The Fox and the Shrews: A Short Story
The Fox and the Shrews
A Political Short Story by J. Saint Simon
There was once a colony of shrews who made their homes in burrows surrounded by a perimeter of hedges. Hidden within the forest, they happily gathered berries, insects, and other delicacies free of caution to feast on, day after day, together. That was of course until the Fox came around.
It was a day that began as all others do, the sun rising in the east and beaming rays of splendor through the leaves in the trees. After eating a hearty breakfast, the pygmy shrews went about their usual dig for grub but they never ventured beyond the hedge, for the vast forest was home to all sorts of predators. Old Rover Shrew would warn all the young pygmy shrews, “Flying monsters with talons bigger than your fathers, giants that will squish you with their paw and use you for jelly, and don’t forget that pygmy shrews are a fox's favorite snack. Remember that before you think of chasing after a wayward berry rolling beyond the hedge.”
Those words resonated in the ears of the young Robby Shrew and his companion Red as they watched the largest berry they had ever seen roll slowly through the thorns and thistles of the hedge out to the open forest. “It’s a tragedy, Robby. It really is but you know what the Ol’ Rover says. He says…”
“I know what the old dodger says, Red.” Robby Shrew interrupted. “There’s no need to repeat it, but when will we ever find a blueberry like that? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime berry, Red.”
“No, Robby. No, I cannot and will not consent to go beyond the hedge with you. Think of how horrible it would be, being eaten so young. I haven’t even met the love of my life yet, Robby.”
“My dear Red, think of how the lady shrews will dote on the pygmies who brought home the largest blueberry in history and survived the voyage beyond the hedge. We will be legends, Red. Legends remembered forever!” Robby rested his arm around his robust friend’s shoulders embracing him tightly. Red imagined one lady shrew, in particular, giving him eyes as he rolled the berry back to the burrow for all to see and it filled him with courage enough to consider the venture, but Robby was already to the edge of the hedge when he came to himself.
“Wait, Robby!” Red cried out in a whisper. “Perhaps we should reconsider.”
“Shh! There it is,” the brave smaller shrew pulled back the leaf hindering their view of the prize. “It's so close I can almost reach it from here.”
“Right, let’s use a long branch and pull it in.”
“Don’t be silly, Red. A berry like that ought to weigh a ton. It’ll take both our effort to roll it back.”
“I don’t know,” the larger shrew began to pace. “I’m going back now and taking my chances with one of the uglier shrews.”
“There’s no time like now, Red! The coast is clear now! Let’s go!” Robby grabbed Red by the hand and ran out into the open forest. Robby never felt more alive and Red felt like he was dying. They quickly put their paws on the blueberry and began to roll it until they were halted by the piercing sharp screech of a hawk. Both pygmy shrews were petrified with terror as they beheld the razor-tipped talons moving toward them at an alarming rate. As they had feared, death would be the result of their venture though not their own but the hawk's. Moments before the hawk collected its meal, a fox leaped out of a shadow and tore the hawk to pieces. Never before had two pygmy shrews looked upon their worst nightmare and lived to tell the tale as these two fortunate shrews. Wasting no more precious time, the two young shrews forsook the berry altogether and ran hastily back to their burrow
“We must never speak of this to anyone, Red!” Robby commanded as they raced through the brambles.
“On my honor!” Declared the hefty shrew falling behind as he ran out of breath.
Watching the two young shrews race into the burrow to hide, Robby’s mother asked, “What in the devil has gotten into you two?”
“Not the devil Mrs. Shrew but a FOX!” Red exclaimed before covering his mouth bashfully.
“A FOX?” Robby’s mother nearly fainted. “What under heaven were you two doing to encounter a fox?”
Robby tried to shush Red but he could help himself and began blabbering, “well, you see, there was this blueberry, the biggest you’ve ever seen, and it rolled beyond the hedge and there was this hawk with talons, and then a fox…”
“BEYOND THE HEDGE?” Mrs. Shrew grew a few centimeters when she shouted in disbelief.
Suddenly, another grizzled voice entered the room, “Did my ears deceive me, or was it you two went beyond the hedge that I heard?”
Red began to shiver as Old Uncle Rover entered the room preceded by his large shadow. Robby responded bravely attempting to hide the lump in his throat, “You were right Uncle Rover. We should never have gone beyond the hedge and we never will. I’m…we’re sorry uncle.”
“You’re sorry, you say,” the aged shrew mocked Robby’s affect. “Your apology will not prevent the reckoning that will come upon us when the Fox discovers our home. He will eat us all in one sitting!” He snapped.
“They are young and reckless, brother,” defended Mrs. Shrew, “have mercy on them.”
