A Predator's Rights: A Beastly Crimes Book (#2) (Beastly Crimes, 2, Band 2) - Hardcover

Starobinets, Anna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0486829510 ISBN 13: 9780486829517

Verlag: DOVER PUBN INC, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

Flush with success from having solved the case of the murdered Rabbit, crotchety detective Chief Badger and his impetuous young assistant, Badgercat, anticipate the return of peace and quiet to their community. But trouble recurs with a visit from Huntington Farm's bloodthirsty security team, who bring accusations of theft and harsh demands for justice. Guard dog Muxtar and hunting hound Polkan are searching for Chicken Four, a plucky little fowl who's just discovered what happens to her sister chickens when they disappear into Nina Palna's kitchen on Fridays. Now Badger and Badgercat have to persuade Palna to stop making chicken soup and to prevent Muxtar and Polkan from taking matters into their own paws (and jaws).  
Filled with quirky illustrations and newly translated from the original Russian, this is the second of the Beastly Crimes Books to come from this imaginative mystery series geared toward middle-grade readers. It's the perfect read for young detectives ... and all who oppose fowl play.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Anna Starobinets is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. Best known as a writer of dystopian and metaphysical stories, she is also a successful children's author. Her previous titles include Catlantis, translated from Russian into English by Jane Bugaeva, and praised by Kirkus Reviews as "a trippy, silly tale of cat magic, folklore, and love….Bugaeva's punny translation will make this a fine read-aloud. A must for those seeking culturally diverse literary experiences."

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A Predator's Rights

A Beastly Crimes Book

By Anna Starobinets, Jane Bugaeva, Marie Muravski

Dover Publications, Inc.

Copyright © 2016 Anna Starobinets
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-486-82951-7

Contents

Chapter 1: In Which Everything Is Done to Save the Victim, 1, 
Chapter 2: In Which a Triumphant Anthem Is Sung, 9, 
Chapter 3: In Which There's a Hunting Hound, 17, 
Chapter 4: In Which Scars Decorate an Animal, 22, 
Chapter 5: In Which There's a Murder, 37, 
Chapter 6: In Which Everyone Feels Very Sorry for the Bird, 41, 
Chapter 7: In Which Undercover Work Becomes Dangerous, 47, 
Chapter 8: In Which a Hunt Is Declared on the Far Woods, 57, 
Chapter 9: In Which It's a Dog Eat Dog World, 63, 
Chapter 10: In Which There's a Runaround, 74, 
Chapter 11: In Which You Can't Trust a Soul, 78, 
Chapter 12: In Which Dreams Come True, 91, 

CHAPTER 1

IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS DONE TO SAVE THE VICTIM

"She's not breathing," said Doc Hawk. "I'll try beak to beak resuscitation. It's a long shot, but I'll fight for her life with everything I've got."

Doc Hawk turned away, spread his wings, inhaled deeply, and began fighting for her life. He pressed his curved, steel-gray beak against her pointed, yellow, lifeless one. For a few seconds the only sound was Hawk's rhythmic breathing — inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale ... The victim didn't move. She was lying on a soft, snow-white rug made of poplar fluff, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Her eyes were glazed over, staring blindly at the ceiling intricately lined with oblong black river stones and the red petals of wild roses.

After another minute, when they'd all but lost hope, she suddenly stirred and they heard a hoarse, muffled clucking.

"Who am I? Where am I?" whispered the chicken. "Is this a cloud? Is this heaven?"

"She's alive," exhaled Chief Badger, relieved, having watched the whole ordeal. He turned to the chicken, "This isn't a cloud. This is Fox's den. I'm so happy you're alive."

"Who am I? Where am I?" repeated the chicken, overtaken by a fit of coughing.

"Chickens are very resilient," Badgercat spoke up. "And stupid. I heard you can bite their head off and they'll still run around for a while, because they don't understand that they don't have a head anymore ..."

"I ought to bite your head off for such anecdotes," said Hawk. "Yours, too," he turned to Fox, "for almost killing her. Chickens are frail, vulnerable animals. Their lives are priceless! But so easy to take! In fact, the situation was quite hopeless —"

"Where's my head?" The chicken rose and, swaying, took a couple of steps on the poplar fluff rug.

"You shouldn't be up!" squawked Hawk. "You're still very weak. In fact, the situation was quite hopeless! I always fight to the end, always perform beak to beak —"

"Thank you, Doctor," said Chief Badger. "This chicken is alive, thanks to you."

