by Colin Dann
‘No, no,’ said Tawny Owl importantly. ‘No one of us is equal to a contest. But together . . .’
‘Together, what?’ queried Weasel mischievously, who was quite aware of Tawny Owl’s high opinion of himself.
‘Quite clearly we have to ambush him,’ came the peremptory answer.
‘What, all of us?’
‘Certainly.’
‘Including the voles and fieldmice? Yes, I’m sure they would be very useful, Tawny Owl.’
‘Er – humph! Well, no, not them specifically. You know I didn’t mean literally – er – well, the whole – er – of us,’ the bird spluttered.
Fox came to his rescue. ‘I think I have a better plan,’ he announced, ‘though ambush does come into it, in a way.’
Tawny Owl completely regained his self-composure at these words and stretched his wings in a haughty way while he directed a look at Weasel which quite plainly said: ‘You see!’
‘I’m thinking along the lines of a great deal of stealth and surprise being used,’ explained Fox. ‘That would certainly be necessary. Now, who do you think fits best into that category?’
‘Are you perhaps referring to yourself?’ queried Badger.
‘No, not at all,’ answered Fox. ‘I’m far too big. As I see it, there is only one candidate. He is capable of lying in Scarface’s path, completely hidden. And he has the capacity to kill with one blow.’
‘You can only be thinking of Adder?’ remarked Whistler.
‘Exactly,’ said Fox. ‘Scarface would be poisoned. Now, the only difficulty I can foresee is Adder himself. Will he cooperate?’
‘Well, Fox, you know, he’s such a strange creature,’ said Badger. ‘There’s no knowing how he would react to such a suggestion.’
‘Surely there is only one way to react?’ said Hare. ‘Is he with us or not?’
‘That is never in doubt,’ Fox said stoutly. ‘But he does hate being told what to do. If we could somehow put it in his mind that he is the key to our safety, there would be no question of his not acting. He would make the decision himself and woe betide us if we should praise him afterwards.’
‘That’s Adder all over,’ admitted Weasel. ‘Well then, someone has to have a little talk with him.’
‘Who is closest to him?’ queried Hare.
‘No one’s close to Adder,’ remarked Tawny Owl.
‘Well, who is he most receptive to?’
‘How about Toad?’ suggested Weasel.
‘That might work,’ agreed Fox. ‘But Toad would have to be found first and I don’t know anyone who’s seen him recently.’
‘Toad’s not the one for this job,’ said Tawny Owl deprecatingly. ‘It calls for someone with the utmost subtlety.’
‘That lets you out then,’ said Weasel rudely, who saw where Tawny Owl’s remark was supposed to lead.
‘How dare you!’ he snapped. ‘We all know you’re incapable anyway.’
‘Now, now,’ Fox pleaded. ‘Don’t start again. D’you know, I think innocence may serve as well as guile with Adder? Then he’s less likely to suspect he’s being used.
‘Now my cub, Bold, is always talking of the snake. I think he really admires him, and Adder probably knows it. He might be just what we’re looking for.’
‘An excellent idea, Fox,’ enthused Badger. ‘And Bold will feel he is going some way towards making up for his recent misdemeanour.’
‘Then it’s settled,’ said Fox. ‘I shall go and speak to him straight away. He can search out Adder tomorrow and the thing will be done.’
‘Will you let us know how things go?’ Weasel wanted to know.
‘Yes. Let’s meet again and Bold himself can tell you,’ suggested Fox. ‘In the meantime, Hare, you and Leveret must lie low. Farewell to you all for the moment.’
‘Is Adder’s venom really so powerful?’ Leveret asked as Fox trotted away.
‘I believe so,’ Badger answered him. ‘I understand even humans are fearful of snakebite.’
‘Then he carries a deadly weapon indeed,’ the young hare murmured. ‘How I wish he had been close at hand when my mother was attacked.’
Bold, of course, received his father’s suggestion enthusiastically. He was overjoyed to be chosen to undertake the important mission of priming Adder. His brother, Friendly, was also keen to be involved and pestered his father to let him go too, until he eventually relented.
