Alfie the Werewolf 3: Silvertooth

by Paul van Loon

  ‘But …’ said Dad. ‘Whoops!’ He flew forwards. Leo had torn off and was pulling Dad along behind him.

  Mum jumped in behind the steering wheel, started the car and revved the engine. ‘Hold on, everyone!’ she shouted. She put it into gear and put her foot down.

  The car jolted forward, then stalled.

  23

  Get Lost!

  Noura’s mouth fell open. ‘Why are you acting so weird, Alfie?’

  ‘I’m not acting weird. I just want you to go away. Now! You’re not wanted here.’ Alfie glanced quickly at Uncle Seb’s shack. It was still dark.

  Noura’s damp eyes gleamed. ‘What are you saying, Alfie?’

  ‘You heard me, Noura. Get out of here. Go away! I don’t want to see you here again!’

  Noura let go of the bars and stepped back in astonishment.

  Valentine nodded approvingly. ‘Well done,’ he whispered. ‘I think she got the message.’

  Alfie didn’t answer. Noura looked completely distraught. Tears were shining in her eyes. She didn’t understand at all.

  Alfie could hardly bear it, but he didn’t have time to feel sorry. He had to send her away, even if it hurt. Every second Noura stayed here put her in danger.

  ‘Go now!’ he growled in a quavery voice. ‘Get out of here. Get lost, will you?’

  Noura turned around. She hung her head and slunk off, looking back one last time.

  Alfie almost burst into tears himself. Noura let out one quiet sob, then walked on.

  ‘I don’t mean it, Noura,’ whispered Alfie.

  He looked over to Valentine. ‘Was that right, do you think?’

  Valentine gave him the thumbs-up. ‘Fine. Very good for a beginner. That’s the way to lose your girlfriend for ever.’ He laughed a grim little laugh.

  ‘But that’s not what I want!’ exclaimed Alfie. ‘I don’t want to lose her for ever!’

  ‘Tough,’ said Valentine. ‘Now you don’t have a girlfriend any more. Just like me.’

  Suddenly Noura screamed. Something metallic flashed near her hind leg. She collapsed in a heap and lay writhing on the ground.

  ‘Noura!’ shouted Alfie, tugging helplessly at the bars.

  ‘What is it? Please, say something.’

  But Noura could only groan with pain.

  ‘Wolf trap,’ said Valentine. ‘Silvertooth has put out a few traps and snares here and there. Your ex-girlfriend just stood on one.’

  Suddenly the light turned on in the shack.

  24

  Road Rage

  Mum had got the car started again. ‘Drive, you stupid thing!’ she shouted.

  The engine throbbed with fear as the car jolted and jerked down the street, throwing Grandpa Werewolf backwards and forwards on the back seat.

  ‘Do you even have a driving licence?’

  Mum had her eyes fixed on the road in front of her and was holding the steering wheel tight with both hands. ‘Not really, Grandpa, but I’ve sat next to my husband often enough to see how it’s done.’

  She tried to accelerate for the third time and for the third time the car stalled and rolled to a halt. Immediately other cars started beeping their horns.

  ‘Yeah, yeah, take it easy, will you?’ said Mum. ‘I’ll just start it again.’ She turned the key.

  The engine gave a tired squeal, then died again, leaving the car as stationary as a house in the middle of the road.

  ‘Watch out!’ Tim shouted.

  A big lorry loomed up towards them. Mum stamped on the brake, even though she didn’t need to. The lorry braked too and slid sideways over the road with its tyres squealing and its brakes screeching, finally stopping just in front of Mum’s car.

  There were big yellow letters on the side of the lorry: RCUPA.

  ‘Big fat idiot!’ Mum shouted, winding down her window and sticking out her head. ‘I had right of way.’

  A man with grey hair and reflective sunglasses looked down through the side window of the lorry. ‘But you weren’t going anywhere!’ he said.

  ‘So what? Right of way is right of way. Maybe you should take off those mirror glasses, then you might be able to see who should give way to who.’

  ‘Now now,’ said Grandpa Werewolf quietly, ‘You’re being a tad aggressive, aren’t you?’

  But Mum wasn’t listening. ‘Get out of the way, you great big bully with your great big lorry! We’re in a hurry!’

  The lorry driver’s face turned bright red. ‘There’s obviously no point in talking to you. I’m going.’ He wound up his window and started the engine.

