The Runt: Breakfast of Champions

By [Nekko fox]


 Tod sat at the counter, watching as Amy went about preparing breakfast, pulling out bowls and ingredients. From the refrigerator she pulled eggs, milk, and cheese, and from several cupboards she pulled spices and spoons as well as a large red box which Tod noticed read “Waffle Mix: Family Sized”. She poured a healthy measure into a bowl, added several eggs, some milk, and some spices before placing a spoon into the mixture, its handle settled along the edge to keep it clean. She placed it in front of Tod and looked him in the eye.

 “I need your help stirring this, Tod. I need to hunt down the waffle-iron, as I'm sure Daddy didn't put it back where it belongs from when he last used it...And I'm quite sure I'll need to scrub it too, after last weeks fiasco with the vegetables...”

 Arthur cleared his throat, and Tod could hear a touch of indignation in his voice.

 “Excuse me, young lady, but I happened to have come across an interesting recipe that required the use of the waffle-iron.”

 “You were ironing vegetables Daddy.”

 “That's what the recipe called for!”

 “You nearly burned the house down Daddy.”

 “Well, I cooked it like the instructions said, and I finished preparing the meal, didn't I?”

 “If you remember, Daddy, we ended up eating out that night because the 'recipe' was terrible.”

 Amy, hiding a smirk from their father's ruffled frown, turned to Tod, speaking in a hushed whisper that was meant to be heard.

 “Daddy tries to be a great cook, but usually we end up eating out whenever he tries his paws at cooking.”

 “And I'll have you know that we've eaten at nearly every restaurant in our neighborhood because of my delicate culinary expertise.”

 Tod turned and looked at Arthur and saw that he was not only serious, but proud of his boast. Hiding a smirk of his own, Tod pulled the bowl of waffle batter close and began stirring it vigorously. Amy searched high and low, and soon emerged from a cabinet on the other end of the kitchen holding a waffle-iron, curious charred objects stuck to its edges. Tod's sensitive nose picked up the odor of burnt plants, and he had to try hard not to sneeze. Amy stepped over to the sink and, with a flick of her dainty wrist, turned on the water and began scrubbing the misused appliance.

 Tod worked furiously on stirring the batter, despite the large size of the bowl, and the thickness of the batter. But, regardless of the pup's determination, his shoulders soon began to ache; his wrist and fingers became sore, and his arm numb. His stirring began to slow, the batter no longer sloshing about in the bowl but merely spinning in a lazy circle in time with Tod's spoon. Thankfully, just as Tod was beginning to give in and give up, Amy spun back in front of him. Giving him a wink and a peck on the nose, she took the bowl from him.

 “Thank you Tod, you did a good job! I appreciate that, by the way, it helps me get our food out faster...”

 Amy stepped away and placed the bowl on the opposite counter and plugged in the freshly washed waffle-iron, and Tod couldn't help but stare agape at his sister. He had received a thank you for what he'd done. And a compliment as well! Tod had never really been complimented for a job well done before, merely a look that said “you just avoided the beating this time,” and those were commonly administered by his parents. His sisters, when he didn't, or couldn't do what they asked, simply went and told on him, which earned him a beating, if he was lucky. Of course, Ashton and Terrance didn't much care. They would simply beat him to the brink of consciousness, whether Tod had completed the job assigned to him or not, and then walked away laughing.

Tod forced his mind to the present, locking away the painful memories that broke his heart with the reminder that those days were past and Tod was with a new family. And with that thought, Tod's mind traveled upstairs to Eric, where the fox was no doubt getting dressed. Tod giggled as he thought of a little special surprise, and he called out to Amy.

 “Amy? I'm gonna go get Eric so he's not late for breakfast.”

 Amy met his eye, and Tod could see the dawning of comprehension on her face. She turned away, hiding a smile. From behind Tod, at the table, Liliana laughed.

 “Who would have thought the pup we let into our family was so thoughtful, Going to get his big brother out of bed so he doesn't miss breakfast.”

 Tod blushed behind his smile and took off for the stairs, Amy calling after him.

 “It may take a little while; he might have fallen back asleep. Good luck Tod!”

 At the top of the stairs, Tod slowed his pace and caught his breath. Creeping up to the door to their bedroom, Tod pushed it open with nary a sound. Standing on the opposite side of the room stood Eric, his back to Tod as he sifted through a disastrous mess which Tod could only assume was the closet. Tod watched Eric pull one shirt from a hanger, look at it pensively, then either hang it up, or, more often, drop it onto a growing pile at his feet. Tod saw the shirt he had put on earlier tossed off to the side, half buried with other shirts, probably because Eric didn't like the way they looked. As he watched, Tod decided now would be the time to implement his little surprise, and so began tip-toeing closer to the distracted fox.

