Fox's Feud (17 page)

‘You’re very honest,’ Ranger answered, ‘and I’m glad you are so. My only concern is that my father died the way he did.’

Charmer looked down uncomfortably.

‘I shall, of course, put that right,’ Ranger remarked.

Charmer looked at him sharply. ‘What do you mean?’ she faltered.

‘We have to rid ourselves of that snake,’ he explained. ‘We can’t allow him to pick us off one by one.’

‘But the first death was an accident!’ she protested.

Ranger glanced at her curiously. ‘How would you know that?’ he inquired.

‘Adder killed the wrong fox,’ she answered. ‘It should have been – ’ She broke off, aware of her indiscretion.

‘My father!’ exclaimed Ranger. ‘Now I comprehend. So this was all arranged. You know this snake!’

‘Of course!’ she replied hopelessly. ‘He travelled with my father from Farthing Wood.’

‘And now he’s disposed of two of my family,’ Ranger said in a cold voice.

‘Just as Scarface disposed of one of mine,’ she reminded him. ‘And several of our friends.’

‘Several?’ he queried.

Charmer told him of the recent killings of the fieldmice, the voles and the rabbits.

Ranger fell silent. Then he said quietly: ‘That, of course, I didn’t know. There’s fault on both sides.’

‘You mustn’t feel vindictive towards Adder,’ said Charmer. ‘
He
was fortunate not to have been killed by Scarface earlier. As it is, your father has marked him for ever.’

‘An adder is a strange creature to make a friend of,’ Ranger observed.

‘There are reasons,’ replied Charmer. ‘My parents owe him a great deal. He once saved Vixen’s life.’

Ranger nodded. ‘Then I understand the bond,’ he admitted. ‘And I am aware that your father could have killed mine had he chosen to do so.’

For a long time the two cubs looked at each other. They seemed to have reached a point of crisis in their relationship. Then Charmer broke away, sobbing. ‘If only none of these awful things had happened,’ she moaned. ‘I suppose it’s too much to hope that we should remain unaffected by it!’

Ranger moved to comfort her, nuzzling her repeatedly and licking her fur. ‘Wounds do heal,’ he said bravely. ‘In time all will be forgotten. We should think of the future.’

Charmer looked at him hopefully. ‘Are you prepared to forgive?’ she whispered.

‘Of course,’ he replied. Then he recalled the snake hunt arranged for the next day. ‘Where is this Adder now?’ he asked.

Charmer hesitated. ‘I’m not sure,’ she answered defensively.

Ranger looked at her piercingly. ‘You needn’t worry,’
he assured her. ‘I won’t try to search him out. I’ll tell the others I got rid of him myself. They don’t know one snake from another.’

She smiled with relief. ‘He’s somewhere in the company of Toad,’ she said confidingly.

‘Well, let’s forget him,’ said Ranger. ‘And all the others. Let’s make our own plans.’

‘Yes,’ said Charmer. ‘We’re of an age to act independently. Bold and Friendly have already left the family home. Once they heard – you know . . .’

Ranger nodded. ‘Will they look for mates now?’ he asked playfully.

‘I suppose so,’ she answered. ‘At least, I think Friendly will. As for Bold . . . I can’t say.’

‘Do you wish us to stay in the Park?’ Ranger asked presently.

‘I would prefer to,’ said Charmer. ‘I don’t know the world outside.’

‘No,’ said Ranger. ‘Nor I.’

‘From my father’s stories it sounds a hazardous place,’ she went on. ‘You really do have to live by your wits there. Survival is everything.’

‘I imagine the only thing to be said in compensation is that there are no boundaries to your freedom,’ he said.

‘Except human ones,’ Charmer said pointedly.

‘Exactly. Well, home is where the heart is. And as long as you are in White Deer Park,’ he said gallantly, ‘that’s where my heart will be.’

‘Oh – oh!’ she chuckled. ‘Now who’s the charmer?’

Ranger grinned. ‘You make me so,’ he told her. ‘Now, where do you think we should have our den?’

