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fredbassettTitle : Whispering Island, Part 8 of 8
Author : fredbassett
Fandoms : Primeval & Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books
Rating : 15
Characters : Stephen/Ryan, the Kirrin family and dog
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 17,620. This part 2,665.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Stephen and Ryan get the chance to spend a weekend on a private island off the south coast.
A/N : 1) For full author’s note see Part 1 2) Links to previous parts Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7.
With Timmy pacing at their side, Ryan and the others moved rapidly along the forest tracks. As soon as they reached the break in the trees where they’d had lunch and watched the young amphicyons, they could see the open anomaly hanging in the air part of the way up the crag, looking like it was partially embedded in the grey rock.
The crag itself sloped backwards and was by no means a sheer slope, but any creature coming through would be caught unawares by the sudden drop. It was the sort of thing the soldiers and scientists of the anomaly project had learned to be wary of. No one wanted to find themselves stepping out into open air, or plunging into water or any number of hazards that could – and frequently did – exist on the other side of an anomaly.
“What are the chances of it going to the same time period these chaps came from?” Dick demanded.
“Good,” Stephen said. “The broken leg is a clue to the fact that it’s opened in the same place. An awkward fall down that cliff would easily account for it. So all we need to do is find a way of enticing them back up the cliff and we stand a reasonable chance of getting them back home.”
Ryan looked at his watch. “The tide will have turned by now. We could send someone back to the mainland to call the ARC.”
“It’ll take two to three hours to get a team on site. By then we could have lost the anomaly. We need to try something ourselves.”
“Hart, you have got to be kidding. They might be juveniles, but they’ve still got jaws like a bloody crocodile and an attitude to match. There is no way we can just pick ’em up and chuck them back through the anomaly. We’ve got no nets.” The look of determination on Stephen’s face was giving Ryan a very distinct sinking feeling and he knew his words weren’t having much effect.
“We’ve got tents. If we could lure them inside a tent, close it behind them and haul them up the cliff…”
Ryan resisted the temptation to groan. Stephen’s plans often had a MacGyver flavour to them, and this was no exception. No matter how tough the tents were, his money would be on the amphicyons chewing their way out in no time at all.
Anne lifted up the bag of food she’d brought with her. How about trying to lay a trail up the crag? We could drop food down from the top onto the ledges.”
That sounded more reasonable, although it wouldn’t answer the problem of the injured one, but they could cross that bridge when they got to it.
“If that doesn’t work, we can then try the tents,” Julian said, with an air of authority that clearly came from always having been the eldest in his family, and probably also from several decades of ordering around minions in the Security Service. Ryan had always had a natural distrust of spooks. He’d dealt with enough clandestine ops in his time to know that lying went with the territory but it wasn’t something he enjoyed. But on this occasion, he appreciated the man’s back-up.
Julian caught the look on Ryan’s face and gave a slight smile. “Sorry, Captain. I guess this one is your call.”
Ryan shrugged. “Let’s see what we can do to get some food up there.”
As he spoke, the first of the amphicyons poked its head out of the undergrowth and cautiously sniffed the air. It hadn’t yet learned to associate the smell of human beings with a sense of threat, and if they were lucky, provided their plans came to fruition, they then would be umpteen million years away from any homo sapiens sapiens.
“Stephen and I can work our way around to the side and up the crag,” George declared. She’d been bonding with Stephen the previous night over a shared love of outdoor pursuits, climbing in particular, and Ryan knew that the grey rock would present no difficulty to either of them.
The amphicyon made its way across the clearing to the burrow and then stretched out in the warmth of the sun. The other two followed, the smaller, injured creature bringing up the rear. Its dark coat was dull, and its ribs stood out even more starkly than those of its litter-mates.
Stephen divided up the rucksack full of food, handing a plastic bag containing some corned beef and ham to Anne in case they needed to distract the creatures from there. Ryan watched as they worked themselves around to the rock outcrop, skirting the edge of the trees and doing their bet to remain upwind of the animals. The crag itself presented no particular challenges and both Stephen and George moved easily and competently up the rock face. The amphicyons had stopped playing and were now watching the upwards progress of the strange creatures.
