Butterfingers Page 3

  "Will you be quiet, Tuff! No point worrying about what we can't change, is there, Ned dear? It's not for the likes of us. As for that cloud, it'll go in its own good time, I guess, like everything does."

  "That's where you're wrong, you silly mare," snapped Tuff suddenly. "That's a magic cloud, that is."

  Ned leaned against Dilly's soft body and stroked her ears. "I can't stop worrying."

  "Darned right to be worried," said Tuff. "There's some kind of monster out there, destroying everything and—"

  "What kind of monster is it?" asked Ned.

  "Well. . . it can fly . . . I don't know . . . it might be a d—"

  Dilly gave a nervous little hrrumph.

  "No idea, lad," said Tuff quickly. "Tell you straight – and I never thought I'd say this – I'll be glad when those noisy knights and horses are back and things get busy round here again."

  "Do you think they will be back?" asked Ned.

  "Who knows? Who knows, Ned, lad?" Tuff sat down and started scratching. It always made him feel better.

  "There's no one left but us," said Ned. "There's nothing else for it." He took the golden ball out of his pocket. "Look what I've got."

  Tuff leaped to his feet, yapping. "Bless my tail!" he said. "What's our foolish Ned done this time? You've not gone and stolen the princess's ball?"

  "Not stolen it. Taken it – for the princess," said Ned. He stood up straight and, perhaps for the first time, he didn't look dreamy and he didn't look clumsy. He fixed his eyes first on Dilly and then on Tuff. "We have to go and save the Princess Bella," he said.

  NED'S ARMOUR

  AT NED'S WORDS, DILLY STIRRED UNEASILY AND TUFF STARTED TO HOP ABOUT IN EXASPERATION. "We save a princess?" he barked. "Who do you think we are? Knights?"

  "Now you're not thinking straight, Ned dear," said Dilly. "The likes of us can't do anything. We're not part of the court."

  "I'm going, Dilly. I've got to go."

  "And how are you going to save her?" asked Tuff scornfully. "You got a plan, lad?"

  "Er . . ." said Ned.

  "Thought not. Now, you listen here . . ."

  But Ned didn't stop to listen. He went to the corner of the stable where he kept his knapsack with his few belongings and started to search around for a water bottle. Tuff trotted back and forth crossly, but Ned took no notice. The dog then went up to Dilly and said gruffly: "Downright stupid! Needs his head sorting! Needs an early night! Needs a talking-to!"

  "I think he's set on it," said Dilly in a soft, worried voice.

  "Well count me out! He can go on his own!" barked Tuff. "He's come to this silly idea on his own, ain't he? Well, he can sort it on his own. Why, he ain't even got a plan."

  Ned had disappeared into the kitchen. The cook was dozing in a chair by the window, making little snuffling noises. No one else was about. He crept past her and went into the pantry. Very quietly he smuggled out three large loaves of bread and some apples and cheese. There was a big pie on the shelf. Could he take that? It was worth a try. Oh, and some very nice looking buns.

  When Ned came back to the stables, Tuff was scowling. The dog and the pony watched him searching about in a corner, muttering to himself: "This might come in useful – oh, look what Sir Fayn left behind on the floor. Ah, more bits left by Sir Thorns . . . all very handy for when the time comes."

  "What's the great lummox up to now?" wondered Tuff.

  Ned had dressed himself in the odd bits of armour that the knights had discarded in favour of larger, stronger pieces. Over his old jerkin he wore a strange bent breastplate that did not do up; he also had a single gauntlet, one elbow and one knee protector and a huge leather belt. Into this he stuffed his own small knife, which he used for whittling wood and paring apples, then he picked up a strong stick and held it like a lance. He came forward into the light, feeling strong and knight-like, and was astonished to see Tuff rolling about on the floor in helpless laughter.

  He looked at Dilly. Even she had a small smile on her face.

  "Be quiet, Tuff," said Ned crossly. "You never know, I might need protection."

  Strange little wheezy noises came from TufFs throat. Eventually he stopped rolling about and sat up, blinking away his tears of laughter. "Think those odd bits of armour are going to help, do you, lad?"

  "Very sensible, I'm sure, dear," said Dilly kindly.

  "Well," said Ned, "sensible or not, I'm going to save the princess."

