Pax

Pax is hungry, and Runt finds him a worm. Runt is the first fox to really warm up to and welcome Pax. Though Runt brings him worms, they aren’t really enough. Runt surprises Pax by bringing an egg: “He dropped his gift and it broke open. Egg. The scent called up a sharp memory. Once when he was very young, Pax had found a hard, white orb while exploring his humans’ kitchen counter… it had rolled onto the floor and cracked open, spilling its delicious secret” (112). Pax eats and then falls asleep. Runt keeps watch. This chapter is instrumental in deepening and showcasing their bond.

The second condition for Peter staying is that Vola wants to know about the bracelet. Peter reveals that the bracelet was his mothers and that she treasured it because of the symbol of the phoenix—of something rising from the ashes. Peter says, “She [his mother] always wore it. She’d hold her wrist up so I could play with it when I was a baby.”

Peter says Pax will be dead if he has to wait 2 weeks, and he asks Vola to help him figure out what to do.