Horatio's One Wish (A middle-grade animal adventure novel) by Joshua Kriesberg

Author:Joshua Kriesberg [Kriesberg, Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blue Bog Press
Published: 2013-01-16T05:00:00+00:00

Horatio rose bright and early the next morning in their burrow. He couldn’t wait to get to the Tournament of Archers. Everyone else was still asleep. “Let’s see what we have for breakfast,” he said, making as much noise as he could. Mish and Mosh came at once. “Too bad you guys don’t chew loudly,” he told them. “That would wake them up.”

“No, but we can do shomething elshe,” Mosh said. He pushed his face into Horatio’s fur, pulled it out, and gave one humongous sneeze, “HOOOF!”

Whisklet and Whimser jumped up with a start.

“Too much fur makesh my noshe tickle,” he told Horatio.

“I didn’t know snails could sneeze.”

“Well, we’re not your ushual shnailsh.”

“Breakfast time!” Horatio called out to the sleepy hamsters. “We’ve got biscuits, hazelnuts, blueberries. What do you guys want?”

“Umm,” said Whisklet yawning. “Some blueberries would be good this morning.”

After breakfast they quickly checked on their raft— the turtles were still sleeping soundly on top of it—and then hurried off to the tournament grounds. They were met by scores and scores of mammals heading the same way.

“It’s going to be packed,” said Whimser.

“Good thing we didn’t get here any later,” said Horatio. They picked up the pace, and found some seats on the grandstand four rows from the front. They lowered the Emblems so other animals could see behind them. To their right sat a marmot with a green felt hat. To their left sat a raccoon wearing a vest covered with pockets.

In front of them, eight targets stood in a row, far from the grandstand, in the open field of the tournament grounds. Behind a bright yellow line near the grandstand were eight stands to hold the archers’ quivers and eight chairs.

A tall black curtain with an opening in the middle hung from a huge wooden frame. On either side of the opening, the curtain displayed a flaming arrow in orange embroidery. Horatio suspected the archers were waiting behind the curtain. The curtain stood near a long table with a red tablecloth. At the table sat six badgers. Two of the badgers were dressed to the hilt in top hats and formal suits. The remaining four badgers carried bows and arrows on their muscular shoulders and wore black jackets.

“Who are the badgers?” asked Horatio.

The marmot on Horatio’s right explained, “The ones with the top hats are the announcer and the tournament judge. The ones with bows are the bodyguards for the archers. They pick up archers from their villages and escort them here. That way the archers stay safe from predators. Even for small mammals who are expert archers, it’s dangerous to travel alone.”

“Do the small mammals have to walk all the way here?”

“No, the badgers transport them here in one of the Grand Wagons. See that one at the far end of the grandstand?” Horatio noticed it now. It was ornately painted in orange and yellow spirals with two large wheels in the back and two long poles to pull it. “The badgers go from village to village and pick up the small mammals who are headed for the tournament.

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