‘Very well,’ said Fox. ‘I suppose there’s no harm in it, as long as you leave Bold to do most of the talking.’
This confidence in his ability made Bold positively glow but, far from becoming conceited, he was only too aware of the trust being put in him. Fox explained to him Adder’s whereabouts.
‘We’ll leave early,’ said Bold. ‘There’s no time to be lost where lives are at stake.’
So, just after first light on the next day, he and Friendly left the den to search for the unsuspecting Adder. Fox turned to Vixen and said: ‘If he’s successful in this, I think he’s entitled to a little more independence. If he shows signs of wanting to leave the earth permanently, we must let him.’
‘I never expected to have to chase him away from the family home,’ remarked Vixen, ‘but it’s a task that often falls to the mother fox when the cubs are too clinging.’
‘Yes, that’s certainly one of the less pleasant of a vixen’s duties,’ remarked her mate. ‘In your case, it may be our other two cubs who have to be chivvied a little.’
Vixen said: ‘I think Friendly will go wherever his brother goes. It’s this one who could be the problem.’ She nodded towards Charmer who was still sleeping.
‘Unless, of course, she should find herself a mate,’ Fox pointed out.
Bold and Friendly went cautiously in the direction of the long grass and bracken that was close to the boundary stream. This was certainly where they expected to find Adder. After the previous day’s rumbustiousness, this morning was calm, fresh and full of scents.
‘What a wonderful morning to be out adventuring!’ Friendly exclaimed to his larger brother cub.
‘It’s a very serious undertaking we’re entrusted with,’ said Bold. ‘We should feel honoured.’
Friendly looked thoughtful. ‘I hope we don’t let anyone down,’ he said doubtfully. ‘Supposing we can’t find Adder?’
‘If Adder’s around, he’ll be sure to be keeping an eye open on everyone’s comings and goings,’ Bold replied confidently.
‘Mole says his eyes are always open,’ chirped Friendly as they entered the long grass, ‘because snakes don’t have eyelids.’
‘Nonsense,’ said Bold. ‘How does he sleep then?’
‘Perhaps Adder doesn’t need to,’ answered Friendly. ‘He’s not very active.’
Bold paused to scratch his flank. ‘If you think that, you can certainly never have seen him stalking his prey. When he strikes, he’s like lightning.’
‘Thanks for the compliment, youngster,’ came a drawling voice close at hand. Presently Adder slithered into view. ‘It’s a rarity to hear anyone saying anything pleasant about me.’
Bold felt he had made a splendid start. ‘I know my father and mother have nothing but good to say of you,’ he added eagerly.
Adder chuckled drily. ‘That’s loyalty for you,’ he lisped.
Bold was not sure if he was referring to himself or his parents. Adder was looking at him penetratingly. ‘Were you searching for me by any chance?’ he asked.
‘Oh no,’ Bold fibbed. ‘We were – er – just enjoying an outing.’
‘Yes, that’s it. Just adventuring,’ Friendly chipped in.
Adder held Bold’s gaze for a moment longer. ‘Well,’ he said at length, ‘I’m glad to have seen you.’ He seemed to be about to move on.
‘Er – won’t you stay a little longer, Adder?’ Bold asked hurriedly. ‘We – we don’t see you often.’
Adder’s expression remained inscrutable, but a glint came into his red eyes. He was beginning to see how the land lay. ‘All right,�
� he responded. ‘Delighted to be in such demand, I’m sure.’ The sardonic tone to his voice was now unmistakable. Friendly began to look flustered but Bold struggled to appear cool. He tried to think of an opening to the all-important subject. Adder waited.
‘My – er – my parents send their regards,’ he said.
‘Thank you. Did they expect you to see me then?’
‘Well, no. But, you see, they knew we might come this way and, of course, well – you’re often about,’ Bold floundered, looking round at Friendly for support.
‘Ah yes, I did say I would be hereabouts,’ Adder said knowingly. ‘Are Fox and Vixen well?’
‘Oh yes. They are,’ replied Bold with evident relief at the looked-for opportunity presenting itself.
‘You imply that someone is not well?’ Adder rejoined.
