Episode 12: A Deathly Calm
Previously on that same epic day, the travellers barely escaped not only once but twice when they were being chased by the hunt and left stranded by the motorway, their toughest issue of all. Though thankfully none of the Farthing Wood animals got killed this time thanks to Lovedays quick thinking, more notably the hedgehogs wouldn't have survived if she'd hadn't insisted to bring them across by herself, which was why she was magically awarded a new pair of eyes. And too finish it all off, Whistler gave Adder quite the element of surprise which made everyone laugh hysterically in the end.
Although by all account, it was superb to think that in just a couple of days of less travel, White Deer Park will be embracing its famous newcomers, the many animal residents from Farthing Wood and Loveday Maples.
Right now they were all generally leaving the motorway behind to invade a farmland unlike the ones they've already seen before from their pervious engagements. The creepy land itself was far beyond natural recognition too, the fields jam packed full of harvestings (Mostly cabbages) grew mathematically clinical as if it were designed by a cold professional.
The fields didn't even have any dividing hedgerows to conceal the farthing party, whenever they observed the present field around them it appeared extremely wide open like you're marching on a different planet.
Gradually the animals felt an unknowning fear about the place and tried to distract themselves in any way possible. Even if it was disagreeable.
While Weasel trudged next to the hare couple she came up with a self-obsessed idea "What we need is a marching song!" she announced conceited.
"Oh no, not that again" Hare moaned with a facepalm.
Weasel just ignores him "Why not? It'll cheer us up, I'll start us off shall I? La lela la lela!-ah!" Hare instantly seized Weasels shattering voice before she'd sung another note.
"Shush!" Mr Rabbit hissed as he and his family passed.
To force release his gagging paws around her Weasels bites Hare aggressively on his arm.
"Ow!" Hare painfully yells. Clutching his injury.
"What's wrong?" Weasel complains as she looks everywhere "there's nothing in sight and I can see for miles".
"Exactly!...we can be seen for miles…and heard, especially you" Hare cautiously clarified into Weasels face.
Just then the birds came over.
Whistler signals the sky with his whistling wings as he frequently did to let the animals know about their arrival.
Mrs Hare was the first who spots them "Look! there's Whistler and Kestrel".
"And Owl…miles away" Hare added as he glimpsed at the tawny owl lack behind with precaution.
Down in the front, Loveday, Badger, Toad and the foxes were scarcely the only ones who didn't feel anything unusual. Their thoughts about arriving at the park sooner than later made them press on more eagerly to reach their new home.
"Can you imagine?, after all this time we'll soon be making it to White Deer Park shortly" Loveday said expressionless.
"Your right there matey, only a few miles to go now" Toad chuckled "White Deer Park is just on the other side of these fields".
"I can barely wait for us all to get there, what about you eh Moley?" Badger asks.
"Oh!...yes Badger" Mole replied sounding fed up.
With his pointy nose, Fox easily sensed that Loveday was hiding her troubled feelings, so he decided to ask her "What's up with you Loveday? are you feeling alright at all?".
"Aye I feel better…only it's just I've been doing some thinking lately" Loveday replied.
"What about, try me?" Fox encouraged her.
"Well you see…I'm feeling unready to be accepted. You've got a whole new life waiting ahead of you and I seriously have no idea what my involvements or expectations with the White Deer Park society has planned for me. And after having to go through so many irreversible changes and training to become who you've never dreamed of existing as, is just too much even for me to face moving on within a new environment, I'm scared that I'll do something evil and everyone will hate me, and then I'll fail my Grandma's wishes to help make a difference by becoming the best feral psychic around".
With concern, Vixen personally understood the stress that Loveday was going through and rubbed her scarlet head softly against the girls waist "You're not alone Loveday, we understand how hard this has been for you because we've all been feeling the same. You shouldn't force yourself to choose who it is that you are, Human or psychic because you'll always be the same person to us and we do love you".
"Indubitably" Badger agreed "will all be there to support you whenever you still need our help, doing something evil why that's just poppycock".
"I really appreciate your concern, it's just well-" Loveday paused as she stroked Vixen back.
"Don't say it. Your worried about finding out more about yourself and why you have powers? didn't you say that you'll find the answers there" Fox questioned with a smirk. Loveday nods back shyly.
"I get it" Fox understood. He knew the dwindling question about Lovedays future with them was still unanswered and he wished he knew a better way to help support his human friends situation.
"My dear? perhaps your overthinking too hard on yourself? You need to stay calm" Badger asserted with a fatherly tone.
"Maybe I have been" Loveday realises looking tired.
"Why don't you give yourself a break eh?" Fox coolly said. He didn't want to see poor Loveday suffering again "I know that you're scared but it doesn't matter how life will turn out for all of us…I mean we don't know exactly how our new lives are gonna turn out because we'll be entering the park together like when we first left Farthing Wood behind us. Remember what we animals always say?".
Loveday emotionally looks down at her sacred ring where she sees her colourful eyes flashing back with a questioning desire "We animals always stick together" Loveday said solemnly.
"That's right" Fox concluded with a small smile.
"Thank you" Loveday said sounding lesser tense. With that now settled they all continued to head farther into the field for about twenty minutes.
"Uh…Fox?" Loveday asks unexpectedly.
"What is it now Loveday?" Fox asks without showing his impatience.
The girl turns to point back toward the rear "I think there's something bothering the others?". They all turned their heads to see that the animals had weakened and were still standing.
"What's wrong?" Fox questions in alarm "why have they stopped?".
"I don't know?" Badger answers "but it's a bit odd, everyone seems afraid".
"Of what? These fields seemed to have affected them somehow?" Loveday figured. Her animal senses were taking heed on her.
"It's too exposed here" Fox quickly suggested "and that's why we've got to keep going".
"I don't know about you Fox, but I'm starting to get a bad feeling" Loveday worried.
"We don't have time for that now" Fox brushed aside. Leaving Loveday even more curious.
Secretly Loveday whiffed her nose and smelt something artificially damp in the open air, and it wasn't the dull lukewarm weather.
"That's very weird, why does it all small like chemicals. Can it be pesticide?" Loveday thought until Toad croaked.
"Come on, not far now mateys!" Toad shouted from leading point; he was very determined to lead the animals even closer to the park today.
"Get a move on back there. We can't stop yet!" Fox forcefully demands the animals to get their pistols pumping.
Whilst Loveday and the animals were finally able to continue crossing additional fields. Owl took liberties in spotting a lonely farm building in the distance and hesitantly flew herself toward it without word.
Contagiously silent for what seemed like hours, Loveday was still observing the farmlands suspiciously. Apart from the in ordinary smell she remarked how frightfully lifeless and grey everything looked. No birds singing or wind rustling or bugs buzzing. Only unsettling stillness.
