Evangeline checked her camera trap and revealed a story of the inhabitants of the secret valley. Madame Hare is a very busy thing who uses this track day and night. She keeps a lookout while she goes about her business up and down the embankment.
Less than fifteen minutes after the first photo there came another. Mr Fox was following close behind.
There are two old fables that come to mind. The first one tells of a hare who is invited to supper by a fox only to realize that she is the main course. Beware who you trust seems to be the message of that tale.
Another tells of a hare who loses her home to a fox. The fox and the hare were neighbours, the fox living happily in a house made from ice all winter. When spring came the fox’s house melted and the hare felt sorry for him and invited the fox to share her home. He agreed and then kicked her out.
The homeless hare wandered the forest, upset at the loss of her home and the betrayal by a friend. She met a wolf who offered to help her, but he was scared off by the fox. The same happened to a bear.
Later that day the hare met a man and his dog. On approaching the house the man said loudly, ‘I’m looking forward to wearing a fox-tail on my hat!’
Of course, the fox scarpers and we have a happy ending.
Here in the real world while out walking the byways, we have found evidence of hares caught out by wily foxes. However, later camera trap pics indicate that our Madame Lièvre escaped the attentions of this particular Monsieur Renard this time around!
14thcenturypoet 