Ranger quotes from The Animals of Farthing Wood

Ranger

[about Hurkel] Did you see him? Was he unkind to those rats or wasn't he!

Bold

Don't worry! I don't mean you any harm! I'm just having a look round!

Ranger

Then you shouldn't be looking around here.

Bold

Why not?

Ranger

Stay on your own land!

Bold

White Deer Park is my land. I was born here, same as you. What's your name?

Ranger

My friends call me Ranger.

Bold

I'm Bold.

Ranger

Oh, I can guess why they call you that, stranger!

Bold

Hehe, yeah. Listen, you and me... we don't have to quarrel, do we? Just because our parents have quarreled? We can still be friends! What do you say?

Scarface

You're going to regret trespassing on my land.

Ranger

Hi there.

Charmer

Don't come any closer. I'm on Farthing Land!

Ranger

Would I hurt anything so lovely? What's your name?

Charmer

Charmer.

Ranger

I can see why.

Charmer

What's yours?

Ranger

My friends call me Ranger.

Charmer

Are you Scarfaces son?

Ranger

Sure. Look, don't blame me. I didn't choose my parents, neither did you.

Charmer

I wouldn't have chosen any different.

Ranger

But we don't need to let their quarrel come between us, do we?

Charmer

What do you mean? How can we be friends? We even look different.

Ranger

But we feel the same, don't we?

Charmer

I don't know. You must understand I'm a Farthing fox, I'm bound by the oath.

Ranger

Ah, the oath. I've heard about that. You all swear to protect one another. Well, surely that was just your parents!

Charmer

Once a Farthing fox, always a Farthing fox.

Scarface

(About Bounder's death) It was something to do with that Farthing Wood lot. I feared it in my bones!

Lady Blue

So, those common red foxes haven't the gall to fight us face to face! They're hoping to exterminate us one by one.

Ranger

You don't know that Mum!

Lady Blue

I most certainly do.

Ranger

How?

Lady Blue

Because we would like to exterminate them.

Ranger

This is crazy! I thought we were looking for a snake. Wouldn't it be easier if we just made peace with the Farthing foxes? You know, live together in harmony?

Scarface

Wimp! All this peace talk makes you sick! The boy's yellow, that's his trouble.

Ranger

I may have done something really terrible. Do you have an Adder in your company?

Charmer

Yes, why?

Ranger

Did she kill Bounder?

Charmer

Yes, I'm sorry Ranger. It was meant to be... your father.

Ranger

So it was no accident... my father was right! Bounder's death was part of a plot against us! Well then, I'm glad I told him!

Charmer

What? What did you tell him?

Ranger

I told him where to find your precious snake! (walks off)

Charmer

You told Scarface? Oh no! But Adder saved my mother's life! He musn't hurt her!

Ranger

She would've killed my father!

Ranger

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run away like that.

Charmer

And I was selfish. You were bound to be upset about your father.

Ranger

What hope is there for us?

Charmer

There must be some - My father has agreed to meet you.

Ranger

What?

Charmer

If you'll meet him...

Fox

So you're Scarface's famous son.

Ranger

Not as famous as you sir.

Fox

Flattery will get you nowhere.

Ranger

Sorry, I didn't mean-

Fox

Your own father is famous too. Scarface... I think you honour your father.

Ranger

Yes sir.

Fox

Suppose your father attacked Charmer. Whose side would you fight on?

Charmer

That isn't fair!

Vixen

That is hard Fox.

Fox

It's what he has to face.

Ranger

Sir, I've thought about this a good deal. If it came to an all out scrap between your family and mine, I wouldn't fight against you, but I wouldn't fight for you either.

Fox

Well at least he's honest. I suppose we've got to make do with that.

Charmer

Oh thank you Father!

Fox

You haven't got my blessing. Not yet.

Ranger

Thank you sir. I'll keep my side of the bargain, you can be sure of that!

Fox

It may come to that.

Fox

Bargain? What bargain? I haven't made a bargain with him! Others credit me with more than I deserve.

Vixen

Oh no.

