‘We don’t have to go that far. We could just check the edge of the Settlement, yuh know, from a distance like.’ said Jay, well aware as indeed they all were of Max’s dilemma, which, as Wardens, they all shared. 

‘We certainly can’t sit here twiddling our thumbs while they could be out there running riot. This is our Settlement, our people and I am not going to let anyone or anything interfere with that.’

‘We’re with you there, Chief,’ was the collective response from his team.

‘Okay then, gather your gear and let’s get at it but remember, only to the perimeter, no further.’

‘Got that.’ came the five voice chorus.

Outside the wind was howling, accompanied by a curtain of stinging vindictive needle-like rain, and all of it augmented by flashes of daylight bright lightning. The conditions were more than a challenge on their own without the added threat to come but the Wardens of Windy Ho set out on what could be their first and last ever big mission, one uncertainty they were all sure of. 

They fought their way through the storm working their way around the south-eastern perimeter of the Settlement which meant going through to the river and crossing it, by the time they’d got back to the river and re-crossed it they were tired, soaked to the skin cold and miserable, with the north easterly side yet to cover. These were the areas more prone to attack but they found nothing. No sign of any disturbance whatsoever. This puzzled them. Night time was settling in and there wasn’t a soul around which aided their patrol, only a fool or a desperate person would venture out on a night like this. Once across the bridge they were making their slow sweep along the north eastern side, heading for the  northern border.

‘What was that!?’ Shouted Galen.

Everyone stood stock still, straining their eyes to see through the curtain of rain.

‘What was it, Galen, what did you see?’ Asked Max.

‘I thought I saw movement over yonder by the Bakery.’

‘Okay, everyone, stick together but not too closely. We’ll go and have a look.’ 

No sooner had Max said this when a shadowy figure broke cover and started running and before he could tell his team not to, Jay, Galen and Merv gave chase.

‘Don’t run after them, that’s what they want, come back!’ He yelled in vain.

Turning to his youngest Wardens he said, ‘We’d better follow them. Stay close to me, alright?’ He barely detected the nod from both of them and instantly regretted ever coming out. These lads were new to this sort of thing. And then the thought struck him, there are no veterans in this game. They set off in pursuit. They were effectively running blind because of the conditions, conditions that made it treacherous underfoot. It was the noise that drew them to where the others were, the noise of fighting. 

The three over eager Sneep boys had run into a trap and were initially  surrounded. Now they were just visible in the melee of bodies and were in a desperate fight for their lives. Max, Matt and Marc threw themselves into the frey, swords slashing every which way, shields too. And the rain still fell, mercilessly upon the scene of carnage for there were lifeless shapes everywhere. Max noticed Merv go down and in a flash he was by his side fending off the assailant, only to succumb to a blow to the head which sent him sprawling. The fighting was frantic and bloody and there seemed to be more shadows arriving to join the battle. It was looking very bad for The little band of Wardens and Windy Ho. Max could just see through half closed blooded eyes his team valiantly fighting but obviously delaying the inevitable for they could not hope to stem the flow of the evil shadows. Just as he was beginning to lose consciousness he saw what appeared to be three huge shadows hovering over the scene. Then, blackness.

The voices were thin sounding, distant, making no real sense to him. As he lay there, Max heard someone say, ‘He’s coming round!’

‘Alright, give him space. Don’t crowd him. Someone fetch my flask.’

That voice sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it. He wasn’t seeing too clearly either, everything being a blur but one thing was clear, many bodies were fussing around him and he wondered what the blazes was going on. Then he had a flash–back and saw the fight and himself hitting the ground and then nothing until this.

Max lay in his bed for three days, in and out of consciousness, while the fever raged until, on the fourth day he woke up, sat up and demanded to know what was going on. 

‘Grumps is awake Gwen!’ Shouted Marc.

Max hadn’t heard that one before. While he was mulling this new title over in his mind Gwen arrived by his bedside, her hand gently stroking his brow. 

