Scary Stories for Young Foxes

As told by the storyteller:

In her den above the Great Boulder, vixen Mercy firmly commands her daughters Ava, Anna, Ali, Aya, Ada, and Agatha to clean their brother Uly, a chore that they have been neglecting. Uly is physically disabled by an underdeveloped and shriveled foreleg that curls awkwardly against his body. Although he tries to keep up with his siblings, Uly is always at a disadvantage, and instead of showing him compassion as their mother has taught, Uly’s sisters view him with contempt and disgust. Mercy announces that she is going hunting and leaves her children alone together. Uly and his sisters have been told that their father died during a terrible accident. Unlike other young foxes, whose fathers contribute to their nourishment by hunting prey, the kits have only Mercy to provide for them. Amid protests that Uly smells and will draw predators to their den, Uly’s sisters make a meager attempt to clean his fur, announcing that they have learned from Mr. Scratch that they will not be forced to clean him for much longer. Uly assumes that, like the other stories his sisters tell him to taunt and frighten him, Mr. Scratch is yet another fictional specter they have conjured up to torment him, and amid the hiccups that always emerge when he is nervous, he rejects their claims.