  ‘Hurry up,’ mumbled Tim. ‘Hurry up. We’ve already lost Noura. Now we’re going to lose Dad and Leo too.’

  25

  Caught!

  Noura groaned and thrashed back and forth before giving up and lying motionless. Her leg was caught in an iron trap.

  Alfie rattled the bars of his cage, looking over at the light now shining from the shack. ‘We have to do something. We have to do something. What can we do?’

  Valentine stared at him. ‘There’s nothing we can do. It’s too bad, but your ex-girlfriend is a goner. Hopefully Silvertooth won’t shoot her dead, but he might. Then you won’t even have an ex-girlfriend any more. Just like me. I don’t have an ex-girlfriend either.’

  Alfie whimpered with misery. ‘Will he really shoot her dead?’

  Valentine shrugged. ‘You never know with Silvertooth.’

  The shack door opened and Uncle Seb came out with his gun and a big torch. He scanned the grounds, then shone it straight at Noura, summing up the situation in a glance. ‘Ah, what have we here? A surprise. Another werewolf. And this one walked into my trap just like that, of its own free will. I’m sure Dr Cutter will be willing to pay even more for a girl werewolf.’ Silvertooth was so happy he lit up a cigar.

  For a moment, Alfie was relieved. At least Uncle Seb wasn’t going to shoot Noura. She was worth good money.

  ‘You creep! You and your stupid ideas,’ he hissed at Valentine.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Valentine smirked. ‘I’m sorry Silvertooth’s not going to shoot her dead.’

  Alfie could only grit his teeth and watch as Uncle Seb rolled an empty cage over to Noura.

  There is no Uncle Seb, he thought. That man is just a crook called Silvertooth.

  Silvertooth released the trap and picked Noura up by the scruff of her neck. She hung limply from his hand and remained motionless, even after he’d put her in the cage.

  ‘Don’t pretend, wolf,’ he said. ‘That trap wasn’t even sharp. You’re not even bleeding. There was just a bit of silver in it. I wouldn’t want to damage the goods. You’re worth a lot more in one piece.’

  He rolled the cage over to the others and stood it upright next to Alfie’s. ‘Here, werewolf, now you’ve got some company. Not for long though, because the collectors should be here any minute.’ He sniggered and blew a cloud of smoke through the bars. Alfie started coughing, but Silvertooth didn’t care. ‘My customers will be delighted with this extra werewolf cub.’

  Suddenly the Scoffle started screeching.

  ‘Thunderation!’ roared Silvertooth. ‘What did I tell you? Shut your gob, monster! If a buyer doesn’t show up for you soon, I’ll have you fried on toast.’ He gave the Scoffle’s box a furious kick, turned and strode back to the shack.

  The box shivered for a moment. The long tail flicked out through the bars of the door and smacked hard against the ground. The growling, crunching sound of grinding teeth came from inside the cage. Then it fell silent again.

  ‘Noura!’ whispered Alfie. ‘Are you OK? I didn’t mean any of those things I said. I had to say that to get you to go. I was trying to protect you. This is just what I was trying to avoid. Please say something.’

  But Noura didn’t answer. She just lay on the floor of the cage as motionless as a rug.

  26

  Which Way?

  The lorry had driven off, but a long line of beeping cars had built up behind theirs. Mum
tried to restart it.

  ‘Hurry up, Mum!’ Tim said. ‘I can’t see Dad and Leo anywhere any more.’

  ‘Don’t worry, son. I’ll catch ’em.’

  The car went vroom, blowing a big cloud of black smoke out of the exhaust pipe.

  ‘I did it!’ Mum cried. ‘Buckle up and we’re off. Which way did they go?’

  Tim pointed into the darkness in front of them. ‘Somewhere in that direction. Straight ahead.’

  ‘OK,’ Mum said. ‘I’ll just drive straight ahead then.’

  She accelerated very carefully and the car drove off very slowly. This time it didn’t stall.

  ‘It’s going better already,’ said Grandpa Werewolf. ‘You’re a fast learner, a real star!’

  Mum smiled proudly and sped up a little. ‘Are we still going in the right direction? Should we go left, right or straight ahead?’

  Grandpa Werewolf leant forward over the back of the front seat. ‘Wait a sec. There’s something on the road in front of us. Maybe …’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Mum asked. ‘Those droppings? That’s nothing. It just means a horse has been this way.’

