Robin went ahead of the rest of his family, because he wanted to give him a surprise. Marian instructed the kits to be as stealthy and silent as they were having to be while sneaking on the prey: their only mean of subsistence in the deep forest could be some good, old-school hunting, on the example of their feral, quadrupedal relatives – Which basically are to upright, civilized foxes what chimps are to humans.
And the lesson landed: they were moving so swiftly, and yet so silently, their father sometimes thought again to have just dreamt of them and Marian: but between a well-filled belly, a sign he yet have eventually had a decent breakfast, and the fact he could see all of them every time he turned around to give a quick check on his family, he was reassured everything was true. Then the rest of the family stopped just right before the passage giving to the camp, and hid in the bushes, while Robin went ahead.
"Oh-de-lally, Johnny!", he uttered.
Little John, was cooking in that same old cauldron they used in the good, old times, and was shocked to hear again the old, pre-marriage Robin from those glory days.
"Rob! What happened to you this night? You got replaced by a lookalike which learnt how to act like you did in your best days? Or you died and now your ghost is here to give me a farewell? Have a happy reunion with your Mari, at least…"
"Oh, Johnny, I'm not a ghost, I'm your dear friend Robin, despite still having some… Ouch! Problems with all what he had to endure at the hands of a certain… Guy", said while clasping his lower back. "But about the reunion, I don't need to die before it can happen."
He finger-whistled once, but none came out the bushes. His blood freeze: was it actually just a dream, and now he truly was awake?
He tried whistling again , and still none came out. He was trembling, and Little John then said: "Loverboy had another of his dreams? Stop thinking to her, you are becoming ill. Now just have some porridge, Mother Bunny brought it here just at dawn… And accept her marriage proposal, it'd cost you nothing".
Robin mustered all his few, remaining forces, whistled twice in succession… and the camp was overran by his family. "Father, why did you missed the mark so spectacularly?" asked Lionel, the first which came to the world of the litter. "The signal we agreed upon was a double whistle, not a single one!". Marian stepped in: "What have we said?" "That since now, maximum precision is needed", answered a very ashamed Robin. "C'est bien, nous férons désormais quelle que nous avons convenu. Au lettre… Ehr… That's ok, since now we'll only do what have been agreed upon. And literally. Sorry, I switch to my native language every time I get too nervous."
Little John was so shocked, he cannot even swallow his meal: not only Marian was alive and well, but she has emerged from the depths of the forest with a whole litter.
"What's this sorcery?! Rob, were you so desperate you sold your soul to a witch or a wizard just to have your vixen back?!"
"Nah, Johnny, it just was a plan by her… Luckly, she stayed wild and witty even while I was descending into laziness and wussiness!" said, while patting Marian on a shoulder. "Ouch! Again, I used the arm I broke in the confrontation and now it's pain… But a very tolerable one, after what I had to endure these years". Little John was laughing under his breath: "Now the roles between the two of you seem to have completely reversed…"
"Johnny, don't be too harsh on Robin – He has suffered so much all through this period, just give him a break."
"Thank you, Mari, it's so wonderful not even all of these hardships have broken your spirit… Anyway, as much as relieved I am to have my family back, we agree we are all but out of dangers: we need a plan to stop Prince John and Guy once and for all, and right now I can't think something which can be done without collateral damages or putting into danger my family… I should take some time, but every grain falling from the sand timer risks being decisive…"
"Why should you stop them? Ever since they give both of you for dead, none have been harmed… They indeed have even eased their hand. Just remain sheltered here, raise your kits, and settle for what you have."
Twelve vulpine eyes were staring him with a chilling gaze: "We don't do that, Johnny" said Robin. "Friar Tuck knows better than us, having to visit the Castle of Nottingham once a week to officiate Mass for the Sheriff and his henchmen, and had told me not to trust any of that gang."
"Mmmph… You calling other peoples' company 'gang'?", ironically asked Little John.
"I'd take full responsibility for what I did in the past, even including having aggravated them with my… performances. But before we get to the city, we must visit Friar Tuck's church and gather information."
"Wow! At last, we'll get to know him in person!", uttered Eleanor, "we always secretly listened to his Masses here on the camp, hidden in those same bushes, and it's now time for us to meet him!"
Robin turned up to his daughter: "What?! You always came here for his Masses?! Everyone assumed it just was some wild animal moving through the vegetation, who can even had suspected I had an offspring, and those rustles actually were them?"
"They are used to live in the forest more than we actually are, Robin… We have learnt its way, but they practically have born in it and it's basically their native language… Don't wonder if they actually have been so stealthy, even you barely noticed them" explained Marian.
"Well, that's good. I have an offspring which might do better than me, and I'm fine with it. Now come on: destination Nottingham, intermediate stop at the church. But please, before let's have a bath at the waterfall, we need it."