9
Flying

Sometimes a Hero had to do what a Hero had to do. And if the only way to help Yesterday was to step into an orange tube and go whizzing through the sky then…

Boo gulped. He’d crossed the universes in wormholes! He’d fought the Greedle! He could do this.

‘See you later!’ he said to the boy, hoping his bark didn’t sound like a whimper. He stuck his tail up at a cool angle and trotted over to the plane.

At least it smelt like food. Fresh meat, old meat…Boo sniffed again. There were other scents here that weren’t as good. Hunger. Fear. The rage of the dinosaurs when there was never quite enough for them to eat and the white light stopped them eating each other.

Boo stepped up onto the metal of the plane and sat among the stains, and the sides began to close about him. Snap! It sounded like a wolf snapping at a fly, thought Boo. And then the fly would be down in his dark tummy, being digested, just like he was here in the dark too…

Stop it, he told himself. After going through a whale and coming out the other end, he knew what digestive juices smelt like! This was just a box, that’s all. Look like a Hero! he told himself.

He sat up straighter, pricked his ears and tried to make his tail stick up instead of curling. Look out, Guardians! The werewolf Hero is approaching, he thought, as he checked that Squeak was still in his pouch. The little mouse seemed to be asleep. Boo envied him.

The plane was moving now, its wheels humming against the stones. Then suddenly they were airborne, which made Boo feel like he’d left his tummy on the ground.

‘Owooo!’ He couldn’t help a tiny howl. Was this what it felt like to be a flying pig? But flying pigs flapped their little wings, they didn’t whoosh up into the sky. And they were out in the fresh air, with little flowers to stick their noses in, not shut up in a metal box…

Boo gulped. Something was wrong with his tummy! He’d never felt like this before! What was happening to him?

Was there a secret deadly weapon on the plane?

Had the Guardians decided to destroy him? Maybe they were afraid of him, a Hero on a mission to find his friend.

He had to get out of here! His paws began to scrabble automatically through the floor of the plane. Suddenly he stopped. Go where? Where was he trying to dig a hole to? If they were flying all there was outside was…nothing…

He had to find the weapon! That was it! He’d sniff out the secret weapon and destroy it! And when the plane opened those Guardians would find an angry werewolf Hero, not the dead puppy they’d expected. That would teach them.

He sniffed. And sniffed again. Why wasn’t his nose working? What was happening to his tummy? Why was—?

Glurk.

This morning’s fried eyeballs spilt out onto the floor of the plane.

Dimly he was aware that the plane was dropping, lower, lower, lower…but there was still an eyeball that wanted to get out. Or maybe two…

Glurk!

Boo gasped. That had to be the last eyeball. Now to find the secret weapon—

The plane opened.

THE THREE GREAT RULES OF LIFE

1 Never lift your leg until after the Top Dog has widdled first.

2 Never eat the last stuffed cockroach in the bowl.

3 And never EVER do THAT on the rug.

DAME KARA VAN’S GUIDE TO WEREWOLF ETIQUETTE