 When Tod was within paws reach of Eric, he deftly dropped a paw between the unknowing fox’s legs and groped his testicles. Eric gave a surprised shout and jumped nearly a foot into the air, spinning about and facing Tod. Tod looked up innocently at Eric, trying his best not to snicker as he saw that Eric's tail had puffed to nearly twice its size from the surprise. But Eric didn't appear altogether pleased by the surprise. He frowned down at Tod, whose ears began drooping as Eric glowered at him. The large fox put his fists on his hips and stared down at the puppy.

 “Tod! You scared me half to death! Why would you do that?”

 Tod had to mentally restrain himself from bursting out into tears as fear welled up within him, his tail hiding between his legs. He opened his mouth, but Tod had nothing to say. Silent, Tod stood before Eric, unable to look away. The puppy’s legs started to shake, and before long the timid pup was quivering gently under Eric's heated glare.

 “Tod, that wasn't funny! I was trying to get dressed and...and...Tod?”

 Tod flinched away when Eric dropped to his knee, putting his hands up to protect his face as he hunched his shoulders defensively.

 “Please don't hit me! I'm sorry!”

 Tod started crying, tears leaking past his fingers as he shook with fear. How could he make his big brother angry? How could he have been so stupid?! What if Eric hit him for what he'd done? He was much bigger and stronger than both Ashton and Terrance, so if Eric decided to hit Tod hard...Tod started sobbing helplessly at the thought.

 “Tod? ...Tod, I'm sorry. Tod, please don't cry...”

 Eric's gentle words barely registered as Tod stood there, fearing an angry blow. His whole body was tensed painfully in preparation for the beating he imagined would come from making Eric mad, so when Eric wrapped his arms around Tod in a reassuring hug, the puppy could do nothing but whimper. It was a trick, it's always a trick. Ashton did that once, offering Tod a hug. He broke three of Tod's ribs that day.

 “Please no! Please don't hurt me Eric! I didn't mean to scare you! Please don't hurt me! I won't do it again, I promise!”

 “Tod! Tod, it's alright, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you! I would never hurt you Tod...”

 Eric held Tod out at arms length and lifted Tod's chin so that Tod was looking into his eyes. Despite everything in Tod's body screaming that this was a trick to make him lower his defenses, Tod slowly lowered his hands.

 “Tod. I'm sorry I yelled...I don't like being startled, ever since I was a little kid. You didn't know, so I'm sorry. But I won't hurt you Tod, never in my life. Can you forgive me for yelling?”

 Tod, still scared, nodded slowly. Eric's face broke into a smile and he hugged Tod tightly. Tod all at once felt confused, relieved, and foolish. He knew, deep down, that Eric wouldn't hurt him, but he had reacted in the only way that he knew how. His body responded in the way Tod always reacted to confrontation, because every confrontation ended with the same thing. Violence. Pain. Blood. But, Eric wasn't going to hurt him, he knew. He was different...

 Tod shook himself and wrapped his arms around Eric, squeezing every bit of love he could muster into his little arms. Eric laughed and returned the hug, though not as tightly, and even gave Tod a small kiss on the cheek.

 “I forgive you Eric...I'm sorry for scaring you...”

 “Aww, it's okay little guy. But, please, no more of that. I've always been a bit jumpy, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, what did you need little guy? Does Amy need help with breakfast?”

 Tod smiled, and his paws reached to Eric's waist and unsnapped the buttons on his pants. Eric let out a startled “Hey!”, but Tod's nimble little fingers quickly unzipped them.

 “No...I just noticed that you were a little...hard. I wanted to help make you feel good. I guess this can make up for me scaring you, right?”

 “I-I guess so...”

 Tod gave the pants a little tug, revealing a pair of boxers, the last piece of cloth that separated Tod from his goal. Using only his teeth, Tod pulled the boxers down and Eric's cock slipped free of its confines. With Eric's flesh so close to his face, Tod wrapped both of his silken paws around the shaft and took the tip into his muzzle. Eric, still kneeling on the floor, gave a helpless groan and wrapped his arms around Tod's shoulders. Tod began stroking up and down Eric's throbbing member, twisting his wrists as if he were twisting the top off a bottle cap, and his teasing strokes earned him a hot spurt of pre-cum, which surprised Tod by how sweet it was. The results made Eric grit his teeth and growl lustily.

