Ursafox
March 21, 2070: Experiment begins. Specified genes from family Ursidae inserted into fox (Vulpes fulva) embryo.
Dr. Sean Greensworth let his gaze meander toward the innocent little tank attached to the wall, marked with a sticker that read "Subject # 8854." He then looked back down at the small booklet in his hand, the booklet holding the first written entry about their top project. Sighing, he let a hand rest gently on the outside of the tank holding the precious life form. "You don't know how important you are, little creature. The future of foxes depends on you." It had been a hard year for all of the scientists working on the species conservation issues. As the need for more residential areas grew, so did the likelihood of the extinction of many fine creatures. But with the forest habitats dwindling down to areas no more than a few acres across, the foxes were taking the hardest blows. Rodent meals were harder and harder to find, preferring to live in sewers and urban areas than the dying forests. It was clear that foxes would have to start adding more plants to their diets, like the highly adaptable bear, if they wanted to survive.
Dr. Greensworth shook his head. "We owe you this much, small one. The human race has not been very kind to foxes in the past. No more will we hunt for your fur. Just live." He began gathering up his papers in some sort of orderly fashion, and carefully dropped them into his briefcase. He knew that he should concentrate more on this as a scientific achievement, and try to put his feelings aside, but he just couldn't. He'd always loved foxes, since he was a little boy. He loved their intelligence, their swiftness, and their beautiful fur. He wanted to them to live with that fur, and scorned the people of the past who would rather see that lovely animal hanging on a wall. It seems that once one problem has ceased, another one takes its place so rapidly that there is no time in between.
Feeling apprehensive, he gently closed and locked the door before slowly walking away, knowing that his partner would be here any minute to take the night shift. I shouldn't bother locking the door for two minutes, but I am feeling that damned protectiveness I always feel with foxes. Get a grip. Thankfully, he saw a familiar figure heading down the hallway in a white lab coat, and he smiled and waved. The figure returned his greeting, gave him a "thumbs up" sign, and quickly entered the lab with a separate key. "Oh good, Jenson's here." Sufficiently relieved, Greensworth headed out the door, and started his drive home.
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April 2, 2070: Embryo determined as female. Development progressing at normal rate; skull structure has changed sufficiently. Several additional bear-like qualities detected.
Excitedly, Dr. Greensworth jotted down the entry in his scientific journal booklet. "Small one, you are turning out to be one fascinating creature, you are." The doctor could just imagine it with fur. Beautiful, silky fox fur with that cute bit of roundness characteristic of a bear's head. Silly, you don't know how it's going to turn out. Don't get your hopes up. Turning back to the tank, he studied the tiny body with eager eyes. The creature had developed quite a bit by now, its bones coming into place. The doctor could see that it had broader shoulders and paws, like a bear, but it still kept that nice, long fox tail. "That's good," he remarked to himself. "I love those fluffy tails...." Smiling, he did his daily job of checking the tube that was feeding nutrients into the tank. Keep growing. I'm counting on you. Foxes are counting on you.
Several days after April 2, Dr. Greensworth decided to visit one of the few forest habitats left in America. He just had to see the foxes again, out in the wild. He loved to see them run, and to see the kits play. I hope that there are still enough of them left for me to spot one, he fretted as he made his way across the highway. Soon the roads began to bend, twisting and turning through a less-populated area. "I didn't realize how much I needed to get out of the city," he sighed. Stopping by the side of a rocky dirt road, he locked his car and thanked God that one of these rare habitats was located not too far from his current spot. With a pair of special digital binoculars, the doctor began the two-mile walk to the preserved forest.
There it is! Dr. Greensworth held up his binoculars and peered joyfully through their lenses. A sly male was padding soundlessly through the bushes with graceful stealth. After flicking his head from side to side, he disappeared into the trees with a flash. They're so quick and clever! Too bad he left so soon. About to get up and move to another section of woods, the doctor halted when he saw a wrinkled black nose poke out from behind another bush. A tiny, bumbling red body followed the nose, obviously locked onto an enticing scent. A grin spread across Greensworth's face. A kit! It's so young! An indignant snuffling sound pulled his attention back to the bush. A wiry vixen emerged from behind the bush, and with a paw gently shoved the kit behind her. Consequently, two more kits scampered up to the front. The mother snorted, and ushered them back behind the bush. Greensworth chuckled to himself. Bet they're driving her nuts. Kids, kits, what's the difference? Unfortunately, the vixen's keen sense of smell picked up the scent of a foreign visitor. Her ears pricked up, and four bodies rapidly melted back into the woods.
