The Fox and the Hound: Sacrifice

Alternate Ending/Short Story

I do not own the Fox and the Hound, nor any of its characters. They belong to Disney.

This is a sad story, reader discretion is advised.

Copper watched as Tod fought the bear up the side of the waterfall. He was amazed that the fox that he had been chasing, the one he wanted dead, had just saved his life. Not only did he save Copper's life, but he saved Slade's life as well. That stunned Copper.

Then, he felt fear as he saw Tod and the bear plummet down the waterfall. He was almost certain that his old friend was dead.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted ripples in the calm water. A glimmer of hope sprung up inside the hound dog. He turned and saw Tod weakly crawling towards the shallows. Copper ran to the shore, leaving behind his master who was still stuck in the trap.

He arrived just in time as Tod reached the shallow water.

Once in the shallows, Tod collapsed out of pure exhaustion.

Copper stood on the edge of the shoreline, "Tod?" He asked in a light, non-threatening tone and his friend looked up at him. Copper was completely bewildered at the fox's sacrifice and his expression showed his amazement. Copper thought, why did he do this? Just a short time ago I tried killing him and now, he just saved me and my master from certain death.

"Hey Copper," Tod said weakly, "Are you… alright?"

"I'm fine but, how are you?"

"Except for being a little tired… I'm fine to." Truth be told, Tod wasn't ok but he didn't want to let Copper know. Besides being battered by the bear, Tod had hit a few rocks as he fell. The pain he felt, coupled with his instincts, told him only one thing. I'm not going to make it am I? As the thought crossed Tod's mind, so did the solemn realization that he would soon be parting from the friend he just saved. "That was one nasty bear huh?" Tod said trying to be light-hearted.

Copper grinned a little, "Yeah but you sure showed him." Copper took another look at Tod and noticed that his friend didn't look so good. "Tod, why'd you attack that bear? You could've let that bear kill me and my master, we were trying to kill you."

"I couldn't… let my friend die." He said with pure loyalty.

He still calls me his friend. Tod's response pulled on Copper's heart and made his eyes water.

It's then Copper noticed a faint red tint in the clear water and concern filled him. "Tod, you're hurt!" Copper exclaimed.

"Just a little… scratch is all," Tod tried to stand but collapsed back into the cool, shallow water.

Copper stepped forward and sniffed Tod. He could smell; the fox's scent, the metallic smell of warm blood, the coolness of the water, the slight musk of the bear, the smell of a young female fox, and another smell that struck him with fear. It's a smell that he's smelled when he went hunting with his master; he smelled it on gravely injured, dying animals. "T, T, Tod I, I can smell…" He looked down at the badly hurt fox.

Tod looked back at Copper; the look he gave was one of confirmation.

Despair hit Copper harder than the bear's paws did, "Aw Tod No! This can't happen!" His eyes got even more wet and his heart sank.

Tod's heart was heavy as well and his breathing became harder, "Copper… please don't cry… if me losing my… life means you live… I'm happy to… pay it."

Tears started to flow from Copper's eyes, "But I'm not happy with it!" Copper exclaimed, "This is all my fault! Tod I'm so sorry!"

"Copper…"

Both Copper and Tod paused for a second as they both heard a slight rustling in some nearby bushes.

A streak of red darted from the bushes and collided with Copper. A young female fox knocked Copper to the ground. She gained the advantage of being on top of him, and pinned him, "You! You burned our home! You tried to kill us!" She said as she bared her teeth at the hound and prepared to bite his throat.

"Vixey stop!" Tod yelled using a lot of his strength. "He's a friend… trust me."

The angry female stopped and looked at Tod with more than a bit of confusion. "He's a friend? He just tried to kill us! And our den is reduced to ashes!"

Copper stammered to explain as best he could, "W, we were f, friends when we w, were young pups, the best of friends actually. As we got older things changed. One of my friends was hurt badly and I thought Tod did it. I was wrong! I now know Tod didn't do anything wrong. Tod saved me and my master from that bear! But now he's…" Copper couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Vixey noticed tears appeared in the hound's eyes. "He's what?" She looked over at her mate; the weakness in his eyes, the pain, and sadness. The realization made her stumble off of Copper. "Tod? No Tod, you're not dying!" She said defiantly.

