The Fox of Richmond Park Page 18

  Laurie laughed. ‘I don’t know. Hypotheticals are pointless. Anyway, if you’re so keen to hang out with me, why don’t you come and live in Hammersmith?’

  Rita looked at Vince. Vince turned back to the path ahead. ‘Hypothetically, if we don’t find my grandparents’ park, then there’s a possibility that I’ll consider it.’

  ‘Really?’ Laurie stopped walking.

  Vince stopped too, then turned to face her. ‘It’s a last resort, obviously, but…’

  ‘Right. Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, then. But, just so you know, if you’re forced to live on the streets, I’d be happy to teach you the basics. How to stay safe and stuff, y’know?’ Laurie said.

  The more she talked about it, the more he came around to the idea. Laurie’s company might make up for the shortage of frogs. It would be nice to hunt with another fox again. After Sophie left him, the pack in Richmond Park ignored him most of the time. Sophie was always the more popular one, and Vince’s spats with Edward didn’t help.

  ‘But let’s find your park first, eh?’ Laurie added with a smile.

  *

  Kara’s stomach grumbled as she scanned the grass below her tree hollow. The sun had set and several rabbits grazed in the distance but, closer, a small brown nose emerged from the warren entrance. It sniffed the air, then two tawny ears popped out, tall and alert.

  ‘Perfect,’ Kara said to herself.

  The rabbit lolloped out onto the grass. Kara waited. Too close to the warren and it would dive straight back in. It lowered its head to nibble on the blades, ears turned outwards.

  ‘Come on, come on,’ Kara whispered.

  Others had come above ground now, but they were scattered widely across the warren’s multiple openings. The youngster was alone. It inched across the grass, cautious hops punctuated by brief upright surveillances. Eventually, it settled into feeding, ears laid flat against its soft, round body. Young, exposed and inexperienced; an easy catch.

  Kara jumped, soaring silently towards the rabbit. She approached it from behind, where she would be spotted too late – if at all – for the rabbit to get away.

  Stretching her legs and spreading her talons, she dived. She grasped the rabbit’s back and it squealed in terror, thrashing with its small but powerful back legs. The other rabbits stood up, ears and noses alert. One thumped the ground with its hind leg and yelled, ‘Danger!’

  Flapping hard, Kara lifted the baby off the ground. Its squeaks echoed across the park and the rabbits on the ground fled, their white tails flashing like lightning as they vanished into the warren.

  The rabbit kicked and struggled, but Kara’s grip was deadly. She squeezed her prey, puncturing its neck with her claws, and the rabbit screamed out one last time before falling limp. She sailed back to her hollow and with one foot holding the rabbit steady, tore off a chunk with her beak. She closed her eyes as she gulped it down, savouring the taste of the rich meat.

  Finding Vince had been gruelling, and had almost killed her, but she’d already forgotten the whole thing. The rabbits alone were worth the effort, but, forbidden from hunting them for countless seasons, the other owls would be sick with jealously if they found out she was entitled to one every moon. And even though she had to keep it to herself, knowing it made the prize even sweeter.

  11

  Rita hopped back from the junction she’d been exploring. ‘It’s up ahead! Come on, you two! Nearly there!’

  They crossed the final road. Despite the pain, Vince raced ahead, twitching with nervous excitement. This could be the place he was looking for. A dense hedge bordered Regent’s Park, which served its purpose keeping humans out when the gates were closed, but did little to stop the three animals.

  Inside, the park looked no different from any of the others. The grass was short, trees were sparse and trimmed to form bubbles of leaves on top of largely branchless trunks, and the smooth grey paths led in obvious directions; left, right and straight on. Nature, as curated by humans.

  Once he’d taken in the slightly disappointing surroundings, Vince lowered his snout and sniffed the soft grass. A multitude of scents – both familiar and new – filled his nostrils. His heart sank further when the sickly aroma of rotten human food made its way from the nearby bins to his nose, but he kept going, hoping that this entrance area would lead him into the wide-open spaces, trees and fresh frogs that he was desperate for.

  Laurie padded across the neatly mown grass to the nearest bin. She rocked back on her haunches and pawed at the debris inside, pulling out a triangular container made of cardboard and plastic. She nosed at the bready remnants inside. ‘Hey, I think those rats would be pretty pleased with this, what d’you reckon?’

