Fox's Feud (9 page)

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.

‘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.