"Its nothing but quiet here, dead quiet in fact" Loveday thought as she took out her water flask. All of that private investigating had made her thirsty.
After gulping it down she was sadly left with no more water.
"Oh darn, now I've got to find somewhere to refill it again" but before Loveday could carry on.
"Oh somebody say something!" Weasel shrieked so loudly she caused everyone to jump back.
"SHUSH!" they all reacted.
"Oh here we go again" Loveday facepalmed as she heard Mole utter from riding on Badgers back.
"Well?...I'm going to say something. I'm hungry" Mole brought up.
"No Moley! don't start that" Badger objected trying to not think about food himself.
The animals had been going on for ages without food since Loveday had shared the last of her leftovers in the quarry and now all their stomachs glugged and stitched whenever the mention of food preyed into mind.
"Shame my powers cannot magic food on its own" Loveday murmured as she imagined eating some of her old favourite childhood meals. Steaming fish and chips, spaghetti and meatballs and for dessert a bowl of creamy Eton mess with fresh strawberries.
"Hungry too Vixen?"
"How did you guess" Vixen giggled as she burrowed her snout in the nearest cabbages "But there's nothing to eat" she noticed.
"Not a grub in sight mateys" Toad puzzled as he checked under a cabbage leaf.
"Ohh! but there must be something good to eat around here" Hedgehog grunted as he too sniffed.
"Nothing to our likings really" Loveday marked as she took a closer look at the overlarge cabbages.
Mole found it the most difficult to prompt his stomach and stealthily slid off Badger with his overtaking appetite for the one thing he gluttony missed the most "Well the soils nice anyway, should be some juicy worms".
"Be careful you don't get too greedy" Loveday reminded Mole as he dug down furiously "we don't want to lose you again".
"I won't" Mole replied and disappeared.
"And we're alright" Rabbit sweetly said as she hungrily went up to the plants "the vegetables are beautiful. I've never seen a nicer young cabbage".
"What a shame for us though" Mrs Hedgehog complained.
"Yeah I'll second that" Hedgehog agreed "Loveday? are you humans mostly herbivores or carnivores again"
"To answer your question Hedgehog humans are naturally called omnivores, it means we are both plant and meat eaters".
"Interesting" Hedgehog said, "does that mean you're going to eat these cabbages too?".
"No I've always hated cabbages ever since I was small…wait a minute?" Loveday rubbed her ultra-nose against the cabbages moisture leaves, the smell was fresh on the cabbages like dewdrops.
With fear glued on her face Loveday waved over to Fox "Um…Fox? You might want to take a look at this"
"What is it?" Fox came to her.
"Don't ask, just smell these" Lovedays holds out a leaf for Fox to sniff.
Without any further question, Fox dug his snout down on Lovedays cabbage leaf and shot his head up looking horrifically bug eyed.
"…You know what you were saying earlier about having a bad feeling?" Fox slowly asked.
"Yes, and you said we didn't have time for it?" Loveday exclaimed.
"I think I take it all back now" Fox apologised as he and the girl nervously saw that Rabbit was entranced to take a tempting bight. And before she could.
"STOP!" Fox snapped as he broke Rabbit out of hunger hypnotism.
Instinctively Loveday ran up and blocked her arms fully around Rabbits meal "Don't eat this!".
Mr Rabbit disapprovingly march up "There's no farmer to see us, we're not in any danger, why can't we eat the cabbages?" he argued.
"I don't like the smell of it" Fox said in a low suspicious voice.
"I don't like the look of them either" Loveday uneasily added "their shininess doesn't look appetizing, its deceiving".
"But I'll faint if I don't eat soon" Mr Rabbit grumbled.
"Good! Then maybe you'll shut up" Hare taunted a he and Weasel exchanged satisfied winks at each other.
"Yeah and it's better to be safe than sorry you know" Hedgehog chimed.
While Fox and Loveday vigorously carried on inspecting, Badger came to see what the problem was.
"What's wrong Fox?" Badger asks deeply concerned.
"Reminds me of something?" Fox began "Look around you Badger do you see any field mice?".
The entire group all scoured to see if there was any sign of existing wildlife. Like Loveday they started to realise what her late predicament said about this place.
"There's no animals at all" Toad pointed out "Not even caterpillars and they love cabbages".
"and there's not a single slug in sight neither" Hedgehog too pointed "you always get them in these sort of fields".
"Strange isn't it" Fox murmurs.
"Hmm…see what you mean" Badger slowly nodded.
Vixen herself noticed something disturbing "There are no flowers either…No buttercups, poppies or daisies. Just-".
"Cabbages!" Fox finished. Yes there was nothing but a graveyard of perfect cabbages and nothing more.
"It isn't natural" Vixen exclaimed.
"No it really isn't, metaphorically these cabbages are sucking the life source out of everything we're seeing, just so that they can grow" Loveday finally said, "This has all got to do something with serving my kinds criminal side of things. I just know it".
"What are you talking about?" Fox asked her.
"I'm sorry It's kind of hard to explain..." Loveday tried remembering everything she was taught about farmers being none-cooperative with nature.
Owl's cleaver instincts took her around the clean building, where she saw to her own large eyes. There hidden in the back lot were large yellow drums, marked with black cross's. Stencilled to warn how chemically harmful the containments carried inside. Little puddles of the oily substances were also trailing on the ground leaving deadly stains on the grass.
Owls memory was jogged and she knew immediately what the animals and Loveday had accidently gotten themselves in for. Very quickly she flew back to find them.
To everyone's confusion she seemed panicked as she came and landed next to Fox.
"You must call everyone together!" Owl exclaimed desperately.
"I say you can't tell Fox what to do like that" Badger reprimanded.
"What's wrong?" Fox asked her.
"Before I do tell anything, I think it would be appropriate for Loveday to hear about this since she may have a great deal to explain" Owl politely considered.
Without much choice Fox broke "Loveday?."
"Sorry did you say something?" Loveday awoke.
"Listen, Owls found something-".
"Urgently!" Owl cut in. Then whilst she did that, the woodland companions were still extremely peeved about being banned from eating the cabbages.
"Just because there's no meat for them, doesn't mean we can't eat anything" Vole asserted to Shrew and Fieldmouse "If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times. We smaller animals must demand our rights".
"Look out!"
"What does it mean?" Mrs Hare asks her mate.
"Danger!" Hare exclaimed his wife.
"Take care!" Fox demanded.
"What a din" Weasel complained as she came with the rabbits.
"What's happening?" Rabbit asked.
"If somethings wrong, just…just don't tell me" Mr Rabbit begged.
"Are we all here?" Fox asks the squirrels as they joined in.
