Age: 14
Full Name: Dieter — Warrior of the People
Family: Son of Ambassador Schönheit & Anna, brother of Hanne
Species: Hunde, German Shepherd
Role: The Courage — bold, loyal, humorous, protective, direct, pack-driven; main protagonist
Best line: Come here, buddy. Sleep with me — I’m a bit scared too.
Funniest line: So what you’re saying is that we’re gonna fire a buzzy-bug straight up that bug ship’s whizz-stick?
Continue reading
Age: 12
Species: Neko-Human snow-leopard
Full Name: Taqqiq — Snow on Ice
Family: Son of Gazza & Tag’s Mammy
Species: Neko-Human, Snow Leopard
Note: Will only wear a shirt when his mammy makes him
Role: The Heart, emotional courage, empathy, instinctive trust, compassion, moral compass, main protagonist
Best line: The stones have protected us so far.
I reckon the stones are on our side. They won’t let us down.
Funniest line: I ain’t gonna lie — this whole thing just about has me packing darkies in my under-jocks.
Continue reading
Age: 13
Full Name: Pukajaak — Sugar Snow
Family: Son of Altai & Eliza
Species: Neko-Human, Snow Leopard
Role: The Mind, thinker, observer, narrative centre, anchor, interpreter of events, main protagonist
Best line: Dad… do you think we could get a flush toilet installed at our cabin now?
Funniest line: Half past sparrow’s fart, I reckon.
Continue reading
In naval parlance, battle short is the practice of overriding protective fuses during combat so critical systems keep running, even if that increases the risk of damage. It’s a calculated compromise — the risk to a single component weighed against the risk to the entire ship.
Continue reading
On the Eight by Four Railway — with extensions — early morning mist curled around the sleepy steam engines and mingled with the first wisps of steam as the firemen coaxed their fires into life for a new day’s work.
One by one, the engines gently woke on their sidings at Caerphilly Yard, their boilers bubbling as they stirred from sleep.
Pickle, a small green tank engine with a bright brass dome, yawned a cloud of steam. Today was his first day pulling the milk tankers to the Cheese and Gate Creamery, and his wheels quivered with excitement.
Continue reading
Sunlight gleamed on the rails of Ddraig Goch station, polished by the passing of countless wheels. Two engines stood side by side, looking very important.
One was Mallard, an A4 class engine, large, proud and blue. His streamlined casing and nameplates shone and sparkled in the bright morning sky. From buffer to buffer he stood eager and ready at the station, steam drifting from his valves in impatient sighs.
Beside him stood King Edward VIII, a hardworking King class engine painted a deep, dignified green. He was broader and heavier, built for strength, and his brass snifting valve glowed warmly in the morning sun. He too was ready to start the day’s work.
Continue reading
It was still dark when Grandma Bella roused the boys for an early breakfast. It was the best one yet, a full cooked breakfast, bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, beans, mushrooms and tomato. There was also a huge stack of toast, just in case anyone was still a bit hungry.
Continue reading
After lunch, all of the boys started yawning, and once one started, they all started non-stop. Even though it was still early afternoon Grandma Bella dispatched all the boys upstairs for a nap. Again, they could hardly believe their luck, beds – real beds with sheets, and pillows; and one bed for each of them! To Grandma Bella’s amusement, the pups who would normally object strenuously to taking an afternoon nap, all insisted that they wanted to take a nap too. Hamish snuggled in with Seb, Fergus with Charlie and Angus with Raven. Lewis of course had Dogger. Soon all the boys and hunde puppies were fast asleep, the boys feeling completely safe for the first time in a very, very long time.
Continue reading
Charlie: I can see them! – they’re coming back, and there’s some… some… um…
Charlie, who had never seen a Hunde before, couldn’t quite comprehend what he was seeing.
…some people with them, well I think they’re people – um – they look like, wow! They look like dogs – but they are walking like people!
After several hours of undisturbed sleep, Raven stirred, waking with a start. Pitch black surrounded him, and it took a few moments to remember where and why he was there. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stretched out his stiff back. Despite the blankets and sleeping bags, the platform had still been hard and cold to sleep on.
Continue reading
Screw Pile Developments 