  Vince ignored her and looked back and forth down each path. ‘Do you think there’s any water here? A lake or something?’

  Laurie shrugged. ‘Can’t smell anything. Let’s keep walking.’ She picked up the morsel of sandwich and chewed it down before heading off.

  They took the middle path and headed deeper into the park. The grass opened out to their left, but on their right, another long, thick hedge divided it from whatever lay beyond. In the corner by the hedge, a neat collection of trees formed a cosy-looking hideaway.

  ‘Well, this is pretty nice,’ Rita said as she investigated the hedge, picking off several bugs with lightning speed.

  Vince looked around, concern spreading across his face.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Laurie asked.

  ‘Nothing. It’s just… not what I expected.’ He sat down, deflated.

  ‘It’s not your grandparents’ park?’

  ‘I don’t think so. It could be, but… I don’t know. It’s not how my parents described it. It feels wrong. Too… organised. Too human.’

  ‘But how do you know if you’ve never been there? And, like I said before, maybe it’s changed… it’s been so many seasons since they were here.’

  ‘I know, you’re right. And we’ve only seen this small part. Maybe it gets better?’

  ‘Maybe. Come on, let’s have a proper look.’ Laurie started to pad away, then looked back over her shoulder, her green eyes glittering. ‘Race you to those trees.’

  Before Vince could reply, she was sprinting away, tail waving behind her.

  ‘Hey! Get back here, you!’ Vince gave chase, but his body protested and forced him to shamble along at about half his usual speed.

  Laurie’s chuckle carried on the air as she dashed along the path, then ducked behind the first tree she reached.

  ‘I may be slow, but you can’t hide from me! I’ll sniff you out!’ Vince yelled.

  Laurie’s tail waggled from behind the thin trunk, beckoning him over. He caught up and crept towards her, low to the ground, but once he was just a whisker away, she darted to the next tree.

  ‘What are you waiting for? I’m over here!’ she shouted from the shadows.

  Vince smirked, his heart pounding. His injuries were screaming at him, but he was having far too much fun. ‘First fox to get pounced on is a poodle!’ he replied, inching forward, backside in the air.

  ‘Then start curling your fur, Vince, because— AAARGH!’

  ‘Laurie!’ He ran towards her scream. Another trap? Had something attacked her?

  No, no, no…

  Vince arrived at her side. ‘Mother Nature!’ Laurie said through clenched teeth. ‘Auuugh.’ She was slouched on her flank, head curled around, licking her back paw furiously. ‘What is it? Are you okay?’

  ‘I trod on something,’ she said between licks.

  ‘Oh, thank Mother,’ Vince sighed. ‘I thought you were in actual trouble.’

  ‘It hurts,’ Laurie snapped.

  ‘Sorry, yes, I’m sure it does. Let me see.’ He crouched down to inspect the damage.

  ‘Get off! I’m fine.’ She screwed her nose up and got to her paws.

  ‘Well, if you’re fine, then stop complaining.’ Without thinking, he nudged her neck gently with his snout. When she didn�
��t pull away, his stomach fluttered. He swallowed. ‘What did you stand on?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Laurie searched the ground.

  A small voice squeaked from behind the tree. ‘Um, that might have been me. Sorry.’

  ‘Who’s there?’ Laurie put her snout to the grass and made her way around to the back of the tree, Vince close behind. When she saw the bristly beast at her feet, she jumped back in alarm. ‘What the…?’

  ‘It’s just a hedgehog, Laurie,’ Vince said.

  ‘A what?’ Laurie’s eyes were wide.

  ‘Hedge. Hog. You’ve really never seen one?’

  ‘No. Why is it all covered in thorns?’

  Vince snorted with laughter. ‘Ha! Who’s the poodle now?’

  Laurie gave him a stern stare and he cut his laughter short before turning back to the hedgehog. ‘Hello, I’m sorry about Laurie, she’s lived a very sheltered life.’ He introduced himself and Rita, waving his paw towards where they’d left her foraging in the hedge.

  ‘Um, very nice to meet you both. I’m Arthur. I’m really sorry about your, um, paw.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’ Laurie sat down and gave her paw another lick, while keeping her eyes firmly on the hedgehog.

  Rita flapped over. ‘Did I hear my name?’

  ‘Yes, I was just telling Arthur about you,’ Vince said, then flashed a mocking smile at Laurie, before adding, ‘He’s a hedgehog.’

  ‘Well, obviously,’ Rita said.

  Laurie glared at Vince again. He had no doubt that she would get her revenge, somehow, but it was worth it after all the poodle comments she’d made to him.

  ‘I was just, um, looking for worms,’ Arthur continued. ‘Do you live nearby? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.’

  ‘No, we’re adventurers!’ Rita said. ‘We’ve come a long way across London, looking for a park.’

  ‘Oh, how exciting!’

  ‘Can you tell us about this place? How big is it? Is there any water?’ Vince asked.

  ‘Oh, um, I don’t know… I don’t get out much. Not at all in fact. I’d say it’s big, yes, but I have nothing to compare it to really. There is a lake, though. Penelope knows more about this stuff, but she’s not here right now. She’s a heron, and she lives at the zoo.’

  ‘Zoo?’ Vince said.

  ‘Penelope says it’s where all the really rare animals live. And animals from really far away, too. She lives there with these tall pink birds and these other birds that swim like fish, and she says there are giant cats.’

  ‘Giant cats?’ Vince looked at Rita, who was wide-eyed with intrigue. ‘Do they have fur, like all around their necks?’

  ‘I don’t know. The road runs all the way around this corner of the park, so I’ve never been,’ Arthur said.

  ‘Do you know when Penelope will be—’

  ‘Wait, you’ve never crossed the road?’ Laurie interrupted. ‘They really aren’t that bad.’

  ‘Not for you, maybe,’ Arthur said, his spines bristling. ‘They’re very dangerous for hedgehogs.’

  ‘Well, perhaps, but they’re much safer at night. You just—’ Laurie began.

  ‘There are cars at night too! Don’t tell me there aren’t cars, because there are!’ Arthur said.

  ‘But, it’s different for hedgehogs, obviously,’ Vince stared at Laurie, willing her with his eyes to be more tactful, and annoyed that she’d changed the subject.

  ‘Is it?’ Laurie said, obviously not getting the message, or purposefully ignoring it.

  ‘Yes. They curl into balls,’ Vince said.

  ‘What? Why?’ Laurie frowned.

  ‘Self-defence,’ Arthur said.

  ‘Against cars?’

  ‘No, it’s—’ Arthur said.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Vince said. ‘Laurie’s from the city, she doesn’t understand—’

  Everyone remained silent. Arthur looked at Laurie, who looked at Vince, who looked at his paws. Rita looked at the sky, but it wasn’t clear if she’d been listening or not.

  ‘Um, some of us tried to cross, but no one ever made it,’ Arthur said. ‘Most panicked and turned back, some got squashed. Then my family decided a few seasons back that it wasn’t worth it and we all stopped trying. I’m the only one left now.’

  ‘It’s just you?’ Laurie said.

  Arthur nodded. ‘Bad winter.’

  ‘That’s terrible. I’m so sorry,’ Vince said.

  ‘But if you’re the last hedgehog, that means when you… When you’re gone…’ Laurie said.

  ‘Yes.’ Arthur nodded again. ‘But it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.’

  ‘But you could be the last hedgehog north of the river! We can’t just leave you here,’ Laurie said.

  ‘Um, what do you suggest?’ Arthur said. ‘I don’t want to be a bother.’

  ‘We could help you cross the road, for a start. There might be other hedgehogs out there somewhere.’

  ‘Oh, no…’ Arthur took a step backwards. ‘It’s fine, honestly. Please don’t go to any trouble for me. And Penelope has looked, she couldn’t find any.’

  ‘Laurie, maybe we should leave him to it? He clearly doesn’t want our help,’ Vince said, eager to speak to the heron about the park, and potentially meet one of the giant, hairy cats that the humans adorned their city with.

  ‘Of course he does, he’s just being polite.’ Laurie looked at Arthur. ‘Right?’

