Willow felt her skin prickle with excitement as she tiptoed up to the office and peeped inside. But there, looking lost, was a ginger kitten.
‘Meow!’ it said as it saw Willow.
‘You’re not Croc,’ Willow said, picking it up. ‘But you’re way cuter than that mean old crocodile. Aren’t you, puss?’
The kitten rumbled with purrs and butted its head against Toby, who was also in Willow’s arms. Its tiny paws dug into Toby’s tummy, making him giggle. ‘That feels funny,’ he chuckled.
‘Come on, you,’ Willow said to the kitten. ‘I don’t think you’re meant to be in here.’
She took the purring kitten down to the front desk and the curly-haired woman let out a cry when she saw him. ‘Not again!’ she said, laughing. ‘How do you do it, Houdini?’ She gently took the kitten from Willow. ‘Honestly, he manages to get out of his cage every single day, this one. Thank you for finding him!’
Another member of staff came up to the desk just then with a purple and lilac tartan animal blanket. ‘I’m going to get rid of this,’ she told the curly-haired lady. ‘It’s been torn by the puppies, so—’
Willow couldn’t stop herself interrupting. Purple was Jack’s favourite colour – the fabric would be perfect for his Hoozle! ‘Excuse me,’ she said quickly. ‘But could I buy that blanket from you?’
The curly-haired lady smiled. ‘You can have it,’ she said. ‘Call it a thank-you for finding Houdini.’
Willow beamed as the blanket was put in a bag for her. ‘Thank you very much,’ she said.
As the woman took Houdini back to his cage, Willow decided to leave the animal shelter. ‘I don’t think Croc lives there,’ she said as she went outside. ‘But we’ve got to find him, and soon!’
A seagull shrieked overhead, and Grouchy glared at the bird. ‘Seagulls are the most annoying birds ever,’ he muttered. ‘They wake me up every morning with all that squawking – drives me mad!’
Willow grinned as a thought popped into her head. ‘You’re a genius, Grouchy,’ she told him, giving him a hug which made Grouchy squirm. ‘Seagulls are noisy … and you get lots of them down at the pier. Maybe Croc lives there?’
‘Let’s try,’ Lovely said. ‘And quick. Auntie Suzy will be back at the shop soon, I should think.’
The beach was crowded with holidaymakers in deckchairs, and excited squeals came from the sea as children splashed around, jumping over the waves and riding in brightly coloured dinghies. Willow and the Hoozles made their way along the old wooden boards of the pier, searching for a possible Hoozle home. There was a little tea shop at the far end of the pier, and an amusement arcade, which was certainly very noisy, but there was still no sign of Croc.
It was only as they were walking back that Willow realised she could see through the wooden boards down to the beach below. ‘Maybe we should look under the pier?’ she suggested in a low voice.
‘Good thinking,’ Toby said, wriggling eagerly. ‘It’s darker and probably feels more secret down there – much more like a place Croc would want to live.’
Willow hurried down to the beach so that she could make her way underneath the pier. ‘Phew!’ snorted Lovely, tossing her mane. ‘It’s very smelly.’
The little pink pony was right. Matted clumps of seaweed clung to the iron legs of the pier and there was a sharp, salty tang in the air.
Green weed and barnacles covered the rocks nearby.
They were well away from the holidaymakers, so Willow put Lovely, Grouchy and Toby down on the ground to explore. The three Hoozles set off over the stones at once, while Willow searched too, hoping that they might have found Croc’s home at last.
It was cool and quiet under the pier but after a few minutes, the silence was broken by a cry from Toby. ‘Hey!’
Willow snapped her head around to check he was all right – only to see Toby tumbling backwards off a large rock. ‘He’s in there!’ the brave bear shouted as he fell to the ground. ‘In this little cave – I’ve seen him!’
Willow stumbled over the stones, just as Croc emerged. He had a cross look on his face, as if he didn’t like being disturbed. Then, when he saw Willow, his expression changed to panic, and he turned tail.
‘Don’t let him get away!’ Toby shouted.