 With a pop, Eric pulled his cock out of Tod's warm mouth and stood on unsteady feet.

 “H-Hold on a second Tod...I think we might want to shut the bedroom door first, right? I don't think our folks would approve of this.”

 Tod smiled his agreement and sat back as Eric stood and went across the room, gently clicking the door shut and returning to stand before Tod, his pants and boxers still snugged around his bottom. Before he could squat down in front of Tod again, the pup reached up and grabbed the fox's cock and immediately started sucking on him with as much fervor as Amy had shown him earlier that morning. Eric's entire body shook as a loud, rolling moan escaped him, which only encouraged the puppy to try and take more of the shaft into his mouth and suck a little bit harder.

 With his paws stroking up and down Eric's shaft and his little mouth taking as much as he could bear, Tod closed his eyes and let the mood take him away. The sweet flavor of Eric's pre-cum on his tongue, the knowledge of what he was doing and what was in his mouth, the heat of Eric's member in being where it was, even the gentle pulse within the shaft made Tod shiver with delight, and his body began to react accordingly. Little Tod quietly wondered if Eric was enjoying this nearly as much as he was.

 And then, as if on cue, Eric exploded into orgasm. His hands came down and grabbed the back of Tod's head, gripping the puppy’s silken hair tightly as he hunched over, gasping for breath. Tod was surprised once more by Eric's flavor as a large amount of the semen splattered over his tongue. It was not sweet at all, but this time extremely salty. But, Tod realized as he gulped down the caustic liquid that was quickly filling him mouth, the flavor was not unpleasant. In fact, he liked it, and wanted more.

 But, just as Eric withdrew his cock from Tod's hot mouth, the door swung open violently and a voice shouted.

 “What are you two doing?!”

 Eric nearly leapt a foot into the air while spinning around, and Tod ducked behind the large fox’s tail, quivering with fear that they had been found out by their parents. But then he heard raucous laughter, from a voice he knew well. Eric, too, was quick to regain his composure.

 “You cocky bastard, you scared the living daylights out of us!”

 Tod peeked out from behind Eric's tail and there stood Dante, dressed in black pants and black snow-covered boots, and around his shoulders was draped a beautiful black-leather trench coat. His eyes sparkling, a smile on his muzzle, and a little snow on his shoulder, Dante stood triumphantly in the doorway. He stepped into the room and shut the door before facing Eric and Tod.

 “I knew you were playing when I came over and your mom said that Tod went upstairs to wake you up Eric, so I just waited until I heard you finishing up. Have to say, I was kind of hoped to get in on it though....”

 “Sorry man, but after Tod and Amy played this morning in the shower, and him playing with me just now, I don't know if either of us is up for it. I think the party is over...”

 Dante looked somewhat crestfallen, and Tod couldn't help himself. He hopped out from behind Eric and ran right up to Dante who smiled and opened his arms wide.

 “Come here little guy, I missed you. I was worried about you, so I decided to come over and check to see if you were okay after last night and...Whoa!”

 Before the wolf could so much as lean down to give Tod a hug, the little pup ducked under the trench coat and briskly began feeling for the zipper and button on Dante's pants. It was as if something inside him just clicked when Eric was pumping ounce after ounce of his cum into Tod's mouth, and now Tod just wanted more of that tasty fluid, and he couldn't help himself.

 His breath coming out in rapid pants, Tod anxiously undid the pants and slipped them down to reveal Dante's dark silk boxers, tenting up by forces unseen. With a soft giggle, bordering innocence, Tod slipped his paw into the hole in the front of the boxers and began stroking the wolf from within the confines of his own jacket. But just as Dante began to moan from Tod's teasing administrations, the little puppy felt strong paws pull him out from under the jacket. The diminutive dog, held in the air by Eric's strong paws on his sides, looked from Eric's smiling face to Dante's dazed, yet pleased, smirk.

 Tod wriggled in the air as Eric stepped over to the bed and placed the pup on the soft sheets, left un-made in favor of an exciting morning wake up. As Tod sat there, Dante unbuttoned his trench coat and let it slip to the floor. Underneath, he had a tight black t-shirt that said, in bold red letters, “God's Heathens” across the bottom. Tod's breath caught at how well-defined Dante's body was, and he felt his heart racing, sending blood elsewhere in his body. Dante hooked his thumb in the pants Tod had undone and pulled them down, while Eric lifted Tod and placed him so that he was on all four's. Tod glanced at Eric, but received only a wink in response.