"This isn't…. my first… choice either," Tod responded, doing a poor job of trying to add a bit of humor. "Vixey… I'm so sorry…"

Vixey's eyes became wet. She ran up to the fox she loved and rubbed against his head. "Tod, I don't know what to say except; I, I love you and can't lose you!" She started crying halfway through her sentence.

At that moment Copper felt like the worst dog in the world.

Tod's breathing became heavier and more labored as he looked at his mate and admired her beauty. More tears appeared in his eyes, "Vixey… I… Love… You… I… always will…" Love and sadness was overflowing out of him.

There wasn't a dry eye in the trio of animals as Tod spoke.

Using what little energy he had, Tod looked at Copper. His heart was so heavy it hurt. "Copper… you're my… very… best friend."

Copper used all his strength to not break down and speak incoherently. "And you're mine to Tod."

"And we'll… always be… friends… forever…" Tod felt himself beginning to lose consciousness; the world began to get fade into black.

Copper forced himself to smile through the tears, "Yeah forever."

Using the last of his strength Tod said, "Take… care… I'll be… with… both of… you… forever…"

"Goodbye, Tod, my friend." Copper bode his friend goodbye.

Vixey was so upset, she barely uttered. "I love you, Tod."

Tod suddenly began to inhale rapidly and did so for a few seconds. He just couldn't breathe anymore. The world faded completely to black, he heard his heart slow, and he stopped breathing. Then, he exhaled deeply and his eyes closed. His body went limp and he entered the blue beyond.

Vixey lightly nudged Tod's body with her nose. "Tod? Tod? Tod?!" Then she completely lost it. She wept bitterly, her cries echoed across the lake.

Copper too, lost it. He howled in sadness, regret, and anger. He was angry at the world, at himself, and at everything. His howl echoed long and loud.

Tod's mate and best friend both lay against his body; both weeping harshly over him.

Through Copper's mind rushed the memories of when he met Tod for the first time. I was new to my master and was eating lunch with Chief. I suddenly picked up the scent of something I never smelled before. I followed it through a log and I heard someone ask what I was doing. "I'm on the trail," I responded and saw some red furred creature with a bushy, white-tipped tail. He was on top of the log with his head upside-down looking into the log.

He asked, "Trail of… what?"

"I don't know yet," I responded and the scent led me to the creature. "Why it's you!" I then howled, pathetically but I was young.

"What'd you do that for?" He asked as he jumped to the ground.

"We're supposed to do that; when we've found what we've been tracking."

"Well I'm a fox, my name's Tod, what's your name kid?"

I was overjoyed that I had tracked something and replied with excitement. "Mine's Copper; I'm a hound-dog." I was so happy that I tackled the fox.

Vixey, through her tears, remembered walking through the forest with Tod. She fondly remembered counting the baby ducks following their mama. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6," I liked the number six, thought it was the perfect number of cubs to have. "I think six will be just right."

"Six?" Tod asked with a confused look and tone, "Six what?"

His cluelessness was cute and amusing. He was so funny when we first met. He tried to catch a fish to impress me but had no idea how to fish. His struggle was entertaining and when he emerged with a stick in his mouth, I couldn't help but laugh.

After lying in the shallow water for a few minutes, the fox and the hound heard someone approaching. It was Amos Slade; he was limping and had his gun down. He had seen Tod fall and heard Copper's howl.

Vixey saw him and didn't care. She was staying with her mate.

He was confused upon seeing Copper's reaction. That and the fact he wasn't doing anything to the female fox. He thought that Copper would've been happy that the fox was dead. "Copper, let's go."

Copper didn't budge; he stayed next to the Tod.

Slade's anger and rage against the fox began to calm as Copper lightly nudged Tod's head. He cared for the fox? How? I mean he saved our lives and all but even then. Wait, we were saved by the thing we were hunting? Slade then began to wonder about all the times Copper had wandered off. Well, he did save us…. The old, grouchy hunter sighed as his heart softened. I don't know why. But I need to tell the widow what happened. If she doesn't kill me, I'll bury him wherever she pleases. It's the least I can do for the animal that saved us. "Come on Copper, we're taking him back and giving him a decent burial."

Copper looked up at his master, then back at Vixey.

