Lottie Luna and the Fang Fairy Read online

  ‘Just like the Greater Growling Fang Fairy,’ Aggie interrupted.

  Mr Sprinter looked annoyed. ‘I think we’ve heard enough about that for now, thank you, Aggie.’

  One of the other students put up her hand. ‘Will we need butterfly nets?’

  Mr Sprinter shook his head. ‘I don’t want you to catch any butterflies. I want you to draw them. That’s what your notebooks are for – so you can draw pictures of the things you see.’

  Lottie, Wilf and Marjory gave each other a high five. All three of them loved drawing; this hike was going to be fun!

  ‘Now listen very carefully.’ Mr Sprinter was suddenly serious. ‘I do have something important to tell you. When we’re out tomorrow, I don’t want any of you to go anywhere near the cliff on the other side of this hill. It’s very dangerous indeed, and it would be terrible if one of you fell over the edge. Stay in groups of three or four, and keep well away!’

  Just as the campfire started to die down, another school bus arrived, and Lottie’s teacher, Mrs Wilkolak, got out. She was followed by Mr Sprinter’s wife. Mrs Sprinter was the cook at Shadow Academy, but she also ran the after-school nature club that Wilf went to every Tuesday. Everyone was delighted to see them; even Larry, who had been very quiet all evening, gave Mrs Wilkolak a hug.

  ‘I got a wobbly tooth,’ he whispered. ‘Mrs Wilkolak – will the fang fairy know where I am?’

  Lottie overheard him. He’s still worrying, she thought, and she was about to tell him, yet again, that what Aggie had said was a silly made-up story when Mrs Wilkolak nodded.

  ‘Don’t you worry, Larry! The fang fairy can always find you!’

  ‘Oh.’ Larry was so obviously disappointed that she looked at him in surprise.

  ‘Aren’t you hoping to get a silver coin?’ she asked, but Larry didn’t answer. He slipped away, and Lottie saw him crawling into his tent. She hurried after him, but when she peeped inside he was curled up in his sleeping bag. Even though his eyes were tightly shut, Lottie was certain he was awake, and she leaned forward.

  ‘Larry? Larry – listen to me! You’re absolutely safe! Marjory and Wilf and I are in the tent next to yours, so, if you feel in the least bit scared, just call!’ She didn’t want to tell Larry that her special powers gave her such incredibly acute hearing that she could hear a moth flapping its wings. Instead, she said, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll hear you.’

  The little wolf cub opened one eye. ‘But what if you don’t? What if Tod and Dubby tell me more scary stories? I don’t like it when they do that.’

  ‘Hey! I’ve had a brilliant idea!’ Lottie’s smile shone out. ‘You can borrow Jaws to keep you company tonight! That would make you feel better, wouldn’t it?’

  Larry nodded, and gave a little sigh.

  ‘Thank you. Night-night, Lottie.’

  Lottie blew him a kiss. ‘Sleep well!’

  That night, Lottie lay awake for a long time, even though she could hear Larry, Tod and Dubby breathing peacefully in the tent next door. Marjory and Wilf were asleep within minutes of wriggling into their sleeping bags, but Lottie could hear hundreds of noises she had never been so close to before. Owls hooted in the distance, tiny animals rustled through the grass, the trees whispered to each other, and insects buzzed and fluttered. She could also hear Mr and Mrs Sprinter chatting to her teacher, Mrs Wilkolak, and she buried her head under her pillow. Having extra-special hearing was sometimes a problem. Lottie did her best to avoid listening to things she shouldn’t, but it wasn’t always easy.

  At last even the grown-ups had gone to bed. Lottie smiled to herself when Mr Sprinter begin to snore. Mrs Sprinter complained, and he stopped, but a moment later he started again, just more softly. Mrs Sprinter sighed heavily, and Lottie stifled a giggle. I never knew Mr Sprinter snored, she thought. That’s so funny!

  Gradually, she began to feel sleepy … but what was that?

  Lottie sat bolt upright, and listened. Someone was tiptoeing towards her tent … she was sure of it.

  ‘Wilf! Marjory!’ She put out a hand and shook Marjory, but Marjory made a snuffling noise, and her eyes stayed firmly shut. Wilf turned over with a grunt, but he didn’t wake either. Lottie felt under her pillow for her torch, but then she remembered that it was at the bottom of her backpack and, before she could find it, the footsteps tiptoed away.

