Lottie Luna and the Fang Fairy Read online

  First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2020

  Published in this ebook edition in 2020

  HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

  HarperCollins Publishers

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  London SE1 9GF

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  Text copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

  Illustrations copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

  Cover design copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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  Source ISBN: 9780008343040

  Ebook Edition © October 2020 ISBN: 9780008343057

  Version: 2020-09-09

  To Jenny down the stair,

  with love

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Keep Reading …

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  ‘Absolutely not!’ King Lupo banged the milk jug down on the breakfast table, and frowned. ‘My daughter, Princess Lottie Luna, going camping? Sleeping in a tent? Cooking food outside in the open? No, no, NO! That is NOT suitable. Not at all!’

  Lottie gulped. She and all her friends at Shadow Academy had been looking forward to the school trip for weeks. She couldn’t be the only one left behind! What would she do? The idea of sitting all by herself in an empty classroom for three whole days made her feel terrible.

  ‘But Pa … Ma said I could go! Everyone in my class is going! We’ve got loads and loads of things planned – we’re going on a hike to look at rocks, and we’re going to collect wildflowers, and we’re going to—’

  ‘I told you, Lottie!’ King Lupo’s eyebrows bristled. ‘It’s not suitable. A princess must always be dignified!’

  ‘Yeah. Dead right.’ Lottie’s big brother, Boris, took his elbows off the table and sat up straight. ‘You’ve got be more royal, Lottie. Like me.’

  Lottie ignored him, and turned to her mother. ‘Ma! Tell Pa I’ve got to be allowed to go! PLEASE!’

  Queen Mila sighed. ‘Your father worries an awful lot about royal behaviour, Lottie.’

  ‘That’s right.’ The king began to butter his toast. ‘A king should always be kingly, and a princess should always be – erm – princessy!’

  A cunning thought made Lottie try a different approach. ‘But, Pa – don’t you think I ought to learn to be dignified in every situation? I mean … isn’t it good to learn to be princessy even on a hike?’

  ‘That’s a very sensible point, dear.’ The queen looked at the king. ‘I did tell Lottie that she could go, Lupo. It’ll be a whole new experience for her. After all, you’ve never had the opportunity to be kingly in a tent. You shouldn’t take the chance away from Lottie!’

  The king paused over his toast, and Lottie held her breath. Would he change his mind? At last he said, ‘You might be right, Mila. Lottie – I have decided you should go!’

  ‘Oh, dearest, lovely, gorgeous Pa!’ Lottie flung her arms round her father and hugged him. ‘Thank you so, SO much!’

  The king beamed at her. ‘Just remember, though – you’re to be a princess at all times!’

  ‘Oh, I will, Pa – I will!’ Lottie promised. ‘And I’ll tell you all about it when I get back, but now I’m going to pack!’ And she bounced out of the breakfast room.

  As Lottie hurried along the dusty passage towards her room, she was humming to herself. Jaws, her pet bat, was flying above her head, and her moonstone necklace was shining brightly.

  She’s happy now, Jaws told himself, and he looped a celebratory loop.

  It was easy to tell how Lottie was feeling: her necklace changed according to her mood. If she was happy, it shone brightly, but if she was bored, it was grey, and if she was sad or worried it was so dull it looked like a pebble.

  The necklace had been given to her on the night she was born; not only had the moon been full, but there had been a lunar eclipse as well and, as a result, Lottie was a unique little werewolf with very special powers. She had extraordinary eyesight, could run like the wind, was far stronger than her older brother – and her hearing was at least three times more acute than that of her friends.

  Lottie kept very quiet about her special powers, however, especially at school. She desperately wanted to be the same as everyone else – and she never, ever told anyone she was a princess. Only her two best friends, Wilf and Marjory, knew … and they were sworn to secrecy.

  ‘What else do I need, Jaws?’ Lottie stared at the backpack on her bed. ‘I’ve got loads of woolly jumpers, pyjamas, my washbag, toothbrush and toothpaste … oh, and a sleeping bag.’