The anomaly burned brightly in the midst of the rocks, as beautiful and as potentially deadly as ever. From the top of the crag, Stephen and George would be able to drop food down to the animals and also engineer its placement on the various ledges leading up to the gateway in time.
The trees continued to whisper around them, an ever-present noise that Ryan had almost ceased to register but a moment later, the sound was overlain with a bellowing roar that made him reach instinctively for a non-existent pistol. Anne stifled a scream and Dick had to lay a restraining hand on Timmy’s neck as the big dog’s hackles rose.
A massively-jawed head had thrust its way through the anomaly. Ryan recognised the creature instantly. Heavy shoulders followed and the fully grown amphicyon made its way sure-footedly down the crag, huge paws splayed out and claws scratching the rock.
Ryan looked desperately around for a weapon – any weapon. A fallen branch was as good as it got. Dick and Julian did the same, both men instinctively putting themselves between the bear-dog and their sister. It was too much to hope for that the creature would roar a few times and then sod off…
The bear-dog landed on the ground, its paws leaving deep prints into the soft earth thrown up from the burrow. It took no notice at all of the juveniles and started to pace towards the group by the trees.
“Stand your ground!” Ryan ordered. “We’ve no chance of out-running it. Anne, get into a tree if you can.”
“Oi, you!” A rock bounced onto the ground near the bear-dog, attracting its attention for a moment.
George drew her arm back for another throw, this time lobbing the contents of a tin of ham in the direction of the creature. It paused to sniff at the meat for the barest of seconds then wolfed down the food. Corned beef followed. She had gained the attention of the young ones now as well, but the big bugger wasn’t quite so easily entertained. From the sleek look of its dark brown fur, food was plentiful on the other side of the anomaly.
The amphicyon started prowling forwards, head swaying slowly from side to side in a movement that Ryan was all too familiar from his previous encounter with the creatures.
At his side, Timmy was growling low in his throat. Dick was doing his best to restrain the dog, but Timmy suddenly twisted away, leaving Dick holding nothing but his collar. The dog leaped forward, hackles up, barking loudly.
“Timmy!” George’s voice held a note of pure fear as she watched her beloved dog running directly at the amphicyon. The bear-dog was ten times Timmy’s bulk with crushing jaws and sharp claws, but to Ryan’s amazement, it deployed neither. It held its ground, but appeared more puzzled than anything.
Timmy launched himself at the bigger animal, letting out a volley of deep barks. The amphicyon took a step backwards, growling ominously. Timmy pressed home his advantage and the amphicyon backed up by another step. From its reaction, Ryan got the impression that the creature wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of quite such spirited resistance. From the top of the crag, a rock came hurtling down, thrown with the full force of Stephen’s arm. It struck the bear-dog on the rump hard enough to make it howl in irritation, turning to look over its shoulder. A second rock, this time thrown by George, struck it on the snout. The howl turned to a yelp.
Timmy heard the yelp and immediately went on the attack.
“This could spectacularly backfire,” Ryan muttered. “But it’s probably our best chance…”
Putting on his best parade ground voice, Ryan swung the tree branch like a club and charged at the animal, yelling as loudly as he could. After only the barest hesitation, Dick and Julian followed suit. The resemblance to the charge of the Light Brigade was foremost in Ryan’s mind as he closed the ground to the beleaguered amphicyon.
Under the onslaught of Timmy darting forward still barking loudly and fiercely, and the combined yells from three human throats, the amphicyon turned around and lumbered back to the rocks of the crag and started to climb. Once there, Ryan fervently hoped that the pull the anomaly seemed to exert over animals and humans alike would do its work and a moment later his hopes came to fruition as the adult animal made its way back into its own time, followed by the two healthy juveniles.
Timmy the Fourth stood in the middle of the clearing barking in triumph.
Ryan felt relief wash through him like a warm wave. “Jesus Christ, I didn’t think that was going to work…”
“So why did you charge at the bloody thing yelling like a madman and waving nothing more than a big stick?” Dick asked, amusement in his voice.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Ryan admitted.
Dick muttered something under his breath about the younger generation being batshit insane and clapped Ryan on the shoulder, grinning widely.
“It’s fading!” the yell came from Stephen on top of the crag.
