Brown Fox and Lazy Dog
A little story, because the woods are, among many other things, great story tellers.
A while ago, a friend of mine was having a hard day. I offered them comfort the best way I know how– through a story. I wrote it down in an old journal of mine, and today, when looking for the book I wanted to read, I recognized its green cover. Low and behold their hardship has passed, but the story still remains.
Read it as you may…
The story of Brown Fox & Lazy Dog
In the town of Woodfire lived Brown Fox. He’d scurry from thing to thing, with a smile on his face and warmth in his heart. He was here, there, everywhere, all at once. He took care of his neighbors and his friends, and his parents as they grew old. The kids would beam at him, charmed by his loving nature.
Brown Fox loved his life. He loved being the animal that Miss Betty, the old ladybug, could call upon when she needed help. He loved the sincere face of Woody the Turtle, who he had helped build a new shell for. Brown Fox loved his animal community, and at the end of the day, he was always tuckered out. He’d look up at the moon, wish it a good night, and curl up by the fire, cozy in his favorite blanket. He would dream about all he could do the next day.
Across town, Lazy Dog slept, as she so often did. Her days were full to the brim, but vastly different from Brown Fox’s. She would wake up and say good morning to the sun. Slowly, she would unravel herself from the warmth of her bed and sit outside. She could be outside for hours, paying no mind to any other animals in town.
Her neighbor, Clementine the Pig, would often tell her family about Lazy Dog.
“She never does anything productive,” she would oink, shaking her head as she stared out the window. She often wondered how Lazy Dog could sit for so long under the trees with nothing to do.
Lazy Dog knew of the town's whispers, but they never bothered her. She lived in her own world, and was happy to do so. Every night, she thanked the trees around her and promised to visit again the next day. At night, she would curl up by the fire, cozy in her favorite blanket, and dream of being exactly where she was.
One fine Sunday morning, Brown Fox heard from the birds that he was needed across town, in a rather peculiar spot… the woods. He had not been to the woods before, but the birds promised to lead him in the right direction.
It took him two hours to get to the woods– he had timed it, glancing at his watch every five minutes, making sure his day was still on track.
Suddenly, he realized, he had lost his way.
He looked up, earnestly hoping to hear the songs of the birds, but they were long gone. Brown Fox grew upset, and all he could think to do was yell for help. Just as he was about to do so, he heard the snap of a branch behind him.
He turned around just in time to meet the stare of two big brown eyes. They belonged to Lazy Dog. She looked at him, curiosity filling her mind. She had never before seen a brown fox. In her amazement, she could not focus on his worries. She was far more entranced by the texture of his fur; the brown, grey, and red strands shone in the sun.
Atlas, her thoughts were interrupted.
“Help me find a way out!” Brown Fox begged.
“Why would you want to leave?” asked Lazy Dog.
“Because I’m lost, and in the woods, and–” he glanced at his watch, “Behind schedule.”
Lazy Dog immediately understood. Brown Fox was not here, in the woods with her– he was in his head. So she grabbed him by the paw and led him to her favorite spot. It was a stream, laden with pine trees on either side. The sun shone through and sparkled the water beneath it.
Lazy Dog took a deep breath in and turned to Brown Fox.
“Close your eyes,” she said. He was skeptical at first, but did as he was asked.
“And take a deep breath in, just like I did.”
Brown Fox felt ridiculous, but did it anyway.
“And listen– what do you hear?” asked Lazy Dog.
“I hear nothing,” said Brown Fox. But then he did hear something.
“No, I hear the wind,” he corrected himself.
“And what else?” Lazy Dog asked.
“I hear the leaves beneath my feet and–and the squirrels jumping from branch to branch– and, oh, what was that? An acorn! Yes, definitely an acorn falling.”
Lazy Dog smiled, and then added, “Now what do you feel?”
Brown Fox kept his eyes closed and took another deep breath, this time without being asked to do so.
“I feel the tree bark against my back, and the sun in my fur, and the dirt under my paws.”
“Good,” Lazy Dog said, “Now open your eyes.”
As usual, Brown Fox did as he was told and noticed something spectacular. In front of him was the most beautiful stream he had ever seen– gushing with blues and full of twists and turns. It sparked in the light of the sun. He looked up and saw the most vibrant pine trees, full of dark needles and home to hundreds of creatures.
And he looked at Lazy Dog and her brown eyes, and saw so much in them he couldn’t find any more words.
Lazy Dog smiled at him. She felt grateful, from the bottom of her heart– grateful that she could share that moment with him. And grateful that he was a kind, lost Brown Fox.
“I can help you find your way out,” Lazy Dog offered.
“In a little,” Brown Fox said. “I’m in no rush anymore.”
Lazy Dog was happy to hear this, she secretly wanted to stay– and wanted him to stay too.
The two spent the rest of the day by the stream, dipping their paws in the water and laying in the grass under them. They made friends with grasshoppers and chipmunks and raccoons. The birds that had led Brown Fox to the woods eventually returned with news that the call for his travels had found the help it needed.
“What happened?” asked Brown Fox.
“It was a scared caterpillar,” said the birds, “She thought that she had gone blind, but rest assured– she was just cocooning, and needed time to grow.”
Soon she will be a beautiful butterfly, thought Lazy Dog.
Brown Fox sighed with relief, and settled on the idea that everything works out exactly as it’s supposed to. He looked up to the trees and thanked them for being there, and made a promise to visit them again the next day.
THE END :)
