Maggie Fones had heard the Laird's warning... the Beast of Brannoch is coming!

SOOO???

The scotties had dealt with beasts before. Gracious, the scotties had dealt with Gorkons... with PUHDULS even! So, what could be so terrible about some 'wee flying beastie'!?!?!?

Audrey Nyberg was watching the sky, searching for the mysterious 'beastie'. She suddenly gasped and began frantically tapping Maggie on the shoulder.

"Uhhhhhh, Maggie....ya may wanna change your thinking about that wee flying birdie we're going to roast! We may wanna rethink the ROASTING part! Looks like this 'birdie' is doing his OWN roasting!!!!!!"

The scotties stared at the huge, blue beast coming into view. He had the sun behind him, which added even more fiery emphasis to his approach. The wings were spread wide as they leisurely sliced through the air, the long serpent-like tail acted like a rudder, controlling his flight. His long, tapered head pivoted back and forth... the beast was obviously searching for something... probably them!!

Suddenly, the huge, blue beast spotted the small army below him. He quickly shifted his weight and banked sharply toward the wee warriors, his wings swept out behind him. As he neared the mounted knights, the winged dragon arched his serpent-like neck, raised his head, and took a deep breath.

With an unearthly scream, the dragon whipped his head downward, spewing great streams of orange flames toward the warriors on the ground.

"INCOMING!!!!!!!!" Sammy Jo Bush screamed. "RUN!!!"

The scotties were surprisingly agile, considering the weight of the heavy armor they were wearing. They scattered mere nano-seconds before the great tongues of flame exploded on the ground where they'd been standing, scorching everything it touched.

"WHOA!" exclaimed Nikki Fones. "That bird's SERIOUS!! We may wanna think about a 'Plan B', and we'd better be QUICK about it!"

Katie leaned over and smiled at the group of scotties who were still breathing heavily from the dragon's near-miss.

"Okay, y'all.... this dragon is nothing but a big, flying lizard!! Just think of it as a large, blue GATOR!!!"

"Well, THIS gator won't go away.... don't think even MIDGET offering to wrestle it would solve OUR problem!!" Robbie McGillivray retorted.

"MOVE!!!" shouted Honey Bear, her big Malamute voice carrying over the noise. "It's raining FLAMES!!"

Once again, the scotties were forced to flee for their lives. In less than a minute, it was over. The dragon apparently needed a few minutes to recover between each burst of flames.

The scotties regrouped, and gathered around Katie, who was dusting off her chauses.

"A gator, you say???????" Sky Mayne said, with paws on hips.

"Well, let me correct my statement," Katie said with a smile. "A gator with bad Breath!!!"

She laughed gleefully at her own humor. Riley only rolled his eyes, choosing not to rise to the bait. The scream of the dragon, returning for another pass, drew the scotties' attention.

"Let's get on with this," Katie announced. Adeptly dodging another searing burst of flames, the scotties hurriedly gathered to finalize their plans.

The "Plaid Knights" were responsible for the first phase of the operation, and quickly moved to the open hillside nearby. There, they were to attract the attention of the beast, drawing him in, and keeping him busy.

Jubilee, Callie, and Jake accompanied the "Plaid Knights" on their assignment. As the "Plaids" moved up the hill, the rest of the scotties watched from the foot of the hill. The "Plaids" marched boldly to the crest of the hill. As they marched, they beat their swords noisily against their shields. The sound of that many swords being rhythmically pounded against the metal shields was deafening.... and it was immediately successful.

With a scream of rage that raised the fur on the backs of the scotties, the dragon wheeled around and bore down on the "Plaid Knights", who had stopped at the summit of the hill and continued to clang their weapons against each other.

"Hold your positions!" Ali Riches ordered. "Closer together, shoulder to shoulder. Here he comes!!"

The "Plaid Knights" stood tall and proud on the hilltop, beating their swords against their shields, drawing the dragon ever nearer.

"This BETTER work!" Mikey Quigley whispered.

"It will," Riley replied. Then, to himself, he whispered, "It HAS to!"

The dragon once again arched his serpent's neck, preparing to release another burst of flames. As the dragon unleashed his fiery breath, the "Plaid Knights" moved as one. The shields moved overhead, forming a protective, impenetrable metal roof over the brave scotties.

The force of the flames eating at the shields' surface threatened to drive the scotties to their knees. They knew the plan depended on the "Plaids" holding their ground.

"BRACE!! Stay on your paws...don't buckle!! Ali encouraged his comrades, as the flames tried to slip between the closely held shields.

The "Plaid Knights" could not see what was going on above and beyond them, but they knew that the "Order of the Kilt" was in place, and beginning phase 2 of the operation. They had moved around to the far side of the hill, and as the dragon focused entirely on the "Plaids", the "Order of the Kilt" slipped in behind the dragon.

Just as the dragon unleashed the fiery tongues of flames, the "Kilts" released some fire of their own. The heavy ropes that were tied to the arrows effectively tangled themselves around the great dragon's legs. The "Order of the Kilt" rejoiced for a brief second, then began pulling desperately on the numerous ropes that were now dangling from the enraged dragon's legs.

