The sun burnt down on the small group struggling across the beach. They were mainly squirrels, with one rather tubby hare. "Might be time for a bite of tucker, wot wot!" he said. The squirrels sighed, their lack-lustre coats burnished red in the setting sun. "No, Thyme, you just had lunch!" said the apparent leader, a large male squirrel with harsh amber eyes. "Come on, Roki." said a small, pretty female squirrel, her brown eyes wide with exhaustion. "Let Thyme have something!" "I won't!" cried Roki, whirling on her. Softening his tone, he continued. "I can't." With one pitiful gesture, he shook the food sack upside down. A few crumbs dropped out, and that was it. "See, Artegal!" he said. "We should never have come on this god-forsaken journey." "What!" screeched the hare, leaping on the empty food sack. "We're all just going to blinking die???" Thyme, son of Tamello De Fformelo Tussock and Pasque Valerian sat down wailing. And that was when it happened. A vermin dagger came whipping from behind the dunes, stabbing Roki. And suddenly, Artegal and Thyme were the only ones left. A harsh, sharp voice broke through the darkness. "You're lucky, me pretties." it said. "I ran out of daggers..." Artegal and Thyme ran, tears flowing freely down their faces. Now, in the space of a moment, they were alone...
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