The Fox and the Raccoon series

A Little Friendship (2009)

Eleyana is a newborn fox in the den, searching for food from her mother. Her mother sung some nursery songs as well as telling stories while the father came bringing food for her mother to eat. She cherished her parents. In a few days a storm came bringing fierce lightning and heavy rain. A tornado hit sending her far away from her family and separating them. She landed on some small rocks beside a baby raccoon.

'You're not mommy or daddy,' Eleyana cried out.

'You're not mommy or daddy either,' the baby raccoon cried out as well.

'I'm Eleyana. What is your name?' Eleyana asked.

'I'm Isabelle. Maybe we could team up and find mommy and daddy,' Isabelle replied.

'That seems to be my only option after this storm passes by. I'll accept,' Eleyana said.

'Thank you. It will be worth your time,' Isabelle said.

They waited for a long time under the small rocks, waiting for the storm to pass by. After the storm passed by and the sun came out they crawled out from under the rocks. Both of them felt cold and wet and wondered how they were going to survive. As soon as they appeared in the sun an elderly woman was standing there. She had come to the area to pick off some berries from some nearby bushes. Looking around, she saw no parents nearby. Then she picked both of them up and wrapped them in a warm, soft blue cloth. They found it difficult to struggle and really enjoyed the warmth. Soon they ended up in separate cages side by side and received milk to drink. It didn't feel the same as drinking their mother's milk.

'This is a strange place. No mommy and daddy here,' Eleyana commented.

'No mommy and daddy here either. We need to escape somehow. These bars are tough. We seem to be warmed up here. All nice and cozy,' Isabelle said.

'We'll make it. For now we need to survive. For mommy and daddy,' Eleyana said. Eleyana took a rep. Then another. It seemed like she went nowhere. 'How are we going to find mommy and daddy if we can't move?'

'I need to try. If I can't move either then we're going to be in big trouble,' Isabelle said.

One day after the next they tried moving around in the cages. The elderly woman kept coming back and giving them milk to drink. After they became two weeks old she moved them into a room where the door had a thick barrier where only she could move in and out. The wall is too difficult for Isabelle to climb over. As soon as they could walk they began searching for their parents to no success. There is a variety of toys around that distracted their attention as well.

Eleyana enjoys the ball of yarn the elderly lady left behind on the floor. The yarn is very soft and furry. Another thing Eleyana enjoyed is sitting in the rocking chair. Each day as the elderly lady gave milk then she was picked up and held. Then the elderly lady sat in the rocking chair and fed her.

Isabelle, on the other hand, climbed the cat post up to where she could see out the window overlooking the back yard. She watched as the plants in the garden grew from seedlings. Plants in the garden held her interest. Birds came and went as they pleased. Butterflies and bees landed on flowers. Watching through the windows felt like watching a dream place.

Eleyana and Isabelle began to like each other as they spent time searching for a way to find their parents. Eleyana became tangled up in the yarn so the elderly lady took the yarn away for the day. Then the elderly lady began to read children stories to them. As she read both Eleyana and Isabelle began to learn how to read as well. They memorized the children stories.

Trouble (2019)

'Who is that?' Eleyana asked when a man dressed in white came in.

'I don't know,' Isabelle replied.

"Now, I don't want them harmed in any way. Promise me you won't harm them," the elderly lady could be heard in the other room.

"We'll take good care of them," a manly voice responded back.

The man in white took out a couple nets and set the cages down. Eleyana took to behind the rocking chair as the man entered with nets. She didn't like it. They didn't understand the fighting that was going on. Then the man mde a move to grab Eleyana. After she became captured the man put her inside the larger cage and then went after Isabelle.

'Run Isabelle, run. He is going to lock you up too,' Eleyana encouraged.

Too late. Isabelle ended up caught and put into the smaller cage. Eleyana looked for a way out. There seemed to be no hinges to look for or an opening she could escape to.

'I'm caught. What do we do now?' Isabelle asked, frightened.

'Look for a way out. I'm not succeeding,' Eleyana replied.

"I got them. Time to move out," a deep, loud voice said.

"Good. Let's go Jason," the other person replied.

'Let us go Jason,' Eleyana growled.

'It's no use. No matter where I look, there isn't an opening,' Isabelle cried out.

Then they were taken outside into a van. Eleyana was placed on the right side and Isabelle on the left. They tried gnawing their way out as the van moved away. Soon the van parked in front of a white building called Wildlife Laboratory and then they were carried inside. Then Isabelle caught the name of the place.

'Eleyana, we are in Wildlife Laboratory. We aren't in that elderly lady's home anymore. So long ago I forgot her name,' Isabelle said.

'I don't remember her name either. Could it be possible our parents are here?' Eleyana said.

'It could. Let's find out where we'll be taken,' Isabelle said.

They ended up in a large room beside each other where things of science was held. Commenting that it's a laboratory, Eleyana shivered with fear. She wondered if her parents ended up trapped in one of the cages of this room. Isabelle wondered the same thing. They memorized a laboratory to be a room filled with experiments and this matched the description.

