The Fox of Richmond Park Read online

  ‘I mean, if you wanted—’ Laurie began.

  ‘SCRRAAAAACK!’ Rita hopped towards them.

  Thank Mother.

  ‘What are you two chattering about?’ Rita said. ‘Never mind. I spoke to a very nice pigeon who says there’s a little green square over the road. Come on!’ Without waiting for a reply, she hopped a short way and turned back to face them. ‘COME ON!’

  ‘Well, at least she’s feeling better,’ Vince said.

  *

  Jake fidgeted in the dry leaves that lined the sleeping chamber of his den. He’d barely slept, running the conversations with Edward over and over in his head, contemplating what to do next. Conclusions were just out of reach, though, and every option seemed worse than the last.

  Sophie had woken at dusk as usual and gone out to find breakfast. Jake wearily pulled himself to his feet and made his way through the tunnel, towards the dim light. A bit of hunting would take his mind off things. Maybe.

  But hunting would have to wait. Across the cemetery, Sophie ran towards him. ‘Jake!’

  As he ran to meet her, the tear-stained fur around her eyes became apparent. ‘Soph! What’s wrong?’

  Her voice was hoarse from exertion, but between gulps of air she managed to get the words out. ‘Alice is gone.’

  The words passed through him, sinking into his belly like a rock. ‘What do you mean, “gone”?’

  ‘Her den is smashed in. I’ve looked everywhere. There’s some blood… Not much, but…’ she sobbed.

  ‘I… I don’t understand…’ Jake knew exactly what had happened, but the lies flowed from his mouth. Alice’s death was his doing. The truth would destroy Sophie as well as him.

  ‘It must have been because of the stuff with the cat… Edward must have found out somehow,’ Sophie said.

  ‘Sophie, you don’t know that. It could have been an animal from outside… Another fox or a human’s dog…’ Jake said.

  ‘Another fox? Are you serious? Her den is ruined. There are hoof marks in the dirt. It was the deer, Jake.’

  ‘Okay, okay… Just… Calm down. Let me talk to Edward.’

  ‘Don’t tell me to calm down. My friend is dead,’ Sophie snarled. ‘If anyone’s going to talk to Edward it’s going to be me.’

  ‘No!’ The word slipped out before he could think. ‘I… I just don’t want you getting hurt. If it was Edward, he might think you’re involved too. Please, Sophie. Let me talk to him. You’re too upset right now. If you march over there and start accusing him, who knows what he’ll do.’

  Sophie narrowed her eyes at him and let out a long breath through her nostrils. ‘Fine.’

  ‘Thank you. I’ll go first thing in the morning.’

  ‘No, you’ll go now,’ Sophie snapped.

  ‘He’ll be asleep, Soph. It’ll be better to wait until morning so he’s in a better mood. You know what he’s like.’

  ‘Well, you do, apparently.’ Sophie blinked back fresh tears. ‘I’m going to find some food. Don’t follow me.’ She turned and padded away, quickly upping her pace to a sprint. Without a backward glance she disappeared into the gravestones.

  Jake sank to the ground. Everything was spiralling out of control. Alice’s blood was on his paws for the rest of his life and the lies would only continue. If he came clean now, Sophie would never speak to him again, and who knew what Edward might do. He could live with her hating him, though, if she was safe. But the only way to keep her safe now was to do what Edward wanted, and pray to Mother Nature that she didn’t break any rules.

  *

  The square was set neatly into the surrounding buildings, a tiny haven circled by a ring of trees among the towering offices and busy roads. It was empty of humans, despite the many benches that offered them rest from their bipedal existences. As always, black railings ran around its periphery, a locked gate on each side. Night-time had transformed it into the animals’ domain.

  Rita raced ahead, flapping into a tree, while Vince and Laurie approached tentatively. There was no way they were risking another attack, especially with Vince still recovering. Muttering and squeaks of laughter emanated from within the small square’s boundary. Vince relaxed slightly. Whoever was in there, they weren’t foxes.

  ‘Hello?’ Rita squawked.

  The laugher stopped and a small sing-song voice followed the silence. ‘Hellooo?’

  ‘Are you friendly?’

  ‘Subtle, Rita,’ Vince whispered.

  ‘Friendly? Ha! That depends!’ another voice said.