"She can come," Slade replied knowing what Copper meant. Slade stepped forward and Vixey growled.

Copper turned to the grieving vixen. "Vixey, my master and I are taking Tod…"

"No you're not," She growled.

"Let me finish, we're taking him back to where he grew up and giving him a good burial. You are welcome to come with us."

She stopped crying and thought for a second, "Alright." She got up and took a step back, allowing Slade to approach.

Slade bent down and lifted Tod's body out of the water. The pain in his foot was bad, but he's been hurt worse. He carried the fox with both arms, alongside his shotgun. Copper and Vixey followed. The look on Copper's face impacted Slade. So here we are; the fox we went to hunt is dead, but not by my hands, by a bear's and his own. Had he not attacked the bear, I and Copper would've been bear chow. Guess I got what I wanted. He thought solemnly regretting his actions.

Due to his foot, it took Slade some time to reach his truck. Once there, he laid the body in the mostly, empty back. Slade grabbed a piece of cloth, "Should dry him off." He said to himself and Copper. He began drying Tod off while Copper and Vixey jumped into the back.

Copper thought it would take some convincing to get Vixey into the truck but as it turned out, she jumped in with no hesitation. Neither one spoke as Slade finished drying off Tod and started the truck.

Vixey lay next to Tod while Copper gave her some room. Copper was filled with regret and self-loathing. This is all my fault, I chased him, I accused him of hurting Chief, and I told him we couldn't be friends. Even though that last one was true, I should've said it differently. Then I hunted him down and tried killing him! All the while, he still cared about our friendship. I killed my best friend... These thoughts ran in and out of Copper's mind, devastating his heart.

As he drove, Slade kept running scenarios through his about how to tell Widow Tweed what happened. For the first time, he was scared to talk to her.

Sooner than Slade wanted, they had arrived back home. He parked and instructed Copper to wait in the truck.

Slade walked/limped up to Widow Tweed's door. Her car was there and the smell of fresh, clean laundry filled the air. He lightly rapped on her door and within a few seconds she answered. "Hello Amos, what do you want?" She asked gruffly, not opening the door fully.

"Ma'am, if you have a minute, I'd like to tell you that your fox saved my life and my dog's."

Her expression softened and she opened the door fully. "Tod, saved you? From what and what were you doing in the preserve?" The gruffness returned as she asked the last question.

"You know what I was doing," He said refusing to directly answer her last question. "During our hunt, Copper and I ran into a big, angry grizzly. I lost my gun. Copper fought but the bear was too strong. It was about to kill us when your fox came out of nowhere. They fought up the side of a waterfall but the bear eventually sent both himself and the fox down the falls. I was able to free myself eventually from the trap and made my way to the lake where the falls ended. I got there and found Copper and a young female fox near your fox."

"What did you do and why are you telling me this?" The widow asked, beginning to worry.

Here's the hard part Slade thought and was reluctant to speak. "Ma'am, your fox died saving our lives."

Widow Tweed paused as she opened the door. She was unsure about how to comprehend what she was just told. "Tod is… so… you didn't kill him?"

Slade shook his head no.

The widow began to shed tears as she realized that her pet was gone. He was more than a pet, he was her family. When her husband passed, life was hard. Then, a few months later by a chance meeting, she found an orphaned baby fox. When Tod was around she wasn't lonely. Aside from her husband passing, leaving Tod in the forest alone was the hardest thing she's done.

Copper and Vixey heard the widow's cries.

Slade just felt even worse. The only time in recent memory he's felt bad about the death of a wild animal. On the outside he was rough, and on the inside he had always thought he was the dominate hunter. That is until he saw the bear; the huge, black, grizzly bear with demonic. It's red eyes of anger and rage. The terror that arose in Slade almost broke him. "I never saw anything like it. Your fox was a hero. I, I figured you were the closest to him so; I thought it right if you chose where to bury him."

Tweed wiped away some tears. "Slade, I don't know whether to be furious with you or to thank you." She was a tough woman and quickly composed herself. She'll grieve later, "I know the perfect spot. Come on, I'll show you."

They began to walk and Tweed noticed Slade's limp. "What's wrong?"

"It's ok," he lied.

"Don't do that,"

Slade sighed, "When the bear attacked I fell into one of my own traps."

