The sound of a weed-eater whirring to life nearby had Fox's eyes squinting open. It's winter... what the heck is that guy doing?

Sitting up, he did his best to keep himself upright as he gave a huge yawn, then licked his left paw and glanced out the sliding glass doors.

Wait a second.

He hurried over to the slightly open door and jammed his little nose into the space. It hurt his sensitive muzzle, but with a few hard shoves he managed to force the door open wide enough to allow himself to stumble out onto the porch.

Fresh air.

It was still cold out, and likely to get colder that evening, but it felt great to be back outside.

I'm definitely not a house fox.

Walking to the edge of the porch, he reached forward with his paws and raised his bum in the air, stretching out as far as he could go before straightening back up and shaking out his messy coat.

Oh. He's cleaning up some of the dead weeds he let overgrow before it got cold.

Sitting down next to the worn wooden steps, Fox watched the man work as late morning sunlight struggled to get through the building rain clouds. It wasn't cold enough to snow again yet, but if it did rain then when the temperature dropped during the evening ice would begin to build up on the sidewalks and roads.

Good thing I don't drive... because a fox driving would just be stupid in the first place.

"Oh... hey Fox. You're going to get cold out here. Come on, let's go back inside," the man said as he walked over, evidently finished with his poor lawn management job.

Yeah, I think not.

Fox side-stepped him as he came up the rickety steps. Noah eyed him as he walked over to the glass door and slid it open, then nodded toward the inside.

"Don't be stubborn. I'm going to make a big breakfast, and I won't be bringing it out here," he said with a raised eyebrow that had Fox mirroring him with one of his own.

You forget that your little vet friend is also coming to visit soon, and last I remember, there was something in my butt during our first meeting and while it was a normal test in pets to check for worms, I am not a pet and did not appreciate said object in my arse.

Noah put his hands on his hips and huffed. Fox flicked his ear and twitched his nose, then turned and hopped off the porch, running right over to the large privacy fence. With one easy jump he was balanced on top of it like a cat, staring back at the man who had moved to the top of the stairs to watch him.

"Come on, Fox. You don't want to leave like this. Another dose of medicine and your worms will be all taken care of. You have meals given to you and I haven't called the police or animal control. What more do you want me to do?"

The question made Fox look away for a moment. He'd heard it before... a long, long time ago. Shaking his head, he banished the thoughts that threatened to encroach and hopped off the fence. He heard Noah yell from the other side, but refused to stop as he hurried off through someone else's yard, then down the sidewalk.

I wish he had fed me before messing with the yard, though I'm still pretty content from yesterday.

It had been a lot of food for him... in fact. He made his way over to an empty lot and did his business, then continued on his way until a little lizard crossed his path.

Hello, breakfast.

It was still sluggish from the chill outside and really shouldn't have been up and about. Sucks for you. He reached down and snatched the little creature up before continuing on, crunching it nonchalantly as a tail hung limply from the side of his mouth. Lizards weren't usually hard to catch, but they didn't provide a whole lot in terms of food and they tended to disappear when the temperatures dropped.

A scent tickled his nose after a few blocks, drawing his attention toward an alley. Stopping to sit on the sidewalk, he looked up at the buildings flanking the entrance on either side. A shoe store... and a restaurant. Jackpot.

Swishing his tail, he hopped up and hurried down the dark corridor, following his nose to a large dumpster with the top propped open. Knowing that someone would be returning at any moment to load in more bags, then shut the dumpster so undesirables don't get inside, Fox hurried over and hopped up, then in. It definitely didn't smell all that great, but one of the eight bags inside didn't disappoint. With a few quick swipes of his paws the flimsy plastic broke apart, spilling out several pounds of hot pastries. They didn't look quite right, and after he took a bite, they weren't exactly the best, but he wasn't picky. They were probably a mistake that was made by someone in training.

Don't worry buddy, I'll gladly eat your failure.

After eating two pastries, Fox got distracted sifting through the bag for the best ones and didn't even notice someone coming back outside until a very hot, but thankfully smaller bag, landed right on top of him. His squeal of surprised pain was muffled by the sound of the top of the container creaking shut until it slammed down to seal him inside.

Fighting against the burning hot bag, Fox whined and squirmed until he was finally free of the too-hot trap. He stumbled up onto an older bag, his whole body relieved at the temperature difference as it slumped down onto the dirty garbage.

My head feels like it's been baked.

Knowing that he needed to get out, he made himself get up after a few minutes of rest and crouched down. With a flick of his tail he lunged upward toward the lid. Unsurprisingly, he slammed into it but barely made it vibrate from the impact. His head, however, definitely felt it more.

Nothing like adding a concussion to your burn.

Looking around, he could barely see anything with the lid closed. The container wasn't even half full, so he didn't even have a way to get higher and push on the lid instead of head-butt it.

Waiting it is.

