I walk fast – my dog expects nothing else. We’ve covered many long miles of the North Downs together and seen remarkable secrets of the wild world. But sometimes, the surprise comes when you pause for breath.

What stilled me was this: a beautiful blackening waxcap. It’s not an uncommon find in this area in autumn but I’ve never seen one such a brilliant buttercup-yellow before.

The grass has so many stories, but I was while reading them, something else was trying to read me.

This is Sooty, the famous alpha vixen of a fox family whom I call the Gatekeepers. This is why.

She watched me from the west, and her mate watched me from the east.

Bookends.

My dog and I were the story being considered between them. Just a small note as the evening gathers pace.