think outside the fox

If large predators were a threat then small ones were pests. For the most part Tojo's borders were left well alone, but there was always a sort of animal who cared little for such things. Namely foxes, who in Hattori's opinion too sly and bold for their own good. It was subtle at first, creeping tracks out in the neutral territory beyond the maze, testing and cautious, as though the culprit was trying to see how close they could get. The next day Hattori was informed by his hound that the vixen had passed over the threshold and had darted away the moment it had been warded off, only to skitter back and forth in what was no doubt a game to the creature.

Enough was enough.

Hattori knew the fox was too fast on its feet to even hope to catch when darted back over the line into free territory, so he decided to take up another tactic. He informed his companions to leave it be, to allow it roam freely, to press deeper and deeper into the maze till escape would be a difficult task indeed for the unfamilar.

Recruiting Tenshi as an assistant, the pair arrived on the scene to a sight he'd mostly expected. The fox regarded them with a flinch, eyes snapping wide as it glanced this way and that, unsure of what path to take. Which would take it deeper and what was the way out? It certainly had no clue, had gotten too cocky to think of an escape route before hand.

Launching into action, Hattori was eager to put an end to this farce. He dashed in close, intent on cutting it off as it twisted on its heels to run in the opposite direction. The fox had to skid on its paws to stop itself from slamming into his limbs and barely avoided the snapping of jaws as Hattori leaned down to grab it by the scruff of its fluffy neck.

"Speech"