The snare isn’t well-made. That’s the first thing that Fala figures out. It should actually be fairly easy to get off, so he turns to Aisha and tells her, “alright. I need a branch. I need a very sturdy branch.”
“Right!” Aisha takes flight again. She swops about Tabe’s head, and then Fala’s head, and then heads off towards the nearby cluster of scrawny trees. “I’ll get you one right now!”
As soon as the bird is gone, Tabe sinks her head back down onto the ground. The fox glances at Fala. “Okay. She’s gone now. Tell me the truth. It’s bad, right?”
“Oh, don’t be such a rut,” huffs Fala. He snorts, scraping one front paw over the hard packed earth. “I just said I could get it right off, didn’t I?”
Tabe’s eyes are dark and sad. “Why?”
“What?”
“Why? Why are you bothering to help me?”
“Because she asked me too,” says Fala, with a huff. “And because she’s gonna help me out when we’re all done here. I’m looking for something, and that seabird is going to help me find it. The winged rat already knows where it’s at, don’t ye know?”
Tabe doesn’t look convinced. She lets out a heavy sigh before looking away. “I don’t think you should listen to Aisha.”
Before Fala can ask anything else, Aisha comes back over, clutching a thick and sturdy branch in her claws. She drops it in front of Fala. “Here,” says Aisha. “You can free Tabe now, right?”
“Och, that I can.” Fala grabs the branch in his maw and then walk over to the trapped foot. It’s a tight fit and probably scrapes a bit, but Fala is able to wedge the wood between metal and flesh. With a bit of patience, grit teeth, and hard work, the Scottish Terrier is able to completely free the Arctic Fox from the human trap!
Aisha trills in excitement. She swoops down, landing on Tabe’s shoulders and then flying up again; landing on Tabe’s head and then alighting back into the air. The fox shakes her back leg a few times before joining her friend in revelry, prancing and limping about with joy.
Fala laughs himself, waiting a few moments to give the friends a bout of celebration. When it becomes clear that it’s not going to die down any time soon, he clears his throat a few times. “Now,” he says, once everyone’s attention is directed onto him. “About that favor you owe me?”
Katelynn E Koontz – Author