‘Welcome back, my brave warrior. You had us worried for a while.’

‘Oh I’m sorry, Gwen, we disobeyed your orders and left the Settlement.’

‘Now you can stop that nonsense straight away, Max Temper. You did what you had to do and I’m proud of you, all of you Splendid Wardens of Windy Ho. Young Matt told me all about it. You did well.’

‘Merv, what about Merv, I saw him go down and tried to help but was knocked out. Is he…?’

‘Now you mustn’t concern yourself before you are up and about.’

‘Merv, how is he, did he..?’

‘Oh he’s fine, or will be after a few more days. He is a little concussed at present but he’ll be okay.’

‘There’s something else, Oh what was it? My mind is a bit fuzzy.’

‘Time enough for explanations later. I’ve made you some broth, Get that down you and you’ll feel a whole lot better. Then maybe we can talk some more.’

‘Gwen.’

‘Yes Max?’

‘It’s good to see you.’ Then he was asleep again.

Once it was clear that their leader and Merv were going to be okay, the other four Wardens returned to their Station and busied themselves trying to get back to normal which wasn’t going to be all that easy, after all , they had been involved in a battle for their lives with The PUKA and won. Albeit with some timely help. 

‘I swear they were giant bats,’ said Marc.

‘Bats!? You’re bats if you ask me. They were dragons,’ Corrected Matt. ‘Mind you, to be fair, it would have been difficult to tell from where you were, under four PUKA.’

‘Ugly brutes.’ 

Jay and Galen were quietly going about their tasks, not getting involved in the conversation. They had been locked in mortal combat with those who were once their friends and neighbours, before they turned bad. This was not easy for them to accept though they must.

‘I wonder who that is in the guest room?’ Continued Marc. ‘I don’t remember anybody else involved in the fight but he must have been because he got injured, didn’t he?’

‘Yeah,’ said a thoughtful Matt. ‘And where did he come from?’

Gwen lightly tapped on the door and a voice from within said, ‘Come in, I’m decent.’ 

‘How’s that wound doing, Arthur, it was a nasty gash?’

‘Oh, I’ll live. Takes more than scythe swinging PUKA to stop me.’

‘I’m so sorry you got hurt.’

‘It was bound to happen one day.’

‘But it’s going to be awkward for you when you return to the Marsh.’

‘Hm. It’s going to take some explaining that’s true. I’ll have to tell them how it happened and that means that I broke the Dragon Code and like yourself, got involved in the affairs of humans. That would be instant exile, if not worse, seeing as how I am a Guardian.’ Arthur went quiet for a few minutes as he contemplated his possible fate.

‘You could always stay here, we could use someone with your skills.’

‘Isn’t one dragon enough for Windy Ho?’ Said Arthur, in surprise.

‘They don’t actually know that they have a dragon.’

‘You mean you’ve not told them!?’ 

‘Never found the right time, really.’

‘Phew, you’re a cool one.’

‘There is one who knows, one who I can trust implicitly not to make it general knowledge and he is convalescing at present. I’ll have a word with him when he’s well enough.’

‘Well enough for what and who is this?’

‘Max! I didn’t hear you knock?’

‘That’s because I didn’t. I heard voices and I wanted to talk to you about something I remembered so I came in.’

‘Well, since you are already here, I’d like you to meet Arthur, Arthur, this is the man I was telling you about, Max, Head Warden of Windy Ho.’

There was an awkward silence for a minute then two voices in unison said,

‘Pleased to meet you, I’m sure?’

Without breaking her stride Gwen went straight into hostess mode and such were her powers that before they had time to say anything they were seated comfortably and partaking in a drop of one of Gwen’s cocktails.

‘He’d be ideal for the job, a real feather in the Settlement’s cap in fact. ‘Come on Max, you know it makes sense.’

Max was not one for hedging around issues, especially when it came to possible messing with his team. If nothing else he was blunt and to the point.

‘Why are you pushing for this, Gwen, it’s not like you?’

