The Fox of Richmond Park

by Kate Dreyer

  ‘Come on, little fella. Off you go.’ He beckoned Vince towards him and pointed to the large gate.

  Vince made a dash for the gate, ducking low, careful not to knock Arthur off, and ran out of the building. His paws hit pavement and Rita squawked with joy. Arthur dropped to the ground and shook his tiny head. A cheer rose from the humans behind him and he turned to bark his thanks. A wall of phones held at arm’s length blocked the humans’ faces, but a voice overhead announced a train arriving and the beeping of the gates started up again, the humans quickly falling back into their routine.

  Vince turned back to his friends. ‘Welcome to Broxbourne,’ Rita said with a smile and a glint in her eye.

  ‘Have you found Laurie? Is she okay?’ Vince asked.

  ‘Wait and see…’ Rita laughed.

  ‘You are the absolute worst,’ Vince said, smiling. ‘And I haven’t forgiven you for lying about having to get on a train.’

  ‘When did I lie? I simply omitted a tiny detail. Anyway, you’re here now, and since you don’t want to cross the tracks, we’ll have to go the long way round,’ Rita said.

  Rita led Vince and Arthur across the car park. The sun was low in the sky, but bright, and the air fresh, absent of London’s dust and grit, which caught in his eyes and throat. Vince took a deep breath and savoured the crispness of it in his lungs before slowly exhaling. Vince’s relief at arriving was palpable, but he couldn’t fully relax until he saw and smelled Laurie with his own eyes and nose.

  As they walked further, his eyes rested on a human sign atop a tall grey pole. The striped black-and-white face of a badger stared down at him. It was only a simple picture, but Vince smiled as he remembered Sid, so many days and nights ago now, and wondered what he was up to.

  Probably just sleeping.

  Rita took them down a slope and over a narrow metal bridge spanning a river. Despite being daylight, it was quiet, and the few humans they encountered stopped and stared, but nothing more. Vince could barely keep his eyes open, but his stomach was wide awake, and empty. His number two priority, after finding Laurie, he decided, was finding something to eat. He looked down at the shallow water flowing under the bridge. Was that a frog he could smell?

  They emerged into another car park but skirted the edge, where thick brambles grew up a steep bank that flanked a road. Gradually the bank flattened out and they were level with the traffic.

  ‘Here we are. Just across here,’ Rita said, nodding to the field on the other side of the road. A dirt track led into the grass and disappeared through a mass of tall oak and birch trees.

  ‘That’s it? Really? We’ve been walking for barely five blinks,’ Vince said.

  ‘I know. Great, isn’t it?’ Rita said.

  ‘So, Laurie’s over there?’ Vince said.

  ‘Wait and see!’ Rita laughed again.

  Cars roared past, rising up on their left as the road ascended.

  ‘It’s busy,’ Vince said.

  ‘Yeah, but there are some red-yellow-green lights up there that the cars all stop to look at sometimes. We’ll just have to time your crossing right.’

  They waited on the grass and, sure enough, the cars on their side of the road began to stop, one by one, at the top of the hill. The approaching cars slowed down and joined the queue, until eventually the line of vehicles reached them. Heat from the growling engines filled the air around them. Rita took to the sky.

  ‘You want to climb on to me again?’ Vince said to Arthur.

  ‘No. I can do this last one myself,’ he replied, brow furrowed in concentration.

  Rita called down to them that it was safe to cross.

  ‘Let’s go, Arthur.’ Vince stepped into the space between the two closest cars, coughing and blinking away the fumes as he peered out the other side. Cars rolled along the far side of the road at speed. Arthur pulled up beside him. Vince started to speak. ‘It looks like—’

  ‘No time! Go!’ Rita shrieked, before he could finish.

  The last car in the moving line roared past and the flow of vehicles stopped, but for how long, they had no idea. Either side of them, engines revved into action. The stationary line of cars was about to move.

  ‘GO!’ Rita yelled again.

  ‘Run!’ With his nose, Vince pushed Arthur into the middle of the road and held his breath as he scurried across. The tiny hedgehog dived into the long grass on the other side and Vince was suddenly overcome with pride and relief. ‘Well done, Arthur! That was amazing!’

  ‘Vince!’ Rita shouted.

  The car on his left was inching forward, the car on his right about to do the same, and he was dangerously close to its front wheel. He checked the road was clear, then made his final dash. Leaving the machines in his wake, he tumbled into the grass. The cars trundled away up the hill, until a new line began to form and the empty lane now closest to them became a steady stream of roaring engines again.

  Arthur peered out from the long grass. ‘That was fun! Can we, um, do it again?’

  *

  The news of Edward’s death spread rapidly and, despite his grievous misdemeanours, after a few nights had passed, the residents of Richmond Park agreed to listen to a statement from the remaining herd members. The deer could no longer instil fear in the animals, even if they wanted to, but it was clear that the herd wanted to start afresh.

  Everyone congregated in the deer’s old home, by the smaller pond. The atmosphere was jovial, many creatures greeting Sophie and Jake with smiles and waves as they arrived. Once the crowd settled, one of the oldest stags stepped forward and made a moving speech, expressing the regret and shame of the herd, and their intent to live peacefully with the rest of the animals. Sophie listened, Jake at her side, until the deer finished and the animals slowly dispersed.

  ‘Do you think they meant it?’ Sophie asked Jake.

  ‘We’ll have to wait and see, I guess,’ Jake replied.

  The pair had agreed to move on from Jake’s mistakes, providing he did all the hunting for a few moons. Sophie was injured, after all. It would take a while for her to fully forgive and forget, but dwelling on it wasn’t going to help either of them. Richmond Park was evolving, so they had to do the same.

  They walked back to their den. Sophie’s broken tail hung awkwardly, but the pain was fading night by night. Greeting them when they arrived, washing her ears with a pristine white paw, was a thin tortoiseshell cat.

  ‘The bird over there said this is where the foxes live,’ the cat said, blinking her yellow eyes.

  ‘It is,’ Jake said. ‘Can we help you?’

  Sophie instinctively looked over her shoulder, but felt relieved when she remembered that she didn’t have to check for deer anymore.

  ‘Other way round, actually. I have a message from Socks, the Official Feline Administrator of Hammersmith.’

  ‘The what? We don’t know any Socks.’ Sophie looked at Jake, who shrugged.

  ‘But you know a fox called Vince, right? Don’t tell me I’m in the wrong park…’

  ‘Yes, we knew Vince. Why? What’s going on now?’ Sophie said.

  The cat explained about Vince finding Hampstead Heath, about how the riot had changed things there, and about him getting the train to the countryside with Rita.

  Sophie and Jake stared wordlessly at the cat until she finished. ‘Wait… Vince reached the park?’ Sophie said.

  ‘Sounds like it,’ the cat replied.

  ‘So, he’s not…’ Jake looked at Sophie.

  ‘How?’ Sophie said.

  The cat tilted her head. ‘Don’t quite know what you’re asking me there…’

  ‘We thought he was dead,’ Sophie said.

  ‘And Rita,’ Jake added.

  ‘Dead? No. Well, not before he sent the message. Obviously. He might be now. Who knows?’ The cat laughed.

  Vince was alive! Kara had got it wrong somehow. Sophie pawed at the ground nervously, not wanting to get her hopes up. It didn’t sound like he would ever come back now, but at least
he was okay. And although they already knew about the heath and the riot thanks to Edward’s confession, the fact that Vince had gone to the trouble of trying to let them know filled her with happiness. He hadn’t forgotten about them. And she had to let him know that they hadn’t forgotten about him, either.

  ‘We need to speak to Kara,’ Sophie said to Jake, then turned back to the cat. ‘But can we send a message back with you to this… Socks? Will he somehow be able to pass it on to Vince?’

  ‘We’ll do our best,’ the cat agreed.

  Sophie told the cat everything about Edward and his death, adding that she missed Vince, and hoped he was happy. She also made sure to mention that the birds missed Rita too. The cat repeated it back to them, keen to make sure she didn’t forget anything, then turned to leave.

  ‘Wait, we didn’t get your name…’ Sophie said.

  The cat looked over her shoulder. ‘Batman,’ she said, then with a roll of her eyes added, ‘Children,’ before going on her way.