 When he turned around again, Dante stood before him, his canine cock at mouth level for Tod. He looked up into Dante's eyes, watching for a hint of regret or a desire to stop, but when one was not forthcoming, Tod's mouth clamped shut over the wolf's throbbing member. The soft whine of the larger canine made Tod smile as he suckled fervently upon his tip. Tod worked his hot pink tongue over and across the wolf's tip before slipping forward and taking much more of the shaft into his mouth. When he leaned back, the shaft sliding from his wet muzzle, Tod was somewhat surprised when he felt Eric's hot tongue lick up from his young testicles up to his tail hole.

 Tod couldn't help but moan at the heat of Eric's breath across his bottom, and the pressure of the tongue instantly made Tod's own flesh harden, despite having played to the point of orgasm twice that morning already. And yet, when Eric probed his tight little hole with his finger, Tod forgot his weariness and pushed back against the finger teasing him, pushing it in all the way to the last knuckle. Eric chuckled knowingly and began fingering Tod's tush, whereas Dante had his head back, his tongue lolling to the side as he made little noises of bliss. Tod, with his mouth full of wolf cock made no noises beyond muffled moans.

 Tod leaned to one side, putting all of his weight on one elbow, and used his free hand to cup the wolf's testicles, fondling them gently, rolling the furred sack about in his palm despite them filling his entire hand. Dante made a noise that spoke of his approval, and Eric laughed, commenting on the look on Dante's face. Dante offered no retort, but instead gave a spurt of hot pre-cum all over Tod's tongue which the pup swallowed eagerly. Tod could taste a subtle difference in Dante's seminal fluid, it being less thick, and somewhat less salty than that of Eric's.

 With his little body rocking from each gentle thrust into his bottom provided by Eric, Tod moved his mouth to just the very tip of Dante's phallus, teasing him with gentle licks and suckles while he let his body delight in the sensation of Eric's finger pushing ever deeper into his bottom. And then, something deep inside of Tod was touched. Tod had felt it before when Mark was pounding him from behind during their orgy a couple days previous, and the sensation made Tod's eyes widen as a soft whimper of pleasure slipped out.

 It became obvious that Eric noticed how much Tod liked the spot he touched because he began teasing that part specifically with his fingertip, each thrust making Tod groan. As relentless as Eric was with his bottom, Tod matched the intensity by stroking and sucking on as much of Dante as he possibly could. Dante's breathing started getting faster and his paws gripped Tod's shoulders. And then, with the grinding of teeth and a suppressed growl of release, Dante ejaculated violently into Tod's mouth. Tod gulped down as much as he could, but Dante pulled away before he was finished. Tod was forced to close his eyes as the hot fluids hit his muzzle and cheeks. Tod had to admit, the feeling of it was extremely arousing.

 As Dante was finishing, Eric reached around with his free hand and grabbed Tod's erect member and began stroking him, Eric's hand assisted by the pre-cum dripping freely from Tod's tip. Tod's whole body shook and the puppy couldn't contain the little grunts and gasps that Eric managed to force out of him with every thrust and stroke. With a loud gasp, Tod's body seized up violently, and Tod's nearly-clear semen sprayed all across the sheets underneath him.

 Tod didn't move for a few moments after Eric withdrew his finger, quivering softly, his body exhausted from its exertions. When Tod could finally bring himself to raise his head, he noticed that Dante and Eric were both kneeling in front of him; their eyes roughly level with Tod's. Tod felt a little disappointed at being so small in comparison to the larger canines, but he offered them a soft smile despite. Dante leaned forward and gave Tod a kiss on the forehead, while Eric clapped Tod on the shoulder.

 “Damn little guy, you really know how to get the day started right, now don't you?”

 Tod blushed gently, but the smile remained. Then a thought forced its way to the front of his mind.

 “Oh! Amy wanted to let you know that breakfast is gonna be ready soon...but, that was a while ago so it should be ready...”

 Tod perked up visibly.

 “I helped! I got to stir the waffle batter!”

 Dante's ears stuck up in the air, his eyes alight. He licked his lips and stood abruptly.

 “Waffles? Now we're talking business! I love waffles! I knew your sister was making breakfast, but waffles make it so much more important...”

 He shuffled and looked around the room for a moment, dragging out a long, awkward pause before looking back to Eric.

 “So...can I have some?”

 Eric smacked him in the arm and laughed.

 “Mooch. And yes you can.”

