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Copyright © 2016 by Fabled Films LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Fabled Films LLC, 200 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003. [email protected]
Published by Fabled Films LLC, New York
ISBN: 978-1-944020-04-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016944966
Second Edition: November 2016
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Cover Designed by SJI Associates
Interior Book Design by Notion Studio
Typeset in Stemple Garamond, Mrs. Ant and Pacific Northwest
For information on bulk purchases for promotional use please contact Consortium Book Sales & Distribution Sales department at [email protected] or 1-800-283-3572
From the paws of
Sarah Fieber.
For her mom
But not without Tracey, Tommy, and Rumur.
Book Two
The Ominous Eye
To see a map of the Brigade’s adventure, visit www.nocturnalsworld.com/map/
Contents
Chapter One: Boom!
Chapter Two: The Crater
Chapter Three: The Monster’s Shadow
Chapter Four: The Stranger
Chapter Five: The Third Eye
Chapter Six: Eye to Eye
Chapter Seven: Up
Chapter Eight: The Fortress
Chapter Nine: The Suspect
Chapter Ten: A Clever Plan
Chapter Eleven: Beyond the Wall
Chapter Twelve: Skreeeeeeek!
Chapter Thirteen: A Terrible Warning
Chapter Fourteen: On the Hunt
Chapter Fifteen: Otto
Chapter Sixteen: The Missing Birds
Chapter Seventeen: Halt!
Chapter Eighteen: The Beast’s Attack
Chapter Nineteen: Hang on, Bismark!
Chapter Twenty: Blood and Feathers
Chapter Twenty-One: Banishment
Chapter Twenty-Two: Three Gashes
Chapter Twenty-Three: Golly Gee!
Chapter Twenty-Four: Down, Down, Down. . .
Chapter Twenty-Five: Life and Death
Chapter Twenty-Six: Uncle Bismark
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Legacy
Acknowledgements
About the Author
About the Illustrator
About Fabled Films
“Really, amigo? Another one?” Bismark glided down from his pomelo tree and plopped next to his friend Tobin. It was a small plop, because Bismark was a sugar glider, a tiny marsupial much like a flying squirrel. “If you keep stuffing yourself like a warthog, I’m afraid you might explode!”
Tobin froze, termite in claw, and glanced at his belly. It was the only part of the pangolin’s anteater-like body not covered in hard, brown scales…and it was grumbling loudly. “Just one more,” he said, smiling bashfully.
Tobin opened his mouth and unrolled his long, thin tongue. It was so long, in fact, that it had to be coiled and stored in his stomach. But when it was time to eat—like now—he unfurled it like a long, pink vine.
The pangolin grinned at the fat, wriggly insect. This termite was going to be a good one.
But then a strange noise startled him. “Oh goodness!” Tobin exclaimed. At once, he shot his tongue into his belly, snapped his jaw shut, and curled into a ball. It was the position he took when he became frightened, which happened often and easily. “Did you hear that?” He stared into the darkness. “I heard a faint sort of rumble!”
“Mon dieu,” teased the sugar glider. “Don’t tell me you’re about to blow.”
Bismark scrunched his tiny face and plugged his nose. When the pangolin got really scared, he sometimes released a smell from his scent glands that was so stinky, it could knock an angry rhinoceros out cold.
“Oh goodness, Bismark! It’s not that,” Tobin said. He peeked through his claws at the leaves of the tree overhead. They were moving, but he could not feel any wind. “Listen!”
Bismark sighed and cupped his tiny ear with one paw. “I do hear something…” he mused. The sugar glider thoughtfully stroked his chin as he tried to identify the strange vibration. Then, suddenly, he pumped his small fist in the air. “Eureka!” he cried. “But of course! It’s the beating of my true love’s heart. My ravishing Dawn must be near.”
Quickly, the sugar glider licked his paws, smoothed his fur over the bald spot in the center of his scalp, and searched for signs of the fox. She was the leader of the Nocturnal Brigade—the group the three friends had formed to protect the animals of the valley who needed their help. She also happened to be Bismark’s not-so-secret love.
Sure
