Fox's Feud facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Colin Dann |
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| Illustrator | Terry Riley |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Animals of Farthing Wood |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
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Publication date
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1982 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 174 (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-09-149400-1 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 12470407 |
| Preceded by | In the Grip of Winter |
| Followed by | The Fox Cub Bold |
Fox's Feud is an exciting adventure story, the third book in the popular The Animals of Farthing Wood series by Colin Dann. It was first published in 1982. This book continues the journey of the Farthing Wood animals as they face new challenges in their new home, White Deer Park. It explores themes of family, loyalty, and dealing with difficult neighbors.
Contents
Plot Summary: A New Challenge
After a very tough winter, the animals from Farthing Wood are trying to settle into White Deer Park. But not everyone is happy to see them. A fierce fox named Scarface, who thinks the park belongs to his family, causes a lot of trouble for Fox and his family. The Farthing Wood animals must work together to protect their home and each other from this new threat.
The Story of Fox's Feud
The book begins with the happy news of Vixen giving birth to four fox cubs: Bold, Friendly, Charmer, and Dreamer. Soon after, an old fox with a scarred face, known as Scarface, appears. He tells Fox and Vixen that his family has lived in this area for a long time and he doesn't like new foxes moving in.
Later, Scarface watches Fox and Vixen teaching their cubs how to hunt. He gets annoyed by how good Bold is at hunting. Scarface then attacks them and tries to hurt Bold. Fox and Vixen fight him off, but sadly, Dreamer is later found badly hurt and dies. Fox is sure Scarface is responsible.
Fox and Vixen start watching their cubs very closely when they hunt. But Bold wants more freedom. He leaves the safe part of White Deer Park where the Farthing Wood animals live, even though his father told him not to. While exploring, Bold meets Adder, a snake, who warns him about Scarface. Suddenly, Scarface and his son, Ranger, appear and attack Bold. Bold manages to escape, but Scarface calls many other foxes to surround him.
Adder tells Hare that Bold is in trouble, and Hare quickly tells Fox and Vixen. Fox gathers all the Farthing Wood animals, and they set off to rescue Bold. Fox, Vixen, Friendly, and Charmer go ahead to face Scarface. But then, Bold suddenly appears! He explains that he tricked one of Scarface's guards and ran away. Bold feels bad for causing trouble. The Great White Stag, a wise leader in the park, helps Fox and Scarface talk things out without a fight. The animals later realize that Adder asked the Great White Stag for help.
Later, Scarface attacks Hare's mate, and she dies. Fox decides that Scarface must be stopped for good. Fox wants Adder to deal with Scarface, but he knows Adder won't just agree. So, Fox asks Bold and Friendly to hint to Adder that stopping Scarface is important for everyone's safety. Bold isn't very good at being sneaky. He tells Adder about Hare's mate, and Adder promises to "even the score." Adder then poisons one of Scarface's relatives. When Adder returns, he learns that Fox wanted him to stop Scarface directly. Fox is upset with Bold for not giving the message clearly, but Adder also takes some blame.
Fox has his family, Badger, Tawny Owl, and Weasel guard their home at night. Meanwhile, Scarface decides to hunt the snake that hurt his relative. Charmer and Ranger, Scarface's son, meet one night and start to like each other. Friendly finds out but keeps it a secret. Adder decides to hide and wait for Scarface. But it's cold, so he has to come out to warm up in the sun. Ranger sees Adder and tells his father. Scarface tries to attack Adder but only manages to bite off the end of Adder's tail. Adder escapes into a hole. Scarface tries to find out if Adder was the one who hurt his relative, but Adder doesn't tell him. Adder is annoyed about being hurt and plans revenge against Scarface. Meanwhile, Charmer is on guard duty and misses meeting Ranger. Ranger finds her, but Bold discovers them. This leads to Fox and Vixen finding out about Charmer and Ranger's friendship, and Fox and Bold don't approve.
After failing to hurt Adder, Scarface plans a big attack on the Farthing Wood animals with many other foxes. Ranger tries to warn the Farthing Wood animals. He runs into Scarface, who is checking the area. Scarface thinks Ranger is helping him and praises him. They go hunting together. Ranger tries to convince Scarface to stop the attack, but Scarface gets angry and calls Ranger a coward. The next day, Kestrel sees Scarface's group of foxes and warns the other animals. The hares hide in rabbit holes, the squirrels hide in trees, and the rest of the animals hide in Badger's sett (underground home). Scarface finds the woods empty and sees Kestrel, realizing the animals were warned. He tells Ranger to track them. Ranger follows Charmer's scent but then leads the other foxes in the wrong direction so they lose the trail. Unfortunately, Mole thinks the foxes are his friends and tunnels up to see what's happening. Luckily, he quickly goes back underground before the foxes can catch him.
After a lot of searching, Ranger finds the sett where the animals are hiding. He plans to tell his father that the sett is empty. Fox is impressed by Ranger's loyalty. But Scarface knows they are in the sett and demands they come out or he will starve them. Fox bravely comes out and challenges Scarface to a one-on-one fight. Scarface accepts. It's a tough fight, but Fox eventually wins and badly hurts Scarface, but lets him live. When the Warden (a human who looks after the park) suddenly arrives, all the foxes run away. Because Scarface lost the fight, the other foxes no longer follow him.
When Scarface gets his strength back, he attacks the Farthing Wood area alone. He catches many small animals like voles, field mice, rabbits, and a squirrel. The next morning, Fox regrets not stopping Scarface for good. Whistler, a bird, points out that by trying to build a new Farthing Wood, they have become separated from the other animals in the park. He suggests that the Farthing Wood animals should find mates from the animals already living in White Deer Park. Meanwhile, Scarface takes a drink from a stream. Adder ambushes him and bites his leg, injecting all his venom. Scarface dies. Adder later tells his friends about his victory. After celebrating, the Farthing Wood animals decide to try and find mates among the animals of White Deer Park.
Bold then leaves the reserve to find new adventures. Ranger finds his older brother Blaze and his mother trying to hunt the snake that stopped Scarface. To protect Adder, Ranger claims that he was the one who did it. Then, Ranger and Charmer leave to build a new home together. Friendly tries to convince Russet, one of Scarface's relatives, to be his mate. Mole falls in love with a female mole named Mateless, whom Badger renames Mirthful. Weasel, Kestrel, Hare, and Leveret (Hare's son) also find mates. However, Tawny Owl and Badger remain without mates.
Characters in Fox's Feud
Television Series
The events of this book are shown in the second half of the second season of The Animals of Farthing Wood (TV series). The TV show changes some things slightly. For example, Mole survives the winter in the TV show, Badger doesn't die, and Bold doesn't leave White Deer Park until after Scarface is defeated.
