The Last Hope

Narrator Tips: The cats are lucky in that they found the foxes rather than the other way around. If the foxes had snuck up on the players’ cats, the first sign of trouble would have been the beasts charging to attack.

The number of foxes present depends on the number of players in your game (not counting the Narrator). If there are between three and five players, there are two foxes. If there are six or more players, there are three foxes. If there are only one or two players, there are at first two foxes, but as the players’ cats watch, one of the pair runs off to hunt elsewhere, leaving just a single fox. Of course, one fox is nearly twice as big as a cat.

Armed with this information, the players’ cats must again make a decision about how to proceed. To make matters more interesting, tell them that the foxes are sniffing around what seem to be very fresh rabbit tracks.

If the players ask for more information about the foxes, feel free to give them any of the information that they could have gotten in scene 13. In addition, allow the group to choose one cat to make a See Check (that can make use of the Animal Lore or Alertness Knack). If the total for this Check is 7 or higher, the cat notices that the foxes look thin and hungry. The long leaf-bare has been even tougher on them than it’s been on the Clans.

In the end, the players’ cats have three choices: attack the foxes, leave the valley and go to the highlands, or try to sneak around the foxes and keep hunting in the valley.

What Happens Next: If the players’ cats attack the foxes, continue with 9.

If the players’ cats go into the highlands, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

If the cats try to sneak around the foxes, continue with 12.

11. Misleading Tracks

Read Aloud: “Finally! Tracks! Quick, follow them—but which ones?”

Narrator Tips: The trail the players’ cats are following intersects with a collection of tracks set in a small patch of ice. These are a mix of old and new tracks that were made on a warmer day and then frozen in place when night came and the temperature dropped again.

Mostly these appear to be rabbit tracks, but there are also squirrel, raccoon, and fox tracks. This must be a spot that different creatures pass on their way to and from different locations, because the tracks come in from various directions, mingle a bit in the center, and then head off in another wide variety of directions. Improvise a scene where the cats can investigate these tracks and try to figure out which tracks are most likely to lead them to prey animals now.

In order to figure out what set of tracks to follow, the cats should each make a Ponder Check (the Animal Lore Knack can be used with this attempt) and then add their totals together to get a group total to determine which tracks they chose.

What Happens Next: If the group total was 15 or higher, continue with 3.

If the group total was 14 or lower, continue with 5.

12. Outfoxing a Fox

Read Aloud: “Those foxes have such big ears! This isn’t going to be easy.”

Narrator Tips: Be sure to tell the players that this is a very difficult thing to do. The foxes are already on alert because they are hunting. The cats can see the foxes’ ears twitching to hear every sound and see their noses twitch as they sniff every wind for a new scent. It’s not too late for the players to choose a different course of action—heading to the highlands or attacking the foxes while they’re still unaware of the cats’ presence.

If the group wishes to attempt sneaking around the foxes, have the players’ cats make a Sneak Check (which can be aided by use of the Stalk Knack). Each cat must have a total of 9 or higher in order for this plan to work. If any of the cats has a total of 8 or lower, the foxes hear the group.

What Happens Next: If the players’ cats would rather strike first and attack the foxes, continue with 9.

If the players’ cats would rather go into the highlands, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

If the players’ cats successfully sneak around the foxes, continue with 6.

If the players’ cats are unsuccessful at sneaking around the foxes, continue with 9.

13. Warning Signs

Read Aloud: “As you pass through an area of deeper snow, the tracks become clearer—but that’s not necessarily a good thing.”