"Well, come inside and I'll bandage it up. At least it should do until you see a doctor."

As the humans talked, Copper and Vixey stayed in the back of the truck. "Vixey, I can't tell you how sorry I am."

Vixey had fallen asleep on the drive over. Copper's voice woke her up. "Copper, I accept your apology and I forgive you, but I don't think I'll ever get over what happened." She sniffed a few tears away. "I only knew Tod for a short time but he was the closest I've ever been to anybody. I've had other foxes try to court me but they were all a bunch of self-centered idiots who thought they knew everything. Then Big Mama comes along and introduces Tod. He was… different, he was sweet, funny, loyal, and polite."

"Yeah," Copper agreed, "He was the best."

The sound of flapping wings hit the ears of Copper and Vixey. They saw; the kindly owl known as Big Mama, the finch known as Dinky, and the woodpecker Boomer all land on the branch of a tree. The trio of birds all gasped in shock as they looked down into the back of the truck. Seeing Tod dead was bad enough, but seeing both Copper and Vixey together confused the three.

Boomer put his wingtips on top of his head, "Oh, oh, n, n, no! Th, th, this is, is, is, awful!"

"The poor kid," Dinky said solemnly.

"Why, oh my soul, what happened?" Big Mama asked as the shock wore off. She covered her beak with her wings and was filled with sadness and grief.

Copper and Vixey looked at each other not knowing who should explain. In the end, they both explained the events that transpired earlier that day. By the time they finished the reactions from the birds were mixed.

Big Mama was in and out of tears throughout the tale and afterwards.

"You did this!" Dinky yelled at Copper and Boomer agreed. The impulsive duo dove at Copper.

They began to harass the hound by pecking him and he cried out. "I know! I know it's my fault! Stop! I'm hurting enough!" He yelped as Boomer jabbed him in the muscle of his left, rear leg.

"Boys, stop!" Big Mama yelled and snapped the duo out of their rage. "Copper is hurting enough! Let him be!" The duo landed back on the branch, both still very angry with the hound.

Copper whimpered as the cuts he received hurt, especially the wound on his rear leg. It wasn't life-threatening but it still hurt severely. I deserved that, I deserve more. Copper thought.

Vixey, though not nearly as angry with Copper as before, felt a gleam of satisfaction at the birds' harassment.

Big Mama tried to comfort the self-loathing dog. "This is a hard time for everyone, but Copper, honey, you'll always be friends with Tod. Don't be too hard on yourself. Tod knew what he was doing, it was his choice."

Copper whimpered and sighed, "You're right Big Mama; I just can't believe that Tod is gone." He said as he looked at the body of his friend. He looked so peaceful, so calm.

All the animals perked up as they heard Slade and Tweed approach the truck. Tweed carried a shovel while Slade carried an old crate. He set the crate down and lowered the back of his truck.

Tweed was slightly taken aback when Slade lowered the back of his truck. The old hunter gently cradled Tod's body with his arms; Tod's belly was pointed up with his chin touching his chest.

"Wait," Tweed said and put her fingers on Tod's head. She gently rubbed the red fur between his ears and then rubbed his white, soft, belly fur. Tears came on again as she gave Tod a light kiss on the top of his head. All of the memories with Tod flooded her mind.

The last time she saw him was when she dropped him off in the reserve. He looked so confused, sad, and distraught.

Then she remembered what she had thought as she drove him out to the reserve:

We met it seems, such a short time ago.

You looked at me, needing me so.

Yet from your sadness, our happiness grew.

Then I found out, I need you, too.

I remember how we used to play.

I recall those rainy days, the fires glowed, that kept us warm.

And now I find; we're both alone.

Goodbye may seem forever, farewell is like the end.

But in my heart's a memory, and there you'll always be.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her tears from flowing.

After a minute she was able to say, "Goodbye Tod. I'll never forget our memories."

Slade turned his head away, in an attempt to hide his own tears.

Vixey and Copper left the truck. Vixey sat down next to the widow and leaned her head against the widow. Both woman and vixen grieved for their loss. Copper sat down next to his master; both hearts still heavy and legs still hurting.

After a long minute, Tweed took a step back. She grabbed the crate and directed Slade to the spot near where she had found Tod as a baby. Right near the fencepost.

