Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yo, Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast.
My name's Josephine and I'm here to share a wonderful
new animal story written especially for you. There are new
stories every Monday and Wednesday, with a new premium story
every Friday. Details on how to become a Premium memberer
(00:33):
and the text that accompanies this episode. Remember for a
tiny fee, it's advert free. Isabel is from the UK
and she would like a story featuring a fox and
a wolf. You can learn more about these creatures in
the animal facts after the story. Now settle back, relax,
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and I'll begin the Wolf and the Fox. The first
time Isabel the wolf cub met a fox, it had
been completely by accident. Isabel had been playing with the
other wolf pups. The pups liked to bite and wrestle
each other, which was enjoyable but tiring. The adult wolves
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were still out hunting, so, neading a break from her
brothers and sisters, Isabel decided to take a short walk instead.
After all, she knew the forest around the den like
she knew the back of her pow, so there was
no way she'd get lost, and no animals would mess
with her either. One whiff of wolf would send them running.
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Isabel wandered towards the old fallen pine tree down by
the river. She'd been here before with her den mates,
and the older wolves had taught the cubs how to
reach up and clean their claws on the trees bark.
She was curious to see how much higher she could
reach now she'd gronesome more, which was probably why she
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wasn't paying proper attention as she arrived at the fallen tree.
You see, Isabel wasn't alone. The fallen tree was hollow,
and crouched within the opening was a red fox. Her
golden eyes grew wide when she spotted the gray wolf.
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Isabel may have been young, but she was almost as
big as the fox. Hello, said Isabel, nervously. She'd not
been this close to another animal without her family around before.
The fox, though, was also nervous, glancing around quickly as
it searched for any other wolves that might suddenly appear.
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Don't worry, it's just me, Isabel said, hoping to put
the fox at ease. Well that's a relief, the fox replied,
before leaping from the tree hollow and disappearing into the bushes.
Isabel watched as the leaves shook where the fox had
made her exit. Had she done wrong? Had she scared
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it away? But Isabel's worries were short lived. Now alone,
she was soon distracted by the claw marks on the
tree's side. In no time, she was stretching up to
see how far she could reach the fox forgotten. The
second time Isabel met the fox, it went a little better.
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She was exploring again on her own. It was something
she enjoyed, so she found herself doing it more and
more often. She was amongst the skinny silver birch trees
when she spotted a flash of red through the low
branches the fox. Not wanting to spook the animal again,
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Isabel made sure to tread heavily. She hoped that the
noise would help the fox realized that she was coming
her way, and it worked. Instead of running, the fox
stayed still beside a tree stump. She'd discovered. It was
covered in mushrooms, and her mouth was currently full of
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the brown caps. When the fox noticed it was Isabel,
she dropped the mushrooms to allow herself to speak. Go away,
She said, I saw these first. Oh that's okay, I
don't want them Isabel said, but I do want to
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say sorry for the other day. I didn't mean to
scare you away. The fox's tail fluffed up slightly in annoyance.
I wasn't scared, the fox huffed. You just surprised me,
that's all. Well, I'm sorry about surprising you, then, said Isabel.
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She wasn't one to argue. The fox grunted and turned
back to digging up her mushrooms. Isabel, though, didn't leave.
Are you always out on your own? Isabel asked, Of course,
the fox replied. Foxes spend most of their time alone.
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Isabel thought of her pack. Although she had strayed from
them for the moment, she couldn't imagine being a part
nearly all the time. Why are you out here on
your own, the fox asked. Aren't wolves usually in noisy packs? Oh?
I have a pack, said Isabel, and they are very noisy.
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I'd just like to go for walks sometimes. The fox, though,
was only half listening. She was staring at her bounty
of mushrooms and trying to decide how to carry so
many at once. That's nice, she said, Well, I must
be going things to do alone. Oh I see, said Isabel,
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with disappointment. My name's Isabel, by the way. The fox paused,
thinking for a moment. I'm Amber, she said at last.
Then she bent down, scooped up as many mushrooms as
she could, and disappeared into the woods. The third time
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Isabel met Amber was very different. Isabel had had a
bad morning. One of the other cubs had bitten her
tail whilst playing, and it had really hurt, so instead
of playing, she had decided to get away from them
all by just having a peaceful walk. She was circling
a prickly holly bush when she heard a low wine
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echo through the trees. It sounded as if some one
was in trouble. Using her sharp hearing, Isabel moved towards
the source of the noise. She jumped over tree roots
and ducked under branches, coming out on top of a
rocky surface with a split running across it. Carefully, the
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wolf cub approached the edge of the split and found
herself looking down into a narrow pit. The red fox
was at the bottom of it. Amber. Isabel cried, what
are you doing down there? The fox looked up with
a dirty, tired face. She'd clearly been stuck for a
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while little wolf, she said, you have found me again.
Do you need help? Isabel asked the fox, hesitated to answer.
She was proud of being able to look after herself
all alone, and yet she was in trouble. I would,
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she admitted, yes? Please. Isabel wasn't sure what to do,
though she'd never rescued anyone before. Nearby, lying on the
forest floor was a sturdy looking branch. She remembered a
branch falling into the mouth of the den where her
pack slept, and the cubs taking turns to climb it
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before sliding into the den again. Could she try something
like that here? Grabbing the branch with her teeth, Isabel
dragged it to the pit. Watch out, she called. As
the branch tipped into the hole, it was just long enough.