 Eric started heading for the door then stopped mid-step. He about-faced and grabbed a t-shirt that had been on the ground and began wiping the cum-splatter from Tod's cheeks. Dante watched, arms crossed as he surveyed the cleaning process, occasionally pointing out a missed spot or oddly-placed hair. After a few seconds of criticism, Eric flung the shirt at Dante's head, who retreated, howling with laughter, out of the room and down the hall. The only slowing of his progress was to grab his coat and throw it over his shoulders once more.

 Eric shook his head and chuckled before picking Tod up from his place upon the bed and walking them both out of the bedroom. As they walked through the halls, Tod riding upon Eric's shoulders, Tod reflected on how Eric had reacted to being startled before, and made a note to himself about inquiring later what the story was behind that. It could be considered rude, he thought to himself, but his curiosity was insatiable.

 When they reached the top of the stairs, Eric took Tod off his shoulders and set him upon the floor. Tod slipped his paw into Eric's and they descended the stairs together. When Tod looked over the banister, he could clearly see that Dante had seated himself at the table, in between Arthur and Liliana. The under-sized wolf was effortlessly jumping between topics, first discussing crochet with Liliana, then combustion engines with Arthur and then flowers and gardening with Liliana again. Tod was amazed at how fluidly Dante moved from topic to topic, never ignoring one person in favor of the other, and always making the conversation lively and interesting. As Tod watched, Eric knelt down and whispered into his ear.

 “He's a goof ball most of the time, but Dante is an amazing conversationalist. Don't ask me how he does it though. He's a prodigy of communication.”

 Tod continued to watch Dante press the invisible buttons of good conversation, leaving neither Arthur nor Liliana out, while he spoke of everything and nothing. Tod had to agree, he was a master of the spoken word. He sighed, and he rested his head in his paws. What he wouldn't give to be that charismatic and friendly.

 “What's up Tod? You look tired.”

 Tod looked up as Amy spun past him, placing a plate in front of him that had eggs, toast, and several waffles. Tod smiled for her and pulled the plate close.

 “No, I'm fine. Thank you for breakfast Amy!”

 As Amy went about the business of serving, Tod started eating his eggs. His ears drooped when he thought how everyone seemed to be good at something, but not him. Amy was a good cook, Dante was a good speaker, and Eric, if his body was testament to it, was good at sports. And what was Tod good at?

 Tod thought to himself about what he's good at, to the point he didn't realize that he'd stopped eating his eggs. Dante seemed to have noticed though, and casually got up and came over with his plate to sit beside the puppy, startling him out of his thoughts.

 “What's the matter little guy? You look like someone gave you a piece of candy but wouldn't let you eat it.”

 Tod looked back at the rest of his family, but they were wrapped in a funny story Eric was telling them, complete with flailing arms and leg wiggles. He turned back to Dante and spoke in a hushed voice.

 “Amy's good at cooking, Eric's good at sports, and you're good at speaking to people, right?”

 The wolf nodded but said nothing, allowing the pup to continue at his own pace.

 “But what do I have? I'm not really good at anything. I feel...I don't know, boring, I guess.”

 Dante smiled a nicked some egg from Tod's plate. As he popped it into his mouth he leaned back and sighed.

 “Tod, we all have our own talents and skills. I can read people more easily than others, so I can adapt to conversations. Eric has good stamina and lots of energy, so he's always been good at sports. Amy, she's got an eye for ingredients and an impeccable sense of taste, so she cooks. She's also very motherly, in case you haven't noticed. Now you...”

 Dante tapped Tod's nose, making the puppy sneeze.

 “...You have a rather good eye, and your paw handles a pencil well. I saw what you drew in that little book of yours, and it was amazing Tod! I don't know anyone who can draw that well, and so easily.”

 “But...it's not even that good...I just draw for fun. What good is it?”

 “Now now Tod, you're being your harshest critic. Weren't you listening to me? I told you it was amazing. Now, if that picture brought me comfort and joy just by looking at it, then doesn't that mean that your skill with a pencil and paper is a worthwhile one?”

 “I...I guess so...but that picture was for Sheila. I was going to give it to her as a present but...well, we all got busy and I never had a chance to finish it and give it to her...”

 “And when you do finish it, don't you think she'll be happy that you drew a perfect likeness of her boyfriend for her to keep and cherish?”

 “Y-Yeah, I guess she would...Wait, when did you look at my picture?”

 “Well, when your brothers went and stole you away, we grabbed your supplies. After we cleaned out the trash, I sneaked a peek into your book. Like I said, amazing.”