In another section of the forest, not far away from where he had seen the kits, the doctor walked along slowly and quietly. That was certainly worth the wait. Beautiful animals. Gorgeous. His smile faded only when he saw a black paw sticking out from behind a boulder. The paw lay limp and motionless on the ground. Foxes don't sleep out in the open like that, they find hollow logs or underground burrows.... Disturbed, he slowly looked behind the rock, and his fears were confirmed. A young male fox, possibly a rash adolescent who had chosen independence before it was time, lay motionless on the ground. There was no stench of rotting flesh, so the animal must not have been lying there for long. It was only too obvious what had caused the death of this poor creature. The fox's fur was dull, and his ribs were showing rather prominently. Torn, the doctor knelt down next to the furry creature. He almost reached out his hand to stroke the soft, furry head, but drew it back, his common sense telling him that it was not sanitary. Poor little man....so many rodents here have gone, migrated to the cities where they can thrive in the sewers and alleys. Poor little starving fox. A tear dropped from his eye and landed on the body, leaving a dark, damp spot on the red fur. Slowly, the doctor got up, and began his walk back in the direction of his car. He had seen quite enough that day.
On the way home, Dr. Greensworth decided to make a last minute stop at the lab, just to check on the growing infant animal. When he reached the door, he fumbled with his key and managed to get the door open. The body was still there, suspended in the tank. The doctor's eyes brightened when he noticed that a little black nose was beginning to take shape. Sleep well, small friend. He softly closed the door.
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April 20, 2070: Growth continues to progress normally. All major organs fully developed. Movement has been detected.
Dr. Greensworth could barely hold the pen in his hand as he scribbled down the current journal entry. He kept sporadically swivelling his head to get another glimpse of those tiny limbs kicking around, feet dancing in their world of water. This is incredible! I can actually witness the first movements of the creature before it is "born"! Go, baby kit, get those legs ready, so when you come out of there, you can walk for me, hm? Grinning sheepishly, Greensworth turned his head back to his papers. "Going a bit overboard, aren't you? Acting like it's your own human child!" Still, as he chided himself for his ridiculous notions, the smile remained on his face for the rest of the day.
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May 13, 2070: Kept data states that infant will be fully developed and ready to be removed from tank in anywhere from 2 hours to 5 days from now.
Bleary-eyed, the loyal doctor sat in his chair, drowsily watching the tank with the special life form at twelve o'clock midnight. He had begged for the night shift this week, knowing that the kit was most likely to be born during this period of time. "Sean," his co-worker had sighed, "You are putting way too much time into this. We are a team, you know." But that hadn't mattered, because Sean Greensworth wanted to be the first to see the baby when it was ready to see the world. That was the only important thing.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The wall clock was the only thing keeping him awake. The doctor's schedule was, "early to bed, early to rise," and this was surely not "early to bed." His chin falling that telltale distance from the air to his chest, one thing jerked him back to the waking world. A little red light was flashing above the tank, reading, "DEVELOPMENT COMPLETE." More awake than he had ever been, Greensworth jumped to his feet and quickly went through the process of draining the tank. Wearing white latex gloves, he carried a furry insulated blanket designed to mimic the fur of a mother fox over to the door of the tank, and carefully removed the newly born kit out of the tank. Holding his breath, he pressed the button on the wall that would let the other scientists know at home that a healthy kit had been born.
Quickly returning his gaze to the baby, a smile full of warmth and genuine happiness lit up his features. For the miniscule face was looking up at him, and even with closed eyes it reached out with its front legs, trying to find the touch of its protector. Gently, Greensworth wrapped his blanket-covered hands around the wet body, hoping to warm its fur. As the infant cried out with a helpless, high-pitched yip, the doctor mentally smacked himself upside the head. As fast as he could without dropping the delicate bundle, he went to the stored containers of warm milk, and uncoiled the tube connected to it. Softly, slowly, he lowered the rubber nipple at the end of the tube into the wrapped-up blanket. Immediately, the kit clamped down on the tube and began sucking hungrily. Greensworth just watched it drink, feeling at peace with the world and lost in his own seventh heaven. Now it begins. The time for us to spend together. Young one, you are a special fox. Opening the blanket just enough to see the infant's face, the doctor noted the round ears, just like a bear cub's. My little Ursafox.
