by Jim Eldridge
Contents
Title Page
Also by Jim Eldridge
Rustlers
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Family Heirloom
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Reviews
Copyright
Also By Jim Eldridge
WRESTLING TROLLS series:
Match 1: Big Rock and the Masked Avenger
Match 2: Hunk and Thud
Match 3: The Giant Rumble
Match 4: Thud in Trouble
Disgusting Dave series
And many more …
RUSTLERS
CHAPTER 1
The crowd inside Bun Village Hall was small, but very enthusiastic. Jack and Milo sat with Blaze in the front row and listened to the crowd cheer loudly as Big Rock and his opponent, a troll called Block, clambered into the ring.
‘What I like about this place is that it’s nice and friendly,’ said Milo. ‘There’s no sneaky cheating, like when Lord Veto’s orcs are taking part. Look at how good-natured the Fighting Pink Fairy was, even though the Masked Avenger beat her.’
They were here for the Great Bun Wrestle Smackdown. Despite its grand-sounding name, the Great Bun Wrestle Smackdown was a very small event with just two bouts taking place: ‘Big Rock offered to pull the caravan for you part of the way to give you a rest,’ Jack had pointed out.
‘That wouldn’t be right,’ Robin had said sniffily. ‘My job as a horse is to pull the caravan. Big Rock’s job is to wrestle.’
‘Yes, but we share the work,’ Jack had insisted. ‘We help one another. That’s what a family does.’
When they’d arrived they’d left Robin to rest and graze on the village green, while they headed for the hall where the Smackdown was to be held.
‘This is what wrestling should be like,’ said Milo. ‘Done in a proper, sporting way, with everyone sticking to the rules, and no nastiness.’
The referee climbed into the ring between the ropes and walked to the centre.
‘Ladies and gentlemen!’ he announced. ‘It gives me enormous pleasure to introduce the two contestants for the second bout of this fantastic Great Bun Wrestle Smackdown! In the blue corner, the Troll Champion, Big Rock!’
The crowd cheered loudly, and some of them chanted, ‘Big Rock! Big Rock! Big Rock!’
‘Big Rock isn’t the Troll Champion,’ Jack whispered to Milo. ‘That’s Crush!’
‘Okay, I may have exaggerated a little when I made the booking,’ whispered back Milo.
‘You lied,’ said Jack accusingly. ‘All that talk about “no cheating” …’
‘I didn’t actually lie!’ whispered back Milo. ‘After all, here in Bun, Big Rock is the Troll Champion.’
‘Only because there are only two Wrestling Trolls here, and Big Rock’s won more bouts than Block,’ pointed out Jack.
‘Exactly,’ nodded Milo.
‘Huh!’ snorted Jack disapprovingly.
Above them, in the ring, the referee was introducing the other wrestler.
‘And in the red corner, please give a huge Bun welcome to his opponent, that fantastic Wrestling Troll, Block!’
Again, the crowd cheered and shouted their support, chanting Block’s name.
Block was a tall, heavily muscled Wrestling Troll, with spiky grass sticking out of his skull as if it was hair. He was younger than Big Rock, and his rocky body shone as light reflected off the quartz and granite that showed beneath his sparkling blue-and-black costume. Big Rock’s costume was old and faded with so much mending that it looked like a patchwork quilt. On the front was an embroidered picture of a mountaintop, which Jack had only just recently sewn back on.
‘Block’s a new wrestler on the circuit,’ murmured Milo. ‘He’s keen to make his mark and get noticed. It should be a good contest.’
‘Gentlemen, return to your corners!’ said the referee.
He waited until the two Trolls were in their corners, then gave a thumbs up to his assistant, and the bell for round one went Ding!
The two Wrestling Trolls came out from their corners and began to circle one another warily.
‘Come on, Big Rock!’ called Jack.