  ‘On what?’ Rita said.

  ‘Whether you are,’ the voice said.

  ‘We are definitely friendly,’ Rita said.

  ‘Then so are we, darling. Come on in!’

  Vince whispered to Laurie, ‘What if it’s a trap?’

  ‘Nah. They sound rodenty. What are they going to do? Nibble us to death? Come on.’ Laurie headed for the railings.

  ‘Maybe. If there’s a hundred of them…’ Vince mumbled under his breath, then followed obediently.

  Laurie squeezed through the bars, made her way past the trees and up a small flight of steps. She sniffed her way over to the animals as Rita sailed down to join her. Vince wasn’t far behind and, although cautious of the strangers, was keen to appear in control of the situation. He arrived and sat down next to his friends as he took in the animals and his new surroundings.

  He was surprised to find that, at the centre, hidden slightly by a low wall and the benches, the square was not grassy but paved. Large sections were filled with dirt and flowers, with strange stone carvings of half-finished human bodies dotted between. Vince could imagine the humans enjoying it, but he wasn’t sure if he was.

  Three brown rats were sitting on one of the benches, an array of leftover food strewn across the wooden slats and the floor beneath. Prey animals, usually, but this was their patch, and Vince was more interested in getting directions than a meal.

  Vince lifted his chin and did his best to sound authoritative. ‘Hello there. I’m Vince, and this is Rita and Laurie.’

  As soon as the first rat spoke, though, he realised he could drop the pretence. ‘Ooh, two foxes and a magpie! That’s, like, totally new! I’m George, but you can call me G. This is Jonny and Ra-Ra.’

  Ra-Ra? We’re definitely a long way from Richmond Park now…

  ‘Nice to meet you. Do you live around here?’ Vince asked.

  ‘Yeah, Soho’s where we usually hang out. It’s got the best snacks, y’know?’ G gestured to the piles of crumbs around them.

  ‘Yeah, like, we had the best burrito yesterday. What was it, Jonny? Pulled pork? That’s right. Oh, the guacamole was a-maz-ing,’ Ra-Ra said, her whiskers dancing as she spoke.

  ‘I literally died, it was so good,’ Jonny added, waving his tiny paws dramatically.

  ‘You look remarkably healthy, considering…’ Laurie said, and was met with blank stares. ‘So… anyway, we’re just passing through and wondered if you could give us directions? We’re looking for a park.’

  ‘A park, eh? Interesting. Never seen the appeal myself,’ Jonny said. ‘Not a whole lot going on, y’know? The last park I visited – just seeing a friend, of course – didn’t even have a Pret.’ He paused for a reaction.

  Silence.

  ‘A Pret,’ he repeated.

  ‘What’s a Pret?’ Rita asked.

  The rats glanced at each other, mouths open.

  ‘A place where humans get food,’ Laurie said. ‘There’s one near the street where I live.’

  ‘Oh, so you’re a foodie yourself?’ Ra-Ra said.

  ‘I, er, eat food, yes,’ Laurie said, confused.

  ‘Ha! Well, sweetie, we all eat food, but do you love food?’

  ‘I… I suppose I like food a… normal amount?’ Laurie’s words came out as a question, despite them not forming one.

  ‘I see. Well, we are a bit more into food, you see. Yes, darlings! Food should be a joy, a delight, an experience,’ Jonny said.

  ‘I really
like caterpillars,’ Rita said, almost thinking out loud. ‘I guess picking them off the bushes is kind of a joy.’

  The rats’ faces contorted in unison. ‘Caterpillars?’ G said. ‘We’re talking about gourmet food. Flavours and textures to tantalise your taste buds, smells to rouse the nostrils, colours your eyes can feast on; a riot of pleasure for all the senses!’

  ‘I mean, have you really never tasted balsamic caramelised onion hummus with sourdough pitta bread?’ Ra-Ra said. ‘Divine.’

  ‘I have no idea what any of those words mean,’ Vince said.

  ‘I usually just stick to chicken,’ Laurie said.

  ‘Ugh, not that awful fried stuff, I hope. So bad for you, sweetie. Do you have a sweet tooth? What about coconut, stem ginger and dark chocolate macaroons? Melt-in-the-mouth.’

  ‘Gluten free, too,’ Jonny chimed in.

