Gou & Pil [English]

Gou and Pil: The Two Little Foxes

One day, in the neighborhood where the adventures of Ronnie Rabbit took place,* a couple of foxes raised two twins—Gou, the lively one, and Pil, the follower. *Ronnie Rabbit: You can read this storybook at http://www.yanpetro-kavlan.fr/432674572.

For a month the mother fox suckled her two twins in a den hidden under the roots of a several-hundred-year-old olive tree. Meanwhile, the father fox helped his mate by hunting.

Gradually, the feeding of the fox kits changes. The parents bring them food in the den. The little foxes begin to go outside and play; but they stay close by, under the watchful eye of their mother.

After about nine weeks the foxes are no longer nursed by their mother. She has weaned them. Now they eat meat, fruits, and some plants.

Time has passed. The twins aren’t babies anymore. They’ve become young foxes. They only think of playing.

In the coming months their parents will have to teach them a lot. The two young foxes don’t always pay attention. Sometimes the father fox has to scold the little devils.

This evening, the mother fox wants to show her twins how a fox must hunt. She shows the way. The little ones don’t take it seriously. Nevertheless, they obey their mother and follow her.

The mother and her young ones climb to the top of the hill where food can be found. Their den is at the bottom of the valley beyond the reach of man. Other animals do the same. A whole family of wild boar pass in front of them.

For foxes these aren’t enemies, but they must stay alert anyway.

The twins obey their mother, but they can’t stay serious. Along the way they continue to frolic about. Everything is new to them, because all they know is the neighborhood of their den.

Their parents protect the twins from danger. The young foxes aren’t aware of everything that threatens their safety. To cross the path, you have to pick the right moment and do it quickly.

Going under a fence and slipping into a hedge is very easy.

Following their mother under cover of the hedge is no problem.

The mother fox knows that starting now, having reached a large cistern,* things become more complicated because the hunt begins. She turns to her twins to make sure they know to follow her. On top of the cistern two magpies stand guard.

As the mother fox slowly passes the cistern on the left, the young ones—who didn’t understand after all—veer off to the right and start climbing the ivy hedge to reach the top of the cistern.

The mother fox looks ahead to watch for danger and possibly to surprise some prey. She can no longer see her little ones.

The two brothers, for their part, manage to reach the rim of the cistern. They’re drawn to the magpies, but the birds have already seen them.

On the ground a third bird is drinking. The mother fox spots it and sneaks up.

The fox rushes to the magpie on the ground. Too late! The birds on top of the cistern have already given a warning.

The three birds fly off in a powerful beating of wings.

The flight of the three magpies, just above the twins, throws the young foxes off balance.

The twins fall, screaming in fright.

They lie motionless at the bottom of the cistern.

The mother fox tries to understand what just happened.

Everything is now silent. She must retrace her steps.

She thought she would find her little ones behind her, but she can only find their track thanks to her sense of smell.

The trail is fresh and the mother fox easily follows the scent of her little ones. She climbs as they did onto the cistern.

From the rim at the exact spot where Gou and Pil fell, the mother fox discovers the catastrophe.

Her two little ones are motionless. She knows that jumping into the cistern, to be with her twins, would be falling into a fatal trap. She gently calls to Gou and Pil.

The little ones come to. They hear the reassuring voice of their mother and answer her.

Her presence comforts them a little. They explore the bottom of the cistern. They search, they scratch, they sniff at the gate where water flows out of the cistern. But they realize they can’t get out of this horrible trap. Their claws wear down from scratching uselessly at the hard concrete.

All their efforts are in vain. Exhausted by their terrible mishap, they snuggle up to each other and end up falling asleep in the dark. Their mother takes refuge nearby, in a hidden corner of the hedge. The night passes by slowly.

Far from the comfort of their den, the twins slept badly. The aches caused by their fall and nightmares woke them up very often. Gou, the active one, begins to stir.

He gets up and cries out in anguish while Pil remains asleep. A reply comes from outside. Their mother is still there, hidden nearby in the hedge.

In the depths of their prison Gou and Pil are now both awake, and the voice of their mother comforts them. But they begin to suffer from thirst. They no longer have saliva to groom their fur.

Here is the setting in which this adventure is happening: 1) The cistern that Gou and Pil fell into. Front left. 2) The yucca hedge where the mother fox is hiding. On the left following the hedge. 3) Two rows of beans. In the middle of the garden. 4) Rows of grapevines and some leafless trees. On ea...

Next to the beans, a pair of blackbirds peck quietly.

Finally something happens. The blackbirds fly away, alarmed by the arrival of a man and a boy.

Is this a good omen for Gou and Pil? Men and foxes aren’t always friends.

