Farthing-Wood.net

Snare For The Unwary

Some of the animals do not seem too unhappy about Adder being left behind. Badgers says that they cannot leave her after everything she did. You mean all that hissing and stuff? asks Weasel. Eventually Pheasant volunteers to go back for Adder, as it will give him a chance to see his wife’s final resting place. He flies (badly) back to the farm and finds Adder in the barn. Then he is confronted by the sight of his wife’s body laying cooked on a roasting tray. Overcome with with emotion, and despite Adder’s warning, Pheasant does not see the farmer with his gun… A shot rings out across the countryside, and the animals realise that they are going to need another volunteer.

While Owl goes back to the farm, the animals make aquaintance with the resident rook colony, who invite them to join in with a singalong. That evening Adder and Owl decide to stay at the barn and hunt rats. Back at the copse, many of the animals get emotional singing along to ‘Home Sweet Home’. Then Weasel and Toad take their turns at singing in an attempt to cheer everyone up.

The following morning, Owl and Adder turn up and the party is together again. The animals are about to set off when a terrible squeal is heard: one of the baby Rabbits has got stuck in a snare. Mole comes to the rescue by digging under the post and setting the rabbit free, with nothing more than a sore throat. The animals say goodbye to the rooks and head off again.

The next obstacle to cross is a river. Although it is wide, the current is quite slow and most of the animals have made it across safely when they suddenly realise something is going on in the middle of the river. The Rabbits are panicking and swimming round in circles. Fox heads back to help them, but they leap all over him, in danger of drowning him. Mole suddenly spots a large mass of debris heading towards Fox and the Rabbits. While Weasel, Toad, Hedgehog and Squirrel take charge of getting the Rabbits out of the river, Badger tries to help the exhausted Fox, but Fox is too weak to move and tells Badger to save himself. The other animals can only watch in horror as the mass of debris hit Fox and Badger, dragging them downriver and over a weir. The animals race downriver but there is no sign of Badger or Fox. Suddenly Toad spots something in the river…