  Tuff stopped laughing and got to his feet. Ned picked up his knapsack. He looked at the dog and the pony and they looked back. Nobody spoke. Then he checked that the golden ball was safely in his pocket and headed for the stable door.

  Dilly started to follow him.

  "Where you going?" asked Tuff excitedly, running round the pony's legs.

  "If Ned goes, I go. You can come or not. Up to you, dear," said Dilly.

  "Don't you go pushing me out the way, you old mare," snapped Tuff. "If Ned goes, we goes – I've said it all along, ain't I? Foolish boy can't cope on his own. Boy can scarcely put a saddle on straight, let alone fight a monster. Anyone can see that." The little dog scurried after the pony.

  Ned stood at the door and smiled at them. Then the three started out across the yard.

  If the stable master saw them, he did not care. If the quarrelling lads looked up and noticed, they could not be bothered to yell insults. Just Ned, they thought; just Ned.

  So the boy led the pony out of the yard and into the open fields. The little brown and white dog skipped along beside them on his small legs, tail in the air, head up. Ned took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and gazed at the horizon.

  Then he slowly climbed onto Dilly's back and patted her neck. "Come, Tuff; come, Dilly," he said. "We're going to save a princess."

  They watched as the pale sun tried, with difficulty, to shine through the grey mist. The road leading out of the palace gates seemed to stretch a long way ahead, even beyond the king's lands. All Ned could think about just then was following that road to the source of the black shadow-cloud. That was the only plan he had.

  MOOS AND MUD

  THE ROAD WOUND AHEAD THROUGH FARM LAND. Following it with their eyes, they could just make out the dark shape of woodland; beyond that were hills and, in the far distance, mountains. They seemed such a long way away. In the sky, far ahead, Ned saw the blot of dark cloud, which seemed to reach out into the horizon. He took a deep breath and held Dilly's reins tighter in his hands.

  The road was dusty and they could still see traces of the hoof-prints of the knights' horses. Around them was good pastureland, but the fields seemed empty. Then, under a small stand of trees, Ned spied a herd of cows. He called over to them, but they mooed and huddled together.

  "What is it, cows?" he called. "We don't mean any harm!"

  "Moo-ooo," they all went, jostling around, bumping into each other. They nodded their heads up and down in alarm and their eyes rolled. "Moo-oo-ooo."

  Dilly went up to the hedge to neigh a greeting, and one of the cows, a big brown one, turned to look at her. "We're friends, dear," called Dilly.

  The cow took a few steps towards her. "Moo – you look friendly, but whoo-oo can tell? It's not safe."

  "Moo," all the cows went in unison.

  Ned climbed over the hedge and started to walk towards them. "We'll not hurt you, cows. My dog's quite harmless. We're off to fight the monster! Have you seen it?"

  The cows now came a little closer. "Monster, monster," they all mooed. "It's dangerous. We stay near the trees. There's this hu-ooo-ge dark monster about. Big as a house."

  "Oh," said Dilly in a shaky voice. "Huge and dark, is it?"

  "The monster flies over and takes anyone," said the big brown cow in her low, slow voice. She tossed her head up and down sadly. "Some of us were—"

  All the cows mooed in loud unison. "Taken, taken—"

  "Lifted up, lifted up from our midst, taken," said the brown cow mournfully.

  "Lifted up, lifted up," the cows lo
wed. "Take care, take care!"

  A cloud moved over the Dale sun and all the cows started to leap about in a panic. "Lo-ook out, loo-ook out!" they warned. "Monster!"

  Ned looked up at the sky. "No, no, it's all right, don't panic, cows," he said. "It's only a passing cloud, not the monster or even the shadow-cloud. That's still a long way off."

  "Monster, monster . . ." they lowed, backing away.

  "No, dears, it's nothing," called Dilly.

  "Typical!" said Tuff. "Cows – spooked by nothing! Jump at their own shadows, they would." But just then a very large cow pranced nervously a little too close and Tuff ran behind Ned's legs.

  Ned, Tuff and Dilly left the meadow and made their way up the hill past some old farm buildings. There was no one around, but suddenly they heard a snorting and a squeal. Ned steered Dilly nearer to the wall and looked over. There, lying in a muddy sty, was a large pink pig.

  "Oi! Where's my grub?"

