Scary Stories for Young Foxes

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “Six Sisters”

Part 2, Chapters 1-3 Summary

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.

The next morning, Mercy announces that the kits must begin hunting their own food, beginning with insects. Uly’s mother nuzzles him and reassures him that his weakness will one day become his strength. She enjoys his successes because he fully appreciates any progress that he is able to achieve for himself. Uly finds little success trying to snatch dragonflies from the air like his sisters, so his mother leads him to the base of a tree, where a baby squirrel has fallen from its nest. Uly’s sisters accuse their mother of cheating, and Ada insists that Uly should starve if he cannot feed himself. Ava taunts their mother, claiming that Mr. Scratch would disapprove of her enabling Uly. Mercy’s entire demeanor changes, and she demands to know where Ava heard the name of Mr. Scratch.

Part 2, Chapters 4-6 Summary

As told by the storyteller:

Uly’s fur begins to itch. His sisters suggest that he has mites, but their mother explains that he just needs a bath because they have done such a poor job of cleaning him. With strict instructions to remain close, they set out. The family encounters an obstacle: a significant crack in a boulder, at the bottom of which flows a swift stream of water that flows over a ledge and into the Rain Pool. One by one, Uly’s sisters leap over it to the other side. Ava insists on remaining behind until Uly jumps across. While their mother praises Ava’s thoughtfulness, Uly is terrified that his sister has a plan to harm him. Uly’s single working forepaw fails to gain enough purchase, and he slips into the crack, and Mercy hauls him up. Ava mocks Uly for his failure, but her arrogance makes her slip. As she clings to the edge, a coral snake strikes her, and she dies from its venomous bite.

Later, back in the den, Mercy wakes Uly and insists that he hide. A menacing male fox appears. Mercy is distraught as he taunts her and asks whether she is happy to see him. The stranger asks where Ava is, calling her the “clever one.” Then he asks about “the cripple,” and Mercy claims that Uly starved to death. The stranger is pleased, revealing that Ava “followed his instructions.” With dread, Uly realizes two terrifying truths: that the stranger is Mr. Scratch and that Mr. Scratch is his father. Ulu learns that Mr. Scratch had met with Ava alone, whispering instructions. Mr. Scratch has come to order Mercy to return to his domain, the Lilac Kingdom, once the kits are grown. Uly hiccups nervously, giving away his presence, and Mr. Scratch demands that Mercy kill Uly. When Mercy does not obey, Mr. Scratch bites off a piece of Agatha’s ear. He forces Mercy to choose who will live: Uly or her daughters. If she does not choose, he threatens to kill all six kits. As Mercy stutters, Uly chooses for her by sprinting from the den. Trying to leap across the crack, he falls in again, ushered along by the water rushing below, sailing over the ledge into the pool beneath. Scared and alone, Uly hides in the woods, hoping that when someone finds him, it will be his mother and not Mr. Scratch.

In the present:

Complaining that no father would treat his kits that way, the fourth fox kit departs the den. The remaining kits worry that his complaints will make the story more frightening, but the storyteller insists that the story cannot be altered, for it must reflect what really happened.

Part 2 Analysis

The character of Uly serves as an example of how cruelty and dysfunction in a family can cause emotional and physical damage to those family members who are the most vulnerable. While Uly’s mother exerts constant, considerable energy in her efforts to teach and inspire her daughters to treat their brother with kindness and compassion, she is undermined by the cruel influence of the kits’ father. Thus, this section of the story illustrates that there are some dangers that even the most responsible, well-intentioned, and loving adults cannot prevent the young and vulnerable from experiencing. A frightening reality for many parents is the knowledge that the most careful parenting style may not be enough to shield their children from the most dangerous threats and influences of the world. Despite their greatest efforts, they may fail to protect their children, and so it is with Mercy. Although she has six daughters, Mr. Scratch only needs to corrupt Ava to achieve his larger goals, for he is well aware that her predisposition toward hatred of Uly can be cultivated into a broader mentality that her sisters will also adopt. When someone very young embraces cruelty, they have often learned such behavior from a morally bankrupt adult who is even more vicious. Many will go along with a dominant leader, and this dynamic is reflected in the way that Ava’s sisters emulate her behavior toward Uly. In this way, Uly is unfairly cast in the role of obstacle to the success and achievements of the most physically able members of the family. Their mother’s struggle to provide enough food has enabled her daughters to embrace the belief that the scarcity of resources justifies their cruel behavior. Ironically, this scarcity is not Uly’s fault; rather, the family struggles because Mr. Scratch is not performing the expected, biologically driven task of providing food for his kits. Instead of acting as a proper guardian, he poses a distinct danger to all of his children, whether physically or psychologically, and thus this scene comes to represent one of many Encounters With Dangerous Adults that the protagonists must learn to negotiate and survive.

Despite how Uly’s sisters have treated him, Uly proves himself to be the most courageous among his siblings when Mr. Scratch appears. In defiance of his own negative self-image, Uly’s instincts prove him to be brave and assertive. By running from the den, he intentionally risks his life to save Mercy from making a horrible choice, and he also protects his sisters, who have shown him nothing but contempt. He does this without hesitation or rumination, even though he is the most physically compromised among them, the most in need of protection, and the least likely to survive on his own. He doesn’t hesitate to behave with selflessness even though he owes them nothing, and this act signals that Uly is capable of far more than he believes himself to be.