  Grandpa smiled. ‘That’s where you’re mistaken. Do you remember the story of Hansel and Gretel? They left a trail of breadcrumbs so they could find their way home.’

  Mum smiled. ‘Breadcrumbs? I think you must have hit your head too hard, Grandpa. You’re all mixed up. They’re definitely not breadcrumbs.’

  Grandpa shook his head. ‘I know they’re not breadcrumbs. But Leo is smarter than you think. He’s done the same kind of thing as Hansel and Gretel. He’s left something to show us the way. It’s just not breadcrumbs!’

  Mum looked at Grandpa with big eyes. ‘Oh, now I get it. You mean to say that Leo … That what’s lying there in the road isn’t horse droppings, but werewolf droppings?’

  Grandpa Werewolf nodded. ‘Exactly. Leo has left us a clue. Follow that poo!’

  27

  Dead?

  Alfie looked fearfully at Noura. She still hadn’t moved. Silvertooth was back in his shack. He hadn’t given her a second glance.

  ‘Noura, say something,’ Alfie pleaded.

  Valentine stared at the black werewolf. ‘Don’t be such a werewimp! It’s no big deal. She’s just fainted. From the fright, I guess.’

  Alfie nodded.

  ‘Either that or she’s dead,’ Valentine said. ‘No big deal either.’

  Alfie threw himself up against the bars and lashed out at Valentine with his claws. ‘What? How dare you say something like that, you stupid vampire?’

  Valentine shrugged. ‘It’s a joke. It’s just a vampire joke to cheer you up. Being dead is totally normal for vampires. I’m dead too, more or less. It’s called un-dead.’

  With a sad sigh, Alfie sat down again and picked up Tim’s bear. ‘Poor Noura. It’s all my fault. It’s my fault she turned into a werewolf. It’s my fault she’s in a cage. And it’s my fault she’s unconscious. She just wanted to rescue me. I’m nothing but bad luck.’

  Valentine let out a snort of laughter. ‘Come on, don’t be so pathetic. You’ve got a friend who’s crazy about you and you’ve got a girlfriend who comes to rescue you. They’d only do that if they loved you. What are you complaining about bad luck for?’ He wiped his eyes. ‘You were born lucky. You just have some unfortunate moments. Now me, I don’t have anyone. I can’t bear daylight. And I have to live off blood. Want to swap?’

  Alfie looked at Valentine. ‘You’re right, Valentine. I’m a whinger. I—’

  Suddenly the Scoffle let out an enormous screech.

  Noura blinked. ‘What was that?’

  ‘Noura!’ growled Alfie. ‘Are you OK?’

  The black werewolf looked up. ‘What happened? Where am I?’

  Alfie jumped up and down with excitement. He grabbed hold of the bars. ‘You stood on a trap, Noura. Made of silver. And now you’ve been captured, just like me.’

  Noura scrambled up on to her feet. ‘Oh yeah, now I remember.’ She shook her head and looked at Alfie. Her voice turned gloomy. ‘You sent me away. You told me to get lost.’

  Alfie reached out to her through the bars. ‘I didn’t mean it like that, Noura. We’ve been captured by Silvertooth. We’re trapped. That’s why I sent you away. I didn’t want you to get caught too. And Valentine said that being mean was the best way to get you to go, so—’

  ‘Sure, blame me, why don’t you?’ blurted the vampire, turning away angrily and creeping off to the back of his cage.

  Noura stretched her foreleg out and took Alfie’s paw. ‘It will all work out, Alfie. Tim and his parents are coming to rescue you.’

  Alfie shook his head. ‘Tim? He doesn’t even know where I am.’

  ‘Yes, he does,’ Noura said. ‘We came looking for you together. I was the track tracer. They’ll be here any minute now.’

  Alfie looked at the motionless bushes. The forest was dark and silent. ‘What’s keeping them then?’

  Noura scratched her throat. ‘They were right behind me. At least, I thought they were. Maybe …’

  Her face fell.

  ‘Oh, how stupid of me,’ she said, sitting down on the floor of her cage. ‘I didn’t pay attention. Once I smelt your track I just kept on running. I guess they weren’t able to keep up.’

  Alfie looked at her with a concerned expression. ‘Does your paw still hurt, Noura?’