Upon arrival, Slade gently gave Tod to the arms of the Widow. He opened the crate and allowed her to put the dead fox inside. He left the lid of the crate off as he began digging the hole.

"Vixey," Copper spoke, "What are you going to do?" He asked, genuinely concerned about the distraught vixen.

"I have absolutely no idea," she sniffed and wiped her face with her paw. "I'll think about that later."

As Slade dug, Chief walked/limped over. His leg still wrapped in the white bandages. "Hey Copper, what in tarnation is going on? What's that fox doing here?" He was far enough away to not be able to see what was in the crate, but could tell that Vixey wasn't the fox from the train tracks.

Inwardly, Copper rolled his eyes. Aw crud, what the heck am I supposed to say to him? The fox that almost got you killed is dead and we're grieving over him? Copper sighed, "Chief, that fox me and the master were hunting…"

"Yes?" he asked as he got closer. "Did you get him?" Eagerness laced the older hound's voice.

"In a way, Chief, when I was a pup. I wandered off to go play with him. We were best friends then."

Chief growled angrily as he got closer, "What?"

"Let him finish," Vixey said in a deathly serious tone and Chief sat down.

"After what happened to you, I wanted to kill him, me and master both did. So we went after him." Copper then told Chief what happened.

During the tale, the old hound's expression morphed from one of anger, to shock, to even sadness and understanding. "Well shoot Copper, I don't know what to think now."

By this time Slade had finished digging. He wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Ma'am, is there anything else you'd like to say or do before I finish?"

"I have nothing else to say," She said, her eyes now red from crying.

Vixey walked up to the still open crate and looked in. She licked Tod's cheek, giving him a goodbye kiss.

Slade nodded and then sealed the crate with a hammer and nails. Together, he and Tweed lowered the crate into the hole and covered it.

"Hold on," Slade said and went to his cabin. When he came back he was carrying a wooden plank, a brush, and small bucket of black paint. He set the board down, "Ma'am, what was your fox's name again?"

Still upset but calmer, Tweed responded, "Tod, T O D."

He painted Tod's name on the board, "I'm no artist but is there anything short you'd like to say?"

She thought for the right words to put on the tombstone. "Ah, how about, "He was the closest friend, rest in peace.""

Copper barked in agreement and Slade gave him a curious look.

Slade, using the tip of the edge of his paintbrush, carefully painted the words as best he could. He was barely able to squeeze it all on the board of wood. But it was readable. Slade then stuck the board at the head of the grave and stepped back. He looked at Widow Tweed, "I'm sorry that it's all I can do."

"Amos Slade, no matter what you've done in the past." Tweed said as she looked at Tod's grave. "This is one of the most thoughtful things anyone's ever done for me, thank you."

"Least I could do, I'll let you have some time alone." He said as he headed to his cabin. His foot really began to hurt.

Copper sat down and looked on at the grave. He sat in silence for some time before returning to his barrel. His leg still hurt but it had ceased bleeding about a half hour ago and wasn't a threat. His mind however was not better and he still felt an enormous responsibility for Tod.

The Widow stood for a few minutes reminiscing and praying. Then, she suddenly felt something rubbing her leg. She looked down and saw Vixey leaning her head against her leg. Tweed began petting the vixen, "You cared for him to, didn't you?"

Vixey licked the Widow's hand in agreement.

"Well, if you ever need food or a place to sleep, my door is open."

Epilogue

Nine weeks later…

Copper was visiting his friend's grave. He made sure to visit Tod's grave at least once a week. Just to talk, it made him feel better. He would tell Tod everything that was going on in his life. This time, he saw Vixey approach him. That's not too abnormal, he'd seen her come by every two weeks or so. What got his attention were six small, red balls of fur. She had six kits? But that means that…

"Hey Copper, how are you doing?" She shouted as she approached.

He grinned, "Doing ok, just talking with my friend. Who are these little pups?"

Vixey looked at her young and pointed to each one as she said their names. "Well, this is; Bolt, Lily, Sky, Violet, Fyre, and Tod."

Bolt lived up to his name and was racing around and getting into everything. He had an unusual streak of white across one of his eyes, probably the source of his name.