The animals’ reaction to Adder’s news overwhelmed him. Already exhausted by his aquatic exercise and then his long crawl across the Park, the snake lapsed into speechlessness at his friends’ wild congratulations. For a long time he was unable even to explain the reason for his blunt tail. When he was eventually able to do so, their excitement was only heightened and, despite their recent losses, Rabbit and Squirrel joined in the mutual fervour. Vole alone was unmoved.

When the exhilaration had subsided somewhat he said: ‘This news has come too late for my relief. If Scarface had been killed a day earlier I should have been the first to rejoice. However, I’m glad for others’ sakes.’

‘You must find yourself a
new
mate, Vole,’ Hare told
him. ‘It’s the surest way to ease one’s grief.’

‘Perhaps,’ said Vole, ‘and from your words, I guess you are already making moves in that direction. But for poor Fieldmouse even that consolation is denied.’

There was no comment that could be made on this statement and all of the creatures present felt the poignancy of it.

‘Let’s be thankful, anyway,’ said Vixen quietly, ‘that so many of us
have
survived. Now we can look forward to more peaceful times.’

‘This will mean more independence for us all as well,’ said Fox. ‘The whole of the Reserve is ours again, to roam in at our leisure. We shall all be as free as the birds of the air.’

Kestrel and Whistler laughed, while Tawny Owl pretended to ignore the remark. For him, it smacked of a certain sarcasm.

‘Don’t look so straightfaced, Owl,’ Kestrel teased him. ‘We don’t mind a little joke at our expense, do we? Fox knows we’ve all pulled our weight in this recent sinister business.’

‘Humph!’ mumbled Tawny Owl. ‘I long ago told that Scarface what I thought of him.’

‘Of course you did, of course you did, and we appreciate it,’ said Weasel with mock solemnity.

Mole tittered while Tawny Owl struggled to retain his dignity. Vixen quickly changed the subject. ‘Well, who is going to act on my earlier suggestion?’ she challenged. ‘The need to integrate ourselves with the natives of the place is now our prime task.’ She looked round at the assembled group. ‘I’m sure you’re all very eligible,’ she laughed. ‘Who’ll be the first?’

‘It appears that Hare is likely to be,’ remarked Whistler. ‘But what of all you youngsters: Bold, Friendly and – you, Mole.’

‘Me?’ cried Mole nervously. ‘Oh dear, I hadn’t really thought about it – mating, I mean . . .’ He lapsed into a tongue-tied embarrassment.

‘High time you did, then,’ Whistler admonished him with jocular gravity. ‘But, let me see – Vixen, we seemed to be surrounded by bachelors!’

‘A bachelor I am, and a bachelor I shall always be, I fear,’ sighed Badger. ‘Who’d want an old fogey like me? My mating days passed in solitude in Farthing Wood. I was the remnant of the badger population there and – ’

‘Yes, yes,’ cut in Fox, before he started rambling on. ‘Don’t let’s talk of the past. And, anyway, Toad found himself a mate in the delightful form of that plump young Paddock, and
he’s
no juvenile.’

‘Toad might have a new mate every year – it’d make no difference to him,’ observed Weasel. ‘
We
have to look more carefully.’

‘Well now, Weasel, don’t be too sure about me,’ Toad answered. ‘I was rather taken with Paddock, you know. I may just look out for her next spring. But I had no idea
you
had any designs along these lines?’

Weasel gave a little cough. ‘Well – er – there comes a time. Toad, for all of us, I suppose . . .’

‘Splendid, Weasel!’ boomed Whistler. ‘Are there any more of you sly dogs around?’

‘We rabbits take it all in our stride,’ said Rabbit, almost contemptuously. ‘We have to keep our warrens well populated, you know.’

‘Why?’ Adder’s lisp was suddenly heard again. ‘Does that give you more of a choice for your mating pursuits?’

The others laughed. The rabbits, of course, were notorious for their breeding record. But Rabbit turned the tables. ‘What of yourself, Adder?’ he asked coolly.

