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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Fox & Hounds — Barking Green
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, hash browns, sausage, beans, mushrooms, and tomato. There was also a huge stack of toast, just in case anyone was still a bit hungry.
Grandpa Jake had just come into the dining room and was having an urgent, hushed conversation with Grandma Bella.
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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.
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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!
The closer Raven, Lewis, and their companions got, it was beyond any doubt; coming towards them were walking, talking, real-life barking dog people.
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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.
Raven could see the luminous hands of Samson’s watch — 6 am. He gently began to rouse the others. Samson, now awake, helped Raven wake the rest. Slowly, the little camp on the East Houndsford subway platform came to life, with only just a little bit of grumbling and one or two mumbles of “just another five minutes.”
Bed rolls were soon re-rolled, and backpacks were zipped. Some of the uneaten snacks from the previous night were re-interrogated for a makeshift breakfast.
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Two at a time, the clan swelled to almost their full size at the end of the station platform next to the underground tunnel portal.
Raven: Just Seb and Red to come now, guys. Those with torches, make sure you conserve the batteries — we’re gonna need them.
Samson: I’ve got a spare one if that helps.
Red looked around at the group of faces — the same faces that had trusted him to keep them all safe for so long. The crushing weight of responsibility sat heavily on his heart.
Now was not the time to dwell on feelings.
Rather, it was time to engage the head and the street smarts that had served him well over the last few years.
As he looked, each face told a different story, yet each carried the same fear, concern, and determination etched behind the grimy smears, along with one or two tears.
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Screw Pile Developments 