by Colin Dann
‘Not Adder,’ Fox replied firmly. ‘Scarface is unmistakable. I shall have a few sharp words to say to our friend when he comes to report his deed. In the meantime we shall have to post sentries in case of an attack. You go on, Whistler, and warn the rabbits and the hares to keep well out of sight.’
Fox ran off to round up Badger, Weasel and Tawny Owl. Then he positioned them and himself and Vixen at different look-out points where they remained through the dark hours. At dawn, after a quiet night, they disbanded and Fox lay above ground to await Adder. Kestrel, high up above alien territory guarded all of them.
The morning wore on. Inside Fox’s earth Bold dreaded the appearance of Adder. If the snake were accused of inviting new danger he would have no qualms in placing the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the cub. Vixen noticed his nervousness, while Friendly’s distress was even more apparent. However, she wisely held her tongue until the cubs revealed themselves.
Early in the afternoon Adder approached Fox’s den. He saw Fox drowsing, head on paws in the warm sun, and calmly coiled himself up until Fox should wake. When he did so, Adder was wearing a distinctly smug and self-satisfied expression.
‘I don’t know what you’re looking so pleased about,’ Fox growled. ‘We’ve heard of your achievement from Whistler. If I may say so, I think you behaved in the most irresponsible manner.’
Adder’s expression froze and, as always, he betrayed not an inkling of his feeling. ‘You may say exactly as you please,’ he hissed quietly, ‘for all the effect it will have on me.’
Fox glared at him. ‘Really, Adder, I’ve always credited you with more sense. As if the situation hadn’t been bad enough already . . .’
‘Er – what situation are you referring to?’ Adder asked coolly.
‘Oh, stop playing games!’ spluttered Fox angrily. ‘I’m talking of the animosity between us and Scarface’s brood.’
‘It seems as if I took my life in my hands for no purpose,’ Adder observed. ‘Having redressed the balance of our most recent loss, I now find I was not expected to do anything of the kind.’
Fox relented a little as he recognized reluctantly that Adder must have put himself at some considerable risk for the enterprise. ‘But Adder,’ he reasoned, ‘why act so rashly? If it had meant waiting a few days more for the correct target to show, what would it have mattered?’
‘Target?’ queried Adder. ‘I don’t follow you.’
‘Do you mean to tell me that you didn’t know the target was Scarface?’
‘Ah, I begin to understand your reaction,’ said Adder. ‘I’m afraid I have to disillusion you. No mention was made of Scarface to me by either of your – er – messengers.’
‘WHAT?’ exploded Fox so loudly that Bold heard him inside the earth.
‘It was merely put to me that I was to avenge the death of Hare’s mate – which I have done,’ the snake explained. ‘I’m afraid the significance of killing Scarface himself didn’t occur to me.’
‘It was the whole point of the thing,’ Fox said wearily. ‘We decided that, as he is the only real threat to our safety, he should be put out of the way. I was quite sure in my mind that none of his band would have had the idea of blaming his death on us. But it appears we have all been labouring under a misapprehension.’
I’m afraid we have,’ agreed Adder. ‘Perhaps you should have questioned your offspring more closely?’
‘I’ll question him now,’ said Fox meaningfully. ‘Bold! Come out here!’ he bellowed down.
The cub emerged sheepishly from the earth. ‘It’s all my fault, Father,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Adder told us that he would even the score, and I assumed he would attack Scarface.’
‘How could you assume such a thing when you never even mentioned Scarface’s name?’ Fox demanded. ‘Now see what has happened. You’ve succeeded in creating a more dangerous situation than before by your dishonesty. You failed in the task I gave you but reported it as a success.’
Bold hung his head and Adder felt disposed to put in a good word. ‘I suppose I’m partly to blame,’ he said generously. ‘I should have realized where your thinking lay. However, the prospect may not be quite as perilous as you imagine. I’m quite sure I wasn’t recognized by my victim, and there are many other adders in the Park.’