And waiting, he did. At some point it started drizzling, the tapping of raindrops echoing loudly in the large metal receptacle. It was bearable, at first, but soon the tiny shower turned into a torrential downpour, deafening him in seconds as the noise roared loudly.

By the time the lid was finally opened again it was dark. Frigid rain quickly drenched his skinny body as he hurried to scramble from the dumpster, dodging a giant bag of garbage in the process. He managed to avoid it only because he'd startled the person throwing it away enough for it to slip from his hands.

If the man screamed at all from the sudden shock of a fox appearing out of the dumpster, it was swallowed up in the downpour. And, while he'd eaten a good amount of food when he'd first gotten stuck in the dumpster, his stomach had eventually emptied itself after having to spend so long with the other foul-smelling refuse, on top of the stress from the too-loud rain.

Hungry.

Doing his best to stay upright in the heavy rain and wind, Fox made his way... somewhere. He wasn't really paying attention, and considering how bad the weather was, he didn't really need to. Most smart people were inside in their warm, cozy homes, probably getting ready for dinner.

Still hungry.

Bumping into a fence after a brief walk through someone's front yard snapped him out of his daze. Looking up, he flicked a soaked ear and squinted into the rain.

This fence looks familiar.

Twitching his nose, he hopped up and over the pathetic barrier, then lifted his head to look around.

Oh.

Worn out from his trying day, Fox didn't even pretend to care about whose house it was as he trudged up the worn steps of the back porch and after finally stepping beneath shelter, shook out his sopping wet coat.

Once he was no longer dripping, he calmly walked over to the box Noah had set up for his cat and slipped inside, curling up on the stained blanket, his tired body shivering hard.

At some point he must have passed out, but when he awoke some time later, he was definitely not where he'd left himself. It was much, much warmer, and he felt something soft gently rubbing against his face.

"Hey there," came a familiar voice that was a bit too close for comfort.

Fox grumbled quietly but found that he couldn't move all that well. His body was exhausted and after only a brief struggle, he realized that he was wrapped up in fabric.

"I'm sure that you're not happy to see me again, but I went outside to finally clean up that box and found you curled up inside. I was going to leave you, since I know that you hate me, but when I looked closer you were shaking and your fur was soaked."

I don't hate you. I just don't want people bothering me.

Feeling something brush his face again, Fox finally managed to force his eyes open.

Ah, a towel.

He nipped at it, tugging when his little teeth managed to snag the fabric.

"Hey now. No need to tear it up. I'll stop if you want me to," Noah chastised with a small smile as he tugged at the towel.

Fox released it, only for the guy to tap him on the head with the fabric. Normally, it wouldn't have hurt, but after having a garbage bag of hot food thrown right on top of him, smacking his head into the lid of the dumpster, and then being bombarded with the horribly loud echo of rain for hours, he embarrassingly yelped and hunched down into the towels wrapped around his body.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry."

The sound of footsteps coming closer drew their attention to the hallway. When the veterinarian appeared, Fox pinned his ears back, getting a chuckle from the blond- haired man as he walked closer. Instead of sitting next to them, however, he wisely just perched on the edge of the armrest.

"Welcome back, little guy. It seems like you've had quite a trying day," he paused for a moment, then shook his head while grinning, "and it smells like it, too."

Noah shifted him in his arms and stood at that moment, as if he'd suddenly remembered something.

"Right, you need a bath."

Oh no. Hell no. I am not a pet and I do not need a bath! I have a tongue that works perfectly well.

"You know that he's going to shred your hands the second he's out of that towel. You might want to try washing him in your shower since the door can close. I can hold the other end, too, if he tries to nudge it open," Henry offered as Noah suddenly switched directions.

"Ah, plan to lock me in there with him, huh?" Noah joked, earning a quiet laugh in response.

Soon Fox found himself in a bathroom he hadn't seen before. He tried to fight his way free of the towel, but he just didn't have the energy.

"It'll be okay, buddy. Just a quick bath, then I'll heat up some dinner for you. I even got a really nice bed if you want to sleep on it instead of the floor."

The guy's enthusiasm was a bit overbearing. Fox could barely keep his eyes open as he was carried into the shower and the door was pushed closed.

Screw it.

Noah carefully set him down in the back, letting the towel unwrap itself as he tugged off his sweater and tossed it over the top of the metal and glass sliding doors.

"Alright, let's get this done real quick."

Fox huffed and sat up, but didn't care to do much else as he watched the man reach up and detach the shower-head from its holder, then point it at the wall as he turned it on.

At least he's not spraying me in the face right off the bat with cold water.

Even though he was mostly dry, the chill had definitely seeped into his bones. So, when Noah finally finished setting the temperature and knelt down next to him, Fox didn't hesitate to nudge his way beneath the hot spray.

Oh yes. This must be how pasta feels when it gets boiled. I can get behind this.

