Essay Questions

How much time has passed and what major changes have taken place between the end of the first book about Pax and Peter and the beginning of this sequel?

The opening image of Pax running immediately informs the reader that almost an entire year has passed since the little fox last saw the inside of a cage. Much has happened in the interim, including an end to the war. Pax and his mate, Bristle, had produce three offspring and their little family unit also includes Bristle’s maimed three-legged brother. Peter has transitioned into a teenager, built a small cabin for himself on Vola’s property, and is making plans to join the Water Warriors.

What is the mission of the Water Warriors?

In the previous book which introduced Pax and Peter, a war is ravaging in the background throughout. It is never made clear exactly who is at war, much less who initiated hostilities and why; the whole point is that humans always seem to be at war with one another for reasons that are usually are not very clear. A year later, it seems the war has ended and the process of recovery has begun. The Water Warriors are trained like soldiers and equipped with some of the technology of war, but put their training and the use of that equipment to the job of detoxifying the environment which has been contaminated by the processes of battle.

What predator comes within a matter of seconds and inches of making a meal out of Pax’s beloved daughter?

Pax produces three offspring with his mate Bristle, but it is the one female—the mischievous “little vixen” who is the only kid that dares to disobey their mother—with whom he bonds the closest. Interestingly, it is she rather than either of her two brothers in whom Pax seems to see a reflection of his own personality most clearly. It is during one of her many acts of defiance against Bristle that a horned owl suddenly takes advantage of the unexpected distance between the cub and the adult fox’s protection. Pax leaps into action and catches one of the bird’s thighs just as the owl clutches the daughter within its sharp talons. Only the decision by Pax to bite hard enough to hear the satisfying crack of bone ultimately is enough to save his daughter’s life.