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So began the life of the small fox-bear. Dr. Greensworth had to give in to the fact that other scientists wanted to hold the kit, and he did so rather reluctantly. All of them had taken to calling her "Ursafox," as the name seemed to stick after Greensworth had thought it up. The rest of his co-workers had to admit, the little creature was rather adorable. She sported the usual fox coloration, with the white-tipped tail and the black ears and paws, but the rest of her fur was a kind of reddish-brown color, almost copper. "Good," Jenson had said. "It blends into the forest better than red does anyway."
Ursafox was also stockier than most foxes, a bit broader in the shoulders and chest. After numerous calculations, this was hailed as an improvement, since the extra bulk meant that more fat could be stored during the times when food was scare. Even so, it could have been explained just by the sheer amount of milk she consumed. Greensworth chuckled every time it was his turn to feed her. "She sure is a healthy eater. Always better than refusing to eat, right?" The others had to agree.
Ursafox was growing at a nice, healthy rate. After one week and a half, she could walk fairly steadily on her own, and she was covered in a fine but even coat of silky copper fur. Greensworth liked to stroke her, but everyone warned him against it, because getting attached to one human was the last thing they wanted the little bear-fox to do. About two and a half weeks after her birth, Ursafox was sitting in Greensworth's hand, drinking milk, when she clamped her eyelids down very tightly, and they slowly fluttered completely open for the first time. Surprisingly enough, brownish-amber eyes peered up at the doctor, wide with curiosity. Ecstatic, it took a lot of self-control for Greensworth not to shout in the kit's face. Even so, everyone was happy. Now she could see the world.
Ursafox became very active once sight was given to her. She liked to toddle around and try to sniff everything, literally sticking her nose in places it shouldn't belong, like the file cabinets. At that point, she was relocated to a special area the doctors had set up ahead of time. Sunlight that beamed down through high windows lit up the room, and the floor was covered in green imitation grass so the kit would feel as if she were in the forest. Assorted rocks, trees, and sticks were present as well. Ursafox apparently found the room to her liking, for upon entering, she promptly sat down under a small tree and took a nap. Greensworth laughed. "She's a forest girl, yes she is!" The bear-fox heartily agreed, and she made a habit of rolling in the "grass" under a sunbeam. Dr. Greensworth watched her sleep one time for a half hour straight, smiling. Easy life...
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Soon the crucial five weeks had passed, and the kit was the size of a very young cat. It was time to take her to the big, fenced in enclosure in the back of the building. On the morning of July 3, Greensworth quietly walked into the room with the little kit. "Ursa! Psst!" With one gloved hand, he gently tickled her nose. They had found out not long ago that this was a surefire way to wake her up. Wrinkling her face, Ursafox yawned as she opened her eyes and looked expectantly up at Greensworth, ready for her bowl of milk and berries, and the occasional meat patty. But the doctor just grinned at her, then scooped her up in his arms and began carrying her down the hall. She gave him a wide, questioning gaze, and he had this aching urge to take off his glove and just plunge his hand through her velvety fur, but he knew that would be unheard of. The more he handled her bare-handed, the more attached she would get to him, and that would not be preferable in this case. I so wish I could take you home, and we could sit together by a fire, you on my lap, in my arms.... He shook his head to clear it of insensible thoughts.
When the two of them finally left the building, the kit was very hungry. A drop of drool was hanging from her mouth, and she began to whimper. "Come on now, don't whine. You're going to learn to be a little huntress." Three wild mice had been captured and let loose in the large, fenced-in area. The doctors wanted Ursafox to try and catch one of them on her own.
"She should know how to hunt by instinct, she just needs to see a rat out there. Then she'll go for it." Jenson had told this to the others, and Greensworth admitted that he had to agree. He had hoped it would take longer, because knowing how to hunt was one step toward independence.
Slowly letting Ursafox jump from his lowered hands to the ground, Greensworth let her sniff around for a few minutes, just to get her bearings. Her round ears went as straight up as they could go, and an eager flick of her tail meant she had caught the scent of breakfast. Unsure exactly what to do, the little bear-fox wandered around, trying to find the source of the smell. When her eyes locked onto a mouse sitting on a rock twenty feet away, she launched forward into a series of swift leaps. But that wasn't quick enough for the mouse. It took off like a rocket, and scrambled its way up the nearest tree. Skidding to a halt, the kit whined, hungry.