  "Sorry, Pig, I've no idea. We're just passing through," called Ned over the wall.

  "Hummph! Been waiting for my grub for ages. No one's brought it. A disgrace, I say!"

  The pig got up from where he'd been wallowing and shuffled over, his large belly rolling a little as he walked.

  "What you up to?"

  "We're not up to anything, Pig—" started Ned, but Tuff interrupted: "Save minding our own business! Seems like it wouldn't hurt you to do the same!"

  "Ooh, hoity-toity!

  Only asked so I had some idea of where you were off to.

  Considerate, I was. Don't know why I bothered, me so hungry and all. If you want to get yourselves killed, it's no concern of mine."

  "Killed?" said Dilly in a shaky voice.

  "It's dangerous going about in the daylight now, you know. There's this dreadful winged monster about."

  "Oh," said Dilly. "Wings."

  "What kind of wings, Pig?" said Ned.

  "Big, black, nasty, spiky kind of wings – the sky darkened when that monster went over. I lay down in my sty – a bit muddy, see, and it never saw me. Nasty brute!"

  "So it's huge, black and winged!" said Ned, thinking. "Sounds a dangerous beast!"

  "I should say so," said Pig. "Best go home and lie low."

  "It's the boy – my Ned. He's got some idea of saving the princess," explained Dilly.

  "No – don't tell me that awful monster's got the Princess Bella! I don't hear much of the court news out here, you know. You from the court, are you?" said the pig, coming nearer. He blinked at them with his little pink eyes, impressed.

  "Oh yeah," said Tuff. "Important members of the court, we are. Oh yeah."

  "Be quiet, Tuff," said Ned.

  "I've always wanted to meet a court dog," said the pig.

  Ned opened his mouth: "We're not members of—" but Tuff interrupted again: "Pleased to meet you too, Pig. You look a good sort."

  The pig smiled at Tuff, his little eyes narrowing almost to slits. "Tell you what," he said, "I'll come along. Never know when someone can be of help."

  Ned considered it while Tuff watched his face eagerly. After a moment he said: "Thank you. We'd be glad to have you—"

  "Tag along!" interrupted Tuff, wagging his tail. "Good-oh. The more the merrier to fight that old monster."

  The road veered away from the farm and wound steadily upwards, getting narrower all the time. The sun, such as it was, lay low in the sky and the shadows deepened. They could see the glint of a river, which ran alongside the road for a while and then seemed to curve away. Ahead of them was a small bridge.

  "Come on," said Ned. "We can get to the river bank before nightfall. It seems as good a place as any to rest."

  Piggy raised his snout and sniffed. "Might be food ahead," he said, and started to trot a little quicker, snorting loudly through his nose.

  The river glinted darkly, the banks edged withbullrushes and clumps of rough grass, A few trees leaned over the water and they all settled down beneath one of these. Ned shared out their provisions carefully.

  "Don't know what the cook will say when she finds out all her food's gone!" said Dilly.

  "Necessary for important court work!" said Tuff.

  Ned and Dilly widened their eyes at each other.

  While Dilly grazed, the others ate the cheese and some of the pie. But when Piggy started eyeing the buns, Ned wrapped them up quickly.

  "We don't know when we'll get more food," he said. "Got to be careful."

  Pig sat down heavily, with a snort. "Not used to all this exercise," he said. "But I can still smell grub."

  Tuff put his nose in the air and sniffed. "There's certainly a pong of something, Piggy, old mate," he said.

  The river flowed unevenly over small rocks and pebbles, the water tinkling over the stones. Then, as they sat there, they heard the louder sound of a splash!

  "Oh, lawks!" grunted Piggy, getting to his feet surprisingly quickly. "It's the monster!"

  A POWERFUL PONG OF FISH

  DILLY GAVE A LITTLE START BUT NED HELD ONTO HER BRIDLE. "Hang on, Dilly," he said. "I don't think the monster would be in the water."

  Tuff had his nose in the air. "It's an animal," he said. "And a strong smell of something."

  "Keep quiet!" whispered Ned. "Everyone – ssh!"

  Straining their eyes, they saw the shiny head of something swimming downstream. Whatever it was lifted its head and shook it, spraying water around in an arc. Then, like Tuff, it raised its nose and sniffed.