He tried dropping some corned beef down onto the rocks above the third young bear-dog, but even the lure of more meat couldn’t overcome the creature’s injury. With a pained yelp, the animal attempted to scramble after its kin, but hopping up a slope proved too much and after a metre or so, it fell back and rolled on the ground with a mewling cry.
“Poor thing! Julian, Dick, is there nothing we can do to help it?” Anne entreated.
The anomaly flickered once then winked out of existence, leaving the injured amphicyon stranded for a second time.
“It wouldn’t stand much chance back in its own time,” Ryan said, offering what consolation he could. “Not with a leg like that. It wouldn’t be able to compete for food and the chances are it would die an unpleasant, lingering death.”
In an attempt to distract the injured creature, Stephen dropped more food down to the animal, drawing its attention away from the crag once it was clear that there was now nothing to be gained from trying to get it to climb up.
Once down from the crag, George flung her arms around Timmy and buried her face in the thick hair of the dog’s neck. With the immediate danger now passed, everyone crowded around Timmy, praising the big dog and patting his wiry coat. Timmy accepted all the praise with his usual lopsided grin, pink tongue lolling out between white teeth that only a few minutes previously had been bared in attack against a creature immensely bigger than himself. Timmy the Fourth was clearly a dog capable of punching well above his own weight.
George gave the dog a last hug and then presented him with a chunk of corned beef, which was promptly wolfed down while Timmy wagged his tail in appreciation of all the attention he was getting.
“Well done, Timmy!” George congratulated him. “I always said he was the best dog in the whole world and it’s true!”
“She says that about all of them,” Dick said in a quiet aside to Ryan. “But then she’s usually not wrong either.”
“So who’s going to row back to the mainland and let Lester know we’ve just gained another addition to the menagerie?” Stephen asked.
“Not me,” Ryan said quickly. “This is a science matter, not a military one.”
“I’m happy to talk to James,” said Julian with a smile. “He and I haven’t spoken since he snatched that particularly nice office from under my nose. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear from me.”
Ryan wasn’t sure about any such thing so he was happy to concur in Stephen’s suggestion that he should accompany Julian, just to make sure that Lester’s blood pressure wasn’t irreparably damaged.
As they walked through the woods to the sheltered cove where they’d left the boats, leaving the injured amphicyon to enjoy yet more corned beef, Ryan looped his arm around Stephen’s waist and pulled him close for a snatched kiss.
“Not quite the sort of weekend we had in mind,” he murmured. “Sorry about that.”
Stephen grinned, his vivid blue eyes the colour of the calm sea in the bay, “Wouldn’t have missed it for the world, sweetie. I’ve been shagged senseless, eaten far too much, drunk ginger beer until it’s coming out of my ears and had a pretty impressive jolt of adrenaline from a very overgrown hearthrug. Seems like a pretty good weekend to me.”
* * * * *
“Just watch,” said Abby quietly. “He’ll be out in a moment.”
The sleek, well-fed animal that made its way out into the exercise area was a far cry from the skinny creature with the badly-broken leg that Ryan had last seen just under three weeks ago. As he’d anticipated, it had been necessary for Abby and their resident vet, Frankie Hughes, to amputate the broken leg just above the middle joint. Infection had already set in and it was touch and go for two days whether the creature would survive, but once it turned the corner, recovery was rapid.
Ryan and Stephen watched as Boo Boo made his way out into the enclosure, hopping along almost as rapidly on three legs as he had done on two. Abby and Frankie had been responsible for his naming.
“Will he ever be able to return to his own time?” Stephen held up his camera and started taking some snapshots.
Abby shook her head. “He’d be at too much of a disadvantage.” She stared around at the rolling grassland and enormous outdoor runs that made up the private zoo housed within the grounds of Farnley Hall. “We’re so lucky to have this place. We can look after him here and give him the freedom he needs.”
“And Cutter can write more papers that Lester won’t let him publish.”
As far as Ryan was concerned, by observing the animals in the zoo they might be able to learn something from their behaviour that could be used to save lives. As a justification for housing the animals stranded out of time, so far it seemed to be working, and he was glad of that.
They’d promised George Kirrin that no harm would come to the young animal and despite the secrecy surrounding the project her cousins were in a position to find out the truth.
