‘You’re a fierce little thing, aren’t you?’ the man said, and ruffled the stormhound’s black ears.
This was worse humiliation than anything so far. When the great Lord Odin got to hear about this he would smite this man and his tin shell from the face of the earth.
The man seemed completely unaware that he was perilously close to invoking the wrath of the storm god. ‘What kind of person would abandon a puppy?’ he asked.
The Wild Hunt, that’s who. But it wasn’t their fault I got left behind and they’ll be back soon, so if you will kindly release me and be on your way I will consider asking Odin not to smite your home and family with thundery vengeance.
The man clearly didn’t understand a word. Instead of putting Storm of Odin down on the ground, he carried him to the metal shell and placed him gently on the back seat. Then he produced a blanket and proceeded to dry the stormhound’s wet coat.
A fluffy blanket. Pink, printed all over with kittens and smelling of cat.
This was too much. Storm of Odin shook himself free and stood up, ready to enact his own thundery vengeance here and now, but the man had already let him go and was climbing into the front seat of the metal shell.
‘Hold tight, little guy,’ he said.
Little guy? Eat lightning, human!
The metal shell rumbled and lurched. The stormhound’s stomach lurched with it. On second thoughts, he’d just lie here and chew the man’s blanket for a while. That’d teach him.
Books by Claire Fayers
The Accidental Pirates:
Voyage to Magical North
Journey to Dragon Island
For Linda, who loves books
First published 2018 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This electronic edition published 2018 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-5098-8125-3
Text copyright © Claire Fayers 2018
Illustrations copyright © Becka Moor 2018
Cover illustration by Becka Moor
The right of Claire Fayers and Becka Moor to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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