"The mice, shrews and voles are on their way" Squirrel one informed.
"Here comes Whistler" Weasel sang as they all heard his whistle.
Whistler cockily prepared for landing and didn't see Adder in his way. Adder saw the heron dropping and tried to flee fast, but instead Whistlers skinny legs smashed down on her tail and had entangled the snakes flexible body into a heap.
"Oh! So sorry" Whistler innocently said down to her.
"I might've known it was you" Adder hissed as she uncurled herself enraged.
"Quiet! Owl has something to tell us" Fox reassured.
With the crowd now seated in front, Owl revealed her fatal discovery.
"You are standing on poisoned land. It's in the ground we walk on, in the air we breathe and the plants which seem so luscious are probably deadly!" Owl wittingly began.
The animals gasped down to their shivering collarbones.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Weasel tried running away in blood chilling panic. Though luckily Badger made her stay putt.
"But…But how?" Mr Rabbit asked.
"It was done deliberately" Owl explains.
"The farmer! I knew I'd recognised that smell" Fox now realised.
"He keeps the poison hidden even from his own kind, there are some things even humans don't approve of" Owl continued then turns to the feral psychic "Is that true Loveday?".
"Yes Owl it is all true" Loveday confirmed looking down "You see, some disagreeable people like the farmer have a dirty potentiality for gaining control and ownership when it all comes to getting their own way".
Loveday was reluctant to share what she found out "It means. If the farmer wants to stop anyone (like us per say) from ruining his producing cabbages then he'll stop at nothing to do anything deliberate just to keep it that way. Even by killing whoever tries to eat the cabbages on their own terms, which is why he's sprayed everything with pesticide in the first place".
The animals were astonished and distressed to finally know about this.
"Poison! So that's why there are no flowers" Vixen said stressfully.
"Or insects, or any creatures at all" Toad added sadly.
"Nothing can live here except the things humans want to grow" Vixen cried.
"But what will they do with the cabbages?" Hare wondered "If you think you're so smart to keep this from us Loveday then you tell us?".
Loveday saw some of the small creatures give dirty looks directly at her "To be quite honest with you they'll will just eat them".
Unlike the others, Toad gave a sympathetic look to poor Loveday "But won't they die too?".
"Maybe" Loveday answered, "there's just no exclamation how unmeaningful this'll turn out for the victims who'll eat these, either man or beast".
"Who knows? perhaps for humans it'll be a very slowly process" Owl stared at Loveday grimly "what do you suppose?…".
"Well…? It isn't really my place to say so" Loveday ramosely concluded "I'm sorry".
Fox and Vixen felt even more sorrier to see Loveday feel bad just for being honest. Although they knew her good intentions to stay faithful, the foxes did fear for her sake.
"They're mad" Vixen murmured "Poor Loveday. I didn't know that humans are so careless to put animals or themselves in danger by adding a terrifying material on what they need to survive on most".
"Alright! Now listen, I did say this before and I won't say this again, Loveday isn't responsible for what happens to us. She decided to rightfully tell us, and she did it because she fears for everyone here and we shouldn't go jumping to conclusion on her. Let's not regret having her here to protect us and get out as quickly as possible. Are we all clear?" Fox defended the human charismatically .
Most of the animals agreed with their leader. Mainly Toad, rabbits, hedgehogs, hares, squirrels, Whistler and kestrel sensibly held their respect for Loveday, who couldn't blame them for not fearing their special human escort. Sadly the smallest creatures didn't feel safe with Loveday at presence.
"Thank you Fox" said Loveday with a calming smile.
"I'm always here for you when you need it" Fox comforted back.
Before they got on, Badger looked for Mole who was still absent.
"Come on Moley!...Moley!".
"Over there! I can see his molehills" Loveday pointed helpfully.
"We must to make sure he hasn't eaten anything otherwise…well you know what I mean" Badger reminded as he walked up to the fresh molehills.
"Oh I hope he didn't get carried away" Loveday fearfully said.
"Oh no Moley! what have ya done?" Badger shouted as he saw the spoilt ground.
"Mole please answer us?" Loveday called out. In seconds Mole popped right out still looking healthy and hungry like before.
"Hello Loveday…Hello Badger" Mole plainly said to his friends.
Badger crawls up to his little best friends "Moley how many worms did you eat?".
"None! They were all dead" Mole despairingly replied.
"Ah…thank the lord" Badger sighs with big satisfaction.
"Heavens above" Loveday wipes her blond hair out of her face. She bends down to let Mole climb aboard her hands "Come on Moley, up you come". Mole happily did this and enjoyed being carried in Lovedays soft arms for a bit.
Then after being kindly placed back on Badger, Mole couldn't handle his stress "But…aren't we stopping to eat? I'm so hungry".
"So is every one of us Mole, even me" Loveday stroked him as she walked beside Badger with her tummy rumbling up a thunderstorm.
"Moley your appetite will be the death of ya one day" Badger frowned.
"Why?...what's wrong?" Mole asked suspicious.
"I-I'll tell you as we go along" Badger calmed him.
Relieved to see Mole re-joining, Fox lead his followers back on route. Loveday tried acting all cheered up for Fox but she still struggled to resist listening to her own stressful thoughts.
"Where is the answers to all your questions when you need them the most, its just not fair of Kell leaving me like this. How I'm I suppose to find the farthing spirit on my own without help or guidance?" she thought "And now I can't stop thinking about food, I'm ever so hungry". Then as if by miracle she felt something soft hugging at her legs.
"Loveday we're very hungry" said the baby rabbits at her feet.
"I know you still are; I promise we'll find you some food soon" Loveday awed as she lowered to stroke their little heads.
"Have you got anything to eat in your magic bag?" the girl rabbit playfully asks.
"Some carrots perhaps?" the boy rabbit suggests.
"Please".
With regrets, Loveday reminded them that the carrots she carried before were all eaten, so to cheer them up she gave them both a ride inside her bag since they looked worn out. The little mammals we're jealous to see the human spoiling the babies again and grew more distant to her since it was her species fault that they were left here starving in a poisoned wasteland.
"You really have an extraordinary way with children don't you Loveday, those rabbits really do look up to you" Vixen admired.
"I know. I love children very much, especially baby animals" Loveday blushed feeling happy to see the rabbits still relied on her "Not that it's any of my business Vixen but…are you and Fox maybe going to have cubs yourself someday?".
"Well…we hope to when the mating season does come" Vixen responds looking excited to the thought of it "After all me and Fox have fought through together, it'll be worth raising the cubs in safety at White Deer Park, where we'll be teaching them their first hunts and going on long moonlit walks together as one happy family".
Loveday felt blessed to hear this, she'd never gotten the exciting chance of seeing baby fox cubs being born back in Farthing Wood and this just might be her best opportunity.
