Chestnut awoke in the fairly cool environment he had gotten used to, he was in an enclosed area that had a clear ceiling with high smooth walls. There was also a fenced area separating him from the bred foxes but he could see them enjoying themselves while he was alone. He had learned that the furless creatures were called humans by the other foxes.

Chestnut only knew Dero and would occasionally talk with him but usually avoided talking. Though Chestnut felt more lonely than usual so he decided to see if he could talk with Dero, when he got close to the fence he saw Dero walk towards him followed by a smaller female fox that looked to be around Chestnut's age.

"Hello Chestnut, I hope you're doing well." Dero decided to start the conversation himself.

"I can't complain, how are you Dero?"

"I'm doing great, hey Chestnut there's someone I want you to meet."

This piqued Chestnut's interest but also made him nervous, hoping that the scar over his eye wouldn't be a talking point.

"This is my daughter Cedar, she's a similar age to you so I thought you might want someone to talk to that's closer to your age. Cedar is Chestnut, the only Arctic fox in the whole zoo."

"Hi, Chestnut." Cedar greeted him, looking him over. When he saw Cedar look to his left eye which was completely blind. This made Chestnut pin his ears back and look at the ground. Cedar obviously must have noticed his reaction seeing as she looked guilty.

"I think your scar is cool, every scar tells a story. Sorry if I made you sad."

"It's fine, I just need to get used to the fact that having a scar over one of your eyes will draw attention."

"I mean it doesn't look bad, it's just a bit shocking at first."

Dero read the situation and gave Chestnut a sympathetic look.

"I'll leave you two to talk, I'm gonna go see what your mother's doing." Dero left after patting his daughter on the head.

"So... Were you born here?" Chestnut asked, trying to learn more about her.

"Yeah, it gets boring here though since it's only such a big enclosure. What's it like on the outside?"

"It's nice, having the wind in your fur as you run through the forest, hunting for your food. There are downsides but I'd say the good outweighs the bad."

Cedar just nodded and lay down next to the fence separating them. This confused Chestnut as he thought she would have gone back to the others.

"What are you doing?" Chestnut questioned her.

"I thought you might be lonely."

"Thanks, I guess I have been pretty lonely since I got here."

"Well, no one deserves to be lonely," Cedar told him.

Not everyone. As they lay there Chestnut couldn't help but feel tired, while he lay there he couldn't help but notice that Cedar seemed to be cold. This didn't surprise him since his enclosure was usually kept pretty cool because of his thicker coat, it was obvious the cold affected her.

"If you're cold you can go back to the other foxes over there," Chestnut told her.

"No, I'm okay. I just need to get used to the cold."

"I'm sure Chestnut understands that he has a thicker coat than you Cedar. If you're cold I'm sure he won't take any offense to you going somewhere warmer." Dero replied, walking over to the two.

Chestnut nodded at Dero's words and he decided that he should take a nap to clear his mind. While he heard Cedar get up to walk away to a warmer area Chestnut smiled. Maybe I've finally made a new friend.

Chestnut was in a meadow with flowers and snow-capped mountains in the background. He felt peace overtake him and he could see out of both eyes.

"You miss the open air of the forest and the world don't you?"

When Chestnut looked over he saw an arctic fox that appeared to look somewhat similar to the one he had frequently seen.

"Yes, I suppose that I do miss the outdoors."

"Do you want to leave the zoo?" The fox questioned him.

"I would like to, but it isn't that bad here."

"Your brother is alive, you can still save him."

"I don't even know who you are, why should I trust what you say?"

"Well then let me introduce myself, I am Achak and I can guide you back home. If you would like."

"Well, how am I supposed to escape from the zoo? There's no way to."

"Talk to the other foxes about ways to possibly escape. I can only guide you home, I know nothing about the zoo since I've never been inside any of the facilities."

"Then how do you expect me to manage to escape!" By now Chestnut was starting to get frustrated.

"You can figure it out, just step out of your shell and ask the other foxes."

Chestnut just sighed exasperated and waited to wake up.

When he opened his good eye he saw he was still near the fence. When he looked through the saw Dero sitting there.

"Good morning Chestnut. You were mumbling in your sleep."

"Good morning Dero. Do you know if there's a way I can escape the zoo if I say I wanted to go back home?"

"You want to leave? Can't say I blame ya, it took me a while to get used to being here. Probably the only thing that stopped me from leaving is my mate Marnu. Just promise me one thing Chestnut, if you do choose to escape and leave, take Cedar with you. I want her to experience the outside world."

"Are you sure Dero?"

"Yes, don't worry I'll miss her at first but I know she'll be happier there with you than being stuck in here."

"I'll make sure to take care of her. I promise."

"I know you will, now then if you want to talk to someone about an escape plan talk to Jay, he's helped a few escapes in the past and I even asked him to help me escape. He knows just about everything about this place, every nook and cranny. Though he may not want to help you at first since he's had bad experiences with Arctic foxes."

