ancient secret.”
Goliath was still looking doubtful.
“We didn't come here for war,” said Limpy. “We came here for peace. Charm lost her life for this quest and that's why we're going to carry on till we succeed. For Charm.”
“All right,” said Goliath, looking sad and a bit ashamed. “But after we've succeeded, we'll do the war.”
Limpy decided the time had come to get cross with Goliath.
Before he could, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Limpy looked up. It was Raoul. There was hurt and anger on Raoul's big face. Limpy decided not to waste time with excuses.
“I'm sorry I escaped,” said Limpy. “And I'm sorry I tried to start a war.”
Raoul's frown got even deeper.
Goliath thrust himself between Limpy and Raoul.
“It wasn't his fault,” said Goliath. “It was me. I rescued him with my highly trained rescue unit. I'm the one you should be crook with.”
Limpy saw Goliath notice Raoul's muscles. Goliath reached out and gave one of them a little tweak. And felt how hard it was.
“Not too crook, but,” he said, shrinking back.
“I'm not just angry with you two,” said Raoul.“I'm angry with Flatface. And with myself for letting him get near you. Two warmongers working together could have been a disaster.”
“Three,” said Goliath indignantly.
“I'm sorry, Raoul,” said Limpy. “I shouldn't have tried to blow up the pipeline. I got carried away, but I'm over it now. Me and Goliath and Charm came here to discover your ancient secret of living in peace with humans, and that's what I want to do.”
Raoul's angry frown turned into a surprised one.
“Our ancient secret?” he said. He thought for a moment. “I don't think we've got an ancient secret. I've never heard of one.”
Limpy stared at Raoul, struggling to take this in.
“The humans in the village,” said Limpy. “They don't kill cane toads, do they? They don't drive over them in vehicles or bash them with cricket bats or blow them up with bike pumps.”
“No,” said Raoul. “I don't think so.”
“Why not?” said Limpy.
“Don't know,” said Raoul. “Never really thought about it. We've always been more concerned about wasps and snakes and eagles and giant ticks.”
Limpy felt his warts droop with despair.
“There is someone who might know,” said Raoul.“We have a wise ancient being among us who knows the secrets of the forest. Secrets of dreams and magic. When he closes his eyes, nothing is hidden from him. He'd probably know.”
Limpy's mucus wobbled with excitement.
“Thank you,” said Limpy. “Thank you. Where can we find this wise ancient toad?”
Raoul looked at Limpy with a rather nervous expression.
“He's not a toad,” said Raoul. “He's a human.”
L impy and Goliath crouched in the ditch at the edge of the human village.
“Let me get this straight,” said Goliath. “We're not attacking them.”
“No,” said Limpy.
“Not even a little bit.”
“No.”
Goliath frowned. “But if we're not attacking them,” he said, “how are we going to capture the wise bloke who can tell us the ancient secret?”
Limpy sighed.
Goliath's face lit up.
“I get it,” he said. “We're going in undercover to kidnap him, right? Good plan. What shall we disguise ourselves as? Giant snakes? Bulldozers? Sheep?”
“Goliath,” said Limpy. “We're not using violence and we're not using trickery. We're just going in therepolitely, and when we work out which is the wise old man, we'll ask him to tell us the secret.”
Goliath stared at Limpy.
“Are you mental?” he said. “Walking into a human village in broad daylight? What if they throw spears at us? Or fire poison darts at us? Or hollow us out and use us as drinking vessels?”
Part of Limpy felt the same as Goliath.
Compared to what they were about to do, hanging out in a pit full of snakes didn't seem that scary after all.
But another part of him was prepared to take the risk.
For Charm's sake.
“My poison sacs are empty,”
Goliath was still looking doubtful.
“We didn't come here for war,” said Limpy. “We came here for peace. Charm lost her life for this quest and that's why we're going to carry on till we succeed. For Charm.”
“All right,” said Goliath, looking sad and a bit ashamed. “But after we've succeeded, we'll do the war.”
Limpy decided the time had come to get cross with Goliath.
Before he could, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Limpy looked up. It was Raoul. There was hurt and anger on Raoul's big face. Limpy decided not to waste time with excuses.
“I'm sorry I escaped,” said Limpy. “And I'm sorry I tried to start a war.”
Raoul's frown got even deeper.
Goliath thrust himself between Limpy and Raoul.
“It wasn't his fault,” said Goliath. “It was me. I rescued him with my highly trained rescue unit. I'm the one you should be crook with.”
Limpy saw Goliath notice Raoul's muscles. Goliath reached out and gave one of them a little tweak. And felt how hard it was.
“Not too crook, but,” he said, shrinking back.
“I'm not just angry with you two,” said Raoul.“I'm angry with Flatface. And with myself for letting him get near you. Two warmongers working together could have been a disaster.”
“Three,” said Goliath indignantly.
“I'm sorry, Raoul,” said Limpy. “I shouldn't have tried to blow up the pipeline. I got carried away, but I'm over it now. Me and Goliath and Charm came here to discover your ancient secret of living in peace with humans, and that's what I want to do.”
Raoul's angry frown turned into a surprised one.
“Our ancient secret?” he said. He thought for a moment. “I don't think we've got an ancient secret. I've never heard of one.”
Limpy stared at Raoul, struggling to take this in.
“The humans in the village,” said Limpy. “They don't kill cane toads, do they? They don't drive over them in vehicles or bash them with cricket bats or blow them up with bike pumps.”
“No,” said Raoul. “I don't think so.”
“Why not?” said Limpy.
“Don't know,” said Raoul. “Never really thought about it. We've always been more concerned about wasps and snakes and eagles and giant ticks.”
Limpy felt his warts droop with despair.
“There is someone who might know,” said Raoul.“We have a wise ancient being among us who knows the secrets of the forest. Secrets of dreams and magic. When he closes his eyes, nothing is hidden from him. He'd probably know.”
Limpy's mucus wobbled with excitement.
“Thank you,” said Limpy. “Thank you. Where can we find this wise ancient toad?”
Raoul looked at Limpy with a rather nervous expression.
“He's not a toad,” said Raoul. “He's a human.”
L impy and Goliath crouched in the ditch at the edge of the human village.
“Let me get this straight,” said Goliath. “We're not attacking them.”
“No,” said Limpy.
“Not even a little bit.”
“No.”
Goliath frowned. “But if we're not attacking them,” he said, “how are we going to capture the wise bloke who can tell us the ancient secret?”
Limpy sighed.
Goliath's face lit up.
“I get it,” he said. “We're going in undercover to kidnap him, right? Good plan. What shall we disguise ourselves as? Giant snakes? Bulldozers? Sheep?”
“Goliath,” said Limpy. “We're not using violence and we're not using trickery. We're just going in therepolitely, and when we work out which is the wise old man, we'll ask him to tell us the secret.”
Goliath stared at Limpy.
“Are you mental?” he said. “Walking into a human village in broad daylight? What if they throw spears at us? Or fire poison darts at us? Or hollow us out and use us as drinking vessels?”
Part of Limpy felt the same as Goliath.
Compared to what they were about to do, hanging out in a pit full of snakes didn't seem that scary after all.
But another part of him was prepared to take the risk.
For Charm's sake.
“My poison sacs are empty,”
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