"I'd do anything just to meet Fox and Vixen's cubs when this is all over" Loveday imagined.
With a warm loving smile she then said, "As one would say 'to fulfil the eternal circle of life is one of the greatest joys in all the universe' I'm really happy for the two of you, I know you'll both make great parents someday".
Vixen exchanges a warm smile back "Thank you very much Loveday. I'm sure the cubs would love to see you if they're born next spring".
Loveday gave a startled look; how did Vixen knew about her secret wish?.
Apparently, after they'd walked through plains right at the edge of the fields, Loveday smelt some apples. Cause an orchard full of handsome ripe apples concealed inside a wire fence was standing tall next to them. The squirrel twins were jumping for joy and entered it.
"Look! Trees lots of trees" they enthusiastically sang as they danced through. The first squirrel helter-skeltered herself up one of the trucks toward the fruit-filled branches. Her sister mysteriously got her foot stuck on something sticky like sap and tried to pull it off .
The first Squirrel breathlessly plucked off an apple and was carelessly about to munch it "Mmmm…juicy".
"I wouldn't if I were you!" Owl forewarned her strictly out of nowhere.
"Yuck!" Squirrel realised what she'd almost done and wisely tossed her apple away. Landing down on both her sister and Badger's heads. Loveday picks up the rolling apple and inspected it up closely.
"What is it?" the second squirrel asked, still trying to pull her foot loose.
"Another human trick" Badger detected.
"Humans have a saying" Owl proclaimed, "One man's meat is another man's poison, goodness knows what they've done to these apples".
The animals just couldn't take it anymore, first the cabbages now the apples were artificially infected with pesticide as well.
"Something awful I'd predict" Loveday summed up and threw the gross apple away.
"Let's hope for their sakes they've got strong stomachs" Fox sympathetically says. The animals hunger issue was finally snapping out of their control.
"Can we eat yet?...my stomachs rumbling something terrible" Mrs Vole begged at her son.
Vole shook his head "No Mother, Owl thinks the animals and plants are poisoned, no thanks to Lovedays kind".
"Ahh! Except you of course" Adder gluttonously growls, the voles trembled as she wickedly crept up to them, ready for lunch.
"Adder!" Fox scolds her.
"Just teasing" the snake lied innocently as she slithered away.
"This food shortage is bringing the worst out of everyone" Loveday sighed agitatedly next to Vixen.
"Obviously, we can't have that now can we?" Vixen agreed as Loveday nodded "I'd hate to see us all go against each another".
"Me too and I'd be the one taking all the blame for it" Loveday fearfully said.
"In other words 'Hunger is stronger than any oath" Owl lectured sorrowfully.
"Owls right, instinct will out. I should know" Toad professed.
"So Fox, what shall we do?" Owl questions cynically.
"It's no use pretending we're not hungry anymore, we'll just have to take necessaries on ourselves if we are going to make it all the way to White Deer Park, without having any further distractions" Loveday confidently advised.
"There's nothing for it then" Fox gave in, before he nervously shouted up "Kestrel? can you see anywhere nearby where we might find food!".
In a vortexing motion it didn't take Kestrel long. As the hawk searched the valley she spotted a small ,capital country town a few miles off from the farmlands "Just fields and fields as far as the eye can see!...nothing!, There's also a town a long way off".
"Could we reach it tonight?" Fox asks desperately.
"You could?" Kestrel supposed, looking uncertain why he asked her that.
"Why?" Vixen turned to her mate confused.
"You've got an idea haven't you?" Loveday guessed.
"Alright, so humans have taken away our food. So why don't we take away theirs" Fox proposed with a mischievous smirk.
"What do you mean?" Vixen insists again.
Through a hot beguiling growl Fox uttered a single word "Scavenge".
"Wait, you mean go and search for food in the town like scavengers?" Loveday pointed in a trusting voice.
"Precisely" Fox made clear.
"And we're expected to go hungry I suppose?" Mr Shrew squeaked, looking harsh like the other small mammals.
"It's all very well for you" Vole riled the carnivores "Especially for you young Loveday. We'll never forgive you for what your kind has done to doom us all. Your species are but rotten, irresponsible, good for nothings" Vole concluded with a huff.
With a straight face, Loveday blamefully looked downhearted to see the small animals start to turn against her. She knew this would happen at some point.
"That's enough from you!" Fox snaps in outrage stepping in front of Loveday protectively "Don't forget that it was the humans idea who built the park we are going to and this girl here doesn't deserve your judgement".
The small mammals looked offended and just crossed their arms.
"They have the right to say it Fox, everyone's allowed to say freely what they believe in. If I'm going to make everyone feel unsafe than maybe I should-" Loveday tried speaking for herself.
"Don't say another word" Fox interrupted her as he kindly licked the tears off her face, "this isn't your fault but I know a way you could show them".
"How?" Loveday wondered with full interest. She was keen to do anything to make amends.
Fox stood up optimistically and finally shared his idea with everyone "We larger animals…Me, Loveday, Vixen, Owl and Whistler can go foraging for everyone".
"You mean bring food back? like what Loveday just said" Vixen realised. Inside she felt glad that Fox had abnormally defended Loveday like that.
"That's about it" Fox nodded convincingly.
"What sort of food?" Mr Rabbit demanded with a stuck-up look "I'm a martyr to my indigestion you know?".
"Oh…shut up!" Hare whispered next to him.
"Anything you want. Put in your orders now" Fox recommended. He gave Loveday a wink and they both got ready for their emergency raid expedition.
In the following evening before darkness fell, the raiders left their group sheltered in the orchard and found the narrow road leading straight to town. On the way they didn't speak much until they found in the pitch-black countryside the bright city lights beaming from the old-fashioned buildings fondly from a distance. Together they approached it and snuck into town to start their secret mission.
"Let's go" Fox said excitedly as they went into a dark traffic tunnel where the houses stood at the end of it "and remember we must stick together".
"I hope nobody will see us" Loveday says, "this is the first time I've ever been foraging".
"Hopefully nothing will go wrong as long as we stay in the shadows. Don't worry Loveday you'll soon get the hang of it" Fox grinned.
"I'd really like that. Any advice?" Loveday consulted.
Vixen told her "Keep your eyes and ears running, it's best to rely on your own senses in places like these".
"Got it" Loveday nodded "We need to find Whistler and Owl. They must be here already".
"It'll be easy enough; all Whistler has to do is whistle for us" Fox chuckled.
Eventually Whistler was the one who found them instead. He told them that Owl was missing and he couldn't find her. Though being Owl she was always planning way ahead and was probably waiting for them somewhere in the town.
