Well...foxes do run into henhouses often enough. Maybe it heard the word 'eggs' before? He reckons a fox would eat a raw egg as well as a scrambled one. All animals like eggs.

"Either way," he says aloud, "sounds like lunch plans are settled. I don't think we got any meat right now...maybe some fatback but that's not really for eatin' by itself, but if you stick around a while I'll catch us some fish."

The journey back to his place will be on the slow side, Cricket's tread uneven but sure on the rocky ground. Still, it won't be long before a small cabin comes into view. The area around it is not well-manicured, although there's a vegetable garden and a net over a stand of blackberry bushes that are probably volunteers, but they want to keep the birds and squirrels out. It's not a pretty place, all weathered with a roof of wooden shingles, but the windows are clean and the porch is swept.

"Let's get your foot cleaned up," Cricket says, nudging the door open with a toe, "And then we'll eat."