  Jaws flew a quick circle, dipped down and pointed a wing at something on the floor. Lottie looked round. ‘Oh, YES! My walking boots! Thanks, Jaws.’ She stuffed them on top of her pyjamas, and swung the backpack over her shoulder. ‘Ooof! It’s heavy! But at least I’ve got everything … I hope.’

  She glanced at the clock on the wall, and gasped. ‘Oh, no! I’m going to be late! And Mr Sprinter said he wouldn’t wait for anyone! That’s the trouble with teachers – they always want you to be on time!’

  Dashing out of her bedroom, Lottie hurtled down the corridor and burst into the breakfast room. ‘Bye, dearest Pa! Bye, lovely Ma! Bye, Boris! I’ll see you in three days’ time!’ Catching sight of her father’s expression, she hastily added, ‘And yes! I’ll be INCREDIBLY dignified and princessy!’

  And then she was out of the door and running as fast as she could, Jaws squeaking encouragement above her head.

  Lottie was only just in time. Wilf and Marjory were standing outside the school bus, arguing with Mr Sprinter, when Lottie came tearing towards them. They both cheered loudly.

  ‘Sorry, Mr Sprinter,’ Lottie panted. ‘I’m really sorry!’

  ‘You’re very lucky you have such good friends, Lottie.’ Mr Sprinter sounded cross. ‘If they hadn’t refused to get on the bus without you, we’d have left five minutes ago. Now hurry up and take your seats! We can’t delay any longer.’

  Lottie gave Wilf and Marjory a grateful smile as the three of them climbed on board. ‘Thank you very, very much,’ she said. ‘Pa tried to stop me coming … it was awful!’

  Agatha Claws, a tall girl with a long nose, sniffed. ‘MY father always supports me whatever I do. He’s bought me lots of boxes so I can bring interesting specimens home to study, and I’ve got a magnifying glass and three new notebooks.’

  Wilf nudged Lottie as the bus roared away down the road. ‘Aggie’s got twice as much luggage as any of us,’ he whispered. ‘Mr Sprinter nearly had a fit!’

  Lottie t
ried not to giggle, but she wasn’t entirely successful, and Aggie gave her a suspicious look. ‘Are you laughing at me?’

  ‘Of course not, Aggie.’ Lottie tried to look nonchalant.

  ‘I’m sure a magnifying glass will be really useful,’ Marjory said quickly. ‘Can we borrow it sometimes?’

  Aggie gave a superior smile. ‘I’ll have to see. It cost a lot of money.’

  Larry, one of the younger cubs, had been listening. ‘I’m going to have some money soon! I got a wobbly tooth, and my mum says that when it comes out the fang fairy will take it away and give me a silver coin!’

  The twins, Tod and Dubby, were sitting beside Larry, and they nudged each other and began to sing.

  ‘Larry’s got a wobbly tooth, A wobbly tooth,

  A wobbly tooth.

  Larry’s got a wobbly tooth –

  A wobbly-gobbly, toothy-woothy tooth!’

  ‘That’s exciting,’ Lottie said, and she smiled at Larry. ‘The fang fairy used to give me money too. Don’t forget to put your tooth under your pillow so she can find it!’

  ‘A wobbly tooth?’ Mr Sprinter turned round and beamed at the little werewolf. ‘That’s exciting! Is it your first one?’

  ‘Yes!’ Larry bounced up and down in his seat. ‘I never had a tooth come out before!’

  ‘Then we’ll have to celebrate,’ Mr Sprinter said. ‘We’ll have a special party for you … a Tooth Party!’

  Larry was thrilled. ‘It’s EVER so wobbly! I’m sure it’s going to pop out ever so soon!’

  Aggie gave a dismissive sniff. ‘What a silly fuss! I didn’t have a party when my first tooth came out. I thought it was much too babyish!’

  Tod and Dubby sniggered. ‘Larry is a baby, a baby, a baby—’

  ‘Hush!’ Lottie said. ‘I think a Tooth Party’s a great idea. I had one when I was little, and so did my brother.’

