Disclaimer: "The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales…" (Le Grand Méchant Renard et autres contes…) created by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert.
It was almost the end of autumn. The leaves on the trees had fallen, the wind was getting colder every day, and the sun had completely stopped warming. At this time of the year, everyone was trying to find something to fill their stocks and stomachs with. Because soon they would have nothing to look for.
In the autumn, herbivores could still find food, but it was more difficult for predators. Especially when there are people living nearby who have plenty of everything. And no one wants to share either food or land. That's why people build fences.
But, as expected, nature will always find a loophole in any fence. And now, under the cover of night, an unknown beast was stalking the barnyard. Past the doghouse, further from the small house where someone was snoring, and closer to his goal - to the chicken coop. He carefully crossed the threshold, getting closer and closer to the defenseless nest. In the moonlight, the beast loomed over his prey. Ready to eat, he bared his fangs and reached for the blanket. Suddenly, everything turned dark. And then the silence was broken by a loud bang. Pig was the first to come running to the noise.
"What is it? What happened?!" Pig asked in a panic, to which something heavy and fluffy crashed into him in response.
Pig shook his head and looked at what had crashed into him. It turned out to be a fox, which now looked like a handkerchief found in the pocket of last year's jacket. Fox has been a frequent guest at the farm, but since he accidentally became attached to the chickens, he has also become a welcome guest. Although, at first glance, you wouldn't say that.
A large chicken came up to them. She loomed over them with a pleased expression on her face.
"Do you like our new anti-fox device?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Very interesting, but I think the part with the anvil can be removed," replied the crumpled Fox.
Trying to stay on his feet after a hard landing, Fox helped Pig stand up. Only then did Chicken notice him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you're not hurt," said Chicken, brushing the dust off Pig.
"Uh, I'm fine," glancing at Fox, who clearly got more, Pig asked. "Do you have to do all this at night?"
"Well, you see, this is a test not only of our traps, but also of our guard patrol." Chicken's tone became irritated at the utterance of the last words, and her gaze went to the doghouse with the dog sleeping in it. "And now I'm sorry, but I need to deal with one plodder."
Pig and Fox could only watch Chicken leave and silently pity the soundly sleeping dog. When Fox was going to leave, Pig stopped him and asked about all the trials.
"Well, there's certainly nothing pleasant about it," Fox pointed out and then smiled, "but if it would keep the chicks safe, then I'm only happy to help."
Pig just smiled wearily at this and wished the guest a good night. On the way to the fence, Fox crossed paths with a barely walking Drake and Rabbit, who didn't even notice him when they were asleep. These two muttered that help was on the way and headed for Pig.
Walking down the hill under the cover of night and under the clucking of an angry chicken, Fox thought about how soon he would meet the children and have fun playing with them again. With these thoughts, he went to sleep, curled up in his burrow. And despite the impending cold, he felt warm at heart.
{~~~}
The cold chilled him to the bone.
Even if the frosts haven't come yet, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't be afraid to freeze. The strong wind will make your whole body shake convulsively when you are dripping wet. At such moments, if, by a lucky chance, you don't have a heater or a thermos of hot tea at hand, you can only go further.
The dangerous beast was trying to find a way to his lair through the dark forest. This path would be easier if he knew how to do it. It wasn't that he had forgotten the area. No, he had a good memory. The main problem was new human roads and houses growing nearby. It cuts off old trails, forcing him to make hooks. He even had to swim across the river to avoid meeting people.
Finally, after wandering for a long time, he managed to smell a familiar scent, and he followed the trail. Coming out of the woods to a pasture with a barely noticeable semblance of a fence, he headed for a ruined barn. This plot of land had been abandoned for many years, so he could rest there for a while. After going inside, the tired beast lay down in a dry corner of the old barn. Taking a heavy sigh of fatigue, the beast began to fall asleep.
"I was starting to think that we wouldn't be lucky enough to meet again, monsieur Wolf," came an unexpected voice from above.
Yellow eyes flashed in a dark corner and rose to the source of the sound. A smug Crow sat on a curved beam next to a hole in the roof.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your resting, but I just couldn't help but say hello to a good old friend," the bird said insidiously.
"What do you want?" said Wolf, completely out of tune.
"Don't be so sullen. After all, we have a lot to talk about to catch up," Crow smiled slyly, "for example, about your incident with a little foxy."
At the mere mention of this miserable traitor, Wolf gnashed his teeth. Noticing his reaction, Crow perked up even more.
"Ha! So it's true? Some weak fox set a flock of chickens on you," Crow shouted cheerfully and started laughing.
"You seem very amused by this. Let's see if you'll die laughing by keeping this up," said Wolf, causing Crow to quiet down.
He might not be able to get to her, but he can still strike fear into anyone. Even if it's not as great as it used to be.
"Do not waste my time if you don't have anything useful." After these words, the beast laid back down.
Sheesh, it looks like this fox is really freaking him out. Crow thought, and then came closer to him.
"Actually, I have some pretty important news for you, monsieur Wolf," the bird assured. "In rural areas in the northeast, a hunter was often seen wandering through the forest."
"People always walk near villages with guns. This isn't news to me," Wolf replied indifferently.
"Well, of course, monsieur, but the fact is that this man seems to be looking for some specific animal," Crow hinted. "He hasn't yet touched any animal that he has encountered on the way. That's why I thought you should be warned."
"That's very kind of you," Wolf falsely thanked, "now leave."
"Well, forewarned is forearmed. Have a good night," said Crow, and then she flew out of the barn.
Finally, when the annoying bird flew away, the barn was plunged into silence.
Wolf closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep again. However, his thoughts didn't allow him to do so.
Now he was thinking about what Crow had told him. There wasn't much good food for him in the forest, and now there's a human wandering through the forest who is probably hunting him. And the fact that other forest animals knew about his shame didn't make the situation any better. Wolf hoped that everything would settle down if he just stayed away from the farm. Still, it was rather naive of him to believe that the rumors wouldn't spread further. Any information about Wolf quickly spread among the animals, as he was the largest predator in the forest.
Wolf didn't know what to do. He was tired, cold, and hungry. He could no longer cope alone, but he also had no one to rely on.
Things were bad, and unfortunately, his gut told him that it wouldn't get any better.
A/N: Thanks for reading. This is my first fanfic, so I'm still learning. If you notice any mistakes in the text, feel free to let me know about it (in fact, I'd even appreciate it).