‘A small grain of comfort, I’m afraid, Adder,’ said Fox, shaking his head. ‘I know Scarface. He won’t rest until he’s proved his own suspicions and then – woe betide us all’
Fox and Adder parted, each with a certain amount of self-reproach. The snake was privately furious with himself for not recognizing where the main danger to his friends lay, and he decided at once to make good what he should have done before. But this he kept to himself. As for Fox, although he ticked off Friendly for being an accomplice of Bold’s dishonesty, he then let the matter drop. He felt a share of guilt himself for placing too much confidence in his inexperienced cubs.
While the animals took turns to keep watch at night for the dreaded coming of Scarface, Adder lay low and pondered how he could get at him now that the beast would be more wary than ever.
Scarface, of course, had his spies and soon discovered that the Farthing Wood creatures were on guard at night. This served to confirm his earlier suspicions that the killing of his dependent had been no accident. He resolved to first settle the score with Adder, and then attack the rest of the community in the daytime, catching Adder’s friends unawares.
However, it was no easy matter tracking a snake who knew he was in danger. Adder, like all his kind, spent most of his life among the roots of bracken and heather and was not often encountered in the open. Sometimes hot sunshine would tempt him out to bask, but Scarface was not foolish enough to expect Adder to go in for any sunbathing at present. If any snake was seen to be basking now, it would not be the one he was after. Thus Scarface and Adder were now committed enemies. So cautious did they become that they both might have been rendered invisible. It remained to be seen who should be the first to break cover.
This situation gave a breathing space to Fox and his friends. The nights were unusually quiet and uneventful and Fox considered relaxing the guard duty he had imposed. But Vixen warned him against it.
‘That might be just what Scarface is waiting for,’ she said. ‘He’s very clever and could be trying to wear us down.’
‘Yes.’ Fox sighed. ‘You’re probably right – as usual. Your advice is sound and I’ll abide by it.’
There’s something uncanny about the quietness at night,’ Vixen remarked. ‘It’s unnatural.’
‘It can stay as quiet as this for ever for my liking,’ Fox replied. ‘At least no more lives will be lost.’
Vixen nodded. ‘I think you could give the cubs a turn of guard duty,’ she said. ‘The training will be useful and it’ll take some of the weight off the rest of us.’
Fox agreed and Bold, Friendly and Charmer were thrilled to be of use. Bold, in particular, was grateful to be given another chance after his previous failure.
One night while he was keeping watch, Friendly and Charmer went their separate ways to hunt. They were allowed to do this as long as they did not stray too far. Friendly kept religiously close to home in his wanderings, but Charmer was rather less careful, and realized suddenly she was a long way from the den. She had caught nothing and was loth to return with an empty stomach. She gave herself a few moments longer before she must make her way back. As she trotted along, muzzle to the ground, searching for a scent, she became aware that she was being watched. She paused, one front paw raised, to sniff the air. The unmistakable scent of fox was in the air. Her body went rigid as she looked about her. She saw a pair of eyes glinting in the bright moonlight. A figure approached.
‘I’ve seen you before,’ it said. Charmer was relieved to see it was just a cub like herself.
‘Yes, I recognize you,’ she responded. ‘You are one of Scarface’s cubs.’
‘I’m Ranger,’ he told her. ‘Once I met your b
rother: the big cub.’
‘That’s Bold,’ she said. ‘I am called Charmer.’
‘I can well understand why,’ Ranger told her gallantly.
Charmer looked taken aback. ‘I – I must return home,’ she muttered.
‘Not on my account,’ said Ranger. ‘I bear you no ill will. This quarrel is none of my doing. It is our parents’ battle.’
‘My sister cub was killed by your father,’ said Charmer sullenly. ’We have no love for your tribe.’
‘I understand,’ answered Ranger. ‘But I am not responsible for my father’s actions. He is a jealous animal and a proud one. I am only a fox cub.’
Charmer looked steadily at him. He was talking sense. ‘For my part, I think it’s regrettable we can’t all live in peace,’ she said.
‘I’m of the same opinion,’ Ranger agreed. ‘Perhaps our generation see it differently.’
Charmer sighed. ‘Nevertheless our loyalty lies with our family,’ she reminded him.
‘That is true,’ Ranger said flatly.