  Larry suddenly looked anxious. ‘The fairy will be able to find me while I’m away at camp, won’t she?’

  ‘Of course she will,’ Lottie told him. ‘The fang fairy finds everyone everywhere.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Marjory nodded. ‘One of my teeth came out when I was staying with my auntie, and the fairy still came, even though I was miles away from home.’

  ‘Huh!’ Aggie snorted, and Lottie noticed there was a mean look in her eyes. ‘Don’t you know there’ll be a different kind of fang fairy where we’re going, Larry? The fairies in the country are much fiercer than the ones where we live!’

  ‘Are they?’ Larry looked anxious again, and Wilf frowned at Aggie.

  ‘They’re all the same,’ he said firmly. ‘Now, why don’t we sing a song? What about, “We’re all going on a jolly howlyday”?’

  That made Larry laugh, and he, Tod and Dubby, and all the other little werewolves sang happily as the bus trundled over the hills and deep into the Greater Growling Woods. Lottie, Marjory and Wilf sang along too; only Aggie didn’t join in. She sat and stared out of the window until they arrived at the clearing where a group of tents was surrounded by tall, whispering pine trees. As soon as the bus stopped, she leaped to her feet and was the first one out, using her elbows to push her way past the younger werewolves.

  Wilf rolled his eyes. ‘Bet she’s gone to bag the best tent,’ he said, and he was right. When Lottie and Marjory went to look, they found Aggie had arranged her piles of luggage in the tent nearest the campfire … and there was no room inside for anyone else.

  ‘It’s meant to be three to a tent, Aggie,’ Mr Sprinter told her. ‘I thought you could share with Lottie and Marjory.’

  Aggie fluttered her eyelashes. ‘Dear Mr Sprinter! Please let me be on my own! I want to make sure that I get plenty of sleep, so I’m all ready to help you – and Lottie and Marjory are sure to keep me awake with their chatting. Besides, Lottie’s got her pet bat with her, and he’ll flutter about all night.’ She put her head on one side, and gave him a sickly-sweet smile. ‘You can use all the specimen boxes that Daddy gave me.’

  Mr Sprinter hesitated, and Wilf stepped forward. ‘I can share with Lottie and Marjory. At least … as long as they don’t mind?’

  ‘I don’t mind at all,’ Marjory said, and Lottie grinned at him.

  ‘Just as long as you don’t snore!’

  ‘Thank you, Wilf.’ Mr Sprinter sounded relieved. ‘Very well, Aggie. The tent is yours, and yours alone. Now let’s get that campfire built!’

  It didn’t take long for Lottie, Marjory and Wilf to arrange their sleeping bags in a row in their tent. As soon as that was done, they hurried around, collecting sticks and fir cones from under the trees, while Mr Sprinter hauled over a couple of heavy logs from a pile that had been left ready beside the toilet block.

  The campsite was often used by schools and a very elderly werewolf looked after it. He made sure there was always plenty of wood, and that it was kept tidy. The rest of the time he dozed in his shed, and ate cheese-and-tomato sandwiches.

  ‘We’ll soon have a fine blaze,’ Mr Sprinter said as Lottie and her classmates piled up the sticks and cones and dried leaves. ‘We’ll roast potatoes in the embers … and then we’ll have hot chocolate!’

  ‘With marshmallows?’ Marjory asked hopefully, and Mr Sprinter nodded.

  ‘Of course!’

  Marjory sighed with pleasure, and Wilf grinned at her. ‘Happy?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Marjory told him. ‘Hot chocolate with marshmallows is my most favourite thing ever.’

  Aggie stuck her nose in the air. ‘I think that’s very childish of you, Marjory.’

  ‘No it’s not.’ Lottie rushed to defend her friend. ‘Anyway, if you don’t like hot chocolate, can Marjory have yours?’

  ‘I didn’t say I didn’t like it,’ Aggie said. ‘I just think it’s a bit of a baby’s drink.’ And she tossed her head, and walked away.

  Wilf watched her go, his eyebrows raised. ‘She’s in ever such a mean mood. What’s upset her?’