Ryan had no desire to make four new enemies so he was relieved everything had worked out well for the newly-named Boo Boo. He then mentally amended that to five. Timmy the Fourth was as much of a force to be reckoned with as his human friends, as the fully-grown amphicyon had discovered.
As they watched Boo Boo playing in his enclosure, Stephen pulled a couple of bottles of ginger beer out of his pocket and flipped the tops off.
In return, Ryan handed him a bar of chocolate.
Abby rolled her eyes when the pair of them chorused, “I always think food tastes so much nicer when it’s eaten outdoors!”
Author : fredbassett
Fandoms : Primeval & Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books
Rating : 15
Characters : Stephen/Ryan, the Kirrin family and dog
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 17,620. This part 2,665.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Stephen and Ryan get the chance to spend a weekend on a private island off the south coast.
A/N : 1) For full author’s note see Part 1 2) Links to previous parts Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7.
With Timmy pacing at their side, Ryan and the others moved rapidly along the forest tracks. As soon as they reached the break in the trees where they’d had lunch and watched the young amphicyons, they could see the open anomaly hanging in the air part of the way up the crag, looking like it was partially embedded in the grey rock.
The crag itself sloped backwards and was by no means a sheer slope, but any creature coming through would be caught unawares by the sudden drop. It was the sort of thing the soldiers and scientists of the anomaly project had learned to be wary of. No one wanted to find themselves stepping out into open air, or plunging into water or any number of hazards that could – and frequently did – exist on the other side of an anomaly.
“What are the chances of it going to the same time period these chaps came from?” Dick demanded.
“Good,” Stephen said. “The broken leg is a clue to the fact that it’s opened in the same place. An awkward fall down that cliff would easily account for it. So all we need to do is find a way of enticing them back up the cliff and we stand a reasonable chance of getting them back home.”
Ryan looked at his watch. “The tide will have turned by now. We could send someone back to the mainland to call the ARC.”
“It’ll take two to three hours to get a team on site. By then we could have lost the anomaly. We need to try something ourselves.”
“Hart, you have got to be kidding. They might be juveniles, but they’ve still got jaws like a bloody crocodile and an attitude to match. There is no way we can just pick ’em up and chuck them back through the anomaly. We’ve got no nets.” The look of determination on Stephen’s face was giving Ryan a very distinct sinking feeling and he knew his words weren’t having much effect.
“We’ve got tents. If we could lure them inside a tent, close it behind them and haul them up the cliff…”
Ryan resisted the temptation to groan. Stephen’s plans often had a MacGyver flavour to them, and this was no exception. No matter how tough the tents were, his money would be on the amphicyons chewing their way out in no time at all.
Anne lifted up the bag of food she’d brought with her. How about trying to lay a trail up the crag? We could drop food down from the top onto the ledges.”
That sounded more reasonable, although it wouldn’t answer the problem of the injured one, but they could cross that bridge when they got to it.
“If that doesn’t work, we can then try the tents,” Julian said, with an air of authority that clearly came from always having been the eldest in his family, and probably also from several decades of ordering around minions in the Security Service. Ryan had always had a natural distrust of spooks. He’d dealt with enough clandestine ops in his time to know that lying went with the territory but it wasn’t something he enjoyed. But on this occasion, he appreciated the man’s back-up.
Julian caught the look on Ryan’s face and gave a slight smile. “Sorry, Captain. I guess this one is your call.”
Ryan shrugged. “Let’s see what we can do to get some food up there.”
As he spoke, the first of the amphicyons poked its head out of the undergrowth and cautiously sniffed the air. It hadn’t yet learned to associate the smell of human beings with a sense of threat, and if they were lucky, provided their plans came to fruition, they then would be umpteen million years away from any homo sapiens sapiens.
“Stephen and I can work our way around to the side and up the crag,” George declared. She’d been bonding with Stephen the previous night over a shared love of outdoor pursuits, climbing in particular, and Ryan knew that the grey rock would present no difficulty to either of them.
The amphicyon made its way across the clearing to the burrow and then stretched out in the warmth of the sun. The other two followed, the smaller, injured creature bringing up the rear. Its dark coat was dull, and its ribs stood out even more starkly than those of its litter-mates.
