The recruits yawned, rolling off of their various beds. There were no alarms in the base of the Vulpine Handling Division, but it's still remarkably difficult to oversleep, what with the sheer number of roaming animals that want to be patted and rubbed. Even those on the top bunk weren't spared from being shaken awake by a massive paw.

As they blearily walked towards the canteen, their stray hands passed over several other pedestrians walking alongside them. In truth, taking time to pet, rub, scratch, and cuddle the various anomalous foxes roaming about the base isn't just allowed, it's downright encouraged. Not only does it do wonders for morale, it can lessen the fear that the newer recruits feel when encountering untamed foxes in the wild.

Breakfast wasn't anything special. There were fruits, cereals, and juices... but none of it was hot. Anomalous foxes don't feed off of traditional food, so even if you brought in a prime steak, they wouldn't spare a second glance. They do, however, feed off of heat and radiation, so hot food or drink is a no-no.

On a positive note, therapy animals are provided to those that are unable to stomach room-temperature coffee.



"Alright, we've got another assignment today. This one's an A-class anomalous fox, with a size of 9.2, in a popular but non-essential park. Due to it's class and placement, today will be done a bit differently than usual."

All but one of the members of the officer's squad had enlightened expressions on their faces. The only one that was still in the dark took the opportunity to speak up.

"Why's this going to be any different than usual? A-class foxes were described as lazy and sleepy, so it should be our easiest mission yet."

"That's true, but because of the total lack of risk, there will be a small performance done to the civilians. The VHD doesn't have much publicity, nor is it able to perform any kind of draft, so we need to take every opportunity that we can to demonstrate exactly what we do."

"Aren't videos and advertisements enough?"

"Most tend to ignore a problem until it's at their doorstep. Right now, we're making a show of taking care of a problem at their doorstep. These few performances that we pull off are the main source of new recruits. Frankly, I'm surprised that we've never seen one."

"Oh, I saw the VHD do an operation before I joined, it was just on an F-class fox that was on a rampage. At least I can know that my actions back then weren't nearly as bad as the woman from yesterday."

Everyone else in the carrier nodded. Mere distraction can be excused, but such a display of negligence was impressive in its own right.

Before the discussion could spiral out of her control, the officer brought it back on track.

"A-class foxes are less receptive to the lasers, but at the same time, there's no risk of using too much power. Set them to half-strength from the get-go, as opposed to the usual quarter. I won't be taking part in the operation itself, rather, I'll be off to the side, addressing the civilians. A notice of the event has been put out ahead of time, so a sizeable crowd will have appeared. Don't worry about any of that, and just focus on making this a clean operation. I won't be giving you direct orders, but you should pick up on the cues I put down."

Before she could continue, they felt the APC come to a halt, and they took the initiative to step out as a single unit.

Before their eyes was a massive Arctic fox, curled up into a ball. Its side slowly moved out and in, making it clear that the anomalous fox was asleep.

A crowd had formed some distance away from the fox. Upon the VHD's arrival, it broke out into a series of whispers and mutters. They kept the volume down only out of fear that they would wake the fox.

Every single person amongst the spectators flinched when the squad leader walked straight up to the side of the fox and began speaking through the megaphone.



"Ladies and gentlemen, we are from the Vulpine Handling Division, and today, we'll demonstrate exactly how we do so. Keep in mind, while our job can be dangerous, this particular species of anomalous fox is one of the slowest and calmest out there. You're at no risk where you currently stand. In fact, so long as you avoid any forms of whistles, you can be as loud as you want!"

The crowd didn't respond, acting even more cautious than the officer.

"Now, anomalous foxes are rather special creatures. Not only are they extremely large, they don't eat any physical food. Instead, they absorb all the energy they need from light and heat. That's why they're always out in the open, to bask in the sunlight. Obviously, the don't eat humans, that's a myth."

