Passage from The Executioner's Daughter

I thought the following passage was significant to the story:
'Gritting her teeth, Lily pulled a stone out of the sack she had tied around her waist. "Please go," she begged. Then she shouted, "Go! Leave!" The fox jumped away from her. Lily threw the rock and then another and again and again and again until her sack was empty and the bushy tail of the fox was nowhere to be seen.'
I think this passage is important because it shows that Lily loved the fox enough to do the best for it, even if it meant getting the fox to hate her. This action is used later in the story, for more important reason. However, in the end, it shows that people will go to many lengths to do the best for those they love.