what you are going to tell me I will not tell dad unless you are in danger, okay?”

“Okay that will work but please don’t freak out over what I am about to tell you because I’m afraid that dad or our brothers would do something very bad to him.” I say very quietly to which she just nods for me to continue. I motion for her to stand in front of me before I direct her to look at my neck. “I found him under the back deck, when I got closer to see if he was hurt he ran up into my shirt. Every time I try to set him down, or just stop touching him, he starts to cry loudly. So I can’t just let him cry because it could cause him to be found by dad. And I just can’t leave him like that he looks just too sad when I tried.” As I am finishing this I click my tongue gently while softly snapping my finger near my chin.

To Julie’s obvious surprise, Kiyoshi moves around to sitting up while still being as close to my head and neck as possible. I reach up to stroke him while I quickly whisper to him praise for doing that on command. He just nuzzles me for the praise, he still has his tail wrapped around my neck as tight as he can but it doesn’t go all the way around. Noticing that he is still behaving I nuzzle my cheek against him very lightly trying to tell him that I am happy with him for doing what he has, it’s also me trying to reassure him that Julie isn’t going to hurt him because I won’t let her. Through this brief bit Julie is just staring dumbly at us like I just grew a second head, then again it probably looks that way just that it’s a fox head.

“How are you getting him to do what you want him to do without saying anything? He’s not even old enough to be weaned off his mother let alone trying to train him.” She states matter of factly to me. I just nod agreeing that it is weird, though I don’t really understand what she means by ‘weaned’ but I think it has something to do with the mom feeding him.

“I don’t know I just think about it while making a little click with my tongue or a snap with my fingers. I snap my fingers where I want him to go, but he always listens to me when I want him to do something so far. However I only found him this morning so I have not had long to see if he always do or not. Ever since I found him he has not left me for a minute his favorite place seems to be wrapped around my neck or on my shoulder leaning on my head.” I try to explain it to her, but with her continued look of confusion I give up not really knowing how to tell her.

“Well does he have a name?” She asked after trying to shake the confusion from her head. “Also we should tell dad so we can take it to the vet and make sure he is healthy okay?” She adds after I nod at whether he has a name but before I could tell her I just nod again.

Me - “Okay, and his name is Kiyoshi. It means ‘quiet one’ I think.”

Julie - “How do you know that? Where does it even come from?”

Me - “I don’t know really, I just knew that’s what it meant. Also it just felt right for him”

Julie - “That doesn’t make any sense, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. So let’s go tell dad now so he knows.” We head up the stairs and head to the living room to talk dad into letting me keep him.

*******

Gently ruffling Kiyoshi’s head and ears before answering David what he did that was so funny. Kiyoshi nuzzles my hand saying thanks for the attention, he never really grew much or very fast he is still small enough to sit on my shoulders. Though now he takes up almost both even without his tail, but I hardly notice it because that’s just where he has always been since then.

“Well I wonder why David” I respond sarcastically, he just smirks and I shake my head at him. His muscular arms and enormous hands wrapped around the little fork in a comedic way just to resume shoveling more food into his mouth. David my eldest brother is the perfect lineman, with a height of 6’ and 300lbs, so obviously he plays football. He plays for the local college team, but it's not any team you would have heard of, The Orfordville Ninnies. Whatever in hell’s name is a Ninny I have no clue but lots of the other teams make fun of us. He gets his great hulking body build from our father, while I unfortunately have apparently none from him as I am only 5’2” at best and close to 160 lbs, I don’t have an attention grabbing body like the other males in my family. Though who needs that when you almost always have a adolescent Red Fox riding around on your shoulders?

“Well anyone else have dirty clothes that need to be washed?” I ask again, scanning my other family members.

“Well I may have some things that would be nice to wear again soon after a washing of course.” Julie answers me I nod my head to show I got it.

“Dad have the late shift last night?” I inquire to my older sister Julie, who is starting to eat her food. Julie is the second oldest child, like David who inherited all his traits from our dad she got all her good looks from our mother. With her milk-chocolate brown hair up in a ponytail. She is looking at me with her blue eyes that always seem to be smiling, while she is casually sipping her OJ. With her hair back like that making her eyes look even bigger and almost blindingly bright.

“Yeah he has been getting plastered with those shifts left and right it feels like someone has it in for him. Also if you wash the clothes I’ll help you with folding them. Just make sure you're ready for my help after club gets out.” Julie offers unsurprisingly.

Standing up from the table leaving his plate behind for someone else again, David leaves the room only to return a minute later with his duffle bag. “See ya” he states over his shoulder as he opens the back door.

“Well it looks to be that time were people start leaving” John contemplates out loud, I just shake my head.

“Johnny you're doing it again” I helpfully reminding him to keep his thoughts to himself.

“Oh ----- I guess I should be heading out now too.” He rushes out of the room before either Julie or I could say anything.

“So will you help me with the dishes Julie?” I ask Julie giving her my best ‘puppy dog’ eyes with the help of Kiyoshi both of us begging for her help with the dishes.

“Hmmm --- I don’t know I already said I would help with the laundry” she takes a contemplative pose with her finger pressed against her lips. That are threatening to break out into a grin and give her away. “Of course I will you think I would leave you alone to clean up their mess?” She states in mock horror.

