“Quiet!” A field mouse climbed on top of the badger and shouted at the top of his tiny lungs. “Do you think King Pugsly would want to see you acting like this?”

“Squeak, dear. Get down,” said Abigail, his mother, walking up to the old badger. But the little mouse’s words made an impact. The animals realized that they were arguing and fighting with each other instead of honoring their king. The kingdom was quiet for the rest of the night.

CHAPTER FIVE

The Voice in the Darkness

WHERE THE WORN, WOOD-SHINGLED roof of the ancient barn had caved in, the moon shone through. But the pale light provided poor visibility on the faded, dusty hay below. High above, on the sill of an open window, two buzzards were silhouetted against the sky. The field mouse stood alone but could hear the sound of hissing all around him. The pungent odor and smell of rotten carcasses made him glad it was too dark to see.

A slow, high-pitched whisper came from the darkness in front of him. “Sssssoooo, you did what I asssked you to do?”

The mouse gasped, then regrouped. “Y-Y-Yes, sir. It’s finished!”

“Gooood, little field moussse.”

The voice made the mouse tremble. “N-Now you promised not t-t-to harm my f-f-family, right?”

“Yessssssss, thossse wonderful children…and your wife. Ssssssso tassssty!” The voice grew higher with excitement.

“Sssssire,” came another voice from the darkness. “The moussse tried to sssave the king. I sssaw it from the weedsss.” The snakes shook their rattles.

The mouse jumped. “N-N-No, I-I…” His head bowed in defeat. He knew he couldn’t lie to the unseen face.

“Ssssssoooo you didn’t obey my ordersss? We had an agreement, moussse.”

“B-But I was the one who followed him every night! I told your servants where he’d be!” The stagnant air of the barn made the nervous mouse sweat.

“And did you tell them anything else, little moussse?” the voice asked.

“N-N-No, you have my w-w-word!” The hissing was right in front of the mouse’s face. “M-Maybe I mentioned something about y-y-you attacking on the f-f-full moon…”

“Ohhhhhhh, pity, my poor…little…friend.”

“N-N-Now you told me that for helping you f-f-find the king you’d help my f-f-family out, right?”

“Ssssssoooo they know I’ll attack on the next full moon.” The voice grew threatening.

“If you attack, w-w-where will my f-family go?”

“The sssame place you’re going, little moussse!” The giant mouth of the python quickly snapped shut over his victim. Without waiting to digest he announced to his followers, “In five nightsss they believe we’ll attack. But I like ssssurprises. In four nightsss we will go to their kingdom and kill them all.”

One of the voices off to the side spoke. “But, Sssire, when you and the moussse first met, he sssaid you could only sssee their kingdom when the moon isss full.”