Grandfather Petchyo and his grandson Antchyo drive stakes and stretch string along the row of beans. Held in place by string like this, the bean plants won’t be blown down by the wind.

The work continues, but after a while the grandfather realizes he’s working alone.

Antchyo left without making a sound. Petchyo is worried. “But where did Antchyo go?”

“Antchyo, where did you go? Do you want to play already? Our work isn’t done yet!”

“Petchyo, I'm here, by the cistern. Come see!”

Petchyo joins his grandson beside the cistern. “Petchyo, I heard little cries.” “Well, let's take a look.”

Antchyo and Petchyo search.

“The cries are getting weaker and weaker.” “Petchyo, they’re coming from inside the cistern.”

From the rim on top, Petchyo and Anchyo spy the two frightened captives at the bottom of the cistern. They can’t believe their eyes.

“It’s not possible.” “We can’t leave them here.”

“Yes, but how can we save them?” “By fetching a ladder?” “No. The most important thing right now is to get them some water.”

“We’ll use our ball of string and the birds’ watering dish.” “Good idea, Petchyo!”

“As you saw, the little ones are very frightened.” The bowl is level on the floor of the cistern.

“That's good, Antchyo, but from here it's hard to fill the bowl.” “Let me do it, Petchyo, I have a good aim.”

“Well done, Antchyo! Now they won’t die of thirst.” “Yes, but they’re so frightened, they’re afraid to come to the bowl.” “We should leave them alone for a while.”

“Let's go back and work on our beans and think about the best way to get them out of there.” “We could go down into the cistern with a ladder.” “It’s a thought, but catching two wild animals and holding onto them would be difficult. They’re so stressed that their reactions would be unpredictable. Th...

This sledgehammer gives me an idea!

“Petchyo, are you thinking of making a hole in the cistern?” “Yes, this sledgehammer will help. But first, we have to get things ready.”

“Antchyo, you can give me that cypress branch.” “I’ve attached it with the string.”

“The cypress branch against the inside wall will protect the foxes.” “They’re going to be very afraid.” “But they have nothing to lose.”

“Watch out! We’ll see if this concrete is solid.” “I'm a little bit afraid.” “Stay behind me.”

“The hole is still too small.” “We have to make it bigger.”

“I’ll fetch the cypress branch. Now they’ll be able to get out.” “Yes, but they’re so frightened.” “Patience! Let’s move away!”

“The coast is clear.” “From the shed in the woods we’ll be able to see what happens”.

“Let’s climb the tree so we can see without being seen.” “I’ll get the binoculars from the shed.”

“From here the we have a perfect view.” “The binoculars will be useful.”

“Right now, nothing’s happening.” “We have to be patient.”

“Meanwhile, Antchyo, imagine how this story might unfold.” “Gou and Pil would be stuck in the cistern forever.” “Do you think they could survive?”

“You realize, these poor little animals would die of thirst.” “But Petchyo, would they have been found?” “Yes, maybe...but only their skeletons with the remains of their fur.”

“That’s too sad!” “That’s true. It’s better to understand as soon as possible that nature is neither good nor bad, and that carelessness can lead to a fatal accident.” “Petchyo, something’s moving in the yucca bushes!”

“A fox has come out, and another one is following.” “Those are the parents of Gou and Pil. They were well hidden there.”

“They’re getting close to the hole.” “Here, Petchyo, take a look!”

“We can’t hear them from here, but they’re calling their little ones.” “I’m taking the binoculars to get a better look.”

“It’s working ! The little ones are coming out through the hole.”

“The family is together again.” “In Hollywood, it’s what they call a happy ending.”

“All’s well that ends well!” “For these foxes, thanks to your good ear, that’s true. But for all the prey that they’ll hunt and eat during their lifetime, this ending is less happy.”

Traduction anglaise: Les Ker Scénario: Antonin & Jean-Pierre Aquarelles : KAVLAN Numérisation : KAVLAN http://www.yanpetro-kavlan.fr/433462919 Copyleft yanpetro-kavlan.fr 2017-10-01

Derniers commentaires

03.07 | 08:31

Comptez sur moi. Il n'y en a qu'une et j'y tiens…

03.07 | 07:58

Prends soin de Juliette.🥰🥰🥰

03.07 | 07:45

Le voyage a été excellent. Le retour beaucoup moins mais ça y est pour moi, depuis hier je me sens guéri après 4 jours bien malade. Juliette me suis à 48h près elle est encore dans le dur. Je veille…

03.07 | 06:30

Coucou
Superbe cette escapade ! Charmant pays fleuri
et une architecture splendide. De vrais découvertes ces petits voyages. Cela réveille notre appétence pour ces aventures.
Bon rétablissement !!