“Well you know how they are” gesturing to the door, “I just wanted to make sure I’m not late for school.” I explain to her matter-of-factly, but we can’t keep the game up for long for almost right after the words are said we breakdown into a giggle fit. Yes I called it a Giggle fit, I’m allowed those with my sister I will just deny it if someone else called it that.

Sending Kiyoshi to the living room so I could do the dishes and finish getting ready for school. Taking some time to finish the dishes together, Julie runs up to her room to grab her school stuff, while I go to grab mine from the couch in the living room. I give Kiyoshi the usual ruffling, hugs, and a bunch of muzzle kisses before I leave. It took me a very long time to get him to wait at home for me while I go to school or other places that I can’t have him with me.

In a flurry of action we are in her car. Finding ourselves on our way to school, I start staring out the window watching as the scenery passes by. Other than the radio nothing really was happening ending up with a very bland ride. The ride being around 20 minutes across town to the very edge of town where the overly large school is.

“Julie I hate how far the school is from townsquare.” I complain once the school is in sight.

“Well it is a very large school building. Actually why don’t you tell me why that is?” She looks at my out of the corner of her eye offering me a sly grin.

“Why do you make me tell you every time I complain about the school?” I whine back to her.

“Well because I like to hear just how smart my wittle baby brother is” she finishes in that baby tone.

“Hey! Just because you’re older doesn’t mean I’m a baby.” I slouch into the seat pouting with my arms crossed.

“Ha Ha Ha!!! You know I only do that to tease you.” Laughing, trying to catch her breath before she finishes. “It doesn’t help you to do that absolutely cute pouty face whenever I do.”

She suddenly grabs my cheeks she forces my head towards her to make me look into her eyes. “You are leaving the country soon so I want to get as much of you as I can before you leave me here alone with those Orangutans we call our brothers.” She finishes by pulling me into a hug, forcing my face into her to muffle my complaints. Later after she feels like enough brain cells have died from her suffocation she lets me go, only actually being seconds but felt like hours.

“You know that some things you do with your ‘baby’ brother are very easy to misinterpret. You might give people the wrong ideas.” I chastise her as a devious plan is formed on how I can get back. “Or are you actually a shisukon?” I chide her, she knows I’m teasing but she still squirms. “Oh -- my --- god! You are, aren’t you?” I say in teasing surprise.

“Yes Christian --- I do have a little bit of one.” she confesses mekly. Forcing me into a state of utter shock, when I was thinking we were doing the usual game. “That's why I don’t want you to leave me here all alone. I love you a lot and ever since Mom died I practically raised you. You probably don’t remember much for that time, 9 years ago.” she continues while her eyes start to moisten as tears start to roll down her cheeks.

“Sis I know you’ll come visit me in a few months, don’t forget though I’ll have Kiyo with me too. But I’m still going to miss you too Julie.” I finish with my own tears.

“Ha I got you good, I finally got YOU! Yes I love you but it is totally platonic. I can’t believe you actually thought that I am a siscon” She finishes by sticking her tongue out at me. “But I wasn’t joking about the rest you know that right?” I nod pulling her into an embrace. Moments later I pull out of it, getting into another round of giggles, before I get out.

Nothing exciting happened at school that is until lunch when I get to meet up with my friends. Michael McCarrer along with his twin sister Mariah McCarrer sit down with a solemn look on their faces making it almost impossible to tell apart. For everyone that I have met, I’ve been the only one that can tell the two apart 100% of the time.

Even though those two are in high school neither has begun to show their secondary sexual characteristics. They are both short, nearly 5 feet tall but fall short by a few inches, with their short stature they have bright green eyes, that contributes to show others their Scottish blood. But the Scottish blood in them doesn’t end there for them with their pale skin, spattered with freckles, and the curly locks of red untamable hair bursting from their scalps. Making them the picture perfect examples for your stereotypical Scot, I don’t know if that is from the simple fact that they are second gen. Americans. No matter how much they try to stop it they have even picked up that Scottish accent from their parents though it is not as strong it is still there.

“Hey you two don’t look so down” I whisper conspiratorially to them leaning towards them. Now it is not because that is what people always say when they leave for a long time that got their attention. I must have my signature grin on my face, meaning that I am up to no good.

“What have you got planned now? It better not get us caught, I don’t wanna deal with punishment as much as you, you know right? If you think we are going to go along with this insanity that you have cooked up then think again.” Mariah pokes me for more emphasises on her point, though her face is as stoic as ever I can see the mischievous gleam in her eyes that she can’t hide from me.

“Well when you say it like that, you make it sound like I intentionally plan things in such a way that you and your brother end up getting caught.” I respond with wryly grin before continuing, “You may think yourselves masters at deceit, which I admit is true to an extent. However you can forget about trying to fool me I can see right through you both, and I can easily see your excitement for our next ‘playtime’. Just admit it that you can’t stop yourselves from our usual dose of fun.” I finish quickly and quietly leaving her agape. “Oh come on M&M I can’t believe after everything you are surprised at that”

“Well fine, but why do you have to be the only one to come up with the plans?” She asks with a huff after I take the wind from her sails.

“Well my plan is not going to be an all at once thing. This time I have it planed so you will be leaving town soon.” I begin ignoring her comment. “Our target this time is going to be the whole student body as one big ‘Hurrah!’ before I leave. That way NO ONE is going to forget me while I am away, not that it was likely to happen with my good looks as it is.” I add sarcastically brushing my hand through my hair in an aloft way, which garners me a few giggles from the duo.