Using the wood like a ladder, Amber was able to
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claw herself up to freedom, but as the fox got
to the top, the old branch began to break. Amber yelped,
fearing another fall, but Isabel was able to grab her
by the scruff of her neck and drag her free.
That was close, Isabel said, Staring back into the hole,
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Amber shook the dirt from her russet fur. It was
she said, thank you for getting me out, no problem,
Isabel replied with a smile, that's what friends are for.
I I don't think it would be smart for us
to be friends. Amber said quietly. You've been very nice,
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the nicest wolf I've ever met. But you and I
were just too different, and like I said, foxes like
to be alone. Isabel's tail drooped. Oh, she said, well, ok,
it was nice to see you all the same and you,
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Amber replied, before turning away. Thanks again. Isabel couldn't help
but feel disappointed. She thought that the two of them
had got on fine. It was nice being around someone
who wasn't looking to playfully bite her tail. Thinking of
her playmates made Isabel realize that she had been gone
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for quite some time, so turning tail, she ran back home,
pushing thoughts of the red Fox to the back of
her mind. Two weeks passed in which Isabel saw no
sign of the familiar red fox. She guessed Amber had
moved on, gone to a different part of the forest,
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and while she hadn't known her for very long, she
found that she missed her. Isabel went out almost daily
now for her walks. She explored, found new smells and peace,
and quiet away from the noise of the den. The
other wolves thought she was odd for doing so, but
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never objected or teased her. She loved them for it.
They might be loud and rough at times, but they
did care about her. On this day, Isabel was walking
along an old badger track when she thought she saw
movement beyond the bracken. Could it be She heard a
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grunt and saw a flash of red. It just had
to be Amber. Without thinking, she sprinted forward, too excited
to slow down. The young wolf burst through the bracken
with a cry of where have you been? I've been
looking for you. It was the fox, but when she
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met Amber's wide eyes, Isabel faltered. They were in a
space between two thick roots of an old oak tree,
and in front of them was an enormous, grisly bear.
The fur along Isabel's back stood up. The bear grunted,
then let out a low, vibrating growl. This was an
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animal that could tangle with a wolf, and Isabel wasn't
even fully grown. What do we do, she whispered to Amber.
Don't move. Amber murmured back, It'll be okay, Just stay
right there. The bear's attention switched from fox to wolf
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to fox to wolf. Amber picked her moment then, as
a streak of red leapt the tree root and was gone.
Isabel was alone with the gigantic bear. Amber had left her.
Isabel couldn't believe it, and after she'd helped her too,
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the fox had run. The moment she had a chance,
the bear took a step forward, making Isabel win her.
She didn't dare turn her back on the bear. After all,
Amber had told her not to run, and yet Amber had.
The bear growled as it moved closer, trying to pin
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the wolf against the tree. There was nowhere to go,
but before he could lunge at her, a blur of
gray and red surged over the tree roots, forcing her
to duck down low. Snarling and snapping made her look
up to see her wolf pack stood between her and
the bear, and right in the middle leading the way
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was Amber. The bear had already taken many steps back
in surprise, but now realizing he was outnumbered and not
wanting to fight, the bear fled into the shadow of
the trees. Suddenly, Isabel's pack was surrounding her, comforting her,
sniffing her to make sure she was all right. She
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laughed partly with relief and partly because their noses tickled.
I can't believe you try to take on a bear,
one of her brothers said, you're lucky. The fox told
us where you were, said a sister. Isabel looked up
to see Amber stood off to one side, watching, Pushing
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past her pack, Isabel went to join her. Thank you,
she said, that could have been nasty. Well you did
save me once Amber smiled. Isabel smiled back, and also
Amber continued taking a deep breath. That's what friends are for.
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Isabel's ears perked up. Do you mean that, she said,
sounding delighted. I do, Amber laughed. I really have liked
talking to you. Even your pack seems really nice. I've
always been wary of wolves, but well you wore me down.
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Isabel jumped for joy, her tail wagging excitedly. You could
come back and play with us if you like, Isabel suggested,
as she noticed the pack slipping away. Amber grimaced. I
think that's too much for a loner like me, she said.
She caught Isabel's disappointed expression, so swiftly added, but I
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suppose you and I could hang out together for a while.
I'd like that, grinned Isabel. And so began the most
unlikely friendship in the whole of the forest. Animal fact,
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foxes and wolves are both part of the dog family.
Red foxes are the most successful of that group, being
found across much of the globe. Although our story suggest
that Amber lives alone, they often live in pairs or
small family groups. Gray wolves were once common across the
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Northern hemisphere, although thousands of years of living alongside humans
has seen their numbers shrink dramatically. Although they live in packs,
lone wolves do occur. This can happen when the pack
grows too large. A lone wolf will go in search
of another smaller pack to live with, or to find
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another lone wolf to begin a new pack. Thank you
for your suggestions, Isabel. We hope that you all enjoyed
the story. Wherever you're listening in the world. We collect
our stories into books, adding new titles regularly. If you'd
like to read them for yourself, do take a look
on Amazon. Make sure you join us next time for
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another great animal tale. Goodbye,