While creeping along the dark moon lit streets, Loveday was glad she'd worn her blue forest coat; her robe hood protectively hid her face like Robin Hood. Go stealing from the rich and providing for the poor, which she was doing in her case.
They'd stuck to traveling along the cold alleyways and backstreets, which brought them behind an empty high street full of shops and cafes closed for the night, particularly where a neon sign flashed in foreign language and the framed windows were painted bright red on the building it came from.
Fox became very interested and hoisted himself up on his hind legs to sniff a hanging menu board screwed in the wall.
"What have you found?" Whistler asks him.
"I don't know" Fox shrugged "I smell food".
"Me too but where?" Vixen searched.
"I think this must be an Asian restaurant were outside of. These places are custom to have food scarps lying around" Loveday predicted.
"How'd you know that?" Fox asked.
"People are always throwing away uneaten food, that's how" Loveday explained "It's a very bad human habit".
"Oh" Fox now understood why some foxes always preferred to find fast food in urban places.
"CRASH!" a metallic sound came from around the restaurants front in the opening square.
"What was that?" Whistler asked.
"Come on!" Fox gestured.
Loveday and the foxes scarper down between the side alley while Whistler skidded behind. There laying on the main road in front was a tilted dustbin with masses of rubbish stinking of deep-fried smells.
"What kept you?" Owl scowled perching on the bin impatiently.
"Did you knock this over?" Loveday asked her with impression.
"No…cats" Owl confessed pridefully, "I chased them off".
"Well it's a good job that you came along. There's plenty of pickings to go around" Loveday began to dig about "Hey Whistler, check this out I think you'll like it".
"Hmm…Fish, well spotted Loveday" the heron praised and shallowed up a whole fried cod down his throat. "Tastes a bit odd but its fish alright" he described without complaint.
"You're supposed to be foraging for the others!" Owl sternly accused Whistler.
"Let him feed his own face first" Fox cool-headedly said "meanwhile we'll gather together what we can, come on Vixen".
"At lease there's plenty of meat to fill up the carnivores necessaries" Loveday said, "Waste not want not' that's what some people say".
"But what about you Loveday?...you must eat something too" Vixen insisted.
"Yeah you haven't eaten for ages, this'll probably our last opportunity so its best if you do" Fox chimed.
"I don't think I'll have luck finding anything to eat here" Loveday said disappointedly, until something caught up her nose "…don't go away, I'll be right back". She got up and went back to the fancy restaurant.
"Where are you going Loveday!" Vixen shouted.
"Don't worry, she'll be back again…I hope" Fox reassured unsure.
Earlier Loveday had remembered smelling something good in the side alleyway and missed it. Luckily this time with her animal super-smell and sight she found a white takeaway bag dumped on the black street.
"I thought that I'd smelt warm jasmine rice here…delivery guy must've dropped it on his bike and didn't check. A pity to let it go to waste though, lucky me" she decided and gladly carried the plastic bag back with her.
Back waiting for the raid to come back with supplies, the farthing animals tried forgetting about their empty stomachs by sleeping it off. While Badger and Kestrel kept watch for them all.
Nicely curled on top his mother, Vole woke to the sound of loud rumbling "Was that thunder?" he asked Mole who was lying beside.
"No, only somebody's stomach complaining" Mole giggled.
Suddenly a sore looking Adder curved from around the tree they were all resting under "If Whistler doesn't get back soon I'll eat-!".
"The oath!" Mole stammers.
"I'd eat that if it was on four legs…or even two" Adder growled aggressively.
Suddenly a flapping shadow was floating their way above. It was Whistler again. Adder gasped and tried to escape but too late she got comically pinned back like before, making everyone laugh at her.
"You're doing it on purpose!" Adder damned the heron.
"Oh! Do excuse me I never was much good at landing on dryland, anyway look. I've brought meat" Whistler quickly pointed to a pile of rummaged fish and raw meat.
Adders dark mood melted like butter as soon as she saw it all "I forgive you" she licked her lusty lips and gorged down.
Weasel crawls over "Did you say meat?" she asks and went up to the feast. Funnily enough she blindly bit on Adders body by mistake, the snake exploded a tempering roar at her.
"Wake up my dear, they've brought food for us!" Hedgehog shook his wife awake.
"Food?...where is it?" Mrs Hedgehog asked and soon they both tucked in.
"We can't eat that" Vole grumbled in disgust.
"Neither can the rabbits or-" Mole added.
"Oh…please be patient" Whistler calmly said and left to find his foraging friends.
The raiding party had now successfully ventured on from the village's central square over to a suburban property with an edible garden outside, guaranteed to help fill up the herbivores. Separately Fox ransack the bins next to the house while Vixen and Loveday stole from the vegetable garden. Every time Vixen managed to dig up a lettuce, Owl would swoop the greens into her claws and carry back toward the camp.
"I know snitching things in somebody's garden is wrong but I can't seem to help myself. Afterall this is more important" Loveday shamefully thought as she picked off runner beans, peas and tomatoes sprouting on bamboo wigwams.
"At least you have plenty of food to fend for yourself now" Vixen said as she kindly helped Loveday drop them in her open backpack.
"Yes I do" Loveday reconsidered, then she sees a water tap connected to the wall "I'm going to fetch water for us all".
"Where from? I don't see a horse trough around here" Vixen asked confused.
"I know something even better, you watch this" Loveday grabbed her flask and reached up for the faucet that was as tall as her small height. Vixen stood in surprise to watch oozes of water came plunging out and saw Loveday demonstrate how to catch it in her flask till it was full.
"What do you make of that then eh?" Loveday concluded as she tightened the lid back on.
"I really don't know?" Vixen shrugged "I wonder how fox is getting on?".
Suddenly they both heard the bins lid crash down, making a disturbing racket. There was worst still yet to come afterword's.
"GRRRR! RUFF! RUFF! RUFF! RUFF! GRRRR!"
The barking made Loveday jump out of her skin. "Oh no, now we are so dead meat!" grabbing her bag, they scarpered to the open garden gate where Fox was hiding behind the bins.
"Fox where are you!" Vixen called looking paranoid. The barking kept getting seriously louder and louder.
"Here!" Fox was about to step out to meet them when.
"LOOK OUT!" Loveday screamed as she pointed.
Two massive bulldogs had ventured out of the blue. Snarling demonically at the thieves who were trespassing on their owners private property. They were about to chase them fair-handed.
"We must've woken them up" Loveday thought.
Fox and Vixen retreated back up the garden path whilst Loveday slammed the wooden gate shut against the dogs faces. Without much delay they all ran away out through the back-fence and left the garden into a big wide opening.