It was Block who made the first move, suddenly launching himself at Big Rock with a dive. Big Rock swivelled to one side and let Block hurtle past him. He caught Block round the waist and was about to crash him to the canvas when Block did a forward roll, dragging Big Rock with him.
There was a blur of rock and quartz and coloured costumes, and then Big Rock was flat on his back in the middle of the ring with Block lying across his head, pinning his shoulders down.
‘One!’ counted the referee. ‘Two! Three!’
Block rolled off Big Rock and waved at the crowd, acknowledging their cheers and applause.
‘Block’s good,’ murmured Jack admiringly. ‘That was a really fast move.’
The contest restarted, and once again Block tried the same move, attempting to drag Big Rock with him as he did a forward roll, but this time Big Rock was ready. Big Rock plonked himself down in the middle of the ring and let Block roll and, as the young troll bounced to his feet, Big Rock jumped forward, catching Block off balance.
Thump!
Block hit the canvas face first. Big Rock grabbed Block by the legs and tried to turn him over onto his back, but Block managed to twist and slip his way out of Big Rock’s grasp and retreated to his own corner.
‘This is harder than Big Rock thought it would be,’ muttered Jack.
‘Big Rock will win,’ said Milo confidently.
At that moment, Block threw himself at Big Rock, who stumbled backwards and tumbled through the ropes and out of the ring.
‘I’m not so sure,’ said Jack doubtfully as Big Rock climbed back in.
From then, the bout swung this way and that, first Block getting the upper hand, and then Big Rock.
The two pinfalls that ended the bout came in swift succession. The first came with Big Rock picking Block up and flipping him down and falling on him. The second came as Block jumped from the top rope to power a launching dive at Big Rock. But Big Rock ducked, letting Block fly over him, and then he threw himself after Block, grabbing him and throwing him onto his back on the canvas before Block could recover.
The two trolls shook hands as the referee announced Big Rock as the winner.
‘Good wrestling,’ Big Rock praised his opponent. ‘Next time, bet you win.’
Block gave a big grin, and gave Big Rock a hug. Then both wrestlers walked around the ring, waving at the crowd and acknowledging their cheers, before climbing out.
‘That was close,’ said Jack.
‘Block good,’ nodded Big Rock.
‘But you’re better,’ said the Masked Avenger, who’d just joined them.
‘Big Rock’s experience did the trick,’ said Meenu. ‘We watched you from the dressing room.’
The crowd were still cheering, and autograph books were being thrust at Big Rock.
Milo smiled.
‘Time to sell some souvenirs,’ he said.
Together, and arm-in-arm, the gang walked jauntily away from the village hall and back towards the green, with Blaze flying overhead. As they walked, they sang:
‘Wres
tling Trolls,
Tum-di-dum!
Wrestling Trolls,
Tum-di-dum!’
‘Wait till Robin hears what he missed!’ chuckled Jack. ‘Two great bouts, and two great victories!’
‘He will be gutted!’ agreed Milo.
They carried on singing and whistling happily as they approached the caravan.
‘Robin!’ called Jack.
There was no reply.
Blaze flew down and settled beside them.
‘Robin’s not here,’ he said. ‘I’ve just flown over the caravan and around the green.’
‘That’s strange,’ frowned Milo. ‘I wonder where he’s gone.’
He spotted a small boy walking across the green.
‘Excuse me, little boy!’ he called. ‘Have you seen a horse around?’
‘An old horse,’ put in Jack.
‘A very old horse,’ added the Masked Avenger.
‘A horse?’ asked the boy.
‘Yes,’ said Milo. ‘He was here, with our caravan.’
The boy looked worried. ‘You don’t mean you left him alone!’ he said, horrified.
‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘Why not?’
‘He’s old enough to look after himself,’ said Meenu.
‘Because of the rustlers,’ said the boy.
‘What rustlers?’ asked Milo.
‘They come into the village and steal horses,’ said the boy. ‘They’re bad people.’
The gang looked at one another in horror.
‘Horse thieves!’ exclaimed Milo.
