Fox's Feud by Colin Dann

territory.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Fox. ‘He’d hate to be counted reliable, but that’s exactly what he is.’
    From there it was not long before the two animals reached their homes. Badger went to his set, leaving Fox to be re-united with his family. A very humble Bold was the first to welcome him. Fox’s only remark to him was: ‘A little too much too soon, young fellow.’

The following day the animals’ attention was completely occupied by the weather. An immensely strong wind had got up and was bellowing through the Park, snapping saplings and bending grass into great rolling waves of threshing green. Even great trees were shaken where they stood; the newly leafed branches tossed and cracked in anguish, unloosing a furious shower of twigs on to the ground.
    The smaller creatures cowered in their homes, shivering as they listened to the howls and screeches of the rushing air. Birds flew wildly from tree to swaying tree, unable to find a secure foothold. Only Kestrel stayed aloft, buffeted all round the sky like a ball of paper, and revelling in the wildness.
    Unable to rest, Fox emerged from his den to investigate, leaving Vixen in charge. Every tuft of his fur was instantly assailed by the wind and blown all over the place. He narrowed his eyes against its fury and set off at a trot in no specific direction. In the woods he saw the trees heaving at their roots, like boats straining at anchor in a storm-tossed harbour. A creaking and moaning were audible everywhere. One small hawthorn tree cracked in two and crashed to earth, sending a frightened rabbit skipping away through the undergrowth. Rooks where wheeling over the tree-tops, raucously bemoaning their wrecked nests.
    Fox saw a brownish shape spread wings and flit from one tree to another in a restless, disconcerted manner. He recognized Tawny Owl. He ran after him silently, knowing that if he called his words would be dashed to pieces by the strength of the wind. He caught up with Tawny Owl who looked down at him with an expression of alarm. ‘This is terrible,’ the bird cried. ‘There’s just no shelter anywhere.’
    ‘You’d be better off on the ground,’ Fox shouted back. ‘It’s firmer footing than any tree.’
    Tawny Owl took his advice and then stood in a hunched attitude, looking slightly ridiculous with his feathers blown all awry. ‘I hate this weather,’ he complained. ‘It’s most undignified.’
    ‘No good worrying about appearances,’ Fox told him. ‘You can’t escape Nature.’
    Tawny Owl snorted. He was not prepared to be consoled. They walked to a clearing in the trees and Owl pointed upwards with a jerk of his head.
    ‘Look at that idiot Kestrel,’ he grumbled. ‘He’s been up there all day.’
    ‘He seems to be enjoying himself,’ Fox commented.
    ‘Precious little enjoyment in being blown to bits, Ishould have thought,’ replied Tawny Owl. ‘Trust him to make a spectacle of himself.’
    Fox chuckled at his friend’s bad temper. ‘Never mind,’ he said. ‘The wind’s bound to blow itself out eventually.’
    Just then an animal raced past them, out of the wood into the clearing, and dashed about in every conceivable direction in a completely aimless way. Fox and Tawny Owl looked at each other. ‘Hare!’ they both exclaimed together and laughed.
    ‘He goes quite mad in this sort of weather,’ said Tawny Owl. ‘It’s the same for all his kind.’
    They watched Hare racing and leaping about, as if exhilarated by the day. Sometimes he would stop briefly and rear up on his hind legs, but a second later he would dash off again. Once he stood up and seemed to look right at them, but if he did he paid them no more attention than if they had been a couple of the dead leaves that were chasing each other over the ground.
    ‘He wouldn’t have noticed us if we had been directly in front of him,’ Tawny Owl remarked. ‘Every thought goes out of his head on such occasions.’
    As Hare raced off again they were startled