The Kitsune Giggle

Chapter 2

Two

Three hours later, Kiki’s food remained entirely untouched and the red kitsune was still soundly asleep. The Sanctuary was closed to the public by now and most of the staff had gone home. Only the night shift was still here and a handful like us, who had to change their schedule depending on the animals'’ needs.

“Why don’t they instal day-night technology for Kiki?” Tamara wondered out loud as she leaned back and tossed some peanuts in her mouth. “Then we or the keepers wouldn’t have to stay nights to take care of her. And the public would be able to see her too.”

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s too expensive?”

“I think it’s because the directors don’t like artificial habitats.” She scoffed slightly. “Like this isn’t all artificial anyway. Gah, this is boring.”

I had to give it to her, even I was getting a little bored. Night and evening shifts sounded fun and rife with possible emergencies that would give us a taste of what it would be like to be a qualified veterinarian but so far, none had come in. I supposed usually, we could sleep but Gwen had asked us to take on some keeper duties.

A familiar static crackle sounded and both our walkie-talkies chimed. “This is Maria. Can one of you come assist me in the clinic?”

Tamara quickly sat up and shot me a hopeful look. “Can I go?”

I yawned. “Sure. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Great, thanks. I owe you one.” She squealed softy before responding through the radio and flitting away.

With my companion gone, I got up to check on Kiki again. When it was still light, it was relatively easy to observe her through the window in her den but the setting dark made it almost impossible. There were some faint lights inside the habitat but that was it.

I couldn’t help but wonder how they’d set it up. Was it a one-way mirror? Or just a darkened piece of glass so the kitsune wasn’t disturbed from the light on this side? Or was she just used to it?

“When are you going to wake up?” I softly questioned, kneeling down to study the fluffy fox. I wished I knew more about their behaviours to judge if this was normal or if this was really a problem.

As if she heard me, she stirred for the first time. Excited to watch her, I pressed my face right up to the window. Kiki’s ears flicked back and forth as she shook herself awake. She released a long, leisurely yawn and unfolded her legs from underneath her body. With a little sniff, she abandoned her underground den.

I moved to a different window so I could watch her better. I had to give it to Tamara, stately was a good way to describe her. Her six thick tails were as big as the rest of her body and fluttered after her, each with a distinct flick. She trotted over to her bowl of food, gave it a sniff, and turned up her long snout. Had the meat been sitting out too long? She certainly thought so.

Maybe I could convince her to eat something else. I returned to the work station and scanned some of the notes and instructions on the tablet to figure out what I could give her for a treat.

“Tofu or red beans?” I read, doing a double take to make sure I saw that right. That sounded like human food but I wasn’t going to argue with the keepers. They knew best in this instance.

With a shrug, I went to work. The large fridge had everything I needed and I cubed a packet of tofu in the hope that she’d eat it. Another quick check confirmed that we were definitely allowed to hand feed her, which would hopefully make my job a little easier.

Once I was done preparing my treat, I brought it into the enclosure. Kiki was still in the inside part of her habitat so I took a seat on one of the logs. Not too far away but not too close either. I didn’t want to scare or spook her. There were no notes that said she had a bad relationship with the vets but animals could be a little skittish around us.

Kiki didn’t seem in the slightest deterred. She watched me from her patch of grass, her six tails fanned out neatly. The sight of me or my tofu didn’t seem to interest her. I rattled the bowl but the bouncy cubes didn’t make a sound. In an attempt to get the kitsune towards me, I tossed a piece over to her. She didn’t react and just kept staring listlessly at one of the yellow flowers near her.

I approached slightly and Kiki’s head snapped in my direction. She had a white diamond shape on her forehead and a nice, velvety chest to match. She looked briefly inquisitive but her eyes quickly dulled.

“Tofu?” I offered again, holding out a cube to her.

The kitsune ignored me.

I attempted a couple more times but nothing I did seemed to interest the fox. She was just sitting on her patch, looking both determined and lost. Poor thing. What could I do to cheer her up?

After binning the tofu and her breakfast, I returned to the enclosure to find her sniffing the log where I’d just been sitting. I watched from a slight distance, hopeful this was the start of an interaction.

Without so much as lifting a leg, Kiki sprayed the log with urine and returned to her patch of grass.

“You wound me,” I joked.

The kitsune stared at me, her large eyes slightly more inquisitive than before.

“Do you like when I talk to you?”

She flicked her tails and looked away.

I chuckled softly. “I know that attitude. You remind me of a friend. She also likes to pretend I’m not there.”

While she was ignoring me, I pulled out my phone and snapped a selfie with her in the background. I knew it was late but that didn’t stop me from sending it to Felicity with what I hoped was a witty remark.

My phone surprised me with an instant buzz.

An immediate smile curled up my lips.

I typed back quickly.

I snapped another picture of Kiki and I, this time one where she was somewhat looking at me.

I stared at my screen in confusion before slowly typing back.

What a weird question. I looked at Kiki, but she didn’t make a noise.

My phone chimed again.

With a big grin, I showed my screen to Kiki. “Did you see that, she’s going to talk to me tomorrow.”

The kitsune continued to ignore me.

“I’ll be back,” I told her, returning to the work area to see if Gwen left me some more tips to deal with Kiki. I’d barely set foot outside of her enclosure when a long, bone-chilling wail echoed through the entire habitat.