What Does It Take To Become a Foxer?

This part of Foxing: A Standard Field Manual will cover the qualities needed to become a Foxer and enter among the Church’s ranks. It will not cover the criteria for candidate selection, fox breeding, kit training, or pair-bonding. See section four, Service Foxes and You, and Foxing: Advanced Concepts for further reading on the subject.

Courage

Foxers are the “tip of the spear” regarding the Church’s military might. Unfortunately, this means they’re often the first in harm’s way. Courage and determination are the heart of Foxing.

Next to his service fox, courage is a Foxer’s greatest ally. Foxers often encounter some of the worst that Purgatory offers: harvesters, heretics, and dangerous anomalies, far from aid or support. Panic and rash action in the face of these threats could cause mission failure, or the loss of the Foxer.

As such, the Church maintains an active non-aggression clause for its Foxers; that is to say, they should seldom be the ones who strike first. If at all possible, Foxers should rely on courage, stealth, and excellent judgement, in order to avoid an unnecessary risk. If necessary, Foxers are equipped to fight alongside other units such as Zealots, Paladins, or Lightbringers.

Because Foxers hold such an important position in the Church’s military structure, the Church will not tolerate cowardice.

Independence

Foxers are expected to act independently, making the best possible decision that benefits their unit, charges, or humanity in the larger picture.

As a bonded-pair, Foxers spend days or weeks away from command or supply chains, relying on rations, or foraging for their next meal. Foxers are to be self sufficient military units, unless under command or orders to attack.

While working, independent and far from camp, Foxers, map out parts of Purgatory that have changed since their last mapping, and report any potential relics or anomalies nearby. Their job is to use their fox to detect hazardous wildlife and summarily plot a course around it for the rest of their unit or charges.

A self-sufficient Foxer should not (and will not) wait for orders from field command while foxing. It’s expected they carry on with their duties until their mission is complete, or die trying.

Intelligence

Although trained to support Zealots in combat, Foxers primarily function as scouts. Foxers’ chief contributions to skirmishes comprise detailed maps, locations of relics, and reports on dangers such as heretics, harvesters, cross builders, and anomalies.

As such, a Foxer must be more brain than brawn. A Foxer should understand how to read multiple different cartographic standards; they should recognize the verbal and written signals the heretics use to communicate; they should be skilled in scavenging, chalking, and have enough knowledge of Purgatory to avoid hazardous anomalies.

Patience and Compassion

Foxes — though benefiting from centuries of domestication, selective breeding, and training — are imperfect creatures. A competent Foxer must understand that they are working with an animal, no matter how intelligent, trained, or ‘talented’ that animal is. There will be times in which the service fox will refuse orders or act out-of-character — sometimes compromising missions.

Patience and compassion, therefore, are some of the most important aspects to being a Foxer. Frustration with a service animal can lead to injury, abandonment, or, if in the field, death. The Foxer should understand and recognize their animal’s token behaviors to avoid operational failure. The Foxer should not enact corporeal punishment on their fox. This sours the relationship between Foxer and service animal.

Consequently, we consider fox training ‘ongoing’ at all times, both legally and socially. Barring a few examples of foxes owned by the upper echelons of the Church, there are no perfect animals.

Faith

Human beings cannot read or comprehend the mind of an animal. Thus, the Foxer must have adequate faith to spare for their fox; faith in the animal’s decisions; faith in the time spent pair-bonding; and faith that God will not lead the Foxer astray.

The very discipline of Foxing requires a leap of faith. The Foxer must assume the service fox has the best of intentions at all times; he assumes that his service fox will see or detect an anomaly before the Foxer steps into it; he assumes that his service animal’s selected route is safe for foot or horse travel. Faith in what you can’t control is the foundation of Foxing as a discipline.

Leadership

A large part of foxing involves leading others through dangerous areas of Purgatory — particularly the city, prairie, or mountains. As such, aspiring Foxers should be calm, knowledgeable, and authoritative leaders. They should know how to control a frightened group of Zealots in their charge. They should be calm in the face of danger, death, or operational failure. Anomalies should not frighten the fox or Foxer — the same is true for harvesters, heretics, cross builders, and other hazards.

Panic or fear in the face of danger could lead to operational failure, capture, or even the death of multiple units.

The next section in Foxing: A Standard Field Manual covers service foxes — picking the right one, pair-bonding, and training. See Service Foxes and You.

Next section: Service Foxes and You

Oliver Hart

Author of Foxing, Leaves of Fall, Liquid Courage, Beating the Heat, A Red Winter, Weber’s Gambit, and many other stories. He primarily writes hmofa, but dabbles in most genres. Interests include, writing, reading, technology, and music.

Stories: Foxing, The Leaves of Fall