Wren lay by the hunters’ den, lazily flicking her tail against the ground, The heatwave had subsided, giving way to the crisp chill of autumn. The village lockdown had stopped after a week of staying in camp and eating whatever was left in the prey cache. Wren looked up at the small ridge used for important meetings. Lark was clambering up to the top, staying strictly to the middle to not slip off. “Sycamore Village,” Lark started, then coughed and repeated herself more clearly, “Sycamore Village! I -uh- have an announcement to make!” Foxes crowded around the ridge, pushing and shoving to get to the front. Wren sat up and padded over to the crowd. Immediately, she was shoved around and stumbling to the ridge's left. The mass of foxes eventually settled down, and it grew silent as they waited for Lark to give the announcement. “Um... Marsh, Aspen, Wren, and Cedar? Step up please,” Lark mumbled, barely audible. This stirred the crowd up again as eyes fell on Wren and her siblings. The 4 pups squeezed to the front and peered up at Lark, “Due to your trial being paused… we would have finished a while ago... But we kinda have to give you your roles now.” Several watching foxes gasped or mumbled something in protest. Deciding foxes' roles because of ONE part of the trial?! This was unheard of! “Marsh, you first,” Lark called Wren’s sister to the rock. Marsh stepped forward with a grin, obviously unbothered by this change of events. “You will be a… knight. You did amazing in the fighting portion of the trial. You received a 10/10 on it, which very few foxes obtain.” Marsh grinned a big, wide smile and stepped back from the rock, pleased. Lark opened her mouth, then closed it and looked back toward Hickory’s den. After a second, she turned back to face the gathering of foxes and continued, “Aspen. You next,” Aspen stepped up to the base of the rock shakily. He craned his neck upward to look at Lark as she announced his role, “Aspen. You received a 7 in herbal identification, and for this reason, you will be a medic. I assume you didn’t want this role, however, it is what we must do right now,” Lark dipped her head and sighed. Aspen grimaced and shook his head before retreating to the crowd. Wren tapped her tail anxiously against the cold earth, sending pebbles scattering around. A fox near her hissed, “Watch it!”. Wren stilled her tail and glanced around, searching for whoever had spoken. “Wren? Step up please,” Lark called for Wren to come closer. Wren stood and squeezed into the centre of the camp. As soon as the golden vixen reached the ledge, Lark continued her announcement. This was very awkward for Lark, due to her being friends with Wren, but being much, much, higher rank than her. “Wren, you will be a hunter,” Lark said, her voice more confident now. “You received an 8 in hunting, making you the best candidate for the scout role. Congratulations.” Wren felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had been worried she would end up as a guard, the most boring and unfulfilling role. As she stepped back from the rock, she saw Cedar, her youngest sibling, step up to receive her role. She smiled and cheered as she was declared a scout, her best skills being sneaking and tracking. The meeting dispersed quickly after that, foxes heading off to their respective dens to rest after the long day. Wren felt excited and nervous at the same time. She was finally an adult and had a role to play in the village. Being a hunter wasn’t the worst role, however, she couldn't help herself from feeling like her stomach had dropped. She couldn't wait to see what tomorrow as a hunter would be like.
Next: W.I.P. Previous: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/953723049/ First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/949569151/ Feel free to ask me any questions! Notes_ Augh this took so long - not the writing itself but I completely forgot to post it on scratch