"This chicken is alive, thanks to my weak jaw," protested Fox. "And it's weak because I only eat vegetables, even though I'm a predator ... Oh dear! She's ruining my rug!"

"Predatory vegetables," trilled the chicken, her pace quickening.

"Be careful — that's custom spun!" squealed Fox, but it was too late. The chicken had wobbled over to the window and rammed her beak into a superfine cobweb curtain, causing the silvery threads to strain and tear. The chicken, all wrapped up in the curtain and its alder catkin tassels, began flapping her wings wildly, knocking over a vase that held a bouquet of juniper branches and maple leaves.

"I should've worked on strengthening my jaw muscles ...," whispered Fox.

"You don't seem to feel any guilt," Chief Badger's whiskers stiffened indignantly.

"It's easy to place blame on a helpless, fluffy fox." Fox fluttered her ginger eyelashes, and her chin began to quiver. "But what — what am I guilty of?"

"Of attacking a peaceful animal. And of attempted murder."

"Animal?" Fox grew pale. "What are you talking about? I didn't attack any animals! Just a chicken."

"Attack," said the chicken, floundering in the curtain.

"And what, a chicken isn't an animal?" asked Badger, amazed.

"Of course not! We — you and I — we're animals. Animals live in the woods. Animals are wild. The law of the Far Woods says that wild animals cannot eat one another. But chickens are domestic birds. They aren't animals, they're game. Predators have the right to —"

"But that's ..." Hawk's voice trembled. "That's so beastly! That's clear-cut game-ism! Separating animals into wild and domestic, into animals and nonanimals! That kind of thinking could be used to justify anything — like saying that all birds, domestic or not, are game! And predators have the right to ..." Hawk gulped. "All animal lives are priceless! Why are the police turning a blind eye to this?"

Badgercat looked down and began thoroughly examining the claws on his right front paw.

"Game-ism is unacceptable," said Chief Badger sternly. "Predators do not have the right to kill chickens."

"Kill," said the chicken, shutting her eyes tightly.

"But there's nothing about chickens in the laws of the Far Woods," protested Fox.

"But there is something about chickens in the laws of Huntington Farm," said Badger. "It says that theft of rural livestock and poultry by a resident of the Far Woods is punishable by the mauling of that resident!"

"Mauling? ..." Fox grew pale.

"Mauling," said the chicken.

"... and if the authorities of the Far Woods do not turn over the perpetrator, then Huntington Farm sends a pack of hunting dogs to the woods," continued Badger. "A Hunt — that's what's in our future if we don't turn you over to the farm. Do you understand, Fox? Do you understand what you've gotten us into?"

"So you're ... going to give me up ... to be mauled?" Fox began shaking. "A helpless, fluffy fox? Who had no idea ... didn't expect ... and besides, she was given permission to kill the chicken ... by a police officer!" Fox began sobbing.

"Kill the chicken, kill the chicken, kill the chicken ... ," clucked the chicken.

"A police officer?" Badger frowned. "Who are you talking about, Fox?"

Badgercat flicked his tail nervously from side to side.

"... kill the chicken, kill the chicken, kill the chicken!"

"The patient is hysterical," said Hawk.

"Then do something to calm her down, doctor!" said Badger, annoyed.

"Please take this soothing sedative," said Hawk, slighted. He dug around in his bag, producing a large Hawthorn berry. He put it in the chicken's beak.

Chief Badger looked at Fox, then at Badgercat.

"Which police officer are you talking about, Fox?"

"This one," sniffled Fox, pointing at Badgercat. "He said I could."

"You really gave her permission to kill a chicken, Badgercat?" Badger slumped in disappointment, suddenly looking very small. "When you said that to the head guard dog, I thought you were just protecting Fox. But you really did ...?"

"I thought ... I just wanted to ..." Badgercat closed his eyes. "Fox promised to give an eyewitness account in return for the right to kill ... just one ... farm chicken ... I thought it wouldn't be a big deal ..."

"I need some fresh air," said the chicken and promptly fell asleep.

"What have you done, Badgercat?" said Chief Badger, crestfallen. "It's one thing if Fox, without thinking, succumbed to her predatory instincts and committed the crime. Then all the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: DOVER PUBN INC
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0486829510
• ISBN 13: 9780486829517
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Zeichner: Muravski Marie
• Anzahl der Seiten: 112
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar