It took much longer to return from the west fields with the weight of the large boar. The sun slid behind the mountains and darkness settled in.
Bodric talked about how he was looking forward to the smell of roasting boar. Erwin thought they should invite all the farmhands and their families over and make a gathering of it. Cali was most looking forward to working the hide into a new quiver or belts, or even a coat.
When they finally came into view of the house, Bethal, Cali’s mom, came out to meet them.
“Well, that certainly does explain a lot!” She said, seeing the boar swinging between them as they walked.
“Beth, honey, our daughter has something to show you. I told her she could keep it, but that it was her responsibility,” Erwin said, with a half-smile.
“Cali, what did you drag home now?” Her mom demanded.
“Mum! Look, isn’t he just adorable? He’s sweet as he can be, and he really likes me.”
Rolling her eyes, her mom looked at the little furry bundle as he yawned and stretched in Cali’s arms.
“A fox! Really, Cali?”
“Mum, I couldn’t leave him there, I just couldn’t. That boar got his mother, he was all by himself!”
Bethal knew better than to try to argue with her daughter about it. Cali had a big heart and animals just seemed to love her.
“Okay, honey. But he is yours. You have to train him and take care of him. I won’t have some wild fox running around here stealing food and trying to eat the chickens!” Bethal sighed. “Now, there’s food in the kitchen, you all go in and help yourself, everyone else already ate.”
“We’ll go get this boar handled, and we’ll be in,” Erwin said as they turned toward the small barn.
Bodric and Cali made quick work of the boar. Pleased with the hide, they put it on the rack. She saved the coarse, quill-like hair to see if one of the farmhands knew how to make brushes. Her dad and Bodric hung and salted the beast, and decided tomorrow morning they’d invite everyone for the roast.
Famished and tired, they headed to the house to eat and rest. They sat at the table, talking about how the others would be happy to know the culprit behind their livestock deaths was no more.
Bodric said he and some hands would ride to the neighboring farms the following morning and invite them to the feast, and spread the good news.
Cali took an extra blanket and made a small bed on the floor beside her own for the baby fox. He’d had a big day, and although he whimpered a bit, he seemed to adjust well enough.
As Cali lay in bed, she looked down at the little fox. “We’ll have to find a good name for you. What do you think? We’ll give it a few days and see what name fits.” She scratched his ears and drifted toward sleep.
Cali woke as the light came in through her window. The little fox had climbed on her bed and curled up against her during the night. The first smells of breakfast came floating in, and her little fox woke up sniffing too.
“Come on, little fella, let’s go see what Mum’s cooked up for breakfast.”
“Good morning! I see our new family member is still doing good,” Cali’s dad said as she came into the large kitchen.
“Morning, Da, Mum. He’s doing great. I am going to give it a couple days to see what name suits him. He seems to like it here!”
“Of course he does, honey,” Cali’s mom said. “You’ve always had a way with animals.” She smiled as she put a plate of eggs and sausages down in front of Cali.
“Bodric has already headed out to the other farms to spread the word about the boar,” Erwin said. “You stay around the house today and help your mother to get things ready for the gathering.”
“Sure, Da. I was going to start training the little fella, and I wanted to work on that hide,” Cali said.
Smiling, Erwin shook his head at his daughter and her new fox. He stood, giving Bethal a quick kiss, and headed out the kitchen door. Cali thought it was sweet how her parents wore matching pendants.
I’ll have to remember to ask her Mum about them sometime, she thought to herself.
“Mum, do you need me to do anything now?” Cali asked.
“Not much, honey. But if you could bring me some fresh carrots and onions from the back garden, that would help,” Bethal replied.
Cali and the little fox headed out the kitchen door to the small garden next to the kitchen. Grabbing a basket, she headed to the carrots first. The little fox jumped and tried to play with the carrots as Cali shook the dirt off. He scampered and hopped around the garden, chasing bugs and butterflies as she worked.
Cali let out a low whistle to see if the fox would respond, but he kept right on playing in the garden. She stood, walking to the row with onions, and as soon as the little fox saw her walking, he ran over to follow her. She let out the low whistle again. He looked up at her with his head cocked to the side.
“Good boy! When I whistle, that means you come to me. But don’t worry, we’ll work on it.” Cali smiled.
She took the vegetables back to her mother. “Anything else I can do, Mum?”
“No, mostly it’s just cooking to do. Why don’t you go check your hide, and train up your little friend there.”
Cali grabbed an apple and headed out toward the small barn. Even in the dark, she had done a good job cleaning and racking the hide. In the clear morning light, the boar looked even larger than when they carried it home last night. She was thankful she hadn’t gotten any closer to it when she rescued the baby fox.