  ‘No, it’s fine. I hardly notice it.’

  Suddenly they heard a racket coming from between the trees. Branches snapped, bushes rustled.

  ‘What’s that?’ whispered Noura.

  Alfie felt cold all over. The Scoffle suddenly stopped snoring. A frightened cry went up from Valentine’s cage.

  ‘The collectors are coming!’

  28

  ‘Trapded!’

  Leo and Tim’s father were hiding in the bushes. Dad was still panting from running so much. He wasn’t a little bit tired – he was totally knackered. The diving mask was halfway down his nose. The flowerpot was perched at an angle on top of his head.

  ‘You see that, Leo?’ he panted. ‘Those cages over there. You think that’s Alfie?’

  The wolf nodded his enormous head.

  ‘Leo knows it for certains, least he thinks he does. Leo’s been smelling little cuz and that smell be going arrowsy straight bash kerbumps right to those cagers.’

  Dad wiped the sweat from his forehead and straightened his diving mask. ‘Why did you have to run so fast, Leo? Even our car couldn’t keep up with you.’

  Leo grinned. His razor-sharp teeth gleamed white in the shade of his cap. ‘Don’t youse worry, Dadsy. Leo be leaving number twos in drips and drops along the way. And one more just before we’s going into this forest.’

  ‘Yes, I smelt that,’ Dad sighed.

  Leo beamed with pride. ‘Good, huh? They’s be finding us in jiffies. Leo drops one here too.’

  He lifted up his raincoat.

  ‘No, wait!’ Dad exclaimed. ‘That’s really not necessary.’

  But Leo winked. ‘All taken care of, Dadsy.’

  Dad pinched his nose shut. ‘Now I’m a track tracer too, I suppose.’

  Leo tugged on Dad’s sleeve. ‘Now now, Dadsy, let your nose go. We’s going to rescuefy little Alfie.’ He stepped out of the bushes.

  Dad hurried out after him. ‘Wait, Leo, don’t rush into it. We have to be careful. That horrible Silvertooth is probably over there in that house. We have to be careful. Let’s wait for the others first.’

  ‘No waitsies! Bam, wham, kaboom! Dadsy and Leo rescue little cuz wolf. Everyone be proud as punches. Dadsy and Leo be heroes. Mumsy glad. Tim glad. Grandpa Werewolf glad. Cuz wolf Alfie gladdest of all.’

  ‘But, Leo, just wait a—’ Dad fell silent when he stood on something.

  Click.

  ‘What was that?’ whispered Dad. ‘I heard a clicking noise.’

  Leo shrugged.

  Swish, swish, swish.

  Dad looked up and down, left an
d right. ‘And that was a swishing sound.’

  All around them, something shot up from on the ground. It had been spread under their feet. A concealed net.

  Now it closed in a flash around Leo and Dad.

  Whoosh, whoosh.

  Above them a draw cord pulled tight automatically. The whole thing shot up into the air. It was tied to a branch with a rope. Suddenly Leo and Dad were hanging high above the ground.

  ‘Wow!’ Dad said. ‘Just like bungee jumping upside down.’

  Leo growled and kicked. ‘We’s trapded! Oh, the dastardly disasterer. Silvertooth has catched us in his nets like two little bunny-hoppers.’ He roared and tore with his claws and bit with his teeth, but the net was too strong.

  Dad shrieked.

  ‘Oh, sorry, Dadsy,’ Leo said. ‘I’s not seeing your finger.’

  Helpless, they dangled from the tree like fish in a net.

  29

  Dr Cutter

  ‘Left here,’ said Grandpa Werewolf.

  Mum turned the wheel, then stamped on the brake. Everyone shot forward and the engine stalled. They’d come to the end of the road, which continued into the forest as a track.

  ‘Are you sure we have to go in here?’

  Grandpa Werewolf nodded. ‘Absolutely. Look. Leo’s left a sign for us right in front of that path.’

  Mum peered through the windscreen at Leo’s sign, which was lit up by the car’s headlights and plain to see. Tim looked over Mum’s shoulder. ‘Are you sure it’s Leo’s?’

  Grandpa Werewolf nodded. ‘No two poos are the same, Tim. I’d recognize a werewolf poo at a hundred metres. That’s definitely what it is and it’s a very special one. And it’s Leo’s, as sure as I’m sitting here.’