Cub scout trip!  It'll do you some good to get some fresh air and sunshine.  Learn how to swim, walk rope bridges, get devoured by mosquitos, and so forth...  No poison ivy problems so far at least.  Now it's free time.  Allowed to go wherever in the campgrounds.

The bright side to this for Eli is that he loves nature. He begins exploring the paths first and discovers that the other kids' interests have led them to pretty much everywhere on camp grounds. Figuring it best he learn swimming sooner than later, he heads for the pond in his swim suit. Just as he is almost there, though, Eli gets distracted by a caterpillar and studies it.

Why is Joe suddenly too young to buy PG-13 movie tickets?  Roleplay temporal paradox.

"You know, with how slow they are that thing will probably be around once you're done swimming."  Well, unless it get's eaten. Or stopped on. Or all the assorted things that can happen to a caterpillar over the span of 30 minutes.

A sudden explosion of movement!  A rabbit bolts out of the underbrush, hopping at full throttle!  Close behind is a fox giving chase, hot on the bunny's tail.  The rabbit stops short of the pond and faces the fox.  The fox stops short, waiting to see what the rabbit will do next.  The rabbit starts hopping around, kicking and flailing wildly!  The fox is confused and backs up a few steps...

Eli says, "Uh-I guess you're righ-" BUNNY! ...FOX!

Eli cringed at first, but then heads to the water's edge. "I thought foxes were shy... I wonder how hungry it is. I don't have anything on me." he looks at his swimsuit self. Then looks at the rabbit. "But at the same time... what in the world is the rabbit doing?" He begins carefully approaching the rabbit while keeping an eye on the fox.

"Eli, as nice as it would be to save a bunny I like you better without teeth marks."

Leroy Jenkins!  The bunny charges at the fox!  The fox is so startled, it leaps four feet into the air with a yip!  Bunny takes the chance and vanishes into some thornbushes.  The fox stares in shock, ears pointed at where the scary bunny disappeared, either unaware of the kids approach, or unconcerned.

Eli is startled also and takes a step back into the water, tripping and falling backward with a splash! "Eep!"

  Now, turning your back on a wild animal seems questionable.  But just assuming Eli didn't hit his head on a rock and is about to drown in shallow water seems like the worse call at the moment (you can't punch drowning), so he turns to check on Eli.

The sploosh draws the fox's attention.  Head-tilt and tail-flick.  Sniff-sniff, but keeping distant.  It yips questioningly.

Eli sputters and sits up. He's wet, but surprisingly fine. "I'm fine..." he says bashfully. "Thanks."

His attention then turns to the fox who is just as oddly brave as the bunny. "Why didn't the fox run away...?" he says in a curious tone.

  "This is a place more frequented by kids and camp counselors than hunters."  Also, a squirrel in a warzone probably wouldn't be afraid of Eli.

  He offers a handup for Eli.

The fox takes a sip of the water then sits, watching the kids.  It whimpers a little, then licks its nose.

Eli takes the hand up. Then looks at the fox. "...speaking of being used to kids, do you think it expects handouts from us? I wonder if it'll lemme pet it..."

He begins heading towards the fox.

  "I'm pretty sure heading closer to the wild predator is the opposite of what they are trying to teach us here, Eli. It was already hungry enough to chase a rabbit, so shoving your hand in it's face is like 'please eat me'."

The fox scoots a little to face its side to the kids then head-tilts and rolls its eyes up to look at them.  Some more ear and tail-twitches and air-sniffs.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:15, Sun 04 Sept 2016.

Eli says, "What if it wasn't hungry? What if it was just playing with the rabbit? After all, it stopped when the rabbit did... sure looks harmless. Besides... if it wants to hurt me, why just sit there?"

  "I'm not exactly an animal psychologist.  But sharp teeth is something I don't want close to my friend either way, I'm strange like that."

The fox stands up and trots towards the mess hall.  It pauses, sniffs, looks at the kids, barks, and waits for them.

Eli smiles, sucking in his lower lip. "That's all good, but... don't you find it neat that a fox is trying to lead us towards the direction of the mess hall?" he begins following. From a distance, if just to make Joe less worried.

  Joe must be too young to have fully picked up on how cartoonish his life really is, at this point.

  He follows along, though refrains from sighing.