Examining the hide closer, it was very thick. It was a good strong hide, and Cali was anxious to work with it. She was already imagining a new quiver, belts, and…
“A collar!” Cali said. Scratching the little fox behind the ears, she said, “I’ll make you a collar, oh, and maybe some armor to protect you from any future boars!” she laughed.
Cali and the little fox spent the rest of the morning playing in the field near the fire pit. The fox was a quick learner and seemed to pick up on Cali’s instructions well. They shared the apple and headed back to the kitchen to see if her mom needed any help.
“Ah, perfect timing, Cali! Can you bring me that basket of potatoes by the door, please?” Her mom said.
As Cali carried the basket of potatoes, one fell and rolled across the floor. The little fox instantly gave chase, tackling the potato and playing with it with happy little barks.
Bethal laughed. “Well, he seems to be making himself right at home, eh? Any luck starting to train him?”
“He’s doing great, Mum. Watch!” Cali let out a low whistle. The little fox looked up from his potato, looking at Cali. She gave another whistle and he hopped up and ran over to her. “Good boy! And good job chasing down that potato!” Cali laughed, scratching him behind his ears.
“That’s it!” Cali said. “I’ll call you Chase. What do you think, little fella?” The little fox rolled over looking up happily at Cali. “What do you think, Mum?”
“Well, he does seem to like to chase things. And he seems to like it. Chase it is! Welcome to the family, little Chase,” her mom replied as she began cleaning potatoes.
Several of the wives gathered to help with the cooking the next morning. They expected the gathering to be bigger than the last. The weather was perfect, the heat of the day had eased, and farmhands and neighbors from nearby farms started arriving mid-afternoon. They marveled at the size of the boar and complimented Cali on a fine hide.
Jenkins from the closest farm asked if she had enough hide left if she would make him a new set of straps for his plow. Cali was excited, this would be her first real paying job in leatherworking.
Everyone helped themselves to the delicious boar and food, and sat around the fire pit late into the evening talking and comparing farm stories. The young ones ran around the field playing and having fun with Chase. The sense of relief over the boar was obvious with all the farmers.
Cali and Chase sat a bit away from the fire pit with friends from the neighboring farms. The Jenkins boys, Rowan and Jorah, Sarah from the Calbert farm, and Flora and her two young twin sisters from the Nomarr farm. They all loved hearing the story of how Cali rescued Chase.
“I would’ve shot that boar right between his big eyes if I’d been there with you, Cali!” Jorah boasted.
Rowan, his older brother, punched him in the shoulder and shook his head.
“Right, Jorah, and when the arrow bounced off its skull and he charged you down?” Rowan asked, laughing.
They all laughed and joked about how they would have taken down the boar, and saved the fox at the same time. Then started making plans to go to the lake soon.
As the night wore on, their friends began to leave, heading back to their own homes. With congratulations and pats on the back to Bodric and Erwin, they left, fading into the darkness until only Bodric and her parents remained around the fire.
Chase climbed up on Cali’s lap and fell asleep. “Mum, Da, I’m going to turn in.”
“Goodnight, honey.” They called back as Cali carried Chase into the house.
She didn’t bother putting Chase on his blanket, instead curling up in her bed with him next to her. Hearing her parents and Bodric outside talking, she soon drifted away into a deep sleep.
“Are you sure this boar was what attacked the animals, Erwin?” Bethal asked.
They were still sitting around the fire with Bodric as the others had all left. Bethal fiddled with her pendant, staring into the flames.
“Fairly certain. It seems the likely culprit. It had blood on its muzzle. And an animal that size would explain how many of the livestock had been killed or gone missing.” Erwin replied.
“Aw, don’t you worry now, Bethal,” Bodric said. “That old boar was trouble. And if there are any others, we’ll find them and roast them up too!”
Bethal laughed. “True. And I’m sure we’d get no complaints from everyone if we had another boar roast! Still, just seems odd that a boar that size would have just suddenly turned up.”
Erwin eyed his wife. “Beth, it’s just a boar. And at worst, maybe two boars. If there is another we’ll get it. But don’t worry yourself about it. There’s nothing to show that it’s anything more than just that, they probably just came down from the mountains.”
“You’re right, Erwin. You both are right. I’m just tired I think.” Bethal replied.
Bodric laughed, “I would say you should be given how much food you put together today! I’ll be heading home, myself. Day will be here before we know it.”
Erwin took Bethal’s hand and stood up. “We’re calling it a night, too. We’ll see you in the morning, Bodric. No hurry though, get some rest.”
Bodric raised his hand in a wave as he left, as Bethal and Erwin headed into the house.
© 2017–2026. Morigan Shaw. All rights reserved.
This episode and its accompanying text are part of The Idoramin Chronicles and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