Snorting angrily, Ursafox began sniffing the air again, trying to catch on to another mouse. Her nose twitched at the scent of breakfast prospect #2, but this time she tried a different tactic. Slowly creeping up to the mouse, she stopped about ten feet away, and waited there, watching the mouse sit and eat a berry. Bunching up her muscles, she sprang suddenly at the rodent. Caught off-guard, the mouse made a frightened squeak before it was quickly reduced to shreds, and seconds later, nothing remained in that spot but a damp patch of grass. Panting, Ursafox walked over to Greensworth and gave him and indignant glare that said, "So, now what? Where's my food?" All the doctor could do was laugh as he appeased her, and smile as she inhaled the milk and berries. "You're a little imp, you know that, don't you?" And he reached down and stroked her fur, proud of his small hunter.
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For the next couple of weeks, Dr. Greensworth was a very happy man. He would watch Ursafox hunt and play in the grass, enraptured just by seeing her live her life. Once in a while, when no one was watching, he would give her a quick stroke or small cuddle. But as weeks turned into months, and autumn came, he spent less and less time seeing his precious kit. All of the scientists had agreed that, at this point, she would just be surveyed from a camera inside by one person at a time. Only when someone was letting out more mice or when the fence needed its weekly check for rusted spots were any humans allowed to enter the backyard. Greensworth jumped at this chance whenever he could, so at least once a week he was able to see his beloved bear-fox.
Often, though, the doctor found himself sent home early from work, others telling him he should take some time off since he had been working so hard. Sadly, all Greensworth did at his house those lonely afternoons was stroke his pet orange cat, Vixen, and look through his photographs of foxes. He liked to compare in his head how this fox's ears were shorter, more like Ursa's, and how this fox's fur was more coppery-colored. Sometimes he would just sit and try to draw pictures of the bear-fox for hours on end. Rare was the hour that went by when Greensworth didn't think of the kit, out in her fenced-in field, and hope she was faring all right. One night, he was sitting in his favorite chair at his home, trying to visualize her soft tail curled around his hand, when he stopped. He looked at the ceiling, and then back into the face of his cat. "Vixen, I've gotten myself into something, and I can't get out. She means everything to me, just like a child. I want the best for her, and I know the others do as well." He sighed heavily. "But I don't want her to leave, Vixen. Soon it will be spring again, and then...." Greensworth gave his cat a tight hug, and softly began to cry.
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Jenson watched the screens connected to the video camera carefully, noting Ursafox's quick reflexes, and how nicely she had adapted to living outdoors over the past months. He quirked a smile as she scratched an itch up against a tree. You're not a kit anymore, Ursafox. Soon you're going to help save foxes out there that need you. You'll find a mate, have some kits of your own, and start the crucial cycle that we need to bring back our Vulpine forest critters. Good job. His smile faded as he thought of Sean Greensworth. Frowning, he turned to another co-worker in the room, Banes, who was taking some notes. "Dammit, Sean's put his whole life this past year into raising that kit, and he's gonna be heartbroken to see her go. What are we supposed to do?! He knew from the start she would have to be sent back out into the wild!"
Banes raised her head from the notes. "I don't know. I honestly have no idea of how to comfort the poor guy. He really loves that creature, doesn't he...." She smiled faintly. "She is awful cute."
Jenson let out a hopeless sigh. "We're just going to have to wait and see, and hope to God that he doesn't break down." If it's not too late....
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Over the winter months, Dr. Greensworth found himself getting a welcome reprieve. More people were required to be watching the bear-fox to make sure she would make it through the winter months outdoors. Greensworth watched the video screens tentatively as the day of the first snow came. This was the final test. If Ursafox could survive the winter only on plants, then the project was a success, and she would be released in the spring. As the soft white flakes tumbled gently out of the sky, Ursafox yelped as snow drifted down onto her head. After tasting it, and finding it too cold for her liking, instinct took over. Her front obscured behind a large rock, Greensworth could see her back legs kicking and dirt flying in the air. He grinned, knowing that she had discovered how to dig herself a winter home. Now she won't be cold out there...oh, stay safe, little friend.
After the consent of the other scientists, when Greensworth went out into the backyard for the weekly fence check, he doubled back and sneaked a peek at the burrow. He figured it must be fairly deep, since he could not see the bottom. But to his surprise, a wriggling nose poked out of the hole, and after it came the bear-fox. Smiling widely, he reached down and gave her a quick cuddle, like old times. He felt her tense up, and she whimpered for a moment, but then she remembered him and returned the friendly gesture. Greensworth sighed with relief. She remembers me! Whew. He was glad to see that while she was not quite as fat as she was during the summer, she seemed to be getting her daily fill of roots and plants. Slowly setting her on the ground, he walked away, leaving Ursafox to hunt for her vegetation as she had originally planned. He was happy for the time being, for Ursafox had been there, in his arms.