Lily was beautiful, having bright red fur and pure white on the tip of her tail. She stayed close to her mama.

Sky was trying to keep up with Bolt and seemed a little less enthusiastic than his brother. He had a darker red fur than his siblings.

Violet chased both Sky and Bolt around and seemed to be a bit of a tomboy. She looked a lot like her mother.

Fyre was calmer than Bolt, Sky, and Violet and but wasn't as close as Lily was to his mom. He had the brightest red fur of the kits and the tip of his tail had a slight yellow tint to it.

Tod was riding on his mom's back and seemed to be the runt of the litter. He looked most like his father. "Who's that momma?" Tod asked.

"He's Copper, a friend." She answered the cub on her back.

"What is he momma?" Fyre asked.

"He's a hound dog, a good one. Now everyone be nice and…" She trailed off as Bolt, Sky, and Violet charged Copper.

"Well, seems like a great bunch!" Copper said as Bolt, Sky, and Violet jump on him. They weren't that big compared to Copper, so they didn't move him.

Bolt began pulling on Copper's ear, Sky hugged Copper's front paw, and Violet was batting Copper's tail.

Copper laughed as the fox pups used him like a big toy.

"Yeah, they keep me busy;" Vixey said and tried to gain control of her kits. "Come on kids, leave Copper alone."

"He's so big!" Sky exclaimed as he stood underneath Copper.

"Yeah, and he has big ears!" Bolt said as he let go of the hound's ears.

"But his tail isn't as fluffy as ours!" Violet giggled as she returned to her mom's side.

Copper then asked Vixey, "How? You were only with Tod for one night."

"Apparently, one night was enough. How's Chief and your master been?"

"Chief's fine, still a grumpy old timer, but fine. My master's ok, haven't gone hunting as much. He doesn't let us go after foxes though, not that I want to anyways. The main reason is that he's been spending more time with the lady here."

Vixey chuckled, "I'm hoping to stay here for a bit; at least long enough for my kits to get a bit bigger."

"Well, if there's anything I can do, let me know." Copper offered.

"Thanks, I'll see what happens." Vixey said as she began to walk up to the widow's house, "Nice talking with you Copper, hope to see you soon."

"Hey, I'll come with you. Master's there anyways." Copper said and caught up with the fox family.

They walked up to the door and Copper scratched on the door. Tweed answered, "Oh, hello Copper and… oh my!" She exclaimed as she saw the multiple fox kits playing and rolling around. "Well, I don't know what to say!"

Vixey looked up in a pleading fashion.

"Mrs. Tweed, what's going on?" Slade asked as he walked up behind her. "Hey Copper boy and… oh,"

"Well, I think she's asking for a place for them to stay." She suddenly felt a bit of happiness. The thought of having a bunch of baby foxes running around, made her feel like when she found the orphaned fox kit over a year ago.

"I and Copper will make sure they're safe, right boy?" Slade said as he pet Copper on the head.

Copper barked in agreement.

Tweed motioned for Vixey to come in. Before she could move, the cubs rushed in. She just stood there and watched them run around and explore the house. Even Fyre and Lily ran around. Tod stayed on his mother's back. He was still a bit too small.

"Don't worry Vixey, they'll be fine." Copper reassured the young mother. "I'll make sure of that, I owe it to him."

Vixey smiled, "Thanks Copper, they seem to have taken a liking to you."

Copper smiled; maybe I can things up to Tod. I'll watch over his kids, keep them safe. They seem like a lot of fun to.

John 15:13 - No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Thanks for reading; I actually had no intention on this being as long as it is. I just wanted to write and alternate ending.

I have started work on the sequel, not sure when I will post the first chapter.

The sequel will be called The Fox and The Hound: Upbringing

The one thing I think a lot of people miss in The Fox and The Hound is Tod's sacrifice. Everyone gets caught up in the bittersweet ending. I'm not saying the ending isn't bittersweet, it is very much so. It is probably the harshest ending in a Disney film. However, it's Tod's unwavering loyalty that I think is the gem of this movie. Friendship, true friendship, is what Tod displayed; followed by Copper as he put his life on the line as well.

Anyways, the movie is my favorite Disney film and I hope you enjoyed this story.

Comments and reviews are needed,

Thanks.

Jerod2447