  "Otter," whispered Tuff in a gruff undertone, "Could be a tricky customer." He paused and gave a crooked grin. "Bit fishy, otters – can be a bit slippery." He started to chuckle quietly at his own joke.

  Dilly gave a little groan.

  "Hush up, Tuff!" hissed Ned. "Let's keep quiet; we need to check if he's friendly. No point in asking for trouble. He's only a little chap but otters have sharp teeth; and there may be more otters with him."

  "Well, he could be friendly. One thing's certain . . ." Tuff started to shake again.

  "What?"

  "There's a powerful pong of fish!"

  "Who's there?" asked the otter in a fierce voice. "I smell strangers."

  "Friendly strangers," said Tuff adding under his breath: "He smells strangers? I think he's the smelly one."

  Ned stepped forward. "Friends, Mr Otter. Me, Ned, Dilly my pony, Tuff my dog, and our friend Piggy."

  "Hmm, a dog. Not too fond of dogs," said the otter gruffly. "Or boys, come to that."

  "Oh, we mean no harm, Mr Otter. We're off on a journey. We just stopped for a rest. We've come a long way. Didn't mean to intrude – we can m6ve on, no problem at all."

  "Well . . . I guess you can stay and rest a while." said the otter, sounding more friendly now.

  "That's very kind of you," said Ned.

  "It's nothing," said the otter brusquely. "Welcome. I've a rather small home, but it's all mine, you know. From that bush to this mud slope. Such as it is, it is yours to share while you rest on your journey."

  "Thanks," said Piggy. He had found some very tasty mushrooms growing under a bush and settled down happily.

  "You know it's not at all safe to be out and about these days," said the otter. "There's a monster which terrorizes these parts. It's been known to fly overhead. Terrible times, terrible times. This journey – is it very important? Because if not, I'd advise returning home to the safety of your hearth."

  "It is very important," said Ned. "We're—"

  "We're off to do a bit of monster-slaying and rescue the princess," said Tuff grandly. "We've come from the court."

  "Have you indeed? The court, eh? I heard something about the princess being stolen and saw the knights pass along the road. You don't – forgive my bluntness – you don't look properly equipped for slaying monsters."

  "We came away in a bit of a hurry," said Dilly. "We don't really know much about slaying anything, to be honest. We just came with Ned, dear. Where he goes, well, we like to go too, you see. Keep an eye on the boy. He's a good
boy, my Ned."

  "Well, you'll need a battle strategy – get organized, plan carefully," said the otter, frowning thoughtfully. "I expect you've got it all worked out."

  "Er . . ." said Ned.

  "Hmmph! Plan!" muttered Tuff. To the otter he said, in a conspiratorial tone, 1 hat boy has never made a plan in—"

  Ned moved nearer to the otter, firmly edging Tuff out of the way. "We'd be glad of any information you can give us about this monster," he said. "Best be prepared, I guess."

  There was a pause. The otter looked Ned up and down. "Well, I commend your gumption, indeed I do," he said finally. "It's dangerous work, there's no denying it. But what about those knights? That's what they were sent to do, wasn't it – kill the monster? Are you sure you want me to describe it to you? Might put you off, you know."

  "AIN'T EVEN GOT A PLAN"

  NED SAT DOWN AND NODDED AT THE OTTER TO BEGIN.

  "Well, you'll need courage, right enough," said Otter, stroking his whiskers, "It's a fearsome enemy – the biggest thing I've ever seen. The first time it flew over I dived underwater, I have to admit – that gigantic black shape coming over."

  Tuff raised an eyebrow.

  "And then there's this huge roar – a terrible noise, deafening!"

  "It sounds a very frightening monster," said Ned.

  "Indeed. It's just possible, perish the thought, that what we're dealing with here is a d—"

  "A what?" asked Piggy, looking up from his snack.

  "Time enough to find out what it is when we get to where it lives," said Tuff rapidly, trying to catch the otter's eye.

  Otter stopped. "It is a very large and very fierce beast – that's all I can say for sure," he finished.

  Ned gazed into the water. "When does this monster come out?" he asked.

  "Usually late afternoon or at dusk," said the otter. "Most days, that is. You sense him first, a huge shadow, and then there's this fearful roar. Most of the humans have left their houses, packed up, taken what they can, and gone."

  "Oh dear, oh dear, said Dilly.