  ‘But… this is all leftovers, right? You get it all from bins?’ Laurie said.

  ‘Of course. We’re rats,’ G said.

  Laurie shot the others a smirk.

  ‘Judge all you like, sweetheart, we gotta get our kicks from somewhere.’ Ra-Ra stuck her nose in the air. ‘Old human food is the only thing we know is safe, so we might as well enjoy it. Every few steps there’s poison or bait for a trap.’

  Vince nodded. ‘I was caught in one. I’d be dead if Laurie hadn’t helped me.’

  ‘Yeah, well, when rats go in, they don’t come out,’ G said. ‘And that ain’t even half of it. You think the humans hate you? Just yesterday we heard news of a friend… Eleven babies too… I mean, she shouldn’t have made her nest in the pocket of an apron, but still… Oh, it’s too dreadful to even think about.’ G covered his eyes with his tiny paws.

  Ra-Ra shuffled over and gave G a friendly pat on the shoulder.

  ‘That’s terrible, we’re sorry,’ Rita said. ‘Couldn’t you move, though? Away from the humans?’

  G dropped his paws from his face and snorted. ‘And give up this food? No way, blue jay.’

  ‘Very well,’ Vince said. ‘Listen, we should get going. Can you give us directions to a park?’

  ‘Sure thing, darling,’ Jonny said. ‘Nearest park is Hyde Park, thataway.’ The rat pointed left, the way they’d come. ‘Or north is Regent’s Park. Just follow Regent Street all the way up. Clue’s in the name.’

  Vince’s eyes followed Jonny’s pink paw through the trees and could just about make out the gap between the tall buildings. He and Rita exchanged a smile.

  G, seeing their faces light up, asked, ‘The one you’re looking for?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Vince said, before adding, ‘Hopefully.’

  ‘Wonderful! Glad we could help. Would you like to stick around? We were just about to have dessert… Pistachio and raspberry sponge cake. Although I’m not sure how much there will be to go around…’ Ra-Ra said.

  Vince politely declined, admitting that it would be wasted on them, and they said their goodbyes. The three rats waved as the group departed the square.

  ‘They were…’ Vince began.

  ‘… Interesting,’ Laurie finished.

  ‘Rats of Soho, so into their food, hummus and cake, it tastes so good!’ Rita sang.

  ‘Food and good don’t rhyme,’ Vince said.

  ‘Yes they do! Foo-ood, goo-ood.’

  ‘Well, when you say them like that, then yeah,’ Vince said.

  ‘They totally rhyme, Rita. Don’t listen to him.’ Laurie gave her a friendly nudge with her paw.

  ‘Thank you, Laurie. You know, I was worried about you coming along with us, but I think we’ll get along just fine,’ Rita said.

  ‘I think so too.’ Laurie flashed a grin at Vince. ‘Hear that? She likes me better than you. Jealous?’ Laurie stuck out her tongue.

  ‘No,’ Vince mumbled as the three of them emerged onto a bisecting street. Humans strode and staggered along the pavements, some slumped against the shop fronts. Yelling and singing rang through the stale evening air. He realised then, despite its size, just how much of a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle the square was. But it was not his park, so leaving it behind was the easiest decision he’d made so far.

  *

  Rita hopped ahead of Vince and Laurie, investigating every nook and cranny with her inquisitive beak. They turned up another narrow street, which was quieter, but not by much. Heading north, they walked quickly but clung to the edge, their bodies almost pressed up against the walls. They proceeded largely undisturbed, though, as the humans went about their evening revelry. Four legs being faster than two, they found that by the time the humans had spotted them and attempted to take a picture or – optimistically – bent down to pat them on the head, they were already long gone. Socks was right, it seemed; humans did like foxes. Most of them, anyway.

  Up ahead, something caught Vince’s eye. A sign hung above a doorway, black with white writing that he couldn’t understand, but it was the picture that made him hurry towards it. Another cat – blood red this time – with long fur around its neck.

  What are these things?

  Laurie crept up beside him. ‘What are you looking at?’

  ‘Do you know what these weird cats mean?’ Vince said, raising a paw towards the sign.

  Laurie shrugged. ‘They all have different ones, these types of buildings. Cats, horses, human heads with gold hats on… It’s where the humans go to drink together. Like how animals go to a pond, I guess.’