  Maybe it was just one of the teachers checking on us? she thought, although she had a feeling that it wasn’t. The steps had definitely sounded sneaky, as if whoever it was didn’t want to be seen or heard.

  Lottie yawned. I’ll have a look for footprints in the morning, she decided as she snuggled down. And I’ll tell Wilf and Marjory about it …

  Her thoughts faded, and she was soon fast asleep.

  ‘Wakey-wakey!’

  It took Lottie a second to remember where she was. She rubbed her eyes and peered out of the tent. Mr Sprinter was banging a frying pan with a stick. Soon everyone was awake. The memory of the night before flooded into Lottie’s mind, and she leaped out of her sleeping bag. She needed to look for clues.

  She went outside. Yes! There were footprints very near her tent … but there were far more around Larry’s. Whatever or whoever it was had circled it several times, and when Lottie looked more closely she gave a little gasp. Claws! There was no doubt about it. Those were claw marks.

  ‘What are you looking at, Lottie?’ Wilf was beside her.

  ‘Shh …’ Lottie put her finger to her lips, and Wilf’s eyes widened as she pointed to the prints. ‘Something was outside last night,’ she whispered. ‘It was running round the outside of Larry’s tent!’

  ‘Ooooh! Are those claw marks?’ Marjory was peering at them as well.

  ‘Claw marks?’ Aggie, dressed and ready for the day, had overheard her. ‘Well, well, well.’ She raised her voice. ‘Has Larry seen them?’

  Before Lottie could answer, Aggie was interrupted by Mr Sprinter. ‘Breakfast in ten minutes! And the last one to sit down does the washing-up!’ The teacher banged the frying pan again, and Aggie hurried off.

  ‘Help!’ Wilf made a face. ‘Come on, you two! I hate washing-up!’

  ‘Just a moment.’

  Lottie was still studying the ground.

  ‘Larry will be absolutely terrified if he sees these … Let’s smooth them out.’

  ‘You start this side, and Wilf and I’ll start the other,’ Marjory said, and Wilf nodded.

  As they worked their way round the tent, Wilf stopped to inspect a particularly clear print. ‘Have you noticed? It’s got three very regular claws … There can’t be many animals like that. Why don’t we show Mrs Sprinter? She runs our nature club and she’ll probably say it’s some harmless little rabbit or something, and then Larry will be fine.’

  ‘The marks look too big for a rabbit, though,’ Marjory said, and she shivered. ‘It is a bit creepy, isn’t it?’

  ‘That’s why Larry mustn’t see the prints,’ Lottie said firmly. ‘If it happens again, then we’ll show Mrs Sprinter.’ And she went on smoothing the ground. As she did so, her necklace swung out from under her scarf, and she noticed that it was very dull. Oh, dear, she thought. I must be more worried than I imagined.

  Jaws came squeezing out of the tent, and flapped up on to her shoulder. He saw Lottie’s necklace, and squeaked anxiously.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Lottie told him. ‘Someone’s just trying to scare Larry, and I’m going to find out who!’

  As soon as all traces of the night-time prowler had been cleared away, Wilf, Lottie and Marjory rushed to get washed and dressed … but they were still the last to join the breakfast queue.

  ‘It looks like we’ll definitely be doing the washing-up,’ Wilf said. ‘Oh, well … I suppose somebody has to do it.’

  ‘I’ll help you, Wilf!’ Larry and his friends were just in front. ‘I’m very good at drying-up. I hardly ever break things!’

  Wilf grinned at him. ‘Thanks. We’ll get it done in no time if we all work together.’


  ‘That’s cheating!’ Aggie looked down her long nose. ‘Larry wasn’t last – you were!’ She gave the little werewolf cub a sideways glance. ‘How’s your tooth?’

  Larry opened his mouth wide to show her. ‘Still wobbly.’

  ‘Guess what!’ Aggie’s eyes gleamed. ‘I heard the fang fairy wandering about last night. I expect she was looking for you!’

  Tod and Dubby stared at her, and Larry began to tremble. ‘Ooooh! Did you see her?’

  Aggie shook her head. ‘I just heard her. But there are claw marks outside your tent. Lottie saw them, didn’t you, Lottie?’

  Lottie paused for a moment. She didn’t want to tell a fib, but she also didn’t want to scare Larry. She shook her head. ‘I didn’t see any claw marks when I went past just now.’