Stephen divided up the rucksack full of food, handing a plastic bag containing some corned beef and ham to Anne in case they needed to distract the creatures from there. Ryan watched as they worked themselves around to the rock outcrop, skirting the edge of the trees and doing their bet to remain upwind of the animals. The crag itself presented no particular challenges and both Stephen and George moved easily and competently up the rock face. The amphicyons had stopped playing and were now watching the upwards progress of the strange creatures.
The anomaly burned brightly in the midst of the rocks, as beautiful and as potentially deadly as ever. From the top of the crag, Stephen and George would be able to drop food down to the animals and also engineer its placement on the various ledges leading up to the gateway in time.
The trees continued to whisper around them, an ever-present noise that Ryan had almost ceased to register but a moment later, the sound was overlain with a bellowing roar that made him reach instinctively for a non-existent pistol. Anne stifled a scream and Dick had to lay a restraining hand on Timmy’s neck as the big dog’s hackles rose.
A massively-jawed head had thrust its way through the anomaly. Ryan recognised the creature instantly. Heavy shoulders followed and the fully grown amphicyon made its way sure-footedly down the crag, huge paws splayed out and claws scratching the rock.
Ryan looked desperately around for a weapon – any weapon. A fallen branch was as good as it got. Dick and Julian did the same, both men instinctively putting themselves between the bear-dog and their sister. It was too much to hope for that the creature would roar a few times and then sod off…
The bear-dog landed on the ground, its paws leaving deep prints into the soft earth thrown up from the burrow. It took no notice at all of the juveniles and started to pace towards the group by the trees.
“Stand your ground!” Ryan ordered. “We’ve no chance of out-running it. Anne, get into a tree if you can.”
“Oi, you!” A rock bounced onto the ground near the bear-dog, attracting its attention for a moment.
George drew her arm back for another throw, this time lobbing the contents of a tin of ham in the direction of the creature. It paused to sniff at the meat for the barest of seconds then wolfed down the food. Corned beef followed. She had gained the attention of the young ones now as well, but the big bugger wasn’t quite so easily entertained. From the sleek look of its dark brown fur, food was plentiful on the other side of the anomaly.
The amphicyon started prowling forwards, head swaying slowly from side to side in a movement that Ryan was all too familiar from his previous encounter with the creatures.
At his side, Timmy was growling low in his throat. Dick was doing his best to restrain the dog, but Timmy suddenly twisted away, leaving Dick holding nothing but his collar. The dog leaped forward, hackles up, barking loudly.
“Timmy!” George’s voice held a note of pure fear as she watched her beloved dog running directly at the amphicyon. The bear-dog was ten times Timmy’s bulk with crushing jaws and sharp claws, but to Ryan’s amazement, it deployed neither. It held its ground, but appeared more puzzled than anything.
Timmy launched himself at the bigger animal, letting out a volley of deep barks. The amphicyon took a step backwards, growling ominously. Timmy pressed home his advantage and the amphicyon backed up by another step. From its reaction, Ryan got the impression that the creature wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of quite such spirited resistance. From the top of the crag, a rock came hurtling down, thrown with the full force of Stephen’s arm. It struck the bear-dog on the rump hard enough to make it howl in irritation, turning to look over its shoulder. A second rock, this time thrown by George, struck it on the snout. The howl turned to a yelp.
Timmy heard the yelp and immediately went on the attack.
“This could spectacularly backfire,” Ryan muttered. “But it’s probably our best chance…”
Putting on his best parade ground voice, Ryan swung the tree branch like a club and charged at the animal, yelling as loudly as he could. After only the barest hesitation, Dick and Julian followed suit. The resemblance to the charge of the Light Brigade was foremost in Ryan’s mind as he closed the ground to the beleaguered amphicyon.
Under the onslaught of Timmy darting forward still barking loudly and fiercely, and the combined yells from three human throats, the amphicyon turned around and lumbered back to the rocks of the crag and started to climb. Once there, Ryan fervently hoped that the pull the anomaly seemed to exert over animals and humans alike would do its work and a moment later his hopes came to fruition as the adult animal made its way back into its own time, followed by the two healthy juveniles.
Timmy the Fourth stood in the middle of the clearing barking in triumph.