Fox

The famous fox from Farthing Wood? Huh!

Ranger

It's only me. Where's Charmer?

Friendly

I'm on watch now. State your business!

Ranger

I... I have something to tell you. There's going to be an attack.

Friendly

Huh! I don't believe you.

Ranger

But it's true! When I got back to our earth, I heard my father planning it. I came to warn you!

Friendly

Now why would you do that?

Ranger

Because of Charmer. I beg you to keep her safe.

Friendly

Who from? You?

Ranger

I won't attack her. I told you. I won't fight with Farthing Land but I won't fight against it either.

Friendly

Hah! The word of a blue fox isn't worth very much.

Ranger

I can't stay much longer. If my father found me here he'd kill me. Just promise me. Promise you'll go back and tell your father so he can prepare. It's the best I could do for you. It can't hurt to pass on a message surely.

Friendly

And how do I know you aren't telling me all this just to get rid of me, so your family can cross this boundary onto our land?

Ranger

I'll go. Then you'll see there's no one following me.

Bully

Who am I? WHO AM I?!

Ranger

We don't care who you are. Get lost!

Fox

[about the rats] Remember, there's too many of them to make this an all-out fight. Just kill about... 6 each.

Ranger

10!

Fox

6! We'll come back again tomorrow night, and again the next, and again, and again, if necessary.

Ranger

I'm gonna kill ten!

Did you win?

Vixen

I think we won, didn't we fox?

Fox

No we didn't win.

Ranger

We did win, we did! The Badgers must have killed fifty rats each! And Adder, and Sinuous, they were magnificent!

Fox

It doesn't matter how many times we attack Bully and his rats, we will never be able to kill enough of them.

Whisper

Oh I'm sure we will.

Charmer

Yes, of course we will. [licks right paw as it's been bitten by rats]

Fox

[shakes head] There's too many of them, and more all the time. Every hole in the forest has a rat's nest in it. Litters of healthy new young, born every few minutes. They grow to fighting size between one full moon and the next. More, more all the time.

Charmer

Adder? Are you all right?

Adder

How many rats have you killed today?

Ranger

Well, none actually.

Adder

None? None!? I've killed a hundred! More! Many More! I've emptied their nests! They killed my Sinuous! And I'll kill all of them, every one!

Ranger

Look, there's the warden!

Bully

What's 'e doin'?

Bully

I said 'e would didn't I? And he 'as, he must think we're stupid! [throws stone at Warden's head]

OWW! That'll show you! [throws stone back at the rats]

Owh! [stone has hit him on the nose]

Get out of my park, you filthy little monsters.

Bully

Wasn't that a good game, eh?

Game? Is it bleeding?

Bully

He was only playing, humans is always playing games. Oi, I'm forgetting, 'e left us poison!

Bully

Any creature what eats that poison, dies dead, foxes, toads, anything what walks, crawls or flies, dies!

The Warden's wasting 'is time, don't 'e know some of us have got immunity, Heheh.

Bully

You! What do you know! You was nothing before I found you, living in a sewer!

Uhhh...

Bully

I brought you here to this lovely park of mine! [realises the overlarge rat is dead] Funny, must 'ave 'ad a weak 'eart.

Toad

I can hear him!

Spike

So can I! Ah!

Charmer

Shall I ask them?

Ranger

Well if you don't I'll spend all day wondering what all this was all about.

Charmer

Toad? We don't mean to interrupt, but what are you and your ratty friend doing?

Spike

It's a game, a very serious game.

Toad

That's right matey! Demanding great intelligence, we have to guess where Mossy Mole will come up!

Spike

He'll come up here!

Toad

Here, This is it! He'll come up here! Any moment!

Spike

[laughs] Here! He'll come up here!

Mossy

Ready or not, here I am! [next to Ranger]

Ranger

Does this mean I win the game?

Mossy

You Win! Ranger's Champion, he wins!

Ranger

I want to hear Toad say it.

Toad

[sighs] You win.

Ranger

[chuckles] That's quite made my day! Ha ha, ha, ha.