  Marjory shrugged. ‘She’s just being Aggie. Although she did seem furious when we made Mr Sprinter wait for Lottie. She kept muttering about favourites, and people who thought they could do exactly what they wanted.’

  ‘Oh, dear.’ Lottie looked guilty. ‘I didn’t mean to be late. I do hope she cheers up a bit!’

  ‘Mr Sprinter says we’re going to tell bedtime stories round the fire after supper,’ Wilf said. ‘That’ll make her feel better. She loves telling stories.’

  ‘She’s very good at it too,’ Lottie agreed. ‘Why don’t we suggest she has first go?’

  Marjory smiled at her. ‘You’re very kind, Lottie.’

  ‘No I’m not.’ Lottie shook her head. ‘I just think it’s nicer if everyone’s happy.’

  By the time Mr Sprinter announced that the potatoes were ready to eat, it was dark. Everyone was sitting round the campfire, and the red-and-yellow flames threw long black shadows behind them. The younger werewolf cubs made sure they were sitting very close together, and Lottie nudged Marjory. ‘Poor little things! They look a bit nervous!’

  Lottie was right, but by the time the cubs had eaten a huge baked potato and drunk an enormous mug of hot chocolate heaped high with marshmallows they seemed much happier. They were giggling and pushing, and rolling each other over on the grass until Mr Sprinter clapped his hands.

  ‘Time for a bedtime story! Who’s going to go first?’

  Lottie put up her hand. ‘Please, Mr Sprinter – Aggie’s a brilliant storyteller!’

  Mr Sprinter turned to Aggie. ‘Would you like to begin?’

  ‘Of course, Mr Sprinter.’ Aggie was delighted. ‘I’ve got just the right story too!’

  ‘Excellent.’ The teacher settled back. ‘Make yourselves comfortable, everyone – and Larry! Stop wriggling!’

  ‘My story’s especially for Larry,’ Aggie said, and Lottie looked at her in alarm. What was she going to say? She had a nasty feeling that Aggie was hoping to scare the little cub.

  ‘It’s a story about the hideous fang fairy who li
ves in the Greater Growling Woods,’ Aggie began. ‘She’s not like the fang fairy we have at home … the nice, kind fairy who leaves a silver coin under your pillow. The fairy in these woods has huge bulging eyes and long yellow fangs … and she creeps around at night, hunting for any little werewolf who might have a loose tooth … and then she tiptoes up to them and she SNATCHES the tooth—’

  ‘No she doesn’t!’ Lottie jumped to her feet. ‘She’s just as lovely as the fang fairy at home!’

  But she was too late. Larry was shaking, and his eyes were very wide. He stared at Aggie. ‘Will she come and get me tonight?’

  Before Aggie could answer, Lottie had run over to Larry and was hugging him. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘It’s just a story Aggie made up.’ She glared at Aggie. ‘That’s right, isn’t it? You made it up!’

  The mean look was back on Aggie’s face. ‘I might have done,’ she said, ‘or I might not.’

  Mr Sprinter gave a loud and hearty laugh. ‘Nothing like a horror story when you’re sitting round a campfire! You weren’t really scared, were you, Larry? I’m sure you’re much too big to be frightened by Aggie’s fairy tale.’

  Larry’s friends giggled, and Tod growled loudly and tweaked Larry’s arm. ‘I’m a toothy-woothy fang fairy, I am!’

  Dubby sniggered. ‘I’m a horrid, scary, hairy fairy, and I’m on the hunt for Larry!’

  The other little cubs fell about, howling with laughter … all except Larry. He tried to laugh, but Lottie saw that he was very pale. She put an arm round his shoulders, gave him another hug and shook her head at the twins.

  ‘Don’t be mean, Tod and Dubby. They’re only teasing you, Larry. Truly! Don’t be scared!’

  ‘That’s right, Lottie!’ Mr Sprinter laughed again. ‘But let’s have something more cheerful now. It’s my turn, so I’m going to tell you about the flowers and butterflies that can be found here. Quite a few of them are very rare—’