‘Yes, my friend,’ Whistler joined in. ‘When will you allow yourself to become entwined in the knot of love?’

Adder despised this sort of talk and scowled at the heron. ‘There are some of us,’ he hissed, ‘who may not have come to the Park with the sole object of pairing off with the first female of the species he happened to come across.’ This was intended as a gibe at Whistler who had named the need for a mate as a purpose for joining in the animals’ journey. But he brushed it aside.

‘I make no excuses,’ he said. ‘A solitary life is not for me. But each to his own, I’m sure.’

‘We haven’t heard from the other birds,’ said Hare mischievously. ‘Tawny Owl may be a crusty old bachelor, but what plans do you have, Kestrel?’

The hawk looked piercingly into the distance, as if raking the horizon with his powerful glare. ‘It would probably surprise you to learn, Hare,’ said he, ‘that I have had no time to devote to such activities, as long as I felt myself to be the guardian of the safety of you all during the daylight hours.’

‘No offence intended, I assure you,’ Hare said quickly.

‘None taken, I assure
you
,’ Kestrel replied, shifting his rather unnerving gaze to his questioner. ‘And, may I say, now that my services can, it seems, be dispensed with, that I shall enjoy the extra freedom it will bring me.’

‘Very delicately put,’ said Weasel. ‘But I believe you might have been a bit premature, Hare, in your assessment of Owl. He should be allowed to speak for himself.’

‘Well, you know – er – everybody,’ Tawny Owl began uncomfortably, ‘I must say that I have regarded myself as the – er – nocturnal counterpart of Kestrel – despite what happened last night,’ he added hurriedly. ‘I’m not very well versed in courtship procedures, you know,’ he went on with rather more than his usual openness, ‘but Vixen’s idea is – er – a good one, I feel and – er – if the opportunity ever should arise when I – ahem! – well,
when I might feel so inclined – I – I should grasp it!’ he ended abruptly.

The other creatures hid their amusement at his discomfiture, but Adder could not resist one of his leers. ‘And I’d always thought,’ he drawled, ‘that the inclination was necessary on both sides.’

Now there was laughter, but of a good-natured sort, and Tawny Owl was obliged to grin sheepishly.

‘I think what I’ve heard is most encouraging,’ Vixen remarked. ‘Bold and Friendly, the part you play in my plan will have a great deal of significance. Your sister has set an example.’

‘Well, Mother, the family den is too small for us all now,’ said Bold. ‘Friendly and I must take our chance as it comes. There are wider horizons to explore.’

Fox and Vixen exchanged a glance. It seemed to both of them there was a veiled implication in these words. But they wisely made no comment.

The gathering began to break up, and the two male cubs dispersed with the other animals. Charmer watched them go without a pang. She had thoughts only for Ranger now.

‘I hope they follow your lead,’ said Vixen quietly, following her eyes.

‘Things aren’t so settled for me as you think,’ Charmer murmured. ‘We can’t forget that it’s Ranger’s father’s death we’ve been celebrating.’

‘We haven’t forgotten,’ said Fox. ‘But Ranger won’t mourn for long, I believe. Scarface was not the best of parents, and I think I’m right in my assumption that Ranger cares more for you.’

‘I hope so,’ said Charmer. ‘Oh, I do hope so.’

‘What is equally important,’ went on Fox, ‘is that there will be no successor to Scarface. He was a natural leader – the others of his tribe are just followers. Such a situation
as we’ve found ourselves in can’t arise again.’

‘That’s true,’ Vixen agreed. ‘But I have to confess that I sometimes wonder if we haven’t ourselves bred a cub with a similarly strong character.’

Fox nodded. He had felt the same himself. ‘It’s fortunate for us, then,’ he murmured, ‘that he should include some of our more sensible characteristics in his make-up.’

For Bold and Friendly there soon came the parting of the ways. Vixen’s words were very much in Friendly’s mind. He had begun to see his quest for a mate as a sort of duty. But Bold had other ideas.