“There is no mercy from a fox,” Old Uncle Rover said solemnly before leaving the borrow. A small council had gathered around the burrow due to the commotion and mention of a fox.
“Is it true, Rover? Will a fox come here?” Asked a concerned pygmy shrew from the crowd surrounding him. Before the old timer had a chance to answer, the enormous fox leaped over the hedge into the heart of the colony and the shrew scattered.
Due to the massive size of the fox in comparison to the shrew, his voice thundered as he spoke, “Hang on! Hang on! I’m not going to eat you. I just want to talk, that’s all. Is any one of you brave enough to do that?”
“I will talk with you, Fox.” Robby the small-for-his-age shrew stepped forward among the cowering masses.
“You’re a brave one, little shrew. I admire your courage.”
“What do you want from us, sir Fox?”
“The forest is a harsh place, very difficult to survive. You’ve all managed to prosper in this secluded sanctuary. I imagine your resources will eventually dwindle if they haven’t already,” there was an air of wisdom and charm when the fox spoke that made him seem almost honest, but foxes were infamous for their trickery.
“There have been fewer insects harvested in recent days,” responded one shrew out of a burrow.
“The hedges aren’t producing as many berries as before,” answered another, causing more indistinct voices to chime in until Old Uncle Rover stepped before the Fox.
“Silence! Do not forget, Foxes are our most prominent predator. Scatter brothers and sisters while you still have a chance!” The old leader urged them all.
“IF YOU LEAVE, YOU WILL ALL BE EATEN IN SECONDS! I am trying to save your little colony in a way that will benefit us both.”
“WHY SHOULD WE TRUST YOU, FOX?”
“You shouldn’t trust any fox but you don’t have much of a choice now. If I know you are here then so do the other predators and they will all make their way over the hedge whenever they get hungry. I can protect you but there has to be something in it for me.”
“And what do you want in return for providing us with security?” Robby asked as Uncle Rover shot him a disapproving glare.
“Well, I can’t starve myself trying to protect you. I will need strength and sustenance to keep myself alive and all of you.”
“You want us to offer a sacrifice?” Uncle Rover gasped repulsively evoking the same affect from the surrounding shrews.
“Now, hear me out because I know how this sounds but I can fend for myself. I’ve kept myself alive this long and I respect your self-sufficient community here so I propose we compromise. I won’t eat you all willy-nilly whenever I feel bored, and you will have protection when you need to venture beyond the hedge for more resources. All I require is a shrew during the winter season when the resources are scarce. One or two could be the difference between life and death for me. And If I die, so do all of you.”
The shrews took in all the fox had to say and unfortunately found themselves in a very dangerous predicament. There was confusion, uncertainty, and fear, but also a strange sense of hope for the future amongst some who were more susceptible to the fox’s proposition. They requested an opportunity to convene as a community of shrews to decide on their next course of action. The noble fox offered them a few minutes because he wasn’t ready to stick out his neck for shrews who would later betray him.
The pygmy shrews were divided into two factions that were unable to agree on whether or not to believe the fox. One faction believed it was incredible the shrews would agree to willingly sacrifice one of their own to be eaten by the fox. The other faction saw it differently. They believed that disagreeing with the fox will be willfully dooming them all to be eaten by every other predator lurking in the forest. “Better the devil I know than the devil I don’t” some of the older of the second faction would say. “If one of us is going to be eaten, I’d rather it be by the one who is fighting to protect our way of life,” Robby said as the meeting adjourned. A handful of pygmy shrews decided to leave the colony and fend for themselves, while the rest stayed to reside under the protection of the fox.
“I am grateful we were able to come to an agreement,” bowed the fox. “You will find that nothing will change immediately but feel free to venture beyond the hedge whenever you need. I warn you not to go beyond where the pinecones fall. There is no protection for any of us there.” Once the fox had finished, he vanished over the hedge.
For months, the pygmy shrews did not see the fox at all. Insects were still plentiful in the earth within the hedge and the brambles produced berries of all sorts. One winter passed and none of the shrews were eaten. The next year came and resources were beginning to dwindle as the fox had predicted, so the pygmy shrews ventured outside of the hedge protection for the first time, putting the fox to the test. Reluctantly and fearfully they creeped out slowly but the forest was quiet that day and the next day after. Finally, they were confronted by a menacing crow as they hurried back to their home behind the hedge, but the cunning fox caught the crow in mid-air. The pygmy shrews cheered for their protector, the fox, but others were still frightened by him.