 Tod felt himself break into a smile. Dante really did have skill with words, if the good feelings Tod now had meant anything. Tod hazarded another glance back, and saw that everyone was still preoccupied with Eric's antics, so the puppy leaned forward and gave Dante a quick kiss on the nose. The wolf returned the kiss onto Tod's nose before ruffling his silky hair and pointed at his plate.

 “You should probably finish your breakfast. I here it tastes better when it's warm...”

 Tod laughed, a real laugh, and with a smile on his face finished off the toast and the eggs. And then he turned to the waffles. They were much larger than the store bought waffles that Tod's family procured for the children, and had a different coloration. They also smelled delicious. There was a decent dollop of butter atop the uppermost pancake, but it had long since melted to but a quarter of its original size. Now the majority of the butter was filling up several of the holes surrounding the butter glob, looking very much like little yellow reservoirs.

 Dante stood and slipped over to the table, plucking the syrup from Eric's paw mid-pour, eliciting a loud “HEY!” from the large fox before sliding back into his seat beside Tod. He poured a little syrup over his own waffles before handing the bottle of viscous brown liquid to Tod. Tod poured slowly, delighting in the sight of the syrup filling each individual nook on the surface of the waffle, until the entire surface was covered completely and the syrup flowed freely over the edges into small puddles at the bottom of the stack.

 Tod used his fork to cut the stack into four triangles, and then to cut those triangles into halves. With excitement known only to one who has known hunger before, Tod took his first bite. To Tod, it was heaven, pure rapture, ecstasy in the form of complex carbohydrates and sugars. He slowed down as he chewed, reveling in the sweetness, the texture, everything that made a good waffle good. And then he felt Dante tap his shoulder.

 “It's just waffles kiddo.”

 Tod nearly choked on his mouthful as he laughed, and he heard laughter behind him. He turned and found everyone at the table smiling at him as well. Amy raised a glass of orange juice in cheers.

 “I take it you like home-made waffles Tod? I'm glad that I have my new little brother’s approval.”

 “They're loads better than store bought waffles!”

 “Well of course they are silly! Everything is better when you make it in your own kitchen...Well, except when Daddy is cooking.”

 “Hey now!”

 The table roared with laughter and Tod continued eating his waffles. He listened as Eric and Amy discussed what they should do with the day laid out before them. Dante suggested that they build a snow fort, what with the snow being as deep as it was, and Tod found himself intrigued. He'd heard of forts before. He'd watched Ashton and Terrance build forts out of sheets or, when they were outside, sticks and bricks. Of course, those forts were usually made to keep out Tod, and if he drew near his elder siblings would throw things at him. Usually the bricks.

 “What's a snow fort look like Dante?”

 “Well, kiddo, you take snow, and make a wall out of it. Usually you have to pack it good and tight so that it doesn't fall over. Depending on the fort you are making, the fort can be waist high on me, shorter, or taller if you're feeling ambitious. It can be a circle or a square, or some random shape, or just a single straight wall. With all this snow, we can make whatever we want! And believe me; I know there's a lot of snow. I nearly got lost on my way here. Do you know how weird it is not being able to find the streets?”

 Arthur leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat.

 “Do your parents know you are here Dante? And does your father know that you took his skis?”

 Dante gave an awkward laugh and shrugged.

 “Well, I left them a note saying that I was coming over here. The note said I was finding an alternate means of travel, so my dad will eventually reach the conclusion that I took his skis.”

 “And when will he reach that conclusion Dante?”

 “Probably when I get home and give him his skis back.”

 Amy, Eric, Tod, and Liliana all looked at Dante and asked the same question at the same time.

 “You came here on skis?”

 Dante wriggled a finger in his ear as he winced.

 “Geez, interrogation in stereo! Yes, I came here on skis. I couldn't drive, walking was hard work, the snow shoes were broken, and we don't have a snowmobile. Besides, I like cross country skiing.”

 Tod's ears perked up. Eric had purchased him a jacket, and a hooded sweatshirt a few days before, so he would be able to join them outside in the snow! He hopped down from his seat and grabbed his dishes and walked over to the sink. He began washing off the crumbs and left over syrup from the waffles, but the dish was plucked from his hand by Liliana.

 “None of that Tod, you have a day full of playing. Go and get your coat, and have fun!”

 Tod smiled and said thank you before he took off up the stairs as fast as his little furry legs could carry him. In a flash, the pup had his jacket on around his shoulders and he was once again trotting down the stairs, until he realized something. Gloves. Snow boots. Neither was in his possession, and Tod could see no reasonable way to get them from a store. Of course, Tod didn't want his new family to spend any more of their money on him, but now, as he stood awkwardly on the third step from the bottom, he felt very sad.