Ryan felt relief wash through him like a warm wave. “Jesus Christ, I didn’t think that was going to work…”
“So why did you charge at the bloody thing yelling like a madman and waving nothing more than a big stick?” Dick asked, amusement in his voice.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Ryan admitted.
Dick muttered something under his breath about the younger generation being batshit insane and clapped Ryan on the shoulder, grinning widely.
“It’s fading!” the yell came from Stephen on top of the crag.
He tried dropping some corned beef down onto the rocks above the third young bear-dog, but even the lure of more meat couldn’t overcome the creature’s injury. With a pained yelp, the animal attempted to scramble after its kin, but hopping up a slope proved too much and after a metre or so, it fell back and rolled on the ground with a mewling cry.
“Poor thing! Julian, Dick, is there nothing we can do to help it?” Anne entreated.
The anomaly flickered once then winked out of existence, leaving the injured amphicyon stranded for a second time.
“It wouldn’t stand much chance back in its own time,” Ryan said, offering what consolation he could. “Not with a leg like that. It wouldn’t be able to compete for food and the chances are it would die an unpleasant, lingering death.”
In an attempt to distract the injured creature, Stephen dropped more food down to the animal, drawing its attention away from the crag once it was clear that there was now nothing to be gained from trying to get it to climb up.
Once down from the crag, George flung her arms around Timmy and buried her face in the thick hair of the dog’s neck. With the immediate danger now passed, everyone crowded around Timmy, praising the big dog and patting his wiry coat. Timmy accepted all the praise with his usual lopsided grin, pink tongue lolling out between white teeth that only a few minutes previously had been bared in attack against a creature immensely bigger than himself. Timmy the Fourth was clearly a dog capable of punching well above his own weight.
George gave the dog a last hug and then presented him with a chunk of corned beef, which was promptly wolfed down while Timmy wagged his tail in appreciation of all the attention he was getting.
“Well done, Timmy!” George congratulated him. “I always said he was the best dog in the whole world and it’s true!”
“She says that about all of them,” Dick said in a quiet aside to Ryan. “But then she’s usually not wrong either.”
“So who’s going to row back to the mainland and let Lester know we’ve just gained another addition to the menagerie?” Stephen asked.
“Not me,” Ryan said quickly. “This is a science matter, not a military one.”
“I’m happy to talk to James,” said Julian with a smile. “He and I haven’t spoken since he snatched that particularly nice office from under my nose. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear from me.”
Ryan wasn’t sure about any such thing so he was happy to concur in Stephen’s suggestion that he should accompany Julian, just to make sure that Lester’s blood pressure wasn’t irreparably damaged.
As they walked through the woods to the sheltered cove where they’d left the boats, leaving the injured amphicyon to enjoy yet more corned beef, Ryan looped his arm around Stephen’s waist and pulled him close for a snatched kiss.
“Not quite the sort of weekend we had in mind,” he murmured. “Sorry about that.”
Stephen grinned, his vivid blue eyes the colour of the calm sea in the bay, “Wouldn’t have missed it for the world, sweetie. I’ve been shagged senseless, eaten far too much, drunk ginger beer until it’s coming out of my ears and had a pretty impressive jolt of adrenaline from a very overgrown hearthrug. Seems like a pretty good weekend to me.”
* * * * *
“Just watch,” said Abby quietly. “He’ll be out in a moment.”
The sleek, well-fed animal that made its way out into the exercise area was a far cry from the skinny creature with the badly-broken leg that Ryan had last seen just under three weeks ago. As he’d anticipated, it had been necessary for Abby and their resident vet, Frankie Hughes, to amputate the broken leg just above the middle joint. Infection had already set in and it was touch and go for two days whether the creature would survive, but once it turned the corner, recovery was rapid.
Ryan and Stephen watched as Boo Boo made his way out into the enclosure, hopping along almost as rapidly on three legs as he had done on two. Abby and Frankie had been responsible for his naming.
“Will he ever be able to return to his own time?” Stephen held up his camera and started taking some snapshots.
Abby shook her head. “He’d be at too much of a disadvantage.” She stared around at the rolling grassland and enormous outdoor runs that made up the private zoo housed within the grounds of Farnley Hall. “We’re so lucky to have this place. We can look after him here and give him the freedom he needs.”