"SPLIT!" Fox yells as he diverted himself to the left side while Vixen went right with a heavy heart. Loveday paused herself and loyally chose Fox's direction. The Bulldogs were now closing in behind them and getting ready for the kill.
Fox looked scared to see Loveday panting behind him "No! Save yourself Loveday. Go find Vixen!" Fox shouted, "They'll kill you if you follow me".
"I can't! They're already on to me" Loveday informed "Keep running!".
The dogs were gaining on them fast. Eventually they raced after Fox and Loveday all the way to a long boundary fence, where railway tracks were nailed safely behind it.
"What do we do Fox! We've got to climb over that fence" Loveday pointed as she ran beside him.
"No Loveday we'll have to jump for it" Fox panted.
"What! are you crazy? I can't jump that high".
"Listen to me Loveday! Your athletic enough…trust me I know you can make it!...you have to do it!".
"Alright I'll try!".
Being light-footed Fox amazingly made a high leap over the fence.
"Hurry Loveday, jump come on!" Fox persuaded impatiently.
"Stand back!" Loveday growled as she telepathically anticipated on the jump. Her feral eyes shone with control as her body suddenly turned lighter than air like she could do anything freely above metaphysical. Her legs ran at over racking speed and flipped effortlessly on her own over the eight-foot-high fence in a lightweight summersault and landing herself gracefully onto the other side without damage.
After picking herself up her glowing eyes died themselves down. Loveday panted painfully as she realised what she'd done unbelievably "Woah! I didn't think I could do that…I always thought it was cats who landed on their feet first".
Fox was speechless himself; this was the first time he ever saw something amazing done like that. No matter how he was really impressed with Loveday.
Suddenly the bulldogs weren't giving up an easy fight and they violently started to scratch and tackle the boundary fence out from underneath the ground to make a hole.
"Loveday the games not over yet" Fox warned "Those dog aren't gonna give up till they've caught us".
"Wait look there!" Loveday pointed up the rails. With a single yellow headlight shining, a train was about to whizz right pass them. The two friends exchanged an anxious look.
"Fox? Please don't tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking".
"Loveday what other choice do we have left? Once we get across those dogs won't have time to catch up to us and then we'll make a run for it".
"If we time it just right we'll make impossible possible" Loveday said.
"Get ready to run. When I shout go, we go no matter what" Fox instructed as they both waited for the right moment.
"I am so not gonna enjoy this" Loveday thought nervously but she wasn't going to give Fox the benefit of doubt.
As their ferocious chasers ganged through the boosted fence and we're about to catch them by tooth and claw. Fox and Loveday kept their calculating eyes on both the dogs and train coming at the same time.
"GO!" Fox barked. In a heartbeat, they both insanely dodged the line before the fast running train roared straight across at them, riding in a thick black cloud of hot steam.
After they'd luckily jumped off the track in time and collapsed, Loveday coughed as she stood up from the impact, wiping away the smog "…we've beat it".
"So we have. Well done Loveday" Fox said thankfully.
"I should be the one thanking you" Loveday replied, "you've really helped me".
"Remember to think twice before you chose which Fox to follow. Let's get away from here and pronto" Fox saw the train had traumatised the dogs from underneath the speeding wheels..
"Race you back there" Loveday playfully made a run for it.
"Hey wait for me!" Fox shouted.
Dawn was now breaking first light as the farthing animals were finishing up their scavenged food. Feeling worried for his friends who should've returned by now, Badger sent the birds out to find them until they made a comeback report.
"Couldn't see them anywhere" Whistler said as he landed back, he regretfully didn't find Loveday or the foxes.
"Disappeared" Owl added as she took to a tree.
Before they knew it, Vixen gradually returned to the orchard alone all of a sudden. Looking very upset and grieved.
"Ah! There you are" Badger smiled until he soon realised "Where's Fox and Loveday?".
"We we're chased by two huge dogs" Vixen began miserably "we split up but they followed them…I hoped they might be here. I'm going back to look for them" Vixen decided.
"In daylight! Oh no my dear…uh its not safe" Badger reasoned.
"But Fox…and Loveday" Vixen emotionally argued.
"They'll find their way back; they always have you know" Badger tried to comfort "And we need you to help us find our way out of the poisoned land".
"The darkest hour is just before the dawn…well it is!" Owl quoted.
Pretty soon it was daybreak and everything itself atmospherically turned brighter.
With self-esteem Vixen guided the animals temporarily onto the next field. Being in charge put her into pressure and she was worried, she wished the bulldogs had chased her instead but above all she took the responsibly accordingly.
"Hehe this is the way alright. My homing instinct is homing in on White Deer Park now mateys" Toad proudly chuckled.
"Come along everyone" Badger called behind "Leave that alone!".
The rabbits had selfishly snuck up to one of the new healthier looking cabbages. "These cabbages smell different" Rabbit marked out.
"Perhaps this field hasn't been poisoned" Mr Rabbit predicted.
"And I'm so hungry" Rabbit again complained.
"Me too. We didn't get much lettuce last night" Mr Rabbit groaned.
"Always complaining" Owl despised in offence "Not a hint of gratitude".
Without noticing, clouded yellow butterflies were fluttering freely about.
"They're so lovely" Squirrel awed as she and her twin sister observed the pretty butterflies and playfully tried to catch them to no success.
"Please Badger I'm sure they aren't poisoned" Rabbit begged.
"But suppose they are…I could die" Mr Rabbit considered.
"Why don't you try it first Badger?" Weasel laughed as she forcefully held a giant cabbage leaf up in front of his glum face.
"Oh what a good idea!" Mr Rabbit beamed "Then I'd know whether it was safe to eat or not".
"And you are leader while Fox is missing" Weasel added wickedly.
Badger violently snatched the leaf away from her and disposed of it "No one is to risk eating anything around here!" Badger strongly demanded.
"They hear you but will anyone obey?" Owl said sceptical.
Vixen had been busy grieving for her lost mate all this time. Selflessly she came over to help settle things "Don't take any notice, come on Badger…better get going".
Secretly Adder had her amber eyes stalking on the butterflies and cunningly ate some with one snap in her jaws "Delicious" she sighs with pleasure.
"Gee Gee!" In the air Kestrel was still looking out for Fox and Loveday unforgettably.
Vixen wanted to hear her report "Kestrel! Any sign of Fox or Loveday?".
"Yes! They're just entering the fields from the copse on the other side. They're alright" Kestrel replied.
"Ah thank goodness" Badger breathed.
"I'll go check up on them" Kestrel flew away to meet them.
Meanwhile back to where Fox and Loveday were walking.
"Gosh what a busy night that was" Loveday declared "all this effort just to feed your entire community. I hope the animals will appreciate our work".
"Tired are you?" Fox asks.
"Only a little bit" Loveday replied with a yawn "I can't wait to get to the park".