The next day the two received a searing, painful shot in the leg. Then they were put into red colored cages. It seemed like this is going to be the end of their search. Then an eagle named Clear Eyes spoke to them. Clear Eyes turned out to know their parents and they were able to gain some knowledge about them. Bob and Liz sounded very familiar to Eleyana to her knowledge and Eric and Lilah sounded very familiar to Isabelle. They had fought to remember the names of their parents for a long time and spoke about them. Clear Eyes reassured them that they didn't have to worry about their parents.

Next day came and they were given shots again. This continued on for a month. One day Clear Eyes is left out in the open. Seeing an advantage, Eleyana encouraged Clear Eyes to hit the big, red button. Isabelle didn't want that to happen and argued against it. Still, Clear Eyes thought Eleyana had a reasonable excuse. Clear Eyes flew upward and then fast straight at the red button. Eleyana's plan worked. All the cage doors flew open and everybody started pouring out. Free at last, Eleyana and Isabelle jumped out from the cage they were held in. Then Eleyana asked Clear Eyes to take the lead. The liquid on the ground from shattered containers tasted nasty. They ran outside and then ran until they couldn't run anymore.

A New Day in the Woods (2009)

Eleyana crouched low in the grass, well aware that anyone who saw her might try to kill her. The idea of vampires, werewolves, and humans from the children books that gave her nightmares cause her to shiver with fear. Werepyres is the one thing that didn't frighten her the most though. They were cave dwellers. Then she fell down onto her side after checking to make sure the area was safe and clear. The painful lab experiment and then seizing an opportunity to escape is well into her mind and muscles. Isabelle was the other girl who went through the exact same commotion. Eleyana and her were very good friends until the experiment. After the experiment there was an argument that caused them to fall apart. Eleyana pondered what she will do without Isabelle there to support her while she rested there. She also thought of how much Isabelle loved taking her yarn and how she hated that.

When the fresh scent of grass arose and bright morning sunshine reached down and touched Eleyana, she yawned, stretched, then stood up. Pricking up her ears, she listened to the song birds finishing up their morning song. Enjoying these songs, she relaxed, feeling safer.

The first thing that happened after a little while was her stomach rumbling for food. Her throat felt dry and parched as well. She pounced to the other side of the grass catching a good-sized white rat. Instinctively, she used her razor-sharp teeth to tear up chunks of meat and ate it. Then she decided it safe to explore the area. First she groomed her hair thoroughly, taking about an hour to clean. Next she carefully pushed through the grass and slowly moved in one direction. By noon she found a river alive with rapids and large fish. She took a long drink, careful to stay on the bank. Then she followed the river, looking for a place to stay. If possible, she wanted to go back home and stay at home.

Beside the river she went, following the direction of its strong current. For an entire hour she did this, stopping only to catch a quick snack. That night she found a large old oak tree to sleep under. The tree trunk split apart almost at ground level.

In the morning Eleyana woke up upon hearing tiny paws scattering about the ground. Slowly, still focusing on the sound, she moved towards it, curious. The uneven ground made it difficult to move quickly. Using her back leg muscles, she lunged forward, making a small jump. She ended up on Isabelle, the raccoon she was raised with. They stared each other in eyes for a moment.

'Isabelle?' Eleyana said, startled.

'Eleyana?' Isabelle said.

'It's me. We're free. Now, time to find Clear Eyes so we can find our parents,' Eleyana said, hoping the argument means nothing now. She is wrong.

'Your idea of hitting the big, red button has gotten us here. Our parents aren't here either. This is a wild goose chase you sent us. I'm going this way. I'll find my parents on my own,' Isabelle said then headed off in the other direction.

Eleyana realized she is alone in her idea on how to find her parents. She darted down the edge of the river bank and ran until she felt like she could run no more. The trees casted shadows from the sun keeping her cooled down. Then she spotted a fish and grabbed the fish with her mouth. Success. For the next few days she wandered by the river. No luck in finding Clear Eyes. Then she wondered if her idea would work after all.

Finding Home (2019)

"Again?" Eleyana said when she caught the familiar scent of Isabelle. The elderly lady at the dock turned to see who spoke.

"I can't believe we meet again," Isabelle said sniffing. Then the elderly lady saw them.

"Hello there. Aren't you two the one I found on a pile of rocks when you were just a tiny baby?" the elderly lady asked.

"You smell familiar. Maybe you can help us find our parents. Wait, usually you can't understand us though," Eleyana said.

"Why, I can understand you now. I wonder what those fellows put you through. You're searching for your parents then. I can take you back to where I found you. First you need food and water before you go running off into the wild. I'm Emily by the way," Emily said.

"Emily. I think that will help a lot. We should do it Isabelle. Don't say no this time," Eleyana said.

"If she brings us back to where she found us that will help a lot with finding my parents. Okay then, I will accept," Isabelle said.

"I'm Eleyana by the way," Eleyana said.

"Deal it is. Now, come over to my house and eat up. You must be starving. Then I will take you over to where I found you. I'll warn you that I never did see your parents around that spot. The tornado that went through that area lasted for 17 miles so it might be a long search," Emily said.