"Of course, even if they don't bear any I'll will towards us, that doesn't mean that they can't cause problems. They may position themselves on a hot road, for instance. Or perhaps a popular park! What's more, they may regard cars as nothing but toys to be batted around. As such, with the exception of A-class anomalous foxes, they absolutely should not be approached by civilians. If you encounter a fox, call the emergency number, and we'll arrive as soon as possible."

"As for what we do when we arrive, that's quite simple. We use lasers to lure the fox towards the specialist in the squad, who then proceeds to pacify it. Since the foxes live off of such heat, they'll naturally walk towards the source of the lasers. Alright, begin the operation!"

At the leader's cue, the handlers all activated their laser modules, shining visible beams of light onto the Arctic fox's side.

Normally, the beams aren't this bright. More light means more energy, and an energetic fox isn't often a good thing. F-class foxes, for instance, are extremely troublesome, going on a rampage if they're provided with too much energy at once. Oh, the classification system is extremely simple, based solely on the first letter of their species. Red, arctic, silver, fennec, marble, and cross foxes are the types you'll see. Each exhibits different traits, so a different strategy is needed for each one. This one's an A-class arctic fox, so no matter what we do, it'll remain nice and calm.

True to her words, the fox was only roused from its slumber after the light struck its side, crawling to a standing position. It looked around, taking in the crowd, the officer, and the formation of handlers, before padding over towards the latter. As it walked, its tail swept low to the ground, side to side, nearly knocking the squad leader over with its sheer weight.

"Whew! A- as you can see, the anomalous foxes can be dangerous even if they're not trying to be. Leave the handling to the specialists. Speaking of specialists, there's one right there, in the center of the formation. Raise your hand, Zen."

He did so, even while he increased the amount of energy flowing through his laser backpack.

"In order to truly take care of a fox and ensure that it's safe, it needs to be delivered to the VHD base and acclimated to humans. To do so, it needs to go through a process we call pacification. It sounds ominous, but it's perfectly harmless."

A bonfire unit is a small device that, when activated, outputs an extremely large amount of light and heat. It's powerful enough to be dangerous to humans, but to the foxes, there's nothing better. Zen is the one that's holding the bonfire unit, and as you can see, he's the only one with his laser running."

Before the crowd's eyes, the fox curled its body and tail around Zen, completely enveloping him within the fluff.

"Now, don't worry, he's fine. Right now, he's just activated the bonfire unit and is making a quick escape."

Right on time, a figure popped out of the fluff and slid down its side, onto the ground.

"There's a lot we don't understand about the anomalous foxes, like why they seem to appear out of thin air, how they convert heat to energy, and why they can change their size at will. What we do understand, though, is that greater sizes take more energy to maintain. That's why the foxes will only ever be at their maximum sizes if they have some reason to, like traveling or absorbing the light from the sun. The bonfire unit is extremely small, so naturally, the fox will become small as well."

Before the eyes of the crowd, the fox began to slowly shrink, only stopping when it was barely larger than a mundane fox. It was quickly scooped off the ground by Zen, and presented to the crowd.

"This is a pacified anomalous fox. The bonfire unit will last for a few more days, during which we'll bring it back to our base and begin the process of taming it. The VHD has many active squads split up across many branches, but the local branch is the true headquarters of the division. All this is in the name of pacifying and taming as many anomalous foxes as possible, protecting everyone and everything else from being harmed."

"Of course, we could always use another pair of hands. If you want to make a difference in the world and make the petting of the fluffiest foxes your daily routine, don't hesitate to sign up! There's plenty of fluff to go around!"

With that parting statement, the officer turned off her megaphone and followed the others back into the armored personnel carrier. To the surprise of everyone else, the fox included, she then held her head in her hands while rubbing her temple.

"I've never been good at those public presentations. Zen, you'll be the one talking next time."

He nodded, placing the fox in her lap, causing her to smile.

"You always know what's best for me, don't you."

Not that she was one to refuse such a gift.