Arthur felt he couldn’t allow this to get out of hand, detecting something in Max’s manner that set off alarm warnings in his head.

‘Please, please, don’t let there be any ill feeling between us, on my account.’

‘Well?’ asked Max, standing facing Gwen, ‘I’m waiting for an answer.’

Gwen looked down at the floor, saying nothing, then up at Max then at Arthur before going to sit down on her favourite chair opposite the door. For the first time in her company Max was feeling terrible and felt he’d overstep the mark.

Gwen raised her head and spoke to them both, in a soft, even voice, with minimum emotion, only her eyes betrayed her true feelings and this wasn’t lost on either of them. 

‘I am not pushing, Dear Max, though if anything I am a little anxious because of what it’ll mean not only for the Settlement and the team but for Arthur here. By helping us fight off the PUKA he finds himself without a home, banished like I was. You can’t know what that’s like, what it does to your very being. You effectively become a cast off. Not wanted. He knew this before helping us, just like the others.’

‘Woa! What others?’

‘Oh my dear Max, how do you think you were able to beat off that horde without lots of help? I asked some of my friends with whom I am in contact to help us out. Each one knew the cost for breaking the Code but each one readily agreed. But now I feel I owe you an apology for making an assumption that you would agree to our idea and for that I am truly sorry. 

Max stood staring not at Gwen but just past her, into space, thinking. There was an uncomfortable silence then he almost erupted.

‘That’s it, that’s what I was coming to tell you. I thought I saw something before I passed out and it wasn’t until you mentioned it a minute ago that I realised what it was I saw. I saw three Dragons swooping in but my mind wasn’t fully with it!’ Then he stopped babbling and looked at Gwen and Arthur, his shoulders dropped. ‘Oh Gwen, can you ever forgive an old idiot prone to jumping to conclusions and you, Arthur, forgive me for my utter ingratitude and insensitivity. We can’t turn back time but we can start again, can’t we?’   

Everything settled down for a time in Windy Ho, Peeps are a hardy race, resilient, not ones to be held back by negative circumstances. They have saying, “The sooner forgotten the better”, which they live by for the most part.  It Took Max Temper four more threatened resignations before the Grand Council were persuaded to accept Arthur Penn as a Warden with Special Skills. Perhaps the biggest achievement fell to the newbies, as they were affectionately known. These adopted Sneep boys had built up a real network of friends and families who eventually agreed to move across the river and restart Windy Ho South Side. It took many hours, days, weeks, months to persuade the Grand Council to agree to this new development and, with the proviso they answer to and accept The G. C. 's administration, eventually gave their blessing to the project with additional aid. The Newbies would represent the Wardens on the South Side.

Maybe now he could actually retire, stand down, hand over Head Wardenship to young Matt, he’d sure enough earned it.

‘Are you still writing, Max, it’s getting late and you need your rest.’

‘Huh! Oh, yeah. Just finishing off, Gwen.’

‘I’ve left everything set for the morning by which time I hope to be back.’

‘Very good. Now you be careful, see that your mates don’t get you into any trouble. I know what you lot are like when you get going.’

‘It’s okay, Arthur will keep an eye on me.’

‘Huh, he’s just as bad.’

‘Oh Max, I do believe you are still a little bit jealous.’

‘Who me? Nah. Now be off with you and enjoy.’

‘Dear Max.’

Once alone, Max Temper continued his reverie reliving some of the highlights of his life here in Windy Ho and how much had changed and yet, in many ways, little had. His eyes were feeling heavy now and the light was fading fast. It would soon be time to light the Beacon on Route One. Ah, he remembered, not my job anymore, that’ll be up to young Matt Xander and his friend, Marc Adler. Good lads and how they had changed from the two young scrawny specimens applying to be Wardens all that time ago. Or was it yesterday? 

Although it wasn’t anywhere near time he rather hoped, nay hopes Matt will continue these chronicles of Windy Ho when he is forced to hand over the quill …