  *

  The long grass of the field tickled Vince’s belly as he walked, once again, northwards. Arthur shuffled along behind, stopping sporadically to dig for worms, while Vince waited patiently for him to catch up. The noise of the road faded blink by blink and, all around them, thick trees shielded them from the ever-rising sun and its springtime warmth. Rita basked in it, spiralling up, wings stretched, as she sang tunelessly and contentedly to herself. Vince whipped insects away with his tail, the smell of soil, pollen and fish filling his nose.

  Eventually, Rita landed and told them to wait. Up ahead, a river cut through the earth, its bank dropping straight down to the gently bubbling water. Beyond it, more grass, and trees as far as he could see. Rita flapped ahead and disappeared into one of them.

  ‘The river must be the boundary,’ Vince said. ‘Maybe she’s gone to get the animal in charge.’

  ‘I hope it’s not a deer,’ Arthur said through a mouthful of worms.

  Vince laughed. ‘Let’s not judge anyone before we’ve met them, eh?’ He squinted in the sun. ‘What is she playing at? Is she whispering to someone?’ Vince mumbled to himself as Arthur swallowed his meal. ‘Maybe she’s making sure we’re definitely allowed—’

  Suddenly an orange-and-white face appeared from behind a tree trunk and a pair of green eyes flashed at him.

  ‘Laurie…’ He ran to her.

  She emerged from her hiding place and headed towards him, limping heavily on one side. ‘Vince!’ she called.

  ‘You’re hurt…’ Vince whispered. Their noses touched and he buried his face in her soft neck. ‘I’m so glad to see you. I thought you were…’

  ‘Just a bit bruised,’ Laurie whispered. ‘Top tip, don’t run into roads without looking.’

  Vince inspected her side, rubbing it with his cheek. She winced at his touch. ‘Okay, maybe a lot bruised. Did you come on the train? Rita found me, she said you missed it…’

  ‘Can I tell you later? I’m so hungry. Are we allowed inside yet or do we have to wait for whoever’s in charge here?’ Vince said, looking around.

  A grin spread across Laurie’s snout. Rita joined them and chuckled.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ Arthur squeaked at Vince’s feet.

  ‘We are inside. There’s no one in charge, Vince,’ Laurie laughed.

  Vince couldn’t speak. He blinked and looked around. The trees, the grass, the river…

  ‘Are you sure?’ It was too good to be true. There had to be something else. Something they were too scared to mention, for fear of disappointing him.

  ‘Well, I’ve been here for a whole day and night and no one’s tried to kill me, so yes, pretty sure,’ Laurie said. ‘Oh, and Arthur? There’s some animals I need to introduce to you after sunset…’ She winked.

  ‘Hedgehogs? Really?’ Arthur bobbed up and down in the grass.

  ‘Yep! A whole family. I told them all about you.’

  Arthur giggled.

  ‘Laurie… This is… I can’t believe it. If my parents could see this… And my grandparents…’

  ‘Come on… Let me show you something.’ Laurie gave him a nudge and turned with a flick of her tail and walked towards the river. He followed and sat on the bank beside her. A shoal of plump fish swayed in the water, swimming against the lazy current. Further down, packed together in a thick carpet of algae, was a knot of frogs, their green skin glistening in the sun.

  *

  Kara was munching on a mouse when Sophie and Jake arrived at the base of her tree. ‘What do you want? I’m about to go to sleep.’

  ‘We’ll be quick. We’ve just had a message,’ Jake said.

  ‘From Vince,’ Sophie finished.

  Kara frowned. ‘He made it, then?’

  ‘You said he was killed!’ Sophie shouted.

  ‘Calm down. We’re all mates now, aren’t we?’ Kara smirked. ‘He looked dead when I left. Those other foxes tried to kill me so I wasn’t about to stick around and check for a heartbeat or anything. He must have pulled through. Mother knows I wasn’t about to tell Edward that I wasn’t sure.’

  Sophie smiled at Jake. Vince was alive. Not only that, but it meant Edward’s talk of the city being too dangerous really was rat scat. They’d suspected as much, but it was good to have proof.

  Now that Edward’s rules had been abolished, anyone could leave and explore if they wanted to. Outsiders could even come inside to live now, too, and as the news of Edward’s death spread, not a night went by without at least one city animal arriving. They were usually greeted by their own kind, and given introductions and a tour of the park before settling in as permanent residents.

  Sophie pointed her snout up at Kara again. ‘We never got a chance to thank you for telling the truth about Edward.’

  Kara laughed. ‘Save your thanks. I didn’t do it for you, or the park. He screwed me over and I wanted to get back at him.’

  ‘Well, thank you anyway. It meant a lot to everyone,’ Sophie said, then with a smirk added, ‘We’ll see you around, I guess, mate.’

  Kara smiled. ‘Sure. I’m thinking of leaving, though. Maybe even find that heath myself.’

  Jake widened his eyes. ‘Oh? I never had you down as the travelling type.’

  ‘I saw a few places when I was looking for Vince. Now Edward’s gone, might be nice to spread my wings a bit. Finally catch some rabbits. Now, if you don’t mind, my dinner is getting cold.’

  They said their goodbyes and left, heading back to the cemetery. As they walked, Sophie asked Jake how he felt about going outside the boundary. He pulled a face. ‘Not for ever,’ Sophie added. ‘Just take a little walk one night. See what’s out there?’

  ‘I can tell you’re not going to stop asking me until we do it, and there’s no way you’re going on your own, so I guess I have no choice,’ he said, laughing.

  ‘Correct,’ she said, nudging him with her nose.

  Sophie and Jake had almost reached their den when Marge came running towards them. ‘Come quickly!’ she shouted. ‘We found something.’

  ‘Found what?’ Jake said as they upped their speed to follow her. She was heading in the direction of her own den.

  ‘A human thing. Made of metal,’ Marge replied, her eyes wide. ‘It’s hidden in the bushes.’

  Most of the skulk were crowded around the mysterious object, the vegetation trampled and torn away so they could get a better look at it. Some of the recent arrivals hung back, watching from behind the tall gravestones or the still-loose mounds of earth next to their newly dug dens.

  Sophie went for a closer look. A box made of thick wire, almost like the fences, with an opening at one end. Scraps of meat littered the bottom.

  ‘Don’t touch it!’ a voice called from behind her, but it wasn’t Jake. She turned to see Gregory – one of the former city foxes – staring at her. He’d shown up the day after Edward’s death, but mostly kept himself to himself. ‘It’s a trap. If you go in, it’ll lock you inside. Watch…’ He searched the ground and picked up a
large stone in his jaws. The other foxes backed away as he approached the trap. Lowering himself to face the open side, he tossed the stone into the wire box with a flick of his head. The weight of it released a catch and, with an ear-shattering clang, a previously unnoticed solid metal door sprang down from the roof and closed off the opening. The stone, alongside the meat, lay still and imprisoned inside.

  Marge’s mouth fell open. ‘I… I almost went inside it… I smelled the meat… Oh, Mother, can you imagine if I had?’

  ‘You’ve really never seen one?’ Gregory let out a short laugh. Marge recoiled, embarrassed.

  ‘No, we haven’t,’ Sophie said sharply. ‘They must be a city thing. Why would they want to trap us?’

  ‘To get rid of us. Or Marge, it looks like, in this case.’

  Tears filled Marge’s eyes. Sophie frowned. ‘Can you try to be a bit more sensitive, please? This is serious. Why Marge, though?’

  Gregory shrugged. ‘We’re all the same to them. And I doubt this is the only one.’

  ‘But why, now?’ Jake said.

  ‘There’s too many of us.’ Marge sniffed. ‘There are dens everywhere now. Since you city foxes started arriving.’ She glared at Gregory through wet eyes.

  ‘You welcomed us here,’ Gregory said, fur bristling.

  ‘That’s right, we did. And there’s plenty of room and food for us all. We shouldn’t blame anyone,’ Sophie said to Marge.

  ‘Easy for you to say. You don’t have one of these things right outside your den,’ Marge wailed.

  ‘I know you’re scared, but now that we know what they are, we can avoid them, right?’ Sophie looked at Gregory for reassurance, but received none. She looked around at the rest of the foxes. ‘If you smell meat, be very careful, okay? And if you find more of these traps, let everyone know straight away. Now, let’s just try to carry on as normal. I’m sure once the humans realise they can’t catch us then they’ll take them away and that’ll be the end of it.’ Everyone nodded except Gregory, who simply smirked before turning and walking away.