Lord Brocktree (Redwall) by Jacques Brian

Author:Jacques, Brian [Jacques, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: RHCP
Published: 2012-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

‘Come mother, father, daughter, son,

My challenge stands to anybeast!

I’ll take on all, or just the one,

Whether at the fight or feast!

Aye, try to beat me an’ defeat me,

Set ’em up, I’ll knock ’em down!

Just try to outbrag me, you’ll see,

King Bucko Bigbones wears the crown!’

She waved the tattered barkscroll in Brocktree’s face. ‘Now, sah, you’ve heard it. Is that a challenge or not, wot?’

The Badger Lord nodded gravely. ‘Couldn’t be any clearer, ’tis a challenge right enough!’

Dotti quickly rolled the scroll and jammed it in her belt. ‘Huh, that’s flippin’ well good enough for me. Come on!’

She stormed off, her footpaws almost punching holes in the ground. A wide grin spread across the badger’s face. He took hold of Fleetscut’s paw, tugging him along in her wake. ‘Hurry along, old one, I wouldn’t miss this for a feast prepared by Longladle himself. Things are going to plan, even better than I dared hope they would!’

King Bucko was in high good humour. He sat on his treefork throne, swilling dandelion beer and laughing uproariously with his comrades as he relived the fight with Ironspikes that afternoon.

‘Och, the fat auld fraud wiz swingin’ both paws like a windmill an’ puffin’ like a northeast gale, d’ye ken. So ah just ducked an’ came up wi’ mah guid auld left cross. Whacko! Did ye see the big braw pincushion topple, hahaha!’

‘Aye, y’pick the easy marks, don’t you, Bucko?’

The laughter ceased. All eyes turned on Dotti, who was standing, paws akimbo, on the bottom log step. The king waved his sceptre dismissively at her. ‘Ach, awa’ wi’ ye, lassie, go an’ look fer some babbies t’nurse.’ Sycophant hares around the throne guffawed loudly.

Dotti bounded up the steps and shook out the barkscroll. She thrust it under the king’s nose. ‘It says here that you’ll fight mother, father, daughter or son. That’s what it says. Right?’

The big mountain hare flicked the scroll from her paws with his sceptre and tossed it over his shoulder. ‘Mebbe et does, mebbe et don’t. Whit are ye gettin’ so stirred up aboot, mah pretty one?’

Dotti’s paw prodded him hard in the chest. ‘Don’t you ever call me your pretty one, you great blowbag! I’m here to take up your challenge!’

One of the guards tried to lay paws on Dotti for prodding his king. He froze as a swordpoint from below tickled his tail. Lord Brocktree was staring up at him.

‘Stay out of this, or I’ll make it my fight with you!’

Dotti prodded Bucko again, harder this time. ‘Well?’

The king’s former good humour was fast deserting him. ‘Ach! Ah’m nae goin’ tae fight wi’ no wee haremaid. Whit d’ye think I am, a bully?’

Dotti marched off down the steps, her nose in the air. ‘Since you ask, sah, I’ll tell you what I think you are. You’re no king, just a liar an’ a coward!’

In the horrified silence that followed, King Bucko came bounding down the steps after her, paws clenched tight. ‘Yerrah! Ye whey-faced whelp, we’ll settle this right here an’ noo.

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