The episode with Adder had put him in a very black humour. It seemed to Scarface that every encounter with his enemies ended in frustration. He had not managed to kill the snake and he longed to give vent to his pent-up fury in some way. In his own mind Fox and his friends were to blame for everything that went wrong for him, and he seethed with anger and jealousy. His mate, his cubs and his other dependents kept well clear of him in his latest mood. They expected an eruption and went about uneasily, scarcely conversing, and wished the storm would break. On the night of Ranger’s altercation with Charmer’s family, the cub returned to find Scarface’s tribe gathered to listen to their scion’s intentions. He slunk to the back of the group when his father was looking aside. ‘I can wait no longer,’ Scarface was saying. ‘These creatures are a threat to us all as long as they live. I intend to dispose of every one of them. We will attack them in the daylight hours when they are unguarded.
