The Trophy of Champions (35 page)

‘A-about the trophy,' he began, shuffling uncomfortably from foot to foot. ‘It's, well … gone.' He shot a wary glance in Ruby's direction, expecting a scathing remark or a word of rebuke but Ruby simply pursed her lips and shrugged.

‘Never mind, Whisker,' Horace said, pointing his hook at a large hole in his companion's cloak. ‘We've still got the prize money, and judging by the state you're in, the trophy was more trouble than it was worth.'

Whisker felt an enormous weight lift off his shoulders. But before he could say anything, there was a loud commotion from the balcony.

‘Skraww, skraww!' Chatterbeak screeched, extending his neck over the railing. ‘Don't look now, but more trouble is on its way.'

Horace rushed to the edge of the balcony and peered below.

‘The Blue Claw,' he gasped. ‘Hundreds of them! And they're headed for the tower.'

Ruby frowned. ‘I don't know what kind of mess you're in, Whisker, but it's high time we got an explanation.'

Taking a deep breath, Whisker began to retell the events that led him to the courtyard, starting with his dance floor disappearance. A satisfied smile crept across Ruby's face on hearing the words ‘abandoned' and ‘Hera' in the same sentence, but her joy was soon replaced by a deep look of concern when Whisker recalled his dramatic encounter with the fox. Horace stared wide-eyed, his mouth hung open in disbelief.

The sound of scuttling grew louder as the story continued. ‘… And I don't know what happened to my parents,' Whisker gabbled, speaking at a frantic pace, ‘but the fox said my sister was alive and living with a family of birds on a mountain –'

Chatterbeak let out a startled
SQUAWK!

‘Pluck my tail feathers and roast me for Thanksgiving!' he screeched. ‘Do you hear what you're saying? Those birds are not some berry-loving budgerigars. They're the dreaded birds of
Cloud Mountain.'

Whisker felt himself turning white with terror.

How could I be so blind?
he thought.

He'd read about the famous mountain in the Book of Knowledge and the words were still fresh in his mind.

… Cloud Mountain is home to four species of birds: the hawk, the raven, the peregrine falcon and the golden eagle. These species are often described as hunters or …

‘... birds of prey.'

With a stabbing pain in his heart, Whisker understood the true meaning of the fox's last words.

There was no friendly family looking after his sister. There was only a flock of vicious predators with dinner on their minds. The birds were hunters and his sister was their prey.

‘We've got to do something,' he cried, struggling to hold back the tears.

‘If it's not already too late,' Ruby said gravely.

‘Time, time,' Chatterbeak prattled. ‘There's still time.'

‘Time for what?' Whisker quavered.

Chatterbeak raised his right wing and pointed to the waxing moon.

‘The first full moon of autumn,' he chirped. ‘Every year the mountain birds hold a mighty feast to herald the coming of winter. It's no secret their favourite food is live rodent.' He lowered his wing and continued sorrowfully, ‘Coo, coo. Your sister's not the first poor creature they've ensnared for their celebration.'

Whisker stared up at the moon. Only a thin sliver of its surface still lay in darkness.

‘How long do we have?' he asked.

Chatterbeak studied the glowing sphere carefully.

‘Three nights till full moon,' he trilled.

‘Do you think we can reach her in time?' Whisker asked, hopefully.

Horace looked sullen. ‘It's a six day hike to Cloud Mountain.'

‘Who said anything about hiking?' Ruby said, raising an eyebrow at Chatterbeak.

Chatterbeak stuck his head under his wing.

‘Leave me out of this,' he clucked. ‘Birds of prey don't take kindly to aerial intruders.'

‘Have a heart, you selfish swan!' Horace snapped, prodding the parrot with his hook. ‘There's an innocent life at –'

CRASH!
A mighty tremor shook the penthouse. Splinters of wood flew across the room as a lightning-branded claw broke through the stairwell door.

Startled into action, Chatterbeak leapt onto the balcony, flapping his blue and yellow wings vigorously.

‘Madness, madness!' he screeched. ‘You rats will be the death of me. Now climb on board before I change my mind.'

Without hesitation, Whisker leapt onto Chatterbeak's back. Ruby scrambled up behind him.

‘You're on the bottom, pipsqueak,' Chatterbeak squawked, snatching up Horace in his talons.

‘What about Frankie?' Whisker gasped.

‘He'll be fine,' Ruby hissed, wrapping her arms around Whisker's waist. ‘Now, hold on tight and don't let go.'

Whisker dug his fingers into the soft, blue plumage of Chatterbeak's neck and locked his knees into place.

‘Tell the Captain where to find us,' Ruby called out to Smudge. ‘And ask him to bring reinforcements.'

Smudge buzzed his wings in acknowledgement and flew off towards the ocean. With a high-pitched
COOOEEE,
Chatterbeak launched himself into the air.

Whisker caught a final glimpse of Frankie Belorio collapsing into a padded chair before the crabs flooded into the room.

‘Thank goodness you arrived in time!' Frankie exclaimed. ‘Those dirty rats took me hostage and threatened to turn me into a pie …'

Safe at last in the windy heights of the sky, Whisker let out a sigh of relief. His body was wracked with pain, but his spirit remained strong.

His sister was alive, and she needed his help.

He felt the warmth of Ruby's arms pressing against his cloak, and knew he wasn't alone.

Together, they had won the Trophy of Champions, and together, they could save his sister from the birds of Cloud Mountain.

As the moonlight spilled onto the glassy ocean far below, Whisker saw the outline of a shadowy black ship.

The Black Shadow,
he thought with a shiver.
A bad omen or something far worse?

Turning away, he fixed his eyes on the snow-capped mountains to the north. As the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, he let his troubled mind relax, safe in the knowledge that where he was going, no ship could ever follow him.

Book 5

Child of the Cloud

Deep in the heart of Aladrya stands a mighty mountain. Rising high above the clouds, its rocky crags and windswept cliffs are home to four species of birds.

With only three days left until the full moon feast, Whisker's rescue mission to save his sister hangs in the balance. Even if he can reach the mountain alive, he still has to out-fight and out-fly the dreaded birds of prey.

Discover more about the Pie Rats at:

www.pierats.com.au