As Sam bounded down the stairs his head was in a turmoil trying to think of a plan to keep his master from going upstairs. He decided he would just have to take things as they came. As he reached the tiles at the bottom the door was just opening. It was the one they called Chris; of the two, this was the brother Sam preferred. He seemed to have less of a streak of cruelty in him than the other. Sam decided that he must appear overjoyed to see him; that way he would be noticed more and could play for time. He began to wag his tail furiously and jump up, panting in an attempt to try and lick his face.

‘Hello, Sam. What’s up with you tonight? You’re very pleased I’m back. You’re normally too lazy to stir yourself from the fire. I wonder what’s got into you. I don’t suppose it’s anything to do with this door is it? It’s mighty odd.’ He bent down to examine the hole more closely. At least this was giving them time, Sam thought, but he must get him into the kitchen otherwise they wouldn’t be able to escape from the house. As the Urkku got up Sam wagged his tail again.

‘What do you want? Perhaps it’s a drink you’re after. Come on; I’ll give you one in your bowl in the kitchen,’ and he patted Sam on the head as he led him through. This was easier than Sam had anticipated even though it hadn’t been planned. They went over to the sink and Chris filled Sam’s bowl from the tap and put it down in a comer.

‘Oh, well. I can’t leave that door like that all night; it’ll be freezing in the morning. I’ll just put some carpet over it and then I’m off. Goodnight, Sam,’ and he started towards the open kitchen door.

This is it, thought Sam, who was standing between his master and the door. He’s going to go upstairs.

‘Out of the way, Sam. Let me get past.’

The dog continued wagging his tail.

‘You can’t be hungry; I fed you myself earlier on this evening. I’ve given you water. Now come on, don’t be silly, I’m tired,’ and he tried to walk round the dog.

I’m going to have to keep him here by force, Sam thought, and he suddenly sprang back so that he was barring the doorway and began to growl with all the menace he could muster. He thought of Rufus and of all the times he’d seen this Urkku killing and maiming his friends from the woods and fields and his anger grew so that his hackles rose into a great spiked ridge along his back and his lips pulled up into furrows on either side of his mouth, showing his two great fangs and the rows of teeth behind them. He stood there with his feet set squarely apart and his body quivering, ready to pounce; little drops of saliva began to fall on to the floor. The Urkku was frightened; Sam could smell the fear and the smell stuck in his nose and made him more angry.

‘Sam!’ Chris said. ‘Get back. What’s got into you? Let me get past.’ But there was no authority behind the orders; the supreme confidence that all commands would be unhesitatingly obeyed had evaporated before this transformed creature.

Upstairs Brock was frantically tearing at the hole with his mouth and on the other side, he could see, to his great relief, Nab’s fingers also pulling at it. Suddenly the night was shattered by a loud cry from downstairs.

‘Jeff, come and get this dog off me; it’s gone mad.’

Nab would have to try and get through the hole now; there was no more time. Warrigal and Perryfoot looked desperately at Brock, who called to the boy.

‘Come on,’ he whispered hoarsely.

Nab put his head down and pushed it through but when he tried to follow up with his shoulders they stuck on the sharp jagged splinters at either side. He pushed harder, trying to contract so that his shoulders were hunched forward.

Inside the two bedrooms, the Urkku were waking from their restless sleep. The cry from downstairs had finally broken into the fitful state of half dreams which had kept them tossing and turning for the past two or three hours and, when it came again, the Urkku Jeff pushed the bedclothes back, cursing quietly to himself, and got out of bed. Pausing only to reach under it for his gun he put his slippers on and ran downstairs. When he got into the kitchen he saw his brother cowering in a corner with Sam snarling ferociously in front.

How much longer would they be, thought Sam. It was impossible to keep both of them in here and, besides, he had seen what that gun could do.

Upstairs the boy was still squeezing his shoulders and arms through the hole but as he pushed, the splinters cut into his arms and scraped away the flesh. At that moment, round the comer, the old Urkku came out of the bedroom to be confronted by an owl perched on the banister post in front of him and a huge hare crouching on the landing. Warrigal stared at him, blinked twice and took off silently to glide down the little landing while the hare followed.

‘Mother, come out here,’he said. ‘I don’t believe what I’m seeing.’

Nab was just pulling his feet through the hole when Warrigal and Perryfoot came up to them. The owl spoke.

‘Come quickly. There are two Urkku on the landing blocking our way. We shall have to charge past them. Brock, you go first; you’re big enough to knock them over if they are in our path. Then you, Nab, then Perryfoot and I’ll come last. Don’t stop for anyone and don’t look back. Now, run!’

Brock steeled himself to forget about the pain in his lacerated pads and with all the energy he could gather he bolted off down the small landing, turned the corner and hurtled straight into the legs of the old farmer, who fell back against his wife as she was coming out of the bedroom door.

‘Look, Mother!’ he shouted, and they both stared in amazement from where they had fallen on the floor as Brock dashed past followed by the boy and then a hare and an owl. ‘Stop them, Jeff!’ the old man shouted. ‘They’re coming down the stairs.’

In the kitchen Sam, to his relief, heard the sound of the animals pounding down the stairs and saw the Urkku known as Jeff look round towards the door and begin to walk towards it. If Sam didn’t move quickly the animals would be caught before they could get through. The dog sprang forward and seized his master’s ankle in his teeth, pulling and wrenching at it to try and topple him over. With a cry of pain Jeff swung the rifle butt down and it caught Sam on his head so hard that for an instant he was dazed and let go. At that moment he saw Brock in the doorway followed by the others as they all dived through the hole in the front door. He dashed out into the hall just as Perryfoot’s brown furry back disappeared outside.

‘Quick,’ said Warrigal, hovering just above him. Sam looked back into the kitchen to see Jeff limping towards them with his gun raised to his shoulder.

‘I’ll get you for this, you damn mongrel,’ he yelled, but he was prevented from shooting because the old Master and Mistress had just appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

‘Out of the way, Dad,’ but Sam was through the hole and the owl had followed.

Outside the door Warrigal looked for Bruin. He was standing crouched in the shadows to the right. ‘Run, Bruin,’ he called. Suddenly the door opened and the yard was bathed in light; the Urkku Jeff dashed out and stood with his gun to his shoulder about to fire at the animals who were halfway towards the cowshed at the end. Bruin sprang forward, knocking him on to the ground and the gun clattered as it fell to the concrete. The old badger stood with his great weight on the man’s chest so that he was pinned down and unable to move.

‘Help me, Chris,’ he shouted and the brother ran over and put his hands on Bruin’s two front legs to try to pull him off. The badger quickly sank his fangs into the Urkku’s left forearm and with a squeal of pain he staggered back. Bruin looked up and saw Sam and Warrigal turning the corner at the end of the yard and disappearing out of sight. ‘They should be safe now,’ he thought to himself, and he jumped off the Urkku and began to run as fast as he could after the others but his old limbs no longer had the speed of youth and, though he knew he was moving, the corner of the yard seemed to get no nearer. By the time he was halfway down it his legs had begun to ache and feel heavy with tiredness. There was plenty of time for the Urkku Jeff to pick up his gun, take careful aim and empty both barrels into the old badger.