‘Where do they come from?’ asked the Masked Avenger.
The boy shook his head. ‘My parents don’t want me to talk about it, in case anything bad happens to us,’ he said. ‘No one here wants to talk about it.’
‘But someone must know where they are!’ exploded Milo.
‘The Village Marshal,’ said the boy. ‘He knows.’ He gave them an apologetic smile. ‘I can’t say any more. I’m not allowed to. And I have to get home.’
With that the boy ran off across the green.
‘This bad!’ growled Big Rock.
‘Yes, and we’re going to do something about it,’ said Milo determinedly. ‘Let’s go and see this Village Marshal.’
‘While you do that, Meenu, Blaze and I will go and look for Robin, and see if we can find out about who took him,’ said the Masked Avenger.
‘But what if you run into these horse thieves?’ asked Jack, worried.
‘If I do, they’re going to regret stealing Robin!’ scowled the Masked Avenger.
CHAPTER 2
Milo, Jack and Big Rock found the Village Marshal in a small wooden shack on the other side of the green, not far from the village hall. A painted sign above the door said: TOM TUM. VILLAGE MARSHAL.
Milo pushed open the door and went in, followed by Jack and Big Rock. A short, thin man with a bald head and a big ginger moustache was sitting at a desk, his head bowed over a newspaper.
‘Marshal Tum?’ asked Milo.
‘That’s me,’ nodded the man. Then he looked up, and as he saw Big Rock his face lit up into a smile.
‘Hey!’ he said. ‘You’re Big Rock, the Wrestling Troll! I’ve just seen you wrestle! Great stuff!’
‘Bad men take our horse,’ said Big Rock bluntly.
The Marshal looked at Big Rock in surprise, and then his smile vanished and his face clouded over.
‘Stolen?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ said Milo. ‘Someone told us that horse thieves are operating here. That they come into the village and steal them.’
The Marshal shifted awkwardly in his chair. He looked very uncomfortable.
‘Yes,’ he said unhappily. ‘They turn them into burgers and sell them to make money.’
‘Burgers!’ echoed Jack, shocked.
‘People eat Robin?’ said Big Rock, horrified.
‘I’m afraid so,’ said Tum.
‘No!’ said Jack. ‘We have to stop this! You have to stop this happening! You’re the Marshal!’
‘But only in this village. The horsemeat gang operate in a valley outside the village limits. They call it Badlands Valley. There’s no law there.’
‘But you must be able to catch them!’ insisted Milo. ‘What about when they come to sell their burgers? You can arrest them then.’
‘On what charge?’ asked Tum. ‘There’s no evidence that the horsemeat burgers are made partly from stolen horses. They also buy horses legally, and I think they mix the meat from the stolen horses with the legal meat.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t touch them.’
‘We can!’ said Milo vengefully. ‘They’re not going to take our horse and turn him into burgers! Where is this Badlands Valley?’
‘I wouldn’t advise going after the gang on your own,’ said Tum. ‘They’re a dangerous bunch. And there are a lot of them. You three wouldn’t be any match for them.’
‘You’d be surprised how determined we can be when one of our friends is in trouble,’ said Jack. Inside, he thought: and hopefully I’ll turn into Thud when we meet up with them.
‘Okay. If you insist,’ shrugged Tum. ‘But remember that I’ve warned you. Turn left at the village hall and follow the main road. When you reach the edge of the village you’ll see a road that goes into a valley. There’s a sign by it that says: END OF VILLAGE LIMITS. BEYOND THIS POINT IS BADLANDS VALLEY. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.’
‘You mean they’ve got the nerve to put up a sign like that and the law does nothing about it?’ said Jack, angry.
‘Who does the land belong to?’ asked Milo. ‘Someone must have control over it!’
‘It belongs to a man called Hard Harry. He’s the leader of the horsemeat gang. It’s his private valley; that’s why there’s no law there, except Hard Harry’s law.’
