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« Hello Pretty! You’re up early aren’t you? »
« Hello Tolstoy, we’re looking for foxes this morning. If we see one, please keep quiet, I want to see if I can get on the right wavelength. »
Climate change has meant that daily temperatures in Lancaster can be around 30 to 40°C. Although in the early morning it’s generally much cooler, and it can sometimes be as low as 15°C. Today it’s a comfortable 19° with a cloudless sky. The only trace of noise is the abundant birdlife with its excited chirping.
KristalClear is wearing her customary blue jeans and white T shirt. Wisely, she’s chosen to wear a lightweight, windproof kagoul, and her usual riding boots.
Within the Garrison compound there’s not much grass, mainly hard baked earth, but where there is greenery there’s a hint of early morning dew and the grass is giving off a mild aroma.
Some staff are already at work near the kitchen, although generally it’s quiet. TedTalker, Tolstoy and KristalClear set off for the row of huts which includes the Innovation Lab. Walking along the inside of the perimeter, with a high fence on their left and a sizeable space to their right, it’ll be obvious if anybody, or anything, wants to move between the fence and the huts.
A wood pigeon finishes delivering its regular fanfare, and the only sound now is Tolstoy panting lightly. They walk slowly and silently, listening for traces of any movement.
Equally silent, a fox emerges from beneath one of the huts, looking the opposite way, and then glancing towards the patrol.
Instinctively Tolstoy yaps, and the fox dashes off. The fox is a bit too far away for them to tell if it was definitely at the Innovation Lab, or at one of the other huts. Everything is happening too fast to take it all in.
“Bang goes my chance,” thinks KristalClear. “and I didn’t detect anything on the wavelengths apart from Tolstoy thinking something like wow playtime!”
TedTalker has let Tolstoy off the leash already.
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