  ‘Um, well, it would be nice to see somewhere new… Just a quick walk, then straight back here? Only if you don’t mind…’

  Vince hadn’t anticipated picking up another animal on the way, particularly a slow one, and he was itching to find out if this was his park or not. ‘What about Penelope? Can we speak to her once we help you cross?’

  ‘She’ll be at the zoo now, sleeping. It’s north of here, just across the road, apparently,’ Arthur said.

  ‘We can kill two birds with one stone,’ Laurie said, then turned to a frowning Rita. ‘Pardon the expression. Shall we get going, then?’

  Vince nodded. Plenty of animals had helped him since he’d left Richmond Park, so one favour for a lonely hedgehog really was the least he could do. He wished he didn’t feel so annoyed about it, but he felt so close to his goal that he couldn’t help but want to run on ahead, to meet the heron as soon as he possibly could.

  Arthur, after a little encouragement from Rita, was happy to lead the way and the three of them followed the hedgehog as he waddled slowly northwards. Vince did his best to hide his frustration at Arthur’s painfully slow pace, remembering that without Arthur, he wouldn’t know about Penelope or the zoo. And at least it made a change from being chased.

  *

  After a short while the group reached the road. A thick hedge bordered the grass area, cutting it off from the long stretch of flat tarmac. The other side, too, was hidden by an equally imposing hedge, and if Arthur hadn’t been so relatively laid-back about the whole thing, Vince might have actually felt nervous. Bats flitted overhead, obviously unperturbed by the danger beneath them. Right before reaching the kerb, Arthur stopped dead and looked up at Laurie expectantly.

  ‘Can you hang on to my back, or do you want to walk? You can go between us,’ Laurie said.

  ‘Um, between, please.’

  Vince sighed under his breath, but immediately felt guilty. He tried to push his impatience to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand.

  He and Laurie positioned themselves either side of the hedgehog, their flanks just touching, forming an eight-legged roof over the tiny creature. ‘Ready? We’ll go slow,’ Laurie said.

  ‘What about cars?’ Arthur said.

  ‘No cars, look.’ Laurie gestured in both directions. The road was silent. ‘But if one comes, we’ll protect you, I promise. You just have to go for it, no hesitating, and no going backwards.’

  Laurie counted down from three and stepped into the road alongside Vince, with the hedgehog shuffling along beneath them. Rita hopped to the other side, cheering e
ncouragement to Arthur as his tiny legs moved as fast as they could. Vince’s ears twitched. An engine hummed in the distance.

  ‘Quickly, Arthur,’ he said.

  ‘A car? Oh no!’ Before Vince could stop him, Arthur tucked his nose into his belly, morphing himself into a ball of spines.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Laurie shrieked. ‘Keep going!’

  Further down the road, the trees lit up from the white beams of the approaching car. Arthur remained where he was, quivering.

  ‘Move!’ Laurie shouted, but Arthur remained frozen.

  ‘That’s not helping,’ Rita said. ‘He’s terrified.’

  ‘He’ll be dead if he doesn’t move,’ Vince said.

  A sharp blast from the car’s horn made the foxes jump and Arthur curl even tighter. The headlights were on them.

  ‘Hurry!’ Rita yelled from the pavement.

  ‘Run, Laurie!’ Vince lowered his head, pushed his nose underneath Arthur and thrust him forward with a flick of his snout.

  The car horn sounded again; a drawn-out blast. The air vibrated from the droning engine as the car sailed towards them. Arthur grunted as he rolled to a halt in the middle of the wide road. Vince ran towards him. Another honk from the horn boomed through Vince’s ears. The car was almost on top of them. There was no time. Vince threw himself onto Arthur and curled around him, fighting the urge to recoil as spikes pierced his belly. He clamped his eyes shut. The car swerved around them, tyres squealing, before the engine let out a roar and the metal machine cruised away.

  *

  Despite a successful hunting session, Sophie ambled back to her den feeling empty. Jake would be waiting for her, and she had no idea what she wanted to say to him, or if she even wanted to see him.

  He was only looking out for her, trying to keep her safe, but she couldn’t help but resent him for it. She didn’t need him to fight all her battles. She should think herself lucky, though. At least she had a mate who cared about her.

  The den entrance was set back in the trees, a short distance from a row of crumbling gravestones. She stopped at the graves, blinking as angry tears threatened to spill from her eyes again.