‘Hare’s mate was killed,’ Friendly announced rather baldly.
‘That is bad news,’ said Adder. ‘How did it happen?’
‘She was killed by Scarface,’ Bold answered.
Adder’s intuition had by now grasped the true purport of the cubs’ appearance. Their inexperience was no match for his slyness. He knew they had been sent to look for him for some purpose. He laid a trap for them.
‘No doubt Fox wants all the Farthing Wood band to avenge in some way this latest death?’
Friendly fell straight into the trap. ‘No, not all. Just one,’ he blurted out. Bold glared at him.
‘I see, I see,’ Adder hissed. ‘And where do I fit in?’ (He knew perfectly well, of course.)
‘My father merely wanted you to know what had occurred,’ Bold said, hoping to retrieve the situation, ‘so that, if you felt you could help in any way, er – well – ’
‘I would do so?’ leered the snake. ‘Yes, yes, you need say no more. I understand perfectly.’ He was enjoying himself. ‘I’m to be the tool to carry out the job.’
‘Why didn’t you keep quiet?’ Bold snapped angrily at his brother. ‘You heard my father. It was to be left to me.’
‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ sighed Adder. ‘Do I detect a slight lack of rapport?’
‘I should have come alone,’ muttered Bold.
Adder was greatly amused by the young foxes’ discomfiture. In his smoothest manner he said: ‘You really don’t have to find an excuse to visit me, you know I shall always be pleased to see you. I have thoroughly enjoyed our little chat.’
Bold’s pride in his selection by his father was now utterly deflated. He had simply not been clever enough for the likes of Adder. His crestfallen appearance, however, stirred a flicker even in the snake’s dry old heart.
‘You may tell your father that I shall do all in my power to even the score,’ he told the cub, ‘and,’ he added, ‘nothing would give me greater pleasure.’
Bold pricked up his ears and looked at Adder in astonishment.
‘Next time you come to see me,’ said that knowing reptile, ‘I hope it will be solely for our mutual pleasure.’
Then he was off, weaving his patterns through the long stalks of grass and producing only the barest rustle of noise.
‘I believe even our father could be outwitted by his cunning,’ Bold whispered in admiration, and wondered if he heard an answering chuckle through the fern fronds.
‘We did it! We did it!’ crowed Friendly.
But Bold was too happy to reprimand him again and turned hastily back to tell Fox of the result of their encounter. ‘Listen, Friendly,’ he said. ‘There’s no need for us to mention that Adder guessed we had been sent deliberately. After all, our triumph will be marred a little if we admit we were bested.’
‘Isn’t that being dishonest?’ Friendly asked innocently.
‘Even if it is, it doesn’t matter. We’ve achieved the required result, haven’t we? Scarface will be killed, and that’s all that matters.’
Friendly was not happy about hiding the complete truth, but decided he would say no more as he had already come close to wrecking the whole plan. Yet Bold’s lack of honesty was to prove a costly mistake, and one which he was to regret for a very long time.
Fox and Vixen were proud and delighted at the outcome of their cubs’ meeting with Adder, and Fox lost no time in spreading the good news that the snake was ready and willing to strike against Scarface. The other animals were relieved and, some, a little surprised that the immature Bold had succeeded so easily in implanting the idea in Adder’s subtle brain.
Tawny Owl had said: ‘So he fell for it, did he? All credit to the youngsters, then. It’s no easy matter to hoodwink that rascal.’
Hare was particularly satisfied. ‘I’m only impatient for the thing to take place,’ he told Fox. ‘It’ll bring a measure of security to creatures like the rabbits and ourselves who feel specially at risk.’
Badger was the last to hear and, despite sharing all the creatures’ relief, was still a little doubtful as to what might follow. ‘I only hope you’re right about the other foxes’ lack of aggression,’ he remarked to his friend. ‘If they should decide to gang up on us afterwards, there’s no knowing how many deaths could occur.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Fox calmly. ‘They will have no leader. With Scarface out of the way they will have no one to motivate them. He brooks no rivals in his neck of the woods, so it’s certain that he won’t have groomed a successor.’
‘When does Adder expect to do it?’
