The Meeting with Vixen

"What do we do with him?"

"Let's wait for him to wake up to decide."

"Did we get any news from her?"

"No, nothing. Fox has declared a state of emergency and everyone is required to apply for travel permits, even if it is to go to a waterhole outside their assign territory."

Whispers, whispers, whispers and pounding roars of thunder. Stefolous' mind was filled with them. Each time he tried to open is eyes, the most he could do was curl his claws.

"Look he is moving again." Another voice. "Visitors."

Rustlings, and suddenly Stefolous felt enveloped in a blanket of mud and compost so that soon he could no longer hear or smell anything.

Cool water ran into his parched mouth and trickled down his neck. Stefolous opened his eyes, his nostril flaring as he struggled to speak.

The weasel Winnie said, "It is all right. You are safe now. Your fever has passed."

"Owl...Owl...," Stefolous croaked.

"He did not make it. His body was broken beyond repair and there was too much bleeding."

Stefolous closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, he saw Wanda and Wilma staring down at him.

Wilma said to Winnie, "I don't like this sister. Owl is dead and we have no use for this tortoise. We should get rid of him before the Chief of Police finds him here."

"The rat packs searched our den the other day and did not find him."

"We were lucky," Wanda said. "They did not like the smell of iodine on the seaweed compost. One day we may get someone more thorough."

"Let us wait until she comes before deciding," Winnie pleaded.

Wilma stared down at the tortoise. "Very well. But you take care of him on your own."

That evening, Winnie went out and returned with a fat white-bellied fish that she shared with Stefolous. He took two mouthfuls and no more for he felt too tired to even eat. He ate more the following day and by the third, he had gained enough energy to walk about the den.

The moist air that blew into the hole smelled of salt and he could hear surfs pounding the rocks outside. He deduced that they must be by the Clamshore Cliffs. Stefolous could recall the weasels pushing him and Owl into a hollow log, which they then pushed into the rushing river, but nothing else beyond that. Winnie appeared at the entrance hole gripping three small flapping fish in her mouth. She placed them in front of him.

Gratefully he took the smallest fish. Winnie said, "I have eaten my fill when I was outside. Try to finish your food tonight."

"I am so sorry to be such a trouble to you."

More shuffling came from the entrance, and soon Wilma walked in with Vixen who said, "Stefolous. I am glad to see you alive and well."

Stefolous smiled. "Vixen. I should have known. You are the only person in the cabinet with any clout to appose Fox."

"Don't be deceived," Vixen said as she settled herself in the middle of the den. "Fox is nothing without Rat's cunning."

"I would not have guessed."

"Of course you won't. Rat knows that a lot of the things he is doing is illegal, so he wants someone else to take the blame if anything goes wrong. That is why he is encouraging Fox to commit fraud with him and putting words into his mouth. He is extremely manipulative." Vixen eyed the silent journalist for a moment then she asked, "Did Owl tell you anything?"

"Not much, I am afraid. He had no informer. Apparently he came to his conclusion after studying the financial statement that Rat passed to him."

Wilma said to Vixen, "Don't cabinet ministers get a full report from him?"

"No, we only received a summary of the statements."

"Have you talked to Bob Squirrel?" Stefolous asked. "Two years ago he asked me to recommend him to Owl for an assistant's job. He may know something."

Vixen cocked her head to one side. "An assistant? I know nothing about that. He was not in the Ministry's payroll."

"I am not surprised. Owl requested for an assistant but Rat kept sending him candidates with a dubious past so Owl rejected them all. Maybe he hired Squirrel under his own initiative."

Wanda poked her body into the hole and hissed, "The rat packs are here!" and disappeared back outside.

Stefolous moved as fast as he could back into the shallow hole he had dug for himself under a slab of rock. Then Winnie placed a stick next to his nostril and the three females packed dirt and compost over the hole and around the rock. Finally Winnie shook the stick to let the air in before pulling it out.

Ten heartbeats later, Stefolous heard Mite's voice. "Well, Minister VIxen. I did not expect you here in these parts."

"The weasels complained to me that otters were over-harvesting the clams in this area. I have come to see for myself before I begin a talk with them."

The Police Chief squeaked, "That may be so Minister, but you know what the rules are. I need to see some papers to show that your movement has been approved."

"Of course." Vixen pulled out a leaf from under her fur and passed it to Mite.

After reading through every single line and sniffing the leaf to make sure it had the right official scent, he returned the parchment to her and said, "Thank you Minister. Everything is in order." Then he turned to the weasels. "Ladies, I have a Presidential Warrant here to search all the homes in this area."

Wilma said, "Feel free to do so, Chief Mite."

And so the search began

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