A Fox's Journey Book 7: Lavender Willow's Dream; Part Two

Chapter VII-- Blind

  Soon there was trouble at the camp WaterfallRange Foxes were intruding the camp, but the main problem with that was Lavender Willow could hear them coming, but she couldn't see them.

"Lavender Willow we found these scoundrels snooping around our territory shall we give them a fight?" Walnut Paw shouted excited at Lavender Willow.

"Where are they standing Walnut Paw please tell me so I can talk with them." Lavender Willow asked Walnut Paw ferociously.

"Calm down Lavender Willow and I will take you over to them." Hope Paw calmly told her mentor. Then gently she guided Lavender Willow over to the intruders.

"Now which Foxes are you? Because if you are going to talk I need to know where you are." Lavender Willow warily said to the new Foxes in the camp.

"Can't you see us Lavender Willow? It is Coral Reef and Winter Frost and we have come to say that Heather Breeze has lost faith in StarRange and that their prophecy must be fulfilled soon." Winter Frost said urgently.

"Oh, the prophecy well you have just met the blind fox who will fulfill it and um no I can't see you now!" Lavender Willow told them angrily.

"Well I guess we will be leaving now sorry about disturbing you." Coral Reef said.

"Yes, leave and get out of MountainRange territory now! The borders are closed period and any Foxes who enter will be in for a fight." Lavender Willow said to the Foxes confidently.

"A blind fox! Ha! Your Range will be broken Lavender Willow, and probably already is, thanks to StarRange, or is it thanks to you." Winter Frost laughed at Lavender Willow.

"I said get and being blind is not always a weakness after all this what StarRange wants and I must respect that. Also my Range will always remain strong even if no other Foxes do." Lavender Willow shouted at Winter Frost infuriated that they were treating her so unjustly.

"Come on Winter Frost let's go we weren't sent here to make trouble." Coral Reef said to her RangeMate with an awkward glance toward Reed Heart.

"Fine we will go, but seriously that is funny!" Winter Frost said as she again laughed at Lavender Willow.

"No, it isn't now let's get out of here before we get hurt!" Coral Reef begged Winter Frost who gave her an unhappy glare and the followed her out of the camp.

"Lavender Willow come on and we will go and hunt." Hope Paw gently said to her mentor as she guided her out of the camp. Lavender Willow just let Hope Paw guide her without getting mad.

"Yes let's hunt and maybe then I can think up some ways to do stuff without my sight maybe I can use my sharp hearing to an advantage?" Lavender Willow muttered to herself as Hope Paw guided her around a fallen branch.

"Maybe Lavender Willow, but in any case even without sight you can train me in a better way than most Foxes could." Hope Paw said calmly as she answered the question.

"Yes, I suppose that you are right, but what about my blindness how am I supposed to teach you battle moves if I can see you or what I am doing?" Lavender Willow asked Hope Paw.

"Use your whiskers and they'll show you what to do and where to go." Hope Paw explained to Lavender Willow thoughtfully.

"Okay, but what if I fall then what shall I do?" Lavender Willow asked Hope Paw anxiously.

"If that happens I will know what to do! We can teach each other even though I am not blind. I can still help you while you train me and I wouldn't mind and even Joy Paw and Blue Paw say that it would be a good deed." Hope Paw said happily to Lavender Willow.

"Yes, they are right and it might even be fun! After all even though I can't see my paws I can still hear great. Now come on my apprentice let's hunt I will not be seen as a weak leader!" Lavender Willow shouted at Hope Paw she had her determination back. As they walked around looking for a place to hunt Lavender Willow tried to remember the territory from when she could see it.

"Now Hope Paw give me a landmark of the area and tell me what you can smell." Lavender Willow happily told Hope Paw who had started to sniff at the surrounding area.

"Well, there is a giant boulder over to your left and a cliff like ledge over to your right. I from here can smell badger, but the scent is stale I guess about four days, also the scent of rotten mushrooms is very strong here along with the scent of the wolves checking their territory on the other side of the border, and the I can also detect the scent of two mice over to your left, three voles to your right, a sparrow up the tree in front of you, and a cottontail rabbit scent drifting down wind of us," Hope Paw reported happily.

"Judging by our surroundings I would say that we're at the old gathering spot which is an excellent place to hunt and if I am correct. I can hunt here better than anywhere else even if I am blind!" Lavender Willow exclaimed and puffed her chest out proudly because of her apprentice.

"Sounds good enough to hunt here to me. Can we please hunt those voles smell so good! The Range is starving so I don't see why not plus you said you can hunt here. So let's please!" Hope Paw begged Lavender Willow who was also looking sort of worried.

"Yes, let's hunt here because we don't know when another chance like this will come again. The Range may be starving now, but let's hunt all that we can," Lavender Willow suggested to Hope Paw. Soon they were off hunting Lavender Willow started for the two mice that were just left of her and caught both, but they were scrawny and were not much to feed on. Meanwhile Hope Paw had managed to catch the sparrow and it had meat on it, but since prey was still scarce it was thin.

"Let's try catching that rabbit it might have enough meat on it to feed us for a while," Hope Paw suggested to Lavender Willow who nodded her head.

"Now once we get there you are going to run straight for it and chase it into my paws okay?" Lavender Willow asked Hope Paw who nodded her head in turn. Then they set off with Lavender Willow down wind of the rabbit and Hope Paw hiding in a bush in front of the rabbit. Lavender Willow then kinked her tail as the signal and Hope Paw attacked. Even though Lavender Willow couldn't see she knew when to bite down on the rabbit. When they got back to the clearing they caught all three voles, which had a lot of meat on them. They then took the prey back to camp and when they got back Hope Paw lead her to the prey pile.

"Good your back sweets I missed you so much. Did you catch that?" Juniper Tail asked his mate in surprise.

"Yes I did catch this my love two mice, a rabbit, three voles, and a sparrow, but Hope Paw helped of course Juniper Tail she was so good," Lavender Willow bragged to her mate and true love.