The Fox Cub Bold by Colin Dann Read Free Book Online Page B

certainly seem well set up,’ said Shadow, ‘and if you can adapt your diet as you say . . .’
    ‘If I have to, I will,’ Bold said with conviction.
    ‘I respect your determination,’ she told him.
    Bold enjoyed her flattery. It made it seem he did have a purpose, after all, rather than it being just a question of eking out an existence. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I suppose I might see you from time to time?’
    ‘Very likely,’ she said. ‘Or one of my family.’
    ‘Till then, Shadow, my friend,’ Bold said brightly.
    ‘Good luck,’ she whispered, and they parted.
    Bold limped back to the earth, greatly heartened. He felt a keen anticipation for the beginning of his campaign on the morrow.

—— 9 ——
A Good Catch
    Bold could not sleep for a long time. He was excited by what he felt was a new beginning in his life. The unmistakable sound of human voices pierced his consciousness a couple of times during the day, serving as a pertinent reminder of the challenge he had set himself.
    At dusk he awoke from a rather uneasy sleep. He lay a little longer in his den, conserving his strength until the full darkness had spread over the area. Then he emerged into a rainy night. The hedgerow dripped with moisture and the air was filled with a sort of misty dampness. Bold was intoxicated by the myriad scents wafted to him by the quivering leaves and plants. There was an aroma of warm little bodies heightened by the smell of wet fur. But his direction lay elsewhere.
    He crossed the vegetable field carefully and without hurry, this time ignoring its offer of food. He was after new tastes. He picked up the smell of human spoor and followed it along a well-worn path. As he had expected, it led towards a dwelling-place of Man. This was, in fact, a farmhouse, surrounded by a collection of outhouses. There was a scent of dog in one quarter which Bold studiously avoided. He slunk around the wall of a yard, licking up moisture from a runnel of rainwater as he crept forwards. On the other side of the cottage, a pungent odour greeted his eager nostrils. Literally following his nose, he went to investigate. A gap in the wall led into an area of mixed plants. Bold was able to tell by their smell which ones were intended to be used as food. In one corner there was a sort of mound comprised of all sorts of odds and ends and it was from there that the most interesting scents came. There were scraps of vegetable peelings and one or two rather bald-looking bones among the debris. Bold licked at the bones and swallowed some of the tastier smelling parings. But there was nothing very much here. He stole along the side of the wall for he heard movements under a bushy plant closer to the house.
    A pair of bantams had been allowed to make their nest in the open and they had been making nervous noises as Bold betrayed his presence. They scurried away as he approached and the young fox watched them without giving chase. He knew they could have run around all night from one spot to another and he would never have a chance of catching one. But what did interest him were the three eggs which the hen bird revealed to his view as she abandoned guard. Bold remembered the Carrion Crow. Now it was time to sample something which he had rejected before. First, he sniffed at the strange-looking objects with great care. They smelt inviting enough, for the scent of the hen’s breast feathers was still attached to them. He took one in his jaws and bit into it. Out poured the contents on to the ground while Bold held a mouthful of unpalatable shell. He licked at the liquid, found it delicious, and made short work of the other two eggs. But his exploration of the cottage garden had to end sooner than he wished. A breeze got up and blew his scent downwind to the farm dog. A frenzy of barking broke out and Bold made as fast an exit as he could, leaving the bantams to return ruefully to the robbed nest. Bold saw no other chance of food nearby so he limped back