Commander Zorro was a rather heavyset man.

He's have to be, being the one man presiding over the entire VHD of America. His entire stance radiated a no-nonsense attitude, and that's exactly what the comparably insignificant officer before him feared.

"I'm just saying, sir, we could accomplish much more in a much shorter timeframe if we mixed our methods a bit! Relying on one thing alone will inevitably lead to disaster when we encounter a problem that it can't be used on!"

Commander Zorro didn't waver in his stance, not one bit.

"Boy, I do hope that you realize exactly what you're attempting to peddle to me. Our methods are extremely refined, and there is nothing that they've failed against. What you propose, on the other hand, has many potential failings against problems we encounter on a weekly if not daily basis. I will not change what isn't broken for a fragile alternative."

"Sir, please reconsider! We've been pressured from nearly all sides for improvements, and despite that, despite everything, we've remained largely stagnant-"

Before the young officer could finish his sentence, commander Zorro stood up from his desk, sliding his chair back with a squeak. Despite his complaints, the officer immediately silenced himself. Zorro was old, yes, but his reputation was legendary nonetheless.

"Do you know where the VHD stands on America's priority list?"

"I- I do not, sir. I do not possess the authority to know."

"An easy way to tell is by judging the allocation of the national budget. From the top, it's infrastructure, the military, the ministry of silly walks, tax cuts for the one percent, and finally the VHD. I wish the ministry no ill, as we've achieved many great things through mutual cooperation. Obviously, there is no downplaying the importance of infrastructure, so I won't bother addressing that. It's the final two that deserve further scrutiny."

The young officer stood silently at attention, not dating to interrupt.

"I'm sure there are many rumors flying around the division about my stance on the one percent, specifically, their parasitism of the productive members of society. Don't think I'm not aware of those. They're quite true, of course. Nothing but scum, the lot of them."

The man standing at attention was frozen silent. Not all of those rumors were nearly as flattering. This fear was only multiplied when the commander slammed his hand flat on the desk, having stopped his pacing.

"And then there's those PANSIES from the military who are incapable of a thought outside of firepower and collateral damage!"

He sighed, calming himself.

"I apologize. This... I assure you, in the early stages of the VHD, these exact methods were attempted, many times over. Without fail, every single one resulted in a disastrous outcome. Do not attempt to convince me to adopt such a barbaric tactic again."

"Yes sir!"

Taking his cue to leave, the officer heaved a silent sigh of relief when he was out of commander Zorro's offices. The man was one of the oldest people on the base, but there was no doubt that he was also the most capable of everyone there.

It was he who shaped the Vulpine Handling Division into what it is today, after all.



"Alright, we've got a routine deployment here. R-class, with a size of 7.4, it's blocked a major highway, and it's our job to clear it."

Another low-ranking officer led the briefing of her squad while in transit. They had all packed themselves alongside their gear in the back of the armored personnel carrier, somewhat tense. They had three new recruits amongst their number today, an unprecedented amount in their seven-strong squad. Even the experienced handlers didn't have the confidence to complete this mission, as so many rookies could spell disaster for any attempt at coordination.

"So far, it hasn't been approached, and hasn't shown any aggressive behavior. Even still, like usual, it mustn't be provoked. We want to take care of this as quickly as possible. So long as we can divert it away from any major roads or buildings, we can take more care in handling it."

Everyone still looked rather nervous. Seeing this, the officer spoke up once more.

"Don't anybody worry. As far as threat levels go, this is one of the lowest. Remember your training and follow my commands, and everything will go just fine."

She would've said more, but the driver then called out that they'd arrived. The back of the APC opened up, prompting the six handlers to step out onto the road.

Staring at them from some distance away was a fox. Of course, if it were a normal fox, only one person would be needed to move it off of the road, maybe two if both were cowards. No, this fox would be a little over seven meters tall if standing upright, even now towering over the handlers from afar. For anomalous foxes, this was merely par for the course.

In order to forestall and thoughts of fear in the rookies, the squad leader immediately began to speak.

"Alright, that's our target. As you should know, anomalous foxes draw their energy from sunlight. It will not eat you; extensive studies have shown that we do not taste good. Until we approach it, it will not move, and even then, it may remain there. Have all of you prepared your laser modules?"

The other five handlers nodded, though it wasn't really necessary. They took the form of a bulky backpack, with a tube extending on the right side to form a barrel as thick as their arms.

"Good. Remember, these may be dangerous, but they are not weapons, and should not be treated as such. Lieutenant Zen, do you have the bonfire unit?"

One of the more experienced handlers nodded, holding out a small, unobtrusive black orb.

"Good. This is going to be a fairly simple operation. Lure the fox towards the field to the side, and use the bonfire to neutralize it. Keep in mind, nothing we do will make it more aggressive, just more energetic. The very worst you'll face is a few broken bones, nothing more."

With those marching orders, the handlers took a circumspect route around the fox, to the field to the side of the highway. Once there, they arranged themselves in a pentagonal formation, with Zen in the center.

"Is anyone not ready?"

Hearing nothing, the officer continued.

"Begin! Remember, don't focus your beams!"

As soon as her orders were given, the heavy backpacks flared to life, each projecting an extremely bright spot of light onto the fox's side. Were this any other creature, they'd be getting dangerously hot, but the fox's fur seamlessly absorbed the thermal energy.

As soon as the operation began, the fox snapped from its lazy posture, rising to its feet and looking towards the handlers.