  Vince shook his head carefully, so as not to worsen his wound. ‘I don’t know… There was a big cat on the gate at Hyde Park, now this one. They both have that fur on the neck. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?’

  ‘Maybe not, but they’re hardly going to be helpful to us, are they? Come on, let’s get a move on. We’ve got a park to find.’ She smiled at him, then added, ‘And the sooner we find it, the sooner I can go home.’

  Vince nodded and pushed his thoughts about the strange cats aside. She was probably right about them not being helpful.

  They made it to the end of the street then turned left, as the rats had instructed. Regent Street was much wider. Cars and tall, red buses tore down the centre, like a pulsing vein in the city’s chest.

  Rita had grown tired from her constant hopping, so she scrambled onto Laurie’s back to rest her legs. Vince wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t simply enjoying having someone new to chatter to, but couldn’t really blame her. He probably hadn’t been the fun travelling companion she had been expecting.

  From the vixen’s back, Rita stared open-mouthed as they walked. On either side of the road, shop windows stretching almost to the sky reflected the fiery lights of the cars back onto them. Fake, faceless humans stood motionless behind the glass, their purpose unfathomable to the animals. Strung high across the road, colossal rectangular sheets, emblazoned with bright colours and human words, fluttered in the breeze from the traffic below.

  Through the humming parade of cars, Rita pointed at a resplendent building, four enormous arched windows ran from edge to edge and glowed from inside with pristine orange light, like the dawn sun. Burning bright white within each arch was a simple depiction of a piece of fruit. Rita asked Laurie what it was all about, but she shook her head, replying that she had no idea, and that humans were just really, really weird.

  It wasn’t a long walk, and eventually they reached a huge crossroads, where traffic came to a standstill to let the humans pass. The intersecting road was equally fear-inducing in its size, humans crawling its length like ants in both directions. Vince shook it off. A busy street was nothing but a mild irritation after all he’d been through. Plus, there was not a train in sight.

  The humans were clearly fascinated, though, as they waited among them on the pavement, too close for comfort. One particularly loud man reached out a smooth hand towards Laurie, who reacted with a swift, warning snap of her teeth, followed by a growl so menacing, even Vince recoiled a little. The man snatched back his hand and yelled, his friends laughing and dragging him away.

/>   The lights above changed from green to red and the crowd jostled forward, but Vince and Laurie, with Rita in tow, darted in front and began to run, eager to leave the mass of humans behind. Halfway across, another swarm of humans marched towards them, heading for the opposite pavement. Vince and Laurie circled them, ignoring the turned heads and garbled shouts from their furless faces.

  The foxes reached the other side and continued their dash towards quieter territory. Regent Street seemed never-ending, but at least this side of the crossroads was less popular. Onwards they walked, the humans petering out until the pavements were empty, with much of the noisy hum of the city behind them, and the odd car trundling along the road to their left.

  Rita took the opportunity to fill the relative silence with her own voice. ‘This is so great. So great. Isn’t it, Vince? You, me and Laurie. The Famous Travelling Trio! Animals will tell stories about us one day, I bet. Maybe even humans!’

  ‘We’re hardly famous, Rita,’ Vince said.

  ‘Oh, I don’t know…’ Laurie said. ‘Everyone in the wetlands seems to know you.’ Vince turned to her, about to speak, but she beat him to it. ‘Listen, Vince, I know what they did to you… I’m sorry for—’

  ‘It’s okay. I heard some of what you said when I was unconscious. You know I don’t blame you or Socks for any of this, right? You weren’t to know who Kara was. And I don’t think you’re awful. At least, no more awful than me.’

  ‘She’s definitely not more awful than you,’ Rita chirped from Laurie’s back.

  They all laughed. ‘Anyway,’ Vince said, ‘let’s forget about all that. Let’s just concentrate on getting to Regent’s Park.’

  Laurie smiled, eyes twinkling under the street lights.

  ‘Will you really not stay there with us, Laurie?’ Rita asked sadly.

  ‘I can’t leave Socks,’ Laurie replied.

  ‘You two must be very close,’ Vince said.

  ‘We are. I owe him everything.’

  ‘Would you stay with us otherwise?’ Rita said.

  ‘Rita!’ Vince shot her a look.

  ‘What? It’s hypothetical.’