  Tod and Dubby giggled, and Tod pretended to scratch at his twin. ‘Hairy, scary fairies have ever such sharp claws!’ he said.

  ‘Hairy, hairy, ever so scary!’ Dubby sang. ‘Larry’s scared of hairy fairies!’

  At once Tod joined in. ‘Hairy Larry’s scared of fairies!’

  ‘That’s right, Tod,’ Aggie said, and Lottie frowned.

  ‘There aren’t any hairy, scary fairies. Don’t tease him, Aggie!’

  As Larry looked from Lottie to Aggie, wondering who to believe, Mrs Wilkolak called to them from behind the serving table. ‘Hurry up, you stragglers! Don’t you want your breakfast?’

  ‘Oh, yes, please!’ Wilf was enthusiastic. ‘Come on, Larry – and you too, Tod and Dubby … hurry up and get your porridge.’

  Aggie looked suspiciously at Lottie, but she didn’t say anything. She tossed her head, and went off to her tent, muttering under her breath.

  ‘Phew!’ Lottie linked her arm through Marjory’s. ‘I didn’t tell a lie, did I?’

  Marjory smiled at her. ‘No. I thought you were very clever actually.’

  Lottie rubbed her nose thoughtfully. ‘Why’s Aggie being so mean to Larry? He’s only little.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Marjory shrugged. ‘She loves being the centre of attention … Maybe she’s cross because Mr Sprinter said there’d be a special party when Larry’s tooth came out?’

  ‘Perhaps we should keep an eye on him,’ Lottie suggested, and Marjory nodded her agreement.

  ‘Those twins aren’t helping,’ she said. ‘They seem determined to make things worse.’

  Wilf heard her, and laughed. ‘Tod and Dubby? They think everything’s funny. My gran is best friends with their mum, and Gran says they drive the poor woman mad. They’ve always been like that … singing songs, and playing tricks, and generally being a nuisance.’

  ‘Well, I wish they wouldn’t,’ Marjory said. ‘Come on, Lottie. Let’s get our breakfast.’

  ‘And then it’s washing-up time …’ said Wilf.

  The washing-up didn’t take too long. Mrs Wilkolak insisted on helping, and Larry did his best to help with the drying-up. Marjory made sure he only dried up the tin mugs and plates, so it didn’t matter when he dropped them.

  ‘Butterfingers!’ Wilf said cheerfully as Larry dropped his third mug, but Lottie hushed him. She thought that Larry was looking worried again.

  ‘Are you still thinking about the fang fairy?’ she asked.

  The werewolf cub shook his head. ‘I knows what I got to do. I going to be fine, I is. That horrid old fang fairy isn’t going to catch me! Not never!’ And he sounded so certain that Lottie was reassured.

  ‘That’s good,’ she told him, and she picked up the mug and handed it to Wilf.

  ‘Here – can you wash this one again?’

  Wilf took the mug in an absent-minded way and put it down beside him. He was studying a fork and frowning. ‘That’s odd,’ he said. ‘It’s all muddy!’

  Marjory laughed. ‘There’s mud everywhere here! Just look at your boots!’

  But Lottie inspected the fork in Wilf’s hand, and guessed what he was thinking. The fork was a large one, and it had three prongs … and the marks outside Larry’s tent had looked like they’d been made by a three-clawed animal.

  Had someone being playing tricks? Could they have used the fork to deliberately try to scare the werewolf cub?

  By the time they had put the last cup away, Mr Sprinter was organising the groups for the High Hill hike. After everyone had been given a notebook, a water bottle, a whistle and a handful of snacks, the teacher folded his arms.

  ‘Keep in your groups,’ he said, ‘and don’t leave the path. There’s only one route up to the top of the hill, so you can’t get lost. Mrs Sprinter will be waiting for you up there with a picnic … so it’ll be well worth the walk! Mrs Wilkolak will be following behind you, and I’ll be running up and down to check that everyone’s all right. But, if you’re worried by anything, just blow your whistle.’

  Mrs Wilkolak nodded. ‘And I want you to find at least ten different plants, or animals, or birds. You can draw pictures in your notebooks, or you can write a description of what you’ve seen.’

  ‘Wow!’ Wilf’s eyes shone. ‘One of Mrs Sprinter’s picnics? That’s brilliant!’

  Aggie had reappeared, carrying an enormous backpack, and she gave Wilf her most superior stare. ‘I’m sure to be the best. Last year I collected lots and lots of interesting flowers; nobody had as many as I did.’

