By and copyright of Owen Quinn
Lala wrinkled his nose as the orange heather carpet he was rushing through tickled his nose. He sneezed making Rose jump with fright.
“Are you alright?” she asked, clinging tightly to his fur.
“Yeah, highland heather is a pet hate of mine,” he replied before suddenly stopping inside a large bramble bush.
Rose held her breath as a thick mist swirled all around them like ghosts. She trusted Lala’s senses. His long spotted white ears stood upright, twitching at random in different directions.
“We’re at the top of the mountain,” he whispered.
“I know,” Rose whispered back. “So why is it so foggy up here?”
“Good question and when you ask questions Miss Rose Hoppity, it always means that something isn’t right.”
They peered around them, smelling something in the mist but seeing nothing. Sometimes, their eyes played tricks, mist monsters slipping just out of the corners of their eyes.
All they could hear, were their hearts beating nervously.
Ba bum, ba bum, ba bum, ba bum.
“Gotcha!” snarled something that slipped up behind them. It grabbed Rose by her hind legs and Lala by the white mane round his neck. They kicked and struggled, crying out but their captor only laughed in a gurgled, raspy sound.
It threw them to the ground where another four shapes joined it, the stocky, crooked bodies surrounding the helpless friends. Lala and Rose stared in fear as their eyes adjusted to the slow, treacle mist. With a sharp intake of breath, they recognised their captors.
Dressed in dark brown tunics and leathered shirts with woven trousers tucked into black winklepicker boots.
The lead one with the warty skin, angular face, big beak nose pointed ears and long red beard, licked his lips. He leaned forward, narrowing his dark eyes.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 