 Dante walked by the stairwell and looked at Tod, his head cocked to the side.

 “What's the matter little buddy? You look upset.”

 “I...I can't go out into the snow with you guys...”

 “Well, why not? Your not afraid of the powder are you?”

 “Oh no! It's not that! I just...I don't have any gloves...or boots.”

 “Oh, don't worry about that..HEY! Mom! Dad! Tod and I are gonna go find him some boots and gloves, okay?”

 Tod looked with surprise at Dante. When had his parents arrived? But then he heard Liliana's voice come from the kitchen.

 “Okay dear, you know your way around our basement. Take Eric with you, he can help.”

 There was a groan of complaint followed by Eric's footsteps. Moments later, Eric appeared, crumbs still on his muzzle.

 “Okay, what are we doing?”

 “Finding your little brother boots and gloves. Waterproof, probably size, oh, five I'd say, give or take.”

 Eric nodded and put his paws under Tod's arms, lifting the little pup onto his muscular shoulders. He walked past the stairwell, towards the kitchen, but instead of entering the room, he instead turned in the direction of the garage. Passing the garage door there was another unassuming brown door. When Eric turned the knob, it swung open easily to reveal stairs leading down into darkness. Tod let out a small whimper at the sight, but Eric casually flipped a switch on the wall, bathing the steps with radiant yellow light. Dante took the lead, trotting down the steps with a certain degree of familiarity, while Eric paused long enough to put Tod back on the floor.

 “Don't want you to knock your head on the ceiling little guy. Come on, let me show all of the junk my family has collected over the years.”

 Hand in hand, they went down into the basement, following after the wolf. When they reached the landing Tod was a little shocked at what he saw. Boxes and boxes lined two of the walls; shelves took up the other two. Some shelves had large crates that read, in blocky spray-painted letters “Gas Masks”, “War Gear”, “Uniforms”, and “Oddities and Brick-a-Brack” or similar such things. Next to the shelves was a work bench that had an old gas mask which appeared to have been modified with copper ingots, tubing, and wires. Scattered around it were tools and parts and adhesives of every kind. Dante was off in a corner, pulling boxes off of boxes and opening lids, glancing inside momentarily, and then setting them aside.

 Eric went and joined him, pointing out a few that Dante had missed and tugging them aside. Together they worked as Tod waited awkwardly, shuffling his feet, feeling very much like the fifth wheel. It wasn't until Dante cried out in triumph, making both Eric and Tod jump, that any words were spoken. As Dante stood, he held above his head a dusty pair of boots. They were black, and looked to be about Tod's size. He sniffed the air.

 “Ah, I think...Yes, I am SURE that this is nothing less than an Eric Baron 97', an exceptional year. Come Tod, come try them on whilst your brother attends to the matter of finding gloves for your little paws!”

 Tod smiled at Dante's banter and ran up, pausing to hug the wolf about the neck as he stooped to help Tod try on the boots. Surprisingly, the boots fit perfectly, despite Dante not having actually looked at Tod's exact shoe size, nor the size on the boots. Tod tugged the boots on over his paws as he watched Eric searching through box after dust-covered box. Once or twice he appeared with a mismatched pair, shook his head, and then tossed them aside. Once, he held up a pair of pink gloves, obviously having been Amy's long ago, and considered them for a long moment. Tod let out a sigh of relief when Eric tossed those aside as well.

 Finally, Eric found a pair of cloth gloves and another pair made of a harder and, hopefully, waterproof material. They were both black, and went nicely with his jacket.

 “Okay Tod. The larger gloves might be a little big for you, but if you wear the cloth gloves underneath, they should fit fine. It'll also keep your little paws from freezing off while we're outside!”

 Tod did as he was told and, as one, they made their way upstairs. Amy met them at the landing, decked out in her own cold weather clothes. Her boots and gloves were a flattering shade of purple, as was the scarf around her neck, while her coat was the color of freshly poured milk. The scarf hung loosely about her neck, and she wore no hat, leaving her perky ears free to maneuver.

 “Well, it seems Tod and I are all ready to play in the snow, and Dante was ready since he got here. But you, Eric...not so much.”

 Eric rolled his eyes and stepped past Amy.

 “Yeah yeah, no need to get your fur in a frazzle. I just need my jacket.”

 “It's in the hall closet.”