The new recruits began to shake in their boots, but none of them fled. They must've realized, in their hearts, that they wouldn't be able to escape no matter how far they ran.

"Alright, phase two! Everyone, dim your beams! Zen, pick up the slack!"

As the surrounding handlers slowly eased up on their lasers, Zen activated his in full force. This resulted in the massive red fox focusing on him, steadily walking forward.

The officer made no further commands, with the recruits eventually deactivating their laser modules and backing away. Zen was the most experienced of them all, despite lacking the knack for commanding others, so it was up to him to finish the job.

The fox moved dangerously close to him, eventually leaning down and sniffing the small human. After a few seconds, it walked around Zen, wrapping its tail around the handler and laying down, returning to its curled-up position, this time off of the highway.

"What- what's going to happen to him?"

The officer glanced at the recruit who asked that question. Clearly, someone had slacked off during training.

"He'll activate the bonfire unit, before crawling out as fast as possible. In doing so, he'll turn off the laser module, but the bonfire provides well enough light and heat to replace it."

As soon as she said that, they saw the human wriggle his way up onto the fox from within it's clutches, hastily sliding down it's side and onto the ground.

"But what now?"

"...You really should've known this. Now, since the bonfire provides so much sheer energy in such a small space, the fox will no longer maintain its maximum size."

As if on command, the fox began to slowly shrink. After a minute of doing so, it stabilized at a size only slightly larger than a mundane, normal fox.

"Watch carefully, recruits. This is a pacified fox, and it will remain so for a few more days, until the bonfire unit runs out of charge. In that time, it must be brought back to the base and tamed. It's much more docile in this state, but care must still be taken."

The other experienced handler walked forward, carefully scooping the fox up from beneath and holding it in both arms.

"Never attempt this when inexperienced. If the fox is tested too much, it could flee with the bonfire or grow to a size where it would be able to defend it. Both situations are a failure, so no less care must be taken in this step."

Thankfully, the handler was quite familiar with such actions, flawlessly carrying the fox to the carrier, scratching it all the while. The other handlers filed in after him, closing the door behind him as the vehicle began to move once more.

"As you can see, pacified anomalous foxes are extremely tame, and can be quite friendly. Even the short transit back to the base is valuable time, allowing the foundation to taming to be laid. With time, it's possible to bond with these foxes, keeping them loyal and friendly even when not being actively pacified in any way. Due to their longevity and intelligence, they'll be friends for life."

At this, some of the recruits tuned out the officer's speech. They'd heard such a thing before a million times, and they'd probably hear it a million times more.



"That operation could've been completed faster if you made use of the stick as well as the carrot."

Commander Zorro frowned, but didn't speak. The one making the argument this time wasn't someone he could use his authority against. Instead, he turned back towards the armored vehicle that had just rolled in, its occupants escorting their most recent prize towards the taming subdivision.

"The reason that we do not resort to prodding the anomalous foxes is because they are simply able to overpower us. Enough of them spontaneously appear out of thin air to overrun the entire world several times a day, and the individual size of each one is massive. We utilize the carrot to completely avoid the prospect of making any enemy of the anomalous foxes. The VHD will not forsake this safety in the name of efficiency."

"You're letting them walk all over you, that's what's happening. I've always pushed for the VHD to be brought into the military, but I see now that it's more necessary now than ever."

Zorro shook his head.

"Red, come here."

From nearby, a fox rose from its previous resting position and leisurely padded over. It was the size of a wolf, reaching Zorro's waist in height. The envoy of the military sneered while he scratched it behind the ears, under the chin, and on the back of the neck.

"Red here was the first ever anomalous fox to appear, did you know that? Back then, I had no special equipment, no prior knowledge, no training to my name. Even then, I could see that the fox didn't want to hurt me. My first response wasn't to attack or scare it away, it was simply to embrace the fox's side."

"Yes, yes, we've all heard the story-"

"And what was the military doing in that time? Red was the first to appear, but others quickly followed. The armed forces were dispatched, treating them as monsters more than anything else. In response, the foxes became the monsters you thought them to be."

"So our response wasn't the best back then, fine. Now that we know more-"

"One of the VHD's greatest accomplishments to this date is tracking down every one of those demonized foxes and calming them down, showing them what kindness was. I am proud to say that we've restored their faith in humanity... Barring a few specific shades of blue and green."

Zorro glanced distastefully at the uniform worn by the increasingly belligerent envoy.

"Regardless of our failings-"

"DO NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT FORGIVENESS! YOU HAVE  NOT ONLY FAILED TO REACT TO THE APPEARANCE OF THE FOXES, YOU HAVE FAILED TO LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES!"

The enraged commander Zorro would've continued on his rand, but he was interrupted by a not-so-light nudge coming from Red's muzzle.

"Wha- oh. I apologize. I don't do well with keeping calm in the face of such idiocy. Suffice to say, there is no agreement to be made here."

The envoy grit his teeth, hissing out his parting statement.

"Now I see what you are. You're nothing but a senile, old man who needs a therapy dog to function."

"Red?"

The fox looked up towards his trusted master and friend.

"Escort this man from my base."

Before their eyes, the fox's orange fur ripples as it swelled in size, growing to scrape the ceiling. The envoy backed away slowly, but it did him no good.

At a single low growl, he broke into an all-out sprint, desperately trying to reach the exit before being hunted down. Zorro paid no mind to this pathetic display of cowardice, instead turning his attention towards the recently-arrived APC.

After all, peacefully snoozing in one of the handlers' arms was another new recruit.