There was a pause. ‘Er – are you hunting?’ he asked her.
Charmer smiled. ‘Unsuccessfully,’ she answered.
‘If you’re hungry, I can show you good sport,’ Ranger offered. ‘There’s a colony of mice nearby.’
Charmer hesitated. She wondered if any of them were the fieldmice she was forbidden to kill – the old companions of her father.
‘Do come,’ the young fox urged her softly. ‘It’s much more fun hunting with another.’
Charmer relented and followed where he led to a patch of scrub. ‘There’s a regular nest of them in there,’ he said. Satisfied that the spot was too far away from the home area for any Farthing Wood mice to be involved, Charmer’s mouth began to water in anticipation.
Ranger looked at her and said: ‘I’ll see if I can drive them out to you.’ And he did just that. In no time Charmer had pounced on four plump creatures and had made short work of them. She was appreciative of Ranger’s interest.
‘You’re very skilful in coaxing them into the open,’ she smiled.
‘Ah. I’m getting quite familiar with the ways of these mice,’ he said, smiling back. ‘I often spend an odd hour here. Sometimes I just stalk them if I’m not hungry.’
‘I’m surprised there are any left,’ Charmer laughed.
They looked at each other for a long moment and something indefinable passed between them. Charmer looked away shyly. ‘Thank you for taking the edge off my appetite,’ she said softly. ‘But I must be going. My brothers may come looking for me.’
‘I’ll come some of the way with you,’ Ranger said hopefully.
‘No.’ She answered quickly, thinking of Bold’s reaction if he should see them together.
‘As you wish,’ he said in a regretful tone.
‘I’m sorry,’ Charmer said quietly. ‘I think it’s best.’
‘Well, I hope we may meet on another occasion,’ Ranger said, leaving a question in the air. ‘As I said, I often come to this spot. You will know the way now, I think.’
‘Yes, but I don’t always come as far as this,’ she replied non-committally. But, even as she said it, she knew she would return.
‘A safe journey back,’ Ranger wished her.
‘Thank you. The same to you.’ Charmer smiled sweetly and set off at a trot for home. Ranger watched her go. His blood was singing in his veins. The thought of his father and of the young she-cub’s parent was a long way from his mind.
Charmer saw Friendly ahead as she approached the earth.
‘I was out looking for you,’ said her brother. ‘Were you lucky in your hunting?’
‘Yes, very lucky,’ Charmer answered rather breathlessly.
Friendly looked at her sharply. She seemed to be glowing with health, and there was something in her tone – he was not quite sure what. He questioned her no further and said nothing as they passed the spot where Bold was lying hidden. But he decided he would stay closer to his sister on their next outing.
*
The next night was Friendly’s watch and Bold showed no sign of wanting to keep Charmer company. He preferred to be alone. Charmer went straight to the patch of scrub but Ranger was not there. She was bitterly disappointed. She waited a little, passing the time by pouncing on unsuspecting mice. Of course, it was not likely (she told herself) that he would come to that place every night. But she kept her ears cocked to catch every faint sound. At last, when she had given up all hope, she heard the sound of approaching feet and her every nerve tensed. She knew it was Ranger for she recognized his scent. He came carefully, snuffling the air for any strange smell. Then he saw her. They smiled at each other.
‘I’m very glad to see you,’ he said, wagging his tail.
‘Oh, I – I felt like mousehunting,’ she whispered. He caught her expression and they both laughed.
‘I’ve caught some water-rats,’ he said. ‘Will you share them with me?’
‘Where are they?’
‘Oh, not far. Up by the stream.’
‘Oh, no, I couldn’t, I’m afraid,’ Charmer said. ‘It’s too far for me. I’m not supposed to wander that far afield.’
‘Oh, I see. Well, perhaps I could bring them a little nearer,’ he suggested.
‘That would be very kind,’ she murmured.
Ranger loped off and soon returned carrying two carcases. ‘You start on those,’ he said generously, ‘and I’ll fetch the rest.’
A few minutes later they were enjoying their meal together.