 “And my boots...”

 “Mom put them by the door.”

 “And my...gloves?”

 Amy reached into the pocket of her coat and withdrew a pair of black gloves, similar to Tod's but large enough for a fox that was Eric's size. She waggled them in his face.

 “Come on big guy, just watch it or you'll start the war early!”

 Tod looked up at Dante and the wolf smiled down at him. As Eric snatched the gloves from Amy with an exaggerated sigh, they marched after him as he made his way back into the living room, his destination the closet nestled beside the front door. Lo and behold, his coat was on a hanger within, and his boots, large and black, were nestled beside the door. Tod noticed that they looked like Dante's, and, as Tod thought about Dante, the puppy wondered why Dante smiled at him as he did when Amy mentioned a war to Eric while handing him his gloves.

 Eric tugged on his jacket, his reluctance to go outside veritably palpable to everyone in the room. Dante and Amy were both grinning like lunatics at a gun convention, while Eric looked as if he was about to have his teeth pulled without any anesthetic. Tod, on the other paw, was simply confused, so he said nothing, assuming that things will be explained to him later on. If not, well, he could always ask what Dante was smiling about.

 Eric finally pulled his boots, gloves, and jacket on and opened the door. There was the slightest hesitation as he stood there with his paw on the doorknob before he pulled the door open, revealing a large, white wonderland in front of them all. The sky was the color of cold steel and promised more snow later, but the snow sparkled merrily with prismatic light. Amy and Dante both gave a whoop and dashed past Eric with such vigor that they knocked him forward so that he landed face first in the snow, exactly where he had face-planted earlier that morning. Tod rushed forward as quickly as he was able in the deep snow, and tried to help Eric up. He came up with a groan and a glower at his sister and friend who now stood in the middle of the yard, looking very smug. Dante lifted an arm into the air and bellowed.

 “Today, we build our civilization! Tomorrow, we conquer the world!”

 Eric's face finally broke into a grin as he lifted Tod out of the snow that came up to his stomach and cradled the pup as he stepped forward. He set Tod down between Amy and Dante, and shook snow out of his fur.

 “Okay guys...Lets get building!”

 Dante gave a howl and dove into the fresh powder and was instantly concealed by the thick layer of snow. With an explosion of white he reappeared ten feet closer, his dark fur now crusted with snowflakes. Amy squealed with mock fright and Eric tackled the wolf so that they both fell laughing back into the snow. Dante slipped out from under Eric and dashed past Amy and Tod and started scooping up snow near the door into what resembled a wall. Amy as well began scooping snow and padding it into shape. Finally, Eric began scooping and building. As Tod watched, and minutes trickled by, all around him the semblance of a structure began to emerge. He waded over to Amy and tugged on her coat sleeve.

 “Um, Amy? What are we gonna do when we finish the fort?”

 She looked at Tod lovingly and bent down and kissed him on the top of his forehead.

 “Well, I think we'll start a war.”

 Tod raised an eyebrow and stared at his big sister curiously. He looked around the empty neighborhood, its lawns and street coated with a gleaming white blanket. From what Tod had learned about from war, from what books he could sneak away with and read from his father's study, they were usually bloody, violent, and had lots of different creatures fighting. They involved entire countries sometimes; at least that was what Tod had read. His ears perked up as he scanned, looking for a possible enemy, but he was disappointed. He looked back at Amy, who merely indicated Dante and Eric.

 “The Black Menace and the Orange Scourge! Together, little recruit, we will bring them and their tyranny down! But first, we must build our defenses and stockpile our weapons for the coming rebellion!”

 Tod stared at her blankly. He hadn't a clue as to what she'd said, but he assumed that she wanted him to help her build her section of the wall. So, with a smile on his face, and snow in his gloved paws, Tod began building the walls ever higher. With Eric, Dante, Amy and Tod all working meticulously together, the walls grew taller and taller. With their combined efforts they soon had the walls up to Eric's stomach, and rooms became obvious But, Amy, Eric, and Dante began casting wary glances at one another, and the playful chatter began to subside.

 Then, all at once, Dante stopped working all together, and so did the foxes. Tod, still working on a patch of wall, paused to glance at them. Amy looked veritably dangerous, Dante had a smug air of aloofness about him, and Eric looked as if he was being force fed something unpleasant. Tod could feel tension building in air to the point that if he made a sound, it would crack and fall apart. It was perfectly still for the longest moment before Dante slowly raised a paw into the air and, in a deep and serious voice, said something quite interesting.

 “Let the war begin.”