"Make it a quick one. Anything for my parents," Eleyana said.

The trio traveled to Emily's house and there they ate and drank. Early in the morning next day Emily took them over to where she usually gathered berries to eat. Then she brought them over to the same pile of rocks she had found them when they were young. There Eleyana and Isabelle said their goodbye and waited for her to leave. After Emily left they sniffed around. They couldn't pick up any familiar scent. Then they decided to travel together in the direction she had pointed them to.

"I hope we find our parents soon. This may be your best idea yet Eleyana. It will make up for what you did in that laboratory," Isabelle commented as they went as fast as they could.

"This better work out. At least we have a full stomach to run on," Eleyana said. "Emily could understand us. That's different than usual. Usually humans can't understand us. I wonder what happened that would cause us to speak."

"I think they injected us with some kind of experiment and it worked. Now we need to talk as we normally would talk," Isabelle said.

'Like this, am I right?'

'Yes, you're right.'

For a few hours they ran. Then Isabelle caught a familiar scent. Stopping to sniff, she continued to catch some more familiar scents that she could only dream about otherwise. Excited, she went over to a tree and climbed it. There were a family of raccoons watching her. Then she realized it was her mother. Eleyana stopped and watched the tree to make sure nothing happened to Isabelle. After a little bit a whole family of raccoons came down from the tree and met her.

'Mommy, daddy, this is Eleyana, my friend. She is the one who helped me find you,' Isabelle began.

'Thank you for helping my daughter,' the mother said.

'No problem. Now to find my own parents. I am glad that Isabelle is in safe hands,' Eleyana said.

'Go on. Your parents must be missing you very much,' the father said.

After the raccoons climbed back up the tree Eleyana headed further. She had no idea what she was looking for, but she had high hopes in finding her parents. Her friend had been able to find hers. After the third day she came across a den with familiar scents. She now had to look around to find her parents. Then she noticed others her age and then the mother and father. Sniffing, she recognized them to be her father and mother. She yelped out in joy.

'Mother, father, I'm home,' Eleyana said.

'Why, are you Eleyana?' Gary, her father, asked.

'Yes I am. It's me. Don't you remember my smell?' Eleyana said.

'Why, you have a scent of someone else too. Much more like a human scent. We remember your smell, of course,' Bailey, her mother, said.

'Oh, well, Emily helped me and Isabelle. She must be a human being then,' Eleyana blushed.

'I'm glad to see you back safe and sound. Now, for the hunting training,' Gary said.

Eleyana found she couldn't keep up with the hunting very well. However, she managed to catch a rat to eat. One of the others found a rabbit. Then they went back to the den. The arrival back home meant a lot for her. Now she could find out all her parents needed to tell her. She wondered if she would ever see Isabelle again. Now that they both found their parents, they didn't need each other anymore.

Growing Wild (2019)

Eleyana felt as hungry as she could ever be. Rats were simply not enough for her. Then she ran across Isabelle during her hunt. She stopped and sniffed before she attacked and recognized her friend. Help could come in handy. Once she learned what Isabelle kept finding to eat she spoke of her problem. Both of them needed some help living out in the wild. Soon some nets found them and they were trapped. This time it was a person in a uniform saying Hope Center underneath a badge.

"Excuse me, why are we being captured?" Eleyana spoke up. The person was completely caught by surprise.

"We're here to rescue you. We received a report about a young fox and raccoon not making it in the wild. I'm Ashley," Ashley said.

"We're hungry but still alive. A little food will help. Maybe you can teach us to live in the wild?" Isabelle said.

"We can rehabilitate you for the wild after you recover. I'm surprised both of you can talk. Have you had contact with humans before?" Ashley said.

"Yes, we had. Emily brought us here. Well, by the bushes and then we made our way here. I am Eleyana," Eleyana said.

"I'm Isabelle. It's scary being caught in a net," Isabelle said.

"This will just be a temporary thing. If you two don't pass the training for the wild then we'll put you in a sanctuary. You were too easy to catch," Ashley said.

After being put in cages then they were taken to the truck and taken to Hope Center. There a vet checked on them and treated them. Then they were given some food to eat and water to drink. Eleyana ate the food quickly. This happened for a few days, then they were moved outdoors into a large, open space with a few things to do. Eleyana explored the space then caught a scent of another fox. She followed that scent until she ran into him.

'Hello. I'm Eleyana. What's your name?' Eleyana asked.

'I'm Anthony. Looks like you arrived here just like I did,' Anthony replied.

The training for the wilderness continued and Eleyana learned how to hunt for small mammals like rabbits and birds. She missed Clear Eyes and wondered what had happened to him. Suddenly an eagle flew overhead and landed on top of the enclosed area. It turned out to be Clear Eyes. He reported everything Eleyana wanted to know, then left. Isabelle is safe and going through the same thing. Eleyana hoped that they would be released back from where they came from. On the day of release they were taken into the same forest and released. This forest connected to their home, but they didn't know where to go. Clear Eyes appeared and showed the way. Soon they were back home, in the company of their loved one.