‘Who can say, Badger? He must wait for the right opportunity.’
‘And then – when it’s done – how long before we know?’ Badger persisted.
‘Only so long as it takes Adder to find one of us,’ said Fox. ‘Unless, of course, Kestrel spots anything. I know he means to keep a sharp look-out for Scarface’s movements.’
‘Oh dear, I wish it were all over,’ Badger sighed. ‘Our lives have been fraught with anxiety recently. It’ll be a welcome change to be able to wander about freely again without feeling the need to keep turning one’s head.’
But things turned out to be not at all as anyone had expected. Some days passed before they were all to learn the true situation that had arisen. The chain of events that led to the discovery of the truth began with Whistler deciding to fish further upstream than he usually did.
He and his mate had been standing patiently in the shallows of the boundary stream, watching for a likely catch. From the corner of his eye Whistler detected a moving shape on the bank. He looked up. It was a young fox he had not seen before who was tracking the water-rats. Although he had crossed to the ‘wrong’ side of the stream his pursuit appeared harmless enough (except to the water-rats) and Whistler went back to peering into the water. He became thoroughly absorbed again, and he and his mate were eventually able to make a hearty meal. When they were quite satisfied, Whistler looked around again for a sign of the stranger. He spied him a long way off, still wandering along quite innocently. The heron was surprised to see the animal jerk suddenly to one side and utter a sharp yap of alarm. He watched a little longer, but as nothing further developed, he forgot the incident and, tucking one leg up comfortably, prepared to join his mate for a nap.
They awoke as the sun was sinking. A series of piteous howls, each more protracted than the last, sounded close by. For a while Whistler had difficulty in locating the noise, but finally traced it to the same fox he had seen earlier.
‘Is he in pain?’ his mate enquired.
‘It sounds distinctly like it,’ agreed Whistler. ‘I think I’ll investigate.’
He found the fox staggering heavily in an uncertain way in no particular direction. His breath was coming in gasps and, even as the heron watched, his legs seemed to give way and he fell on his side. He made efforts to get up again, but his limbs only trembled spasmodically, appearing to be all but paralysed. Whistler at once divined the cause. Adder had bitten the wrong animal.
There was no saving the creature now. His end was near. For a moment Whistler wondered what to do first and, even as he hesitated, other foxes loomed out of the dusk on
the other side of the stream, attracted by the dying animal’s cries. They called to him and he replied weakly. Now Whistler was awake to the danger at hand.
He was not afraid for Adder, who would obviously have made good his escape long before. But if the fox was able to identify the particular snake that had attacked him, the information would soon be passed to his kind. Scarface would not take the action lying down. Whistler knew his duty. He swiftly flew back to his mate.
‘Something has gone horribly wrong,’ he told her. ‘Adder has made a terrible mistake. We must warn our friends that Scarface is still alive, and the wrong fox has been killed. Find all of them you can and pass the word. I will go this way. We must be quick. Goodness knows what may happen now if Scarface suspects the worst.’
As the two herons set off in urgent search of the Farthing Wood creatures, Scarface himself arrived on the scene as the poisoned fox died. The others who had crossed the stream suspected nothing of the significance of the death. Their relative had disturbed a snake and paid the penalty for alarming it. But the hardened veteran of their tribe had a different nature. He sniffed the dead animal carefully for any clue. Then he sat down and stared at his minions.
‘An unusual occurrence,’ he remarked to them; but none responded. He looked from one to the other. ‘You had, each of you, better go more carefully in future. Snakes should be avoided unless you’re sure you can handle them. I myself have killed a good number in my time. Yes, and eaten them. Have any of you seen the snake in question?’
They shook their heads.
‘There is one snake who is often to be seen in this area,’ said the wily Scarface. ‘If any of you should happen to see it around, perhaps you will let me know.’ Then he turned his back on them and swam back across the stream.
Whistler flew straight to Fox and called him out of his earth. Fox looked grim when he had heard all. ‘What on earth is Adder up to?’ he demanded. ‘This is no time for playing pranks. Now we’re all in trouble.’
‘Could he have mistaken the other animal for Scarface?’ asked Whistler.
