Tiffs and Tempers

"Tiffs and Tempers"
Charmer, Ranger, and Whisper surround Bully
Episode Information
Series	3
Episode no.	5
UK airdate	26 October 1995
Written by	TBA
Episode Chronology
Preceded by	The Missing Fox's Friend
Succeeded by	Adventure for the Birds

Tiffs and Tempers is the fifth episode of the third series of The Animals of Farthing Wood, and it's the 31^st episode overall.

Plot

At the pond, the white deer fawns and the other animals drink nervously as they anticipate Trey's aggressive arrival. Toad introduces his new friend Spike to Fox and Vixen, much to their reasonable doubt of the rat. He says that he taught him the principles of the Farthing Wood oath, and Fox asks Spike to prove it. But before he could anxiously respond, Trey makes his entrance with threatening growls that frighten the other animals drinking at the pond. Both foxes approach to reason with him that the park is meant as sanctuary for all animals and not just his private playground, but to no avail. Hurkel and Shadow also came to tell him that the Farthing Wood animals have brought a "special gift" to the White Deer Park, so getting to understand their ideals better would unmask the kindness supposedly hidden in his heart. Trey's perspective hasn't budged at all, and in fact he got even more angry after Fox demanded that he respected the animal's right of being here.

Meanwhile, the weasels outside the park wonder where their next temporary home may be. Measley informs Weasel of a burrow that looks abandoned, and he even double checked it to confirm its vacancy. Seeming safe to move in, she leaves him with Fido and Cleo to go find food for them. But suddenly a gray striped Wildcat comes back to her dwelling to find Measley and the weasel kits there. She mentions that they're morsels ready for her to eat, but luckily she's not in the mood and gives them a chance to survive by entertaining her. Weasel returns and the Wildcat tries to attack her and the family, but Rollo heard their terrified cries and he went into the burrow to scare her away.

Back at the park near the river the rats quench their thirst when Spike returns to give his report to Bully, telling him that he's just befriended Toad. He also tells him that the Farthing Wood animals are clueless of what to do without the weasels aiding them in the rat battle. Bully is excited about the news and announces to everyone that the park will become a "private, ratty paradise." Nearby hidden in the tall grass, Adder and Sinuous discuss their course of action of how they should attack the rats. The tranquil setting is interrupted by the fleeing of rats since the foxes have executed their assault against them. The first casualty was done by Charmer on a rat named Scragg. She, Ranger and Whisper have Bully surrounded. They tell him to go back to the city sewers and get lost, but he will not back down since there would just be too many rats to kill at once, and even then there'd always be more rats coming to replace the ones that die.

On Owl's journey to find herself a handsome mate, she's constantly followed by the Moth-Eaten Rook who expresses how much he loves her despite being different species of bird. He gets tired and perches on a large tree branch in the center of a town, which Owl senses as her old home of Farthing Wood. She leaves the rook in search of a mate and he's disheartened by this, shedding a tear. The Farthing Wood animals meanwhile have assembled another meeting including Spike in it. Fox asks him what frightens rats, and he struggles to utter out the word weasel, so Whistler says it for him. Fox hates to admit it but it'd be better if the weasels were present to help deal with the rats.

Rollo comes back with a dog bowl full of food that he stole from the farmer to feed the weasels. After that, he goes and takes a nap, which leaves the weasels vulnerable to an attack from not one, but three Wildcats. The gray striped Wildcat they encountered earlier brought her sisters to eat them. Luckily, Rollo's loud snoring and growling was enough to scare them off, so the weasels are safe once again.