‘Not Hard Harry, the wrestler?’ asked Milo.
‘He used to be a wrestler,’ nodded the Marshal. ‘But he retired after he got hurt in a match. He used the money he’d made as a wrestler to buy the valley, and that’s when he started his horsemeat business.’
Milo nodded. ‘Thank you for your advice, Marshal.’ He turned to Big Rock and Jack. ‘Okay. Let’s go.’
‘Wait!’ said Jack. ‘We can’t leave it like this! Our friend is in trouble, and this so-called lawman won’t do anything about it!’
‘Now listen, you!’ growled the Marshal, angrily. ‘I’m on my own and I have a hard enough job keeping the law in this village – never mind in Badlands Valley too.’
‘We understand, Marshal,’ nodded Milo. ‘Come on, you two.’
Milo left, with Big Rock following. Jack hesitated, then followed them.
‘You gave up very easily!’ he snapped accusingly at Milo.
‘The Marshal’s right. He has no power outside this village. He can’t help us. We’re going to have to save Robin ourselves. And I think I know a way to do it.’
‘How?’ demanded Jack.
‘We wrestle for him,’ said Milo. ‘Big Rock against Hard Harry.’
‘What makes you think that Hard Harry will take that challenge?’ asked Jack. ‘You heard what the Marshal said. He retired from wrestling after he got hurt in a match.’
‘And the person he was wrestling when he got hurt was Big Rock,’ said Milo.
Jack stared at Milo, and then at Big Rock.
‘You were the one who injured Hard Harry?’ he said.
‘Didn’t mean to,’ said Big Rock sadly. ‘Never want hurt anyone. But Hard Harry cheat. Upset me. I throw him out of ring.’
‘And he landed badly,’ finished Milo. ‘Damaged his leg. I heard he’d stopped wrestling after that, but I didn’t know he’d gone into the racket of stealing horses.’
‘And sell for burgers,’ said Big Rock.
‘But if it was Big Rock who finished his wrestling career, what makes you think he’d agree to wrestle Big Rock again, with Robin as the prize?’
‘Revenge,’ said Milo. ‘He’d see this as a way of getting his ow
n back on Big Rock.’
CHAPTER 3
They returned to the caravan, where they found the Masked Avenger, Meenu and Blaze waiting for them.
‘We can’t find him,’ said the Avenger.
‘I flew all over the village, and around it,’ said Blaze. ‘We don’t know where he is.’
‘He’s in Badlands Valley,’ said Jack.
Quickly, they told the others what the Marshal had told them about Hard Harry and his gang of thieves.
‘Turning Robin into burgers!’ exclaimed Meenu, shocked.
‘We can’t let that happen!’ said the Avenger.
‘No, we can’t,’ said Milo. ‘That’s why we’re going out to Badlands Valley to bargain for Robin.’
‘Me wrestle for him,’ said Big Rock.
Milo told them about his plan. After he’d finished, they looked at him doubtfully.
‘Are you sure it will work?’ asked the Avenger.
‘No,’ admitted Milo. ‘But if we don’t try, I’m sure that Robin will be turned into burgers.’
‘I’ll fly on ahead,’ offered Blaze. ‘I’ll try to find Robin, and see what I can do.’
With that, the phoenix flapped his wings and flew away.
‘Maybe when we arrive it’ll create a distraction so Blaze can get Robin away,’ said Jack.
‘Unless Robin’s already been turned into burgers …’ sighed Milo.
‘Don’t talk like that!’ snapped Meenu, upset. ‘Come on! Let’s go!’
They followed the Marshal’s directions, turning left at the village hall, then taking the main road out. Once they’d left the built-up area, the road became a rough track. After half an hour of walking, they reached the sign that said, END OF VILLAGE LIMITS. BEYOND THIS POINT IS BADLANDS VALLEY. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. They walked on, with high rock walls on either side, covered with lichen and weeds. The valley floor was thick with trees and bushes and tall grass.