Some of the shrews would collect an extra portion of the harvest and leave it outside the fox’s burrow as an offering of thanksgiving, secretly hoping that it would satisfy him enough through the winter to not eat one of them. Later that winter, old Rodrick Shrew vanished while digging just beyond the hedge. This sparked a division among the shrews about the quality of their lives knowing that one day they could just be killed. Robby who was now a little older and bigger spoke against such perspectives saying, “Do we not all live like any day could be our last all throughout the year? Or is it only in the winter? We feel safer all year because the fox keeps us safe and we needn’t worry about predators.”
“You almost sound happy Old Rodrick is gone!” Old Uncle Rover accused. “We haven’t forgotten that this is all your fault, Robby.”
“I accept my fault in all of this but how many deaths am I responsible versus the deaths nature has claimed? What have we to say about those deaths? How many shrews have died from birds, sickness, or old age? We are so concerned with our own race, we forget that we are also predators who eat and kill with no consideration of our prey.”
“We eat insects, not other animals!”
“A life is a life. Hypocrisy, I say! The Fox could have easily eaten us and killed the rest of us for fun but he considered our colony and had mercy. Not only mercy but protection from our enemies for a small price that would have been taken without our consent regardless yet he asked for our consent. When was the last time you considered the colony of the earthworm and spared his life?”
“What could earthworm possibly offer me?” Asked Uncle Rover indignantly.
“What could a shrew offer a fox but a meal?” there was nothing more to say. The meeting was adjourned but the colony remained divided.
These discussions become more frequent as resources began to diminish and an elderly shrew would disappear in the winter. Year after year the colony would swing like a pendulum worshipping the fox one season and then plotting his demise another season.
One Autumn afternoon, the shrews were eating quietly within the confines of their hedge when a howl in the wind alerted them to an alarming silence. Something stopped moving as if it were stalking another creature and the weight of its body settled atop the dry leaves. Moments later a dark fox pounced snarling into the colony of shrews. It was snapping and digging into the burrows until the protector fox jumped in and attacked the darker fox. They battled a vicious and bloody fight biting at each other’s throat and legs. Finally, the darker fox decided the meal wasn’t worth the conflict and fled the arena, while the victor was celebrated by the pygmy shrews. The protector fox wobbled where it stood and attempted to lick his wound before falling over on his side. He was injured severely.
The pygmy shrew dug out a burrow big enough to hold the fox and a few motherly shrews attempted to treat his wounds with herbs and medicinal leaves. They grew worried their protector would not survive and leave them to fend for themselves the next time the malevolent fox returned.
Robby and Red went to check on the fox and he seemed to be getting better. The fox was resting but would also lick his wounds every now and again. Thankfully, he hadn’t tried to eat anyone but was satisfied to have a berry or two. As they went to report the update on the fox’s health, Old Uncle Rover was heading a meeting of like-minded pygmy shrews. “What’s going on here?” Robby asked.
“Come and chat with us boys, we have a proposition for you,” Uncle Rover invited affably. “After the fox attack, many of the shrews don’t feel safe living within the hedge anymore especially since the other fox is in critical condition.”
“What are you proposing?”
“Well, it’s only a matter of time before the fox regains his strength and eats enough of us to get back in fighting shape for a rematch. We believe the safest course of action is to kill this fox before it is fit again then move the colony to another safer location.”
“Are you mad, Uncle Rover?” Robby asked rhetorically. “Why on earth would you want to kill the fox who nearly lost his life to save us all? I don’t understand why you insist on putting us all in more danger by leaving this place without a protector.”
“The only reason the fox is saving us is because of his free winter meals! How many more is he going to take to fill his appetite? I say that is one too many. I’d rather we take our chances out in nature so we don’t always have to live in fear.”
“I think you are scared because you’re getting old and you think he’s coming for you next.”
“Unlike you, little Robby, I don’t consider only myself when making decisions for the colony,” and Uncle Rover walked away with his council.
The next morning, the fox was dead though he seemed to be getting better. The nursing shrews were perplexed. Robby and Red knew what had happened, so they gathered together their band of shrews who supported the fox and hurried to confront Old Uncle Rover. “YOU KILLED THE FOX!” Robby accused.
“How dare you make such a baseless accusation! I am your elder and uncle.”
“You are a murderer and you will have all of our blood on your hands,” cried out Red, who had a soft spot for the fox.
“We did what was necessary to have our independence from our captor,” revealed one of Uncle Rover’s council. This revelation led to a civil war between the shrews. They fought amongst themselves with sharpened twigs and all of the ferocity the pygmy shrews could muster. The battle ensued around the lifeless body of the fox some viewed him as the defender of their freedom while others saw him as the harbinger of death. Suddenly the battle was halted by the heavy snap of a twig against the leaves. All of the pygmy shrews looked in horror at the fluffy foxtail peering over the hedge as they realized the end was at hand…
