LITMIR.BIZ

      First published in Great Britain in 2015

      by Egmont UK Limited

      The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN

      Text copyright © 2002 Chris Cooper

      Illustration copyright © 2015 James de la Rue

      The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted

      First e-book edition 2015

      ISBN: 978 1 4052 7529 3

       Ebook ISBN: 978 1 7803 1669 7

       www.egmont.co.uk

      A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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      For Emma Madeline

      CONTENTS

       Cover

       Front series promotional page

       Title Page

       Copyright

       Dedication

CHAPTER 1

       CHAPTER 2

       CHAPTER 3

       CHAPTER 4

       CHAPTER 5

       CHAPTER 6

       CHAPTER 7

       CHAPTER 8

       CHAPTER 9

       CHAPTER 10

       Back series promotional page

       CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

      Steak! That’s what Rascal had been thinking about when he saw the squirrel. A great big, fat, juicy steak . . .

      It wasn’t as if he’d always eaten like that in the old days, back when he still had a home. Just once, as a special treat, his owner, Joel, had given him steak for dinner.

      ‘Don’t go getting used to this,’ Joel had laughed, and then he had ruffled Rascal’s ears. The memory of that steak kept Rascal going now. He could smell it. He could even imagine the wonderful juices trickling down his chin as he bit into it.

      There was just one problem. Here he was, out in the middle of nowhere. There was no Joel, there was no steak. Nothing but trees. It seemed as if he had been running through this forest all morning. He hadn’t seen any other animals, but from time to time he’d been aware of unseen eyes watching him. Once or twice he’d heard a rustle of leaves and caught sight of a pair of small back legs disappearing from view.

      His hunger was like a ball of emptiness in his stomach. It just got bigger and bigger as the day slipped by. He sniffed at some berries on a bush. He’d seen the birds eating them, but he couldn’t bring himself to taste one. He’d have to get a bit more desperate before he started eating bird food!

      That’s when he spotted the squirrel. It was on the ground, holding an acorn in its paws and looking around primly. It didn’t seem to have noticed him.

      Rascal had never hunted an animal in his life, but now his hunting instincts kicked in. He charged forward. By the time the squirrel looked up, it was too late. It froze in terror, startled by the sight of the dog racing towards it. It clutched the forgotten acorn in its paws.

      Bounding on, Rascal saw the frantic look in the animal’s eyes and he slowed down. He couldn’t do this! He’d chased plenty of squirrels in the park before, racing around and barking like crazy as they scuttled up into the trees. But that had been very different – that was only for fun. Chasing squirrels for food was another matter. He stopped.

      The squirrel seized the opportunity. It snapped out of its frozen state and pelted up a nearby tree.

      Once it was high enough, it chattered angrily at the dog. ‘Tchhrrrr!’ Its voice was joined by the harsh cry of a crow in another tree. It almost seemed to be laughing at Rascal.

      Rascal barked, although his heart wasn’t really in it. The crow didn’t budge, but the squirrel disappeared into the branches. Rascal would have to find something else to eat. But what?

      He realised he was at the edge of the forest. He poked his nose out warily. It was good to see sky again. The sun wasn’t far from its highest point. Rascal was glad to see it so that he could be sure he was still going in the right

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