‘Whhhooooo?’ he calls.

‘Charlie Merriam,’ I answer.

‘Whhhooooooo?’ he asks again.

And I whisper, Cholliemurrum.

Because I am both.

The warm smells of lunch rise up the stairs. I pick up the photo of us from twelve years ago. Today we’ll take another photo, of all of us together, our family; we’ll be different but still really the same. In today’s photo, I’ll be the one cuddling the tiny, newborn baby, I’ll have a goofy grin on my face and a heart full of love. And when I hold my little brother, Dara Merriam, for the very first time, I’ll make him a promise, the same promise that Harby made to Mothga, right here, so very very long ago.

Make safe, I’ll whisper in Dara’s little ear. And I will.

I GIVE THANKS …

… To everyone at Bloomsbury Children’s – I am so lucky to have found my (wild way) home with you. To Lucy Mackay-Sim, my kind-hearted, clever, creative editor, you have given so much to me and to this book – I love working with you. To wonderful Ellen Holgate, thank you for saying YES and for asking me the questions I needed to ask my story. Also to Jessica Bellman, Michael Young, Bea Cross, Jade Westwood, Jess White, Sarah Taylor-Fergusson, the Rights team, the Sales team and all at Bloomsbury Australia too.

… To Ben Mantle for this cover that just glimmers with adventure and shivers with danger too. To Patrick Knowles for the exquisite hand lettering and to Sarah Baldwin for weaving it all together so enchantingly.

… To Nancy Miles, my utterly marvellous agent. You have guided me … and Charlie … so clear-sightedly through this forest. We’d be lost without you!

… To the flock, the herd, the shoal that is the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University – I am proud and grateful to swim, run and fly alongside you all. My particular love and thanks to Julia Green who nurtured and nourished the heart of this book and to Steve Voake who first shook Hartboy’s voice awake. Also to David Almond, C. J. Skuse, Lucy Christopher, Jo Nadin and Claire Furniss. And, of course, to my dear workshop pals. Thank you, all of you, for caring for this story so gently and wisely when it was newly hatched.

… To my treasured tribes of writing friends – Aubergines, Stroops, Swaggers, Scoobies. Most especially Hana Tooke, Nizrana Farook, Lucy Cuthew, Yasmin Rahman, Rachel Huxley and Sue Bailey – thank you for reading my words so thoughtfully and for writing your own words so inspiringly. I’m proud to have such talented, kind, supportive (and ever-so-slightly mischievous) friends.

The Wild Way Home is about the shared adventure of friendship and this story is interwoven with wisps of all the amazing real people I’ve been so lucky to adventure with. Thank you, all my friends, for sharing your wild ways with me; I hope you each spy your influence in this book. Particularly big bear hugs to Emma, Laura, Zuri, Corinne, Aynsley, Cath, Tanya, Clairey, Hannah, Jo and Claire.