DISCLAIMER: THIS IS AN ANIMALS OF FARTHING WOOD FAN SITE AND IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH COLIN DANN OR THE BBC ANIMATED SERIES

With Fox leading them again, the animals of Farthing Wood carried on their journey more bravely - until they saw a motorway.    "We'll never cross that," groaned Toad. The road hadn't been finished when he had come that way before.    "There's a traffic jam on this side," said Fox. "We can make it to the middle." And then they heard the huntsman's horn.

"The hounds are still coming after us,"cried Badger, so the startled animals scampered through the line of cars.    "Look!" shrieked a small boy peering from a car window. "Wild animals crossing the road!"     "Stop making up stories," said his mother.

The animals reached the centre of the motorway, coughing from traffic fumes. There were not many cars on the other side - but they were going fast. Whistler, the heron, could carry the small animals, but the rest would have to run.    Poor hedgehogs! When they heard a car coming, they rolled up into balls, baring their prickles at the fast- approaching wheels. The other animals shouted at them to run, but the hedgehogs' instincts were too strong. "They were so brave," sniffed mother rabbit. "Now they will never see White Deer Park."  "But they would wants us to go on," said Fox after a long silence.   "Come on, everybody."

"Thank goodness we're away from that horrible motorway," said Mole. "Back to nice fields again."    "The grass is so fresh and green-looking," said Mother Rabbit hungrily. "Not like that dry dirty brown stuff by the road. Eat up, darlings," The baby rabbits hopped towards the juicy grass stalks.    "Stop!" barked Fox, making the rabbits jump. "I scent danger here."    For the first time, the animals noticed that the silence was more than just peace after the noise of the motorway. No birds were singing. No insects were humming. Nothing was moving. Then, in the distance, they heard the roar of farm machinery.    "They're spraying the fields!" cried Badger. "If you rabbits eat that grass you'll be poisoned!"     "Why do humans poison the fields?" asked a baby rabbit.

"I've no idea,"said her father, pulling her away from the danger.    "Humans do strange things," said Owl as the animals hurried from the fields, their tummies rumbling.    "Some of them are good," pointed out Badger. "They do make us some safe places to live in, away from the cars and farmers."    "Hurry up, everyone," called Toad.