"I think he likes it," Noah made sure Fox was thoroughly soaked before turning the sprayer away and letting it go so that he could grab a bottle of shampoo and get busy scrubbing it quickly into his fur.

Wisely, the man remembered his previous reaction to touching the top of his head and stayed away from it. Unfortunately, he also remembered that his friend was on the other side of the glass door, and that he was a veterinarian.

"Hey Henry, want to take a look at something real quick? I think he hurt himself earlier. He won't let me touch the top of his head," Noah said as he slid open the sliding door that was closest to him.

His friend peeked in for a moment, then leaned back and tugged his own shirt off so that it didn't get wet. "I'm borrowing one of your pairs of pants after this," he said before stepping inside and moving to the back portion of the shower so that he had room to kneel down.

Fox bared his teeth immediately, but the vet wasn't deterred. "Remember, little guy, your tiny teeth are nothing I haven't dealt with hundreds of times before. Just let me take a look real quick and see what happened."

How can you see what happened if you weren't there? You don't smell like you were hanging out with me in the dumpster all day.

When Henry leaned forward to gently brush away the wet fur on top of his head, Fox hunkered down and let out a warning growl. The sound didn't deter the vet at all, of course. Lucky for the man, he really didn't have the energy to be vicious, though when the man wasn't paying attention where his other hand was, he did nibble at a couple of his fingers when he brushed the sore spot on his head.

"It looks like he hit his head on something pretty hard, but it's also red and a little blistered. Did you hit yourself on something really hot?" he asked, his confusion evident in his voice as he looked down at Fox, and, thankfully, stopped messing with the top of his head.

Well, it all started with a dumpster and a bag of not quite delicious pastries... "I should have some medicine in my bag that I brought with me to help that heal up in no time," Henry said as he started running his fingers through Fox's fur as if he really were a pet.

Excuse me, good sir. I was telling a damn story... and stop feeling me up!

"I only see a little bit of flea dirt. Pretty surprising since he's been out for awhile, I'm sure. I'll get him something for that, too."

Fox bit down a little harder on one of the fingers he'd been nibbling at but before he could decide if he wanted to actually put in the extra effort to cause damage, the hot spray of water returned and he stretched out on his belly to be pleasantly melted.

"I think you found his weakness," Henry noted as he removed his fingers from Fox's mouth, then leaned back against the far wall and just watched as Noah rinsed off the soap.

He got a chuckle in response. "No kidding. I like really hot showers so I didn't even think that he might not before I set the spray. Guess it's a good thing that he seems to enjoy it."

By the time they were done Fox was struggling to stay awake. He grumbled a bit when the water was turned off, but he knew that it didn't stay hot forever and would run out and turn cold anyways. He didn't fight when Noah, after having quickly dried off and changed his own clothing to flannel pajamas, wrapped him up in two huge fluffy towels. His friend went to change as he carried Fox into the living room and deposited him on a large new dog bed.

"Hang on a few minutes and I'll get you some dinner," he said with a tired smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

Before said dinner was ready, however, his friend had returned in a pair of borrowed sweatpants and had put his sweater back on.

"There you are. I've got a few things to help you feel better," he said as he set his bag down next to the bed Fox was resting on and pulled out a few small items.

Can we not?

"This one just goes on the fur behind your neck. It should kill all the fleas on you pretty quickly," he said as he snapped a little plastic packaging and reached over him to apply it.

Well... fleas are annoying.

Once done, he grabbed another item and unscrewed the little lid on top, then squeezed a bit onto his finger. "And this will help with that odd burn you picked up today."

That was a bit more uncomfortable to apply, but Fox bit back his want to bite as Henry gently massaged the medication onto his injury.

"There we go. All set," he said as he set got up to throw away the trash he'd created.

As if planned, Noah came around the corner at that moment carrying a large plate of food. As soon as it was set down Fox was on it, but for once, he didn't feel the need to scarf everything down as fast as possible. His first few bites were quick, but as he moved around the platter of mashed potatoes, green beans and ground beef, he found himself slowing down to a reasonable pace.

"I think I'll head home for the evening now. It looks like he's all set, and I bet he'll pass out as soon as he cleans that plate," Henry said from somewhere that didn't matter. Fox wasn't going to bother looking up to find the man. It was odd, though, that he found himself actually trusting that neither man would mess with him while he ate.

Noah replied after a moment. "Yeah, I think I'm going to go pass out, too. It's been a long day and I was honestly worried when he managed to get out. I'll have to be more careful."

Hmph. I'll get out if I want to get out.

"I think things are finally going well. Just keep an eye on him for any reactions to the medications. I left the tube for his burn on the kitchen counter for you to reapply tomorrow, too" Henry said before Fox heard them both head for the door.

Before Noah even returned, the plate of food was perfectly cleaned and Fox was snoring quietly.