"Yeah me too…We can rest if you want to?"
"No I can go on"
"Well if you're sure about it then eh?"
"What's that?"
"I said if you're-"
"No I heard something" Lovedays animal ears tilted in direction to an unexpected noise of the sound of a hot engine running. Ultimately something was happening in the fields.
"Hey I can hear it too" Fox picked it up and flicked an ear up.
Before either of them could search for the sounds source, Kestrel arrived.
"Kestrel we're over here!" Loveday calls waving up to her.
"There you are, we've all been waiting for you, the others are really worried-" Kestrel said back.
"Kestrel what's going on!" Fox interrupted.
"Sorry?" Kestrel asked.
"Not wanting to be rude Kestrel but can you see where that noise is coming from" Loveday asked polity.
Momentarily Kestrel swooped down and instantly saw two vibrant objects with nozzles overlapping the plants below her "There are two tractors approaching Badger and the others in the middle of the field!"
"Tractors?" Loveday repeated.
"They're making rain" Kestrel described.
"Rain?...Poison!" Fox spat.
"Oh no you are so right!" Loveday agreed convincingly as she sniffed "There's that awful smell again, only its worse than before. How bad is it Kestrel!".
Kestrel kept a close watch as she saw two mechanical red and blue farm tractors pulling agricultural sprayer devices row by row "It's spraying everywhere and they're closing in on the others. I must warn them…they must run!".
"No! can't run fast enough some of them" Fox deemed.
"We're out of the frying plan and into the fire" Loveday sighs down fully.
"Sorry what?" Fox asks.
"Things are going from bad to worse" Loveday explained.
"Now you tell me" Fox complained. Just then they heard Whistler coming for landing.
"Hello Whistler" Loveday greets as he joined.
"Hello…um excuse me the funny smell" Whistler said sheepishly. He reeked of the poisons scent.
"Never mind all that" Fox grinned "We're glad to see you".
"Loveday would it be alright if I could sit on your shoulder for a change?" Kestrel asked.
"Please do be my guest" Loveday holds out her arm. The good thing was Kestrel wasn't too big to perch onto her.
"Now then?" Loveday murmurs as they all watched the tractors getting closer to where theirs friends were gathered.
"If any of that rain falls on them-" Fox exclaimed.
Whistler suggested "I could carry one or two to safety".
"Their isn't enough time to even carry a sugarplum" Loveday explained "If you look carefully those tractors are towing in a pattern which takes them back to and fro, we cannot allow them to see us".
"But I know the one place the humans aren't going to go" Fox thought out loud.
"Where?" Kestrel asks on Lovedays shoulder.
"The place where they've poisoned already. Back the way we came" Fox navigated.
"Easier said than done" Loveday quoted "The animals are really going to kick your butt for your decision".
"Why on earth would they?" Fox asked looking clueless.
"Oh…forget it, let's get back to them before the tractor does" Loveday replied. Before she left an idea popped into her head "Kestrel I have a very important favour to ask of you".
"A favour? I'll be glad to do anything" Kestrel obliged as Loveday whispered her secret idea to her.
Crowding on the other side of the field, the animals were starting to panic as they stared in horror to discover that the blue tractor was slowly rolling nearer to their location.
"Is it an earthquake?" Mrs Vole wondered as she felt the ground vibrate from the massive wheels.
Mr Rabbit was about to make a dash for it when his wife grabbed him by the ears "don't panic!" she screamed.
"I want to run" shrieked Weasel as she shivers. Nearly everyone wanted to do the same.
"Oh now were going to get crushed by those human things" Mrs Hedgehog rolled up.
"Don't curl up dear" Hedgehog unfolded her apart and took her into his arms "Remember what almost happened to us on the motorway".
"Keep still please" Vixen coaxed.
Badger crouches himself down to the ground "If we lie low they won't see us".
"Says who?" Owl taunts.
Fox and Loveday were now hurrying their way back to the animals. Narrowly missing the tractors as they passed in front of them. Whistler followed them from up in the air.
"Quickly quickly!" Loveday yells as they saw their friends standing in the tractors upcoming path.
"It's Loveday!" the baby rabbits called happily.
"Hey there they are" Mrs Hare pointed to the running duo.
"Hi guys...sorry were late" Loveday approached them.
"Where have you two been then?" Hedgehog demanded.
"And what time do you call this?" Hare scorned as he crossed his arms.
"Loveday thank goodness your safe' Vixen emotionally went to greet her.
"I'm happy to see you too Vixen" Loveday gives Vixen a close reunion hug then after she released she forcefully spoke "Can't talk now, we need to get away from this field and fast".
"What!" the animals reacted.
"What's happening?" Badger asked.
"Now listen all of you-" Fox started to initiate, well he would've if Vixen hadn't burrowed her face against him into a deep reuniting nuzzle.
"Are you alright?" she says rubbing inseparably on him in relief as Fox returned his affection.
"I'm fine" Fox cockily said, "but we've got to move quickly, those tractors will be back and they're spraying poison". The farthing animals cringed.
"Oh no!" Vixen gasped.
"We'd better run for it" Badger submitted hastily.
"You don't have to tell me twice" Weasel said, she was already leaving.
"Weasel stop!" Loveday made her come back.
"Not that way, back the way we came" Fox directed.
"Are you telling us we've got to go back to that terrible place where we couldn't eat anything?" Hare jerked up furiously.
"That's what I'm telling you" Fox nodded arguably.
"You can tell till your blue in the face but I'm not going" Hare shook his head in solid refusion.
"Nor me" Mr Rabbit refused too.
"We smaller animals are sick and tired of being pushed around by you" Vole disrespected "Especially by humans".
Loveday just couldn't take it from them anymore. Feeling interacted by her fiery telekinesis she narrowed her hot eyes angrily unlike before "Look here! I have heard about enough coming from your dirty mouths, you will do as Fox says or else!".
"Or else what?" Weasel challenged.
"Or else I'll bight your head off!" Fox bared his blade sharp fangs at them, which helped did the trick.
"Right. I was going anyway" Weasel surrendered in a huff.
"Nice one Fox" Adder admired his dark threat "You should do that more often".
"Take no notice from her or them, lets scatter" Loveday calmed Fox.
'You lead them back to the orchard; I'll see to from the backend" Fox commanded.
"Righto" Loveday confidently did this. While she and Vixen ran down the front "Loveday can you tell me where've you been since I lost you both? And where's kestrel gotten to" Vixen asks as she panted up to the apple trees.
"Safety first, I'll tell you as soon as were out of harm's way" Loveday replied.
"Of course" Vixen understood.
"Hurry their coming back!" Fox forcefully ordered.
