Free Badger the Mystical Mutt and the Crumpled Capers by Lyn McNicol Page A

stop its tilting …”
    He whispered the last line with a determined spirit.
    â€œâ€¦and save its rotor blades from wilting.”
    Badger opened one eye and saw the Wim-Wim’s weather vane whirr weakly.
    â€œCome on!” he urged. “
Please
get better.”
    The bottom of the Wim-Wim chugged and chuttered, and its rotor bearings rattled with the vibration.
    Badger hopped from paw to paw, swishing his tail.
    â€œI’ve done it, I’ve done it, I’ve done it! My spell worked. Wooftastic! Wait till I tell Timmy.”
    As Badger was busy dancing around his garden in delight, the Wim-Wim dwindled, the whirring weakened, the rotor bearings rattled no more, and the weather vane wobbled to a stop.
    â€œOh no, without my trusty Wim-Wim, Ican’t help Timmy.”
    Badger put his head in his paws.
    Meanwhile, at the far end of the lane, Timmy, the snotty-nosed cat with the crumpled ear, was facing his own challenge.

The gang had Timmy pinned up against the fence. Pogo Paws held Timmy’s left paw while Pickle gripped his right. Lennie held Timmy’s legs tight. Snif stood in front of him smugly.
    â€œSo, you think
you
— a cat — can join our gang of
dogs
? Why would a sneezy cat with a crumpled ear want to do
that?”
sneered Snif.
    Timmy puffed out his chest. “Because I’m every bit as good as you, and I don’t see why not.”
    He tried to wriggle free. Pogo Paws and Pickle held on tighter, but Lennie, who was busy daydreaming, lost his grasp.
    â€œOh no! I’m in charge of legs. Don’t move!” shouted Lennie nervously.
    â€œGet a grip, Lennie,” snarled Snif.
    â€œI don’t know why I’ve been given
two
legs, when Pogo Paws and Pickle have only got one paw each,” he moaned.
    â€œZip it, Lennie!” sighed Snif.
    â€œSo, Timmy,” continued the gang leader, “isn’t there a mob of manky moggies like yourself that you could be hanging around with?”

    â€œThey probably won’t let him in with that crumpled ear,” barked Pogo Paws.
    â€œHe’s not exactly pretty, is he?” scoffed Pickle.
    â€œI don’t think he looks too bad,” said Lennie.
    â€œZip it, Lennie!” shouted the gang altogether.
    Lennie’s shoulders hunched and he held on tightly to Timmy’s legs.
    â€œNow, if you really want to join, we need to see if you’re up to being a member of ourgang, so you need to pass our test,” said Snif.
    â€œOkay,” said Timmy eagerly. “What do I need to do?”
    â€œCan I let go yet? My paws are sore,” asked Lennie.
    Snif ignored Lennie and turned away from Timmy and the gang. He thought for a moment, then spun round.
    â€œGot it! Right, we’d like to do some trampolining. So your mission, should you wish to accept it, is to find us a tyre … a
big
tyre … a
really
big tyre … and bring it back to us here, before dark.”
    â€œHow on earth can I carry a great big tyre?” asked Timmy.
    â€œFind a way!” snarled Snif.
    Timmy struggled to get free from the vice-like grip of Pogo Paws, Pickle and a slightly slumped Lennie. Suddenly, he felt a tickling in his nose.
    â€œUh oh,” he winced. “I can feel a sneeze coming. Aaah, aah, aah …”
    Pogo Paws and Pickle looked up inhorror. Lennie put his paws over his head.

    â€œAaaah, aaah, aaah …”
    Snif ducked.
    â€œAaaaah, aaaah, aaaah …”
    The gang waited for the final explosion.
    â€œChoooooooooooooooooooo ooooooo!”
    â€œYuk!” yelled the snot-covered gang, as they ran away in disgust.

    Timmy slid down the fence, shookhimself and headed for Badger the Mystical Mutt’s garden.
    â€œBadger!” shouted Timmy excitedly. “I can do it. I can join the gang.”
    â€œWow” said Badger. “How did you manage that? I’ve been worrying about getting the Wim-Wim to work, so that I could take you