‘It’s amazing how famished I get,’ said Ranger between mouthfuls. ‘Soon I hope to hunt for bigger game.’
Charmer thought of Hare’s mate and let the comment pass unanswered.
‘You have a good appetite yourself,’ Ranger went on approvingly, and Charmer knew what he was leading up to.
‘I don’t know if it would be possible for us to hunt together,’ she told him. ‘We might run into my brothers, or, worse still, my father.’
‘Would that matter?’ Ranger asked innocently. ‘We mean no harm.’
‘I don’t think my family would see it that way,’ she replied softly.
The words were hardly out of her mouth when Ranger froze and pricked up his ears. There was an angry growling close by and then Bold raced on to the scene, hackles rising. Charmer had not reckoned with his more venturesome spirit. Luckily she was obscured by a low branch of the shrubs and only Ranger had been seen. She decided the best course of discretion was to make herself scarce. Ranger stood his ground, though nervously.
Bold stopped dead, his fangs bared and his tail swishing incessantly like an aggressive cat’s. He had no intention of attacking the smaller cub, but had hoped to frighten it away and achieve a moral victory for himself. But Ranger met his fierce gaze steadily.
‘You’re a cool customer,’ Bold acknowledged, despite himself. ‘You seem to have gained a little in stature since we last encountered one another.’
‘I have a new source of confidence,’ Ranger answered him enigmatically.
‘Well, I have no wish to fight you now,’ said Bold. ‘The Park is as much yours as mine.’
‘I’m not looking for any trouble,’ said Ranger. ‘Why need we assume we’re on opposing sides?’
Bold laughed shortly. ‘I think your father can be left to explain that to you,’ he commented. ‘I’m sure that one day he will see to it that you and I join battle.’ Then he left the other fox standing where he was. No trace of Charmer was to be seen.
On his way back to the family den, Bold paused for a word with Friendly. ‘Have you seen our sister?’ he asked. ‘There’s a strange fox-cub abroad and she should keep out of harm’s way.’
‘Oh yes, I’ve seen her,’ replied Friendly with the ghost of a smile, at once understanding the situation. ‘And I can assure you,’ he added pointedly, ‘I’ve never seen her looking better.’
Bold had no reason to read anything into his words, and thought no more of the matter apart fro
m reporting his meeting to his father. As for Friendly – he liked to think the best of everyone, as his name implied, and he certainly was not going to expose any secrets his sister might have. He only stuck to his decision to see for himself, when the occasion should arise, how serious the affair was becoming.
For days Adder remained in hiding, confining himself to a small area of dense vegetation not far from the boundary stream. He was completely concealed but could detect any movement by others close by. In this way he hoped to catch Scarface off guard when the fox decided to begin his wanderings again. Also Adder was deliberately starving himself. He wanted to maintain his store of venom intact – there was none to spare on his usual prey.
Going without food was no problem for Adder. As a reptile a good meal could last him many days, provided he did not move around much and use up too much energy. In his present, rather torpid, state he could fast for a long while. It was not until about the seventh day that the first pangs of hunger struck him, and even then they were mild enough to be ignored. However, Adder was experiencing another sort of problem. He was cold. A spell of very cool, cloudy weather had prevailed for a time and, in his dark place of concealment, no spark of sunlight filtered through to warm his blood. Unlike his mammal friends, the snake could not regulate his body temperature internally – that was why in the cold winter months he was obliged to hibernate. He relied entirely on external warmth to keep himself active, and he knew that if he could not heat his blood sufficiently first, he would be simply too sluggish to move against the enemy with the necessary speed when conditions permitted.
More days passed and Adder became more and more torpid. Then one morning he knew the sun was beaming again. He was desperate for warmth and knew that, come what may, he must venture forth and bask for a spell if his plan was to go forward. With the utmost care, he slid slowly from his screen of vegetation and found a small open space surrounded by bracken where the sun could be enjoyed in seclusion. There had been neither sign nor sound of Scarface and his tribe. But, unfortunately for Adder, he had no idea that Ranger was making nightly trips across the stream to keep tryst with his new friend and that, on this particular morning, he was returning late to his father’s territory.