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"Hello." Unconsciously fiddling with his pen, Dr. Greensworth had jumped when Banes greeted him.
"Oh, hello, Jennifer."
She sneaked a peek over his shoulder and inwardly rolled her eyes. It was a half-done sketch of a fox's head with fuzzy round ears. "Entering art school?"
Greensworth blushed. "No, I finished going over the notes, and I sent in the...." His throat tightened. "....final conclusion." A great sadness lingered in his eyes. Banes was horrified, for he looked like someone had died.
Taking a risk, she nonchalantly pointed over to a picture of a family of foxes on the wall. "Numbers are dropping, aren't they...." Greensworth didn't say anything as she audibly sighed. "Poor little tykes....I'd hate to think what condition their kits are in. Ursafox did quite well this winter." Her voice softened. "Maybe, in a few years, other kits will be faring the same." She soundlessly opened the door, and left not only the room, but a man who was deep in thought.
March 15, 2071: Final entry. Subject #8854 has been noted a success. Scheduled to be released later this afternoon.
Sean Greensworth wrote the words with a lump in his throat. But he forced himself to swallow that lump as he got out of his chair. Walking over to a vertical file cabinet, he opened one of the drawers and carefully removed an important and bulging manilla folder. Even though we have all of this recorded on the computers, I want to touch it, feel it again. Meticulously, he extracted several photographs from the packet of papers. One of them was a close-up of a tiny form, curled up in the palm of a blanketed hand. The bare, almost fur-free body had small limbs that ended in tiny teddy-bear paws. Round ears the size of Greensworth's thumbnail graced its head, and a miniscule wrinkled nose protruded from over the edge of the blanket. That was my hand....
He leafed through the photos, all of them of Ursafox as she had learned and grown. Her first mouse she had caught had somehow been captured on film as well. The doctor grinned. The last photograph was a recent picture of Ursafox being coaxed onto a scale at the end of February. There she sat, her beautiful, satiny fur gleaming in the sun, and her amber eyes bright and shining with the will to live life to its fullest. Greensworth stared at that last picture for a long time. Looking at the clock, he realized that it was only an hour until the scheduled time of release. There is one picture that is missing....and I know which one that is.
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Ursafox's ear had been tagged, and she had been lured into a carrier by a piece of meat. The van was now turning the corner to the forest reserve. Greensworth had sat next to the cage, looking into the bear-fox's eyes and communicating without words. When the van stopped, the team of scientists carried the cage to the edge of the woods. Jenson smiled. "It's time, people. Time to see our dreams come true." Once the cage had been opened, Ursafox trotted out and scanned the area confusedly. She then turned to look at all the others, waiting for something to happen.
Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Greensworth strode forward and faced Jenson. "Can you do me a huge favor? There is something I need before she goes." He wordlessly handed him the camera he was holding. Surprised, Jenson slowly nodded.
Greensworth went over to stand next to Ursafox, took one look at her, and betrayed all of his good sense. He stripped off his gloves and scooped the bear-fox up in his arms. Ursafox snorted, but she let him pick her up. Jenson was about to make an outraged exclamation when Banes bent over and whispered in Jenson's ear. "He deserves it. One time won't hurt."
Grumbling, Jenson submitted to the others, and a photograph was taken of Greensworth with his Ursa in his arms. Afterward, he shifted so Ursafox was looking straight into his eyes. "Ursa," he whispered. "I love you, and I always will love you. But there are others out there who need you more than me. Other beautiful creatures who deserve to survive. Let them flourish. Let them grow. Keep them alive." A tear rolled down his cheek, and he lowered his voice until no one could hear him. "And don't forget me." With that said, he lightly tossed the bear-fox down onto the ground. Ursafox whimpered, sensing he was sad. But Greensworth had been prepared. Removing a dead rat from a container in the van, he lifted it in front of Ursafox. The animal who had been deprived of meat for the last few months could not resist. Greensworth flung the rat far and wide, into the forest. Ursafox took one look back, whined at the doctor, and took off into the woods. As her tail finally disappeared behind a tree, Greensworth silently shed his tears. Live, my Ursa. Live, and be free. The world is yours for the taking.
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