The black fox and the legendary mushroom

Dear fairytale lovers,

it's time to share another magical story. It's my first animal fairytale and it also got illustrated by Kadse Design. Thank you so much for working together with me. If you are also an illustrator and would like to accompany one of my stories with your drawings, feel free to contact me. And now: enjoy the story :)

Once upon a time there was a young fox living deep inside of a forest. He lived there with his mother and his sister nearby a beautiful stream. The fox was very special because he had black fur. But also his sister’s fur was different. She had white fur. The Mother Fox had red fur, told her children that they are special and that they have to be more careful than other foxes. Hunters wanted their fur because they wanted to sell it for a lot of money. So the young foxes were always hiding from people and even other animals. He and his sister always roamed and played around together and took care of each other. They were best friends. But one day the young black fox had enough of hiding in the forest and wanted to live somewhere else. He wanted adventures, so he left. His mother was deeply sad and worried about it but let him go. She couldn’t stop him and hoped that one day he would return. His sister was upset too and would miss her best friend. And so the journey of the young black fox began.

 

At first the little black fox spend a lot of time alone and in silence. He didn’t talk to other animals. He walked for hours until he fell asleep and rarely had food. His main meals were mushrooms. He could find them everywhere, no matter if near birch trees, under many leaves or conifer trees. He loved them and knew where they grow. He always had this special skill. But from time to time he had enough of mushrooms and wanted to learn how to hunt. He couldn’t survive eating only plants and mushrooms, he thought. At first he hunted small animals like worms, bugs and mice. But the little black fox grew and got older and so the day came where he had to hunt bigger animals – rabbits, chicken and even young deer’s. He was a very good hunter and it was easy for him. But he didn’t like to kill animals. He felt sorry for them and he didn’t like this dark side of him. One year after he started his journey he came across a village. There was big marketplace and he could observe humans selling their products – vegetables, fruits, meat and also mushrooms. As he came across a mushroom stall, he listened to a conversation between the storyteller and the mushroom man. 

 

 

Storyteller: „Do you sell the legendary mushroom? “
Mushroom Man: „There a lot of legendary mushrooms. Which one you mean, my friend? “
Storyteller: „Well I heard that if you eat this legendary mushroom, you will never get hungry again. Mushroom Man: „What kind of mushroom should this be and what is the meaning behind it? You have to eat in order to survive“
Storyteller: „Well, once upon a time there was a medicine man who fasted for a very long time. He wanted to meditate to find the truth. He thought if he wouldn’t be hungry anymore, he would save a lot of time and so he could meditate more and study the truth. So one day in his meditation he had a vision. After that he started to grow this legendary mushroom, he succeeded and was never hungry again. That’s what the Legend says”
Mushroom Man: „That sounds interesting. But did he find the Truth? “
Storyteller: „I’m not sure. They say he died of hunger, before he could tell anyone. “
Both men laughed.

The black fox listened to this conversation and thought: „If I could find this mushroom, I would never have to hunt and kill innocent animals again. Wouldn’t this be perfect?! “He continued his journey, thinking about this, day and night.

One day the black fox was resting at a lake, when he suddenly a strange animal appeared. His body was small, the fur was grey and his face was black and white. The head and claws were long and the nose looked like a trunk. The black fox wondered about this animal because he never saw it before. The strange animal recognized that, looked friendly into the eyes of the black fox and said: 

„Hi I’m Grimbart. Who are you? “
The black fox didn’t reply immediately because he was suspicious. He also never talked to anyone else except to his Mother and Sister.
After a while Grimbart said: „You don’t have to be shy. I’m just curious. Also I like your black fur. But you are a fox right? I love foxes! They are so clever! They say badgers are smart too, but I don’t feel it. I always wanted to be a fox…and I love mushrooms. They say badgers don’t eat mushrooms, but I do! They are delicious. “
Now the black fox was curious and introduced himself. „Hi I’m Suku. Yes I am a black fox. But what is a badger? Why aren’t you smart? I like mushrooms too, they are my favorite food…”
Grimbart smiled at him and said: “Well I’m a badger. I should become a big animal one day, if I only eat enough of earthworms, bugs, mice and little bunnies… but I don’t want to eat other animals. I prefer corn, fruits, berries, stems,tuber and grain and especially mushroom. I am a weird badger…”

