The Daily Tot 6/8/22

NOTE - In "The Glory Of The Hunt" the lemming mistakenly stated that Arctic Foxes are critically endangered. As of 2020 their status was critically endangered, but now in 2022, they have been updated to "Least Concern". You are all required to cheer for the increase in their population RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.

The Terrible Fight

_________________________

We go back to the glittering arctic tundra, where we left our protagonist a while back. Since then, it has only gotten colder. Since then it has only gotten worse. Our daring hero, Glacies was starving. Again. He had been hunting for a tasty winter hare or a morsel of lemming. The ground was hard and the wind was unforgiving. The sleet bit at his thick winter coat. He longed for summer, when his arctic home would be alive once more, with an abundance of prey for his species to feast upon. He could hardly remember that weasel. He could hardly remember when the icy grasp of hunger had not been grasping onto him, when it had not been grasping onto every creature in the tundra. But of all of his competition, there was one creature that he most detested. One species, so foul, so terrible. One of his own family. Red foxes.

These terrible creatures had been forced to hunt outside their own forest territory due to vile humans. Was this Glacies' fault? No. The red foxes were invading his tundra home, stealing food right out of arctic fox territory. They had the audacity to strut into his territory and steal his food. He could not stand red foxes. They were an embarrassment to the noble family of Canidae. He sniffed at the ground. He could detect the scent of one right at that moment. It was a faint trace, but a sign that he should be wary. While this was his home, the red foxes had no respect for boundaries. They were almost as bad as those poachers who used to come and kill off arctic foxes by the dozen.

An hour later, all that he had caught was a scrawny lemming. The red foxes and the harsh winter meant a meager supply of food. The available resources were dwindling rapidly. It was hard being a fox in the winter tundra. Glacies was just about to head back to his den when something pounced on him. He yipped in surprise and turned his head to bite his attacker. A red fox. A rather large one. Aggresively, it tore at his ear, trying to get to his neck. It wanted him as prey. How dare this oversized rabbit try to kill him! Arctic foxes were terrestrial apex predators, and they weren't scared of anything short of a wolverine or bear. With renewed energy, Glacies nipped at his opponent, before managing to catch hold of his foreleg and pinning the red fox to the ground. She panted, baring her teeth, before clawing at his stomach and exposing his vulnerable underbelly. She prepared to sink in her teeth, but Glacies flipped over and fled in the nick of time. He hesitated, then turned around and lunged at the red fox, catching her by surprise. His larger foe did not expect her puny white counterpart to try and fight so hard. In fact, the red fox had been almost about to give up and find some prey that couldn't injure her. The two foxes tore at eachother, till finally the red fox gave up and ran. Glacies looked at the scene around him. The snow was stained crimson from their combined wounds. He examined his injuries for a second before trekking on into the deep snow. He would see about healing himself at his den....

And thus ends this chapter in the life of our protagonist, Glacies.