  ‘But, Aggie – some of those flowers were very rare! Please don’t pick any this year,’ Mrs Wilkolak warned her. ‘You can collect leaves … but if you pick flowers they can’t grow the seeds for next year’s plants.’

  Aggie tossed her head. ‘I know all about rare flowers. I’ve got a book in my backpack!’

  ‘Good,’ Mrs Wilkolak said, but Lottie wasn’t entirely convinced that Aggie knew what she was talking about.

  When Mr Sprinter read out the list of groups, Lottie, Wilf and Marjory were delighted to find they were all together. They weren’t quite so happy when Aggie was included, but they smiled at her, even though she scowled as she came to join them.

  ‘Actually, I’d rather go on my own,’ she said. ‘You’ll just hold me back … After all, I’ve done this hike twice before.’

  ‘Marjory and I have done it before as well,’ Wilf pointed out. ‘And I don’t see why you think we’ll hold you back. Lottie can run faster than any of us!’

  Aggie looked at him scornfully. ‘It’s not about speed, Wilf. It’s about studying nature, and finding interesting specimens.’

  Marjory, always the peacemaker, could see that Wilf was going to carry on arguing, so she stepped between them. ‘Let’s see how we get on,’ she said. ‘I’m sure we can each do our own thing, and still keep together.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Aggie said, and she managed a faint smile.

  Larry, Tod, Dubby and the rest of their classmates were running and jumping along the path in front of Lottie and her friends, chattering and laughing as they teased each other. They were in such a hurry to get to the picnic at the top of the hill that they didn’t spend much time hunting for flowers or butterflies.

  As their voices faded away, the woods became very peaceful, so all that Lottie could hear was the singing of the birds. The sun was shining, and she could see glimpses of clear blue sky in between the topmost branches of the trees where the leaves were quivering in the faint breeze. She sighed happily, and began to look around her.

  Marjory and Wilf were already drawing in their notebooks, and Lottie was just in time to see the whisk of a tail as a squirrel disappeared round a tree trunk. Aggie was studying a mushroom. As Lottie watched, she opened up her backpack and took out a little box to put it in. She saw Lottie looking, and made a face at her.

  ‘Don’t you dare draw it in your notebook,’ she said. ‘I saw it first!’

  ‘I wasn’t going to,’ Lottie told her. ‘I’m going to draw a squirrel … and a blackbird … and an owl!’

  Aggie looked suspicious. ‘You can’t have seen an owl. Owls come out at night, not during the day.’

  ‘Up there.’ Lottie pointed, and then realised th
at it was only because of her extraordinary eyesight that she could see the tawny owl peering out of the dark hole at the top of an old oak tree. She hesitated, wondering if her advantage made the competition unfair. Deciding that it might, she said, ‘I could be mistaken.’

  ‘You are.’ Aggie swung her bag on to her back. ‘And I’m going on ahead.’

  ‘But Mr Sprinter said we had to stay together,’ Marjory objected.

  ‘Oooooh!’ Aggie’s tone was mocking. ‘What a goody-goody two shoes! I won’t go far.’ And, before anyone could say anything else, she had marched away.

  Lottie, Marjory and Wilf stared at each other. ‘What do we do now?’ Wilf asked.

  ‘I suppose we should tell Mrs Wilkolak,’ Marjory said, but she sounded doubtful.

  Lottie shook her head. ‘Then we’d be telltales. Why don’t we just follow on behind her? After all, we’ll all be on the same path … and, if we catch her up, she can’t complain.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Wilf said.

  ‘And me,’ agreed Marjory.

  The three friends gradually made their way up the hill. Lottie showed Wilf and Marjory the tiny flowers hidden in between the roots of the trees, and they drew careful pictures and made notes in their exercise books. Wilf spotted a baby rabbit crouched under the bracken, and Marjory found a woodmouse – and they hugged each other in excitement when they saw a roe deer and her fawn sleeping peacefully in the dappled shadows under a willow tree. They were so fascinated that they completely forgot about Aggie until they turned a corner, and found her sitting on a log.

  ‘You’ve been absolutely ages!’ she complained. ‘What on earth have you been doing?’

  Lottie looked at her in surprise. ‘I thought you wanted to be on your own!’

  Aggie made a face. ‘We’re nearly at the top. Mr Sprinter will make a stupid fuss if I’m not with you lot.’