The black fox was surprised that he met another carnivorous animal who preferred vegetables and told him that. Thereupon Grimbart invited him for a swim in the lake and the black fox joined him. He liked Grimbart and trusted him. Grimbart liked Suku too and wanted to be his friend. Together they played like little children together in the lake and had fun. The black fox could relax for the first time since he started his journey and also trusted someone. As it was time for Dinner, they collected some wild plants and went to the Badger home nearby. The black fox felt safe with Grimbart. So safe, that before they went to sleep, Suku told him what he had in his mind all the time: the story of the legendary mushroom. Grimbart was so fascinated from this story that he wanted to join Suku on his journey. “Together we can find this mushroom, I’m sure! You are a clever fox and I’m a smart badger. We are the perfect Team for this mission!” he said. The black fox was happy but also confused about the fact, that he wasn’t alone anymore and found a friend.

Cat was running away from a group of young children. As she finally found a tree she climbed up there and looked satisfied. “Mimimizie” - the children were trying to attract her. They wanted to pet her again, but Cat didn’t want to. They had reached her limit. The children were disappointed and sat down under the tree. Suddenly a black fox and badger crossed the street. The children looked curious at these animals. The Animals didn’t see the children because they talked about their favorite topic: mushrooms. The black fox and the badger also caught the attention of Cat. Cat was curious, she never saw a black fox neither a badger and certainly not together in her village. What a couple! Without climbing off the tree, she said to them: 

“Hey you! Mushroom lovers! Where are you going?”
The black fox and the badger now realized that they were being stared at.
They looked at each other, embarrassed. Then the black fox looked into the eyes of Cat and without thinking about it he replied: “Well, we are searching for a special mushroom…”
His friend, the badger nudged him against his side and said quietly: “don’t tell her, I thought it’s a secret…”
But before the fox could reply, Cat said: “A special mushroom? Why?”
“Because then we never have to eat again” it burst out of the fox.
The badger observed the behavior of the fox, looked at Cat, back to the fox and sighed.
“Fuck, it’s love at first sight… I can see it…”, he thought.

Cat now climbed off the tree, the children made space for her and she walked directly to the black fox. She looked at him, curious, fascinated, grazed him with her tail, and looked into his eyes saying:
“Why would you never want to eat again? Food is so delicious. It’s a passion. You can have so many delicious, different, interesting, exciting foods…
Black fox: “But I don’t want to kill other animals and eat them. I wish I could only eat plants and mushrooms, but it’s not possible.
Cat: “Who said it’s not possible? Yes, you are a fox and you eat animals but you can also eat plants. That’s your nature. You can balance your diet. It’s also in my nature to eat meat. But I don’t. I love vegetables. Other cats don’t eat vegetables… But I don’t care. Have you even tried?
The black fox looked at her. She was beautiful. Green eyes, black fur, an elegant body. He never saw a cat before but immediately knew that she was similar to him, even she was not a fox.
“Can you teach me and my friend? He also likes vegetables“, the black fox asked friendly, “I can also find the best mushrooms no matter where,” he continued proudly.
“Yes sure, I can teach you. This and more.” The cat said smiling. “We can start now. Get the best mushroom you can find and I will make a delicious mushroom meal. You are invited to my tree house. Meet me there in one hour”. Then the cat disappeared.  

The black fox smiled and asked this friend the badger: “Was this creature real? She was so beautiful, wonderful, elegant, beautiful, elegant… I thought I’m dreaming”.
The badger answered: “Yes she was real… and this thing that happened to you is called Love. I will leave you alone, so can have your mushroom dinner together. Meet me tomorrow morning, if you want to continue the journey of the legendary mushroom. Otherwise…”
The black fox interrupted: “No! You have to go with me. Let’s have a delicious mushroom dinner  together. Afterwards she can teach us how to cook other plant based meals. I really want to learn it. Don’t you? I mean, I always loved food. I love cooking. I can’t imagine a life without it. I nearly gave up on this because I thought I have to eat animal’s meat. I wanted to be a strong black fox. But if there is a possibility to survive without, I want to try it. I need your by my side. You are my friend and I love you. You were the first animal I trusted and I will never forget that. Please stay Grimbart.”
Grimbart was deeply touched and said: “ok Suku, I appreciate your friendship and I love you too. I don’t want to lose you and I swear I will help you. Actually I’m not so much into cooking, but I love to eat. You can try to cook plant based meals and I will help you eating them. Trust me.”
Both laughed.

One hour later they met the Cat at her tree house. They had a delicious mushroom dinner together. They had fun. They talked about the journey of the two friends and a new journey as trio began.