“And Cutter can write more papers that Lester won’t let him publish.”
As far as Ryan was concerned, by observing the animals in the zoo they might be able to learn something from their behaviour that could be used to save lives. As a justification for housing the animals stranded out of time, so far it seemed to be working, and he was glad of that.
They’d promised George Kirrin that no harm would come to the young animal and despite the secrecy surrounding the project her cousins were in a position to find out the truth.
Ryan had no desire to make four new enemies so he was relieved everything had worked out well for the newly-named Boo Boo. He then mentally amended that to five. Timmy the Fourth was as much of a force to be reckoned with as his human friends, as the fully-grown amphicyon had discovered.
As they watched Boo Boo playing in his enclosure, Stephen pulled a couple of bottles of ginger beer out of his pocket and flipped the tops off.
In return, Ryan handed him a bar of chocolate.
Abby rolled her eyes when the pair of them chorused, “I always think food tastes so much nicer when it’s eaten outdoors!”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 06:05 pm (UTC)Go Timmy - the hero dog!
Love the ending - had to be lashings of ginger beer!
I'm sorry it's over, though. I'd love to see Julian and Lester together! Hint!
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 07:24 pm (UTC)You may get your wish at some point now that the Kirrins seem to have been incorporated into this world.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 06:56 pm (UTC)The Heath Robinson ways of getting the critters back was brilliant. And yay for Boo Boo surviving.
That last line was perfect.
I trust you are making good progress with the Dick and Ryan backstory *vbg*.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 07:26 pm (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that it turned out as long as this. I wanted you to have something to read that you hadn't betaed!
*eyes you beadily* It'll have to take its place in the queue.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 07:39 pm (UTC)it's a fabulous conclusion and it's been a fabulous story.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 09:16 pm (UTC)Hee, so Julian and Lester. *pokes*
*purrs*
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 09:17 pm (UTC)And good for Timmy being the hero!
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:22 pm (UTC)Yay for Timmy the hero, and Boo Boo having a nice place to live out his days.
And I'd second Luka's request on the Ryan and Dick backstory.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:40 pm (UTC)*cackles*
no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 10:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2012-11-03 11:05 pm (UTC)It was incredible to have the Famous Five back in my life for a moment, Fred, thank you very much for that. And thanks for a great fic, I love the adult Five and the ever awesome Timmy.
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Date: 2012-11-04 09:57 am (UTC)I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
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Date: 2012-11-03 11:59 pm (UTC)The recreation of the Charge of the Light Brigade, with added fur and sticks!
That was a great ride. I'm very glad that Boo Boo now has a lovely, safe home and that Stephen enjoyed his weekend ;)
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Date: 2012-11-04 09:57 am (UTC)As long as they don't try and collect a Yogi bear to go with Boo Boo, I'm sure things will be fine!
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Date: 2012-11-04 12:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 09:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 02:36 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2012-11-04 05:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 10:57 am (UTC)Great fic. Loved it.
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Date: 2012-11-04 11:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 11:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 11:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 12:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 12:30 pm (UTC)And that's such a lovely icon!
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From:no subject
Date: 2012-11-04 03:22 pm (UTC)Timmy was a complete hero, huzzah!
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Date: 2012-11-04 04:19 pm (UTC)Thank you for teh wonderful beta as well. *hugs*
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Date: 2012-11-05 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-05 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-06 01:12 pm (UTC)I saved this to read it all in one fell swoop - what a cool crossover. It sounds so very unlikely but really works in mixing the Blyton world with the Primevel world.
I'd forgetten what very strange food combinations featured in Blyton-land. Nice to see Anne out-earning her brothers!
Also I really enjoyed the Ryan/Stephen pairing. How at ease the pair were togeher and the depth of their relationship.
Cheers for sharing. :)
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Date: 2012-11-06 01:43 pm (UTC)LOL, yes, the food combinations were pretty impressive in the books!
I love writing Stephen/Ryan :)
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Date: 2012-11-08 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-08 08:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-09 05:37 pm (UTC)Very fun fic series!
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Date: 2012-11-09 07:52 pm (UTC)