Page 74 - The Black Deer and Charlie Rabbit

72
The Black Deer and Charlie Rabbit
quickly moved away. The crown glistened and to any visiting woodland animal, the figure looked convincing. Broken rays of golden sunlight cast shadows across the hammock as the animals took up their positions and dropped from sight.
A small army of otters, Edward and Tom Badger, the two gulls, rats, weasels and rabbits were still in hiding. All of them were waiting for the mink or deer to enter and for Alfie to shout: ‘Drop!’
The minutes ticked by and Charlie’s head was pounding as he lay behind a boulder with Fay Fox. This was the evening that he’d been dreading. He was tired, and he regretted not taking a nap earlier. The mossy ground was growing colder and he longed to stand up and stretch.
A sudden flapping of wings broke the silence and Yappy Pigeon settled on the ground, cooing. At first, he strutted around pretending to forage for food, but his eyes were searching for a familiar face. He moved towards the stream where Otter whispered: ‘Psst!’ and indicated to him to get out of the way. The animals and birds were ready.