"Hurry he says. What does he think I'm doing" Mr Shrew complained as he and the small creatures struggled all the way back.
"FASTER!" Fox shouted as he saw the tractor creeping up on them by a few inches. He left as soon as all his companions were out of reach.
Well…all but one. Mr Rabbit was still dawdling behind due to his injured foot. Without seeing he accidently stumbled on a big rock and came tumbling afterwards. Passing out as he came to a complete stop. As he woke up again drowsy. He was met by the dark impacting shadow of a tractor driving by. The next thing he knew was the scattering raindrops of liquid sprinkling all over his grey coat. Soaking his fur right through till he stunk of it.
"AGHHHHHH! I-I-I got sprayed!" he screamed as he ran back to join the others.
Loveday and the group were just entering the orchard when they heard Mr Rabbit clutching his chest in deep shock "I got sprayed!".
"I'm going to die and it's all your fault" he blamed as he drooped against a tree and collapsed to the ground in agony.
"He does look dreadful" Mrs Hare pitied.
"He always looks dreadful, he's a dreadful moaner" Hare mocked.
"Clearly he's always getting himself into trouble anywhere" Hedgehog complained.
"Is he ok?" Loveday sat down next to the rabbits unconscious body.
"Hmm…Let's see shall we?" Badger went up to examine him and took in a few sniffles. Instead of being shocked he actually smirked "Hmm poor old Rabbit" he said sarcastic.
"Why is he looking like that?" Loveday thought as she too smelt the Leporidae. To her own shock he didn't smell of death "Oh I see…?".
"Don't worry I know how we can cure him" Loveday giggled.
"What's so funny about that?" Rabbit cried tearfully for her husband.
"Don't cry" Loveday said softly "I'll soon get him laughing again, you'll see". With a cheeky finger Loveday tickled on Mr Rabbits feet lightly, which seemed to make him flinch up. Then she used both her hands to tickle him roughly on the belly.
"ACHOO!" Mr Rabbit sneezed and sat up while Lovedays hands continued to torture him playfully. He blasted out laughing.
"No-No-No stop it, stop tickling me. No please I can't stand it I-I Hahaha hehe hahaha! Your killing me!" all Mr Rabbit could do was let it all out until Loveday was done. The other animals couldn't help but find this all funny and were too laughing.
"There you are you see, nothing to it" Loveday patted his head.
"I'm all better" Mr Rabbit grinned as he checked himself.
"Come off it, you're alright" Fox teases him "That stuff isn't good news if you happen to be a caterpillar but it isn't so bad for us…eh old girl" Fox looks directly at Owl.
"It was no bigger deal after all and that concludes it" Loveday says to Owl.
"Better safe than sorry" Owl turns her head away embarrassed.
"Likewise" Loveday nodded.
"and now we're stuck in this awful place again with nothing to eat" Mr Rabbit sat down disappointedly.
"Now then that's enough!" Badger comforted "I am sure Fox has thought of something".
"I have…there's another way out. We don't have to go through the field at all" Fox affirmed.
"Are you sure? Where? Where could we go?" the Squirrel twins kept asking.
"You mean we've got to start walking…again!...now!" Hare glared.
"But I only just got here" Adder complained.
"Don't you see that we're all hot and tired as enough" Hedgehog muttered "How do you expect us to get moving? Our paws are killing us".
"Don't give up mateys, White Deer Park is just the other side of that town the one Fox, Vixen and Loveday went foraging in last night" Toad reassured.
"Toads right so that's what we're going to do. Go through the town" Fox stated. The farthing animals were against this idea. In a muddle they muttered arguably all at once.
"We can't go through the town; we'd never make it, it's much too dangerous" Mr Rabbit fearfully objected.
"We'd never make it" Mr Shrew added for the small community.
"I know a way. Me and Loveday found it last night when we we're running away from those dogs" Fox revealed.
"technically you might as well say we found ourselves an easy shortcut" Loveday added.
"And I was worried about you two" Vixen smiled.
"Ah didn't I tell ya they'd be alright" Badger nudged Vixen with amusement.
"We're sorry we worried you. Everything's going to be alright now" Loveday apologised to Vixen.
"Wait a moment, where's kestrel?" Badger asked as he looked around.
"Oh I've been meaning to tell you that I've asked Kestrel to do me favour" Loveday remembered.
"Had you now?" Fox said with curiosity.
"I did, only just to scout somewhere very special ahead" Loveday told.
"Well where did you send Kestrel off to exactly?" Fox wondered.
Then before Loveday could explain, Kestrel came back.
"I don't think you'll have to wait for long" Loveday smiled and held her arm up for Kestrel to land "Kestrel at last, please tell everybody here what you've found".
"I've seen it; I've seen White Deer Park, it's on the other side of the town" Kestrel confessed enthusiastic.
"So that's what you've been up to" Fox chuckled at Loveday "you wanted Kestrel to find out how close we are".
"Just thought I'd help cheer everyone up" Loveday blushed "you know after our recent encounters".
"Are you kidding? that's the best news we've all heard in absolutely ages" Badger acclaimed.
"Wow! Did you hear that? We're almost there" Mrs Hare gleamed "oh thank heaven".
"Pull the other one. That Loveday has certainly done us proud now" Hare's bad mood shifted.
"I can't believe this" Rabbit said pulling her babies into a hug.
"Me either" Mr Rabbit gasped.
"hear hear!" Hedgehog nuzzled noses with his mate.
"HOORAY! HOORAY!" as Loveday had hoped for, the animals soon forgot all about their troubles and were celebrating with restored spirits.
"What did I tell you mateys eh? It's the last stage of our journey…come on" Toad immediately hopped away.
"To the Town everyone!" Badger gladly said as all the rest of the animals got on their feet and made hast toward their last obstacle, the town.
"I think whatever you had planned has worked out graphically" Fox turned to Loveday proud "you won't have to worry much about proving yourself worthy in White Deer Park now".
"Only time will tell…which we are wasting now as a matter of fact" Loveday giggled as she looked daringly at the little town ahead from on the outskirts "brace yourself countryfolk the beasts are coming to town and you can't stop us this time".
Authors Notes:
Hello! it's me again, hope your still enjoying my fanfic?.
Here's a news flash-good news is that my story has had 4,276 views already-the even better news is that we've only got two more chapters to go and i'm really excited to finish off the first series for you all. I can hardly wait, can you?
Working on this project has been an amazing experience for me and you've all helped to make it better by sharing your support and comments throughout it all.
My only hope is that i am not losing my touch and if anybody wants to recommend any good ideas or more of something particular for series 2 then please share them with me on your reviews or messages. i'd really like to hear them.
But anyways, please stay safe and take care of all your loved ones.
See you again soon, bye.