"Thank you Dero, you're a true friend."

"I will try my best."

As Dero walked away Chestnut began to think to himself. How will Cedar react to leaving her family, hopefully, she won't be upset and will be happy that they are safe and will be alright.

As Chestnut waited for the arrival of Jay he took a moment to think if this was what he wanted. On one paw he was safe here without any worries even if he was cooped up all day in a small area. However, on the other paw, he could be free to roam, save his brother and be with friends without having to look through small gaps in a fence.

"So, you're Chestnut?" A red fox asked, the red fox seemed to favor his back right paw as he sat at an awkward angle for most.

"Yes that's me, so you must be Jay right."

"Yes, now then tell me. Why do you want to escape?"

"I don't want to be stuck in this enclosure for the rest of my life, I've already been here 2 months which is long enough for me to figure out whether I want to stay here or not."

"That's not the only reason, is it?"

"There are others that I don't want to talk about."

"Well here's the deal, at the end of every week I get taken by the vet to get medication for my paw since it's permanently crippled. During that time, I scouted for weaknesses in human security. I will let you know what I discover tomorrow since it's the end of the week today."

"Okay, but why are you helping me? If I may ask?"

"I've seen how insane being trapped in an enclosure alone can drive someone, and well, you don't seem as bad as the other arctic foxes I've met." With that said Jay walked away to a corner of his enclosure.

"Hey Chestnut, my father said you wanted to talk to me?" The voice of Cedar yelled at him, getting him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah..." How was he gonna explain to Cedar that he planned on escaping from the zoo? Surely she would try to talk him out of it, right?"

"Well, go on."

"I plan on escaping the zoo," Chestnut whispered so quietly he wasn't sure if Cedar heard him, but by the look on her face he knew she had.

"I'm coming with you."

"Cedar, are you sure? Maybe you should think about this."

"No, I've made up my mind. I'm not gonna let you get away from me that easily."

"The wilderness isn't safe, it's very dangerous."

"I'm sure, can you teach me the basics until we leave?"

"Yeah, that would probably be best, here let's do a basic hunter's crouch."

Chestnut spent the next few hours teaching Cedar how to step lighter and avoid being seen. Chestnut was surprised by how easily she seemed to learn stuff that took him weeks to be any good at.

Cedar lay by him through the fence looking at the scars that were visible in the night sky.

"Look at all those stars," Cedar whispered, smiling at the sky.

"The stars are a beautiful thing, but where I'm from these aren't anything compared to what's called the Northern Lights, it's incredible. Maybe if we ever get back there I could show you them."

"I'd like that Chestnut a lot."

As they stayed laying there Dero walked over. He looked from Cedar to Chestnut and smiled, shaking his head.

"I see you two are enjoying each other's company."

"Oh hi Dero, how are you tonight?"

"I'm doing alright Chestnut, I assume you informed Cedar about your plan."

"Yes, and she made sure to make it clear I couldn't talk her out of it."

"Well, I know you two will keep each other safe out there. Where are you planning on going when you escape?"

"Home, someplace up north. I have a little bit of unfinished business but I also loved all the scenery, nothing beats it."

"At least you have somewhat of a plan, be careful. I want you both to be as safe as possible out there."

"You have nothing to worry about Dero, but could I talk to you privately for a minute."

"Of course Chestnut, Cedar can you go over there for a little bit."

Cedar just nodded and walked away.

"What did you want to talk about Chestnut?"

"I feel that I should elaborate on what I meant earlier with what I said about my unfinished business."

This piqued Dero's interest and he pricked his ears.

"Go on Chestnut, I'm listening."

"So a few days before I arrived here, I'm not sure how long exactly but my family was attacked by a red fox named Zorro. My parents seemed to know him, though I'm not sure since he and the other fox with him killed my parents. I and my brother Rusty attempted to escape but my brother fell. I went back to help him but Zorro clawed my eye and that's how I got blinded, for all I know my brother is dead. But I want to hold onto hope that he's still out there and that I can save him."

"I hope you find your brother Chestnut, do you know anything about herbs? I want to make sure that if Cedar gets hurt she has someone who can heal her."

"Yes, my parents taught me about herbs in case anything happened."

Jay was back in the enclosure as they continued talking and walked over to the two.

"Tomorrow night would be your best bet, the zoo will be closed for maintenance and if you leave through the left zone of the zoo near the vet there's a hole in the fence that hasn't been fixed in a few weeks. That will be your best bet, but you will still have to be silent to limit the risks."

"Thank you, Jay, I will make sure I and Cedar are quiet."

"Oh, so Cedar is going with you? Makes sense, she isn't meant to be stuck in an enclosure. I can see it in her eyes."

As they parted ways Chestnut started to go to sleep thinking about a plan of action to get out of his enclosure and into the red fox enclosure.