The Beast of Brannoch, in a wild frenzy, issued an ear-splitting scream, then turned his rage on those who held him earthbound. His neck arched again, a sure sign that another burst of flames was about to be directed at the heroic scotties below.

"PULL!!!!!!!!!!" Sherman Mathisen screamed. "He's aiming toward us now! Throw him off-balance!"

The "Order of the Kilt" pulled with all their might, jerking mightily on the ropes. The BASH Battalion, waiting for this moment, raced up and leaped into the fray, throwing themselves on the ropes.

The Beast of Brannoch, in the process of unleashing another fiery burst, was completely taken by surprise as he was jerked backward by the restraints wrapped around his legs. Another scream of rage rang out across the land, as he fought to release himself from the ropes. With each tug, the dragon found himself more entangled.

One scottie, seeing that the ropes WERE working, let loose with a loud 'ARROOOOOOOO'!!!

That simple shout of joy caused a profound response!!

The Beast of Brannoch stopped in mid-air...literally froze for a second. His head turned at an odd angle, and with a hair-raising cry of pain, several of the dragon's blue scales shattered, and fell to the ground.

"It's the ARROOOOO's!!!!!" shouted Katie. "He can't take the Scottie Cheer!!! EVERYONE, we must cheer.....NOWWWWWW!!!"

The entire BASH legion responded as one. Each furry scottie muzzle raised itself skyward, eyes closed, mouth pursed in that glorious scottie pose......and ARROOOOO'ed with all of their heart!!

The shock and surprise was instantaneous!!

The Laird of Brannoch and his knights stared in open-mouthed wonder. They'd never heard such a sound before. They watched as the wee warriors continued the chorus, louder now, and deeper. The sound was beginning to vibrate the very land beneath their feet. The war horses, terrified of the new sound, were almost impossible to control.

"ARRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

An unending chorus echoed across the valley. As the scotties continued their Scottie Cheer, they peeked at the dragon overhead. The deep vibration was beginning to have an effect on the dragon. Scales began shattering and falling to the ground. As the chorus continued, the rain of blue scales increased until the scotties were forced to use their shields to protect their heads from the falling debris.

"One last, LOUD Arrrrooooo!" Katie ordered.

The scotties threw their hearts into the final verse of their magnificent Scottie Song.... and in that last moment, the Beast of Brannoch drew its final breath, gave one last scream, and fell to the earth in a ball of flames.

Wild cheering erupted from the Scottie batallion. The Laird of Brannoch and his knights were stunned to see the ease with which the wee warriors had dispatched the dreaded Beast.

The Laird rode to the terriers' side, and addressed the still-cheering scotties.

"We owe you a debt that we can never repay. You will go down in history as the bravest of warriors, the boldest of knights, and the most loyal of friends. We can only give you our great thanks, and offer you the hospitality of our castle. A celebration of grand proportions will be held this night. We will leave my knights here to dispose of the Beast. Come, we have a feast to attend."

The Laird of Brannoch turned his huge war steed, and rode back toward Brannoch Castle. The "Plaid Knights", the "Order of the Kilt", and the BASH Battalion followed close behind.

The scotties' happiness was almost overwhelming! They had defeated the Beast of Brannoch.... and they were about to be treated to a feast!!!

"LET'S PARTY!!!" the BASH scotties shouted, and raced each other back to Brannoch Castle, for the feast of the Millenium!!!

Chapter 9 The Feast of the Millenium

The Laird of Brannoch Castle and his lady, the fair Lady Gwenneth, held a feast that would be talked about for years. The food was rolled out by the wagonload, the music and dancing went on through the night, well into the next day. Scotties, their paws wrapped around each other's shoulders, sang and danced, laughed and retold the tale, with each telling growing larger and more incredible than the last. The feast was still in full swing when a detachment of the Laird's knights entered the Great Hall. The scotties paid little attention to the interruption, choosing instead to continue their destruction of a side of beef that had just been taken from the fireplace. It was when the knights ordered the cart brought in, pulled by several serfs, that the WCGang and the BASH scotties stood up and took notice. Sir Knight led the procession, and the cart stopped in the center of the Great Hall. Sir Knight removed the covering from the cart, to reveal an enormous bone. " M'lord, this is all that remains of the Beast. The rest of the monster was destroyed in his fiery demise." "My deep thanks, Sir Knight," the Laird of Brannoch replied. "This shall be forever honored as proof of the bravery of our wee warriors. We will, from this day forward, know this bone as THE BONE OF BRANNOCH!" The BASH scotties gasped. They quickly looked at each other, then back at the enormous bone that sat on the cart in the center of the Hall. "So, THAT is the 'Bone of Brannoch'! Who'd have thought that WE would be the ones to CREATE the legendary bone! My, my, that IS quite a paradox!" Riley smiled widely, and patted Katie on the paw. "Sooooooooo, Katie. Here's your quest!!" Riley pointed to the Bone of Brannoch that rested on the cart. "How do you plan to get THAT bone back to our time??? I know you wanted to locate this Bone. And, I know you wanted to place the Bone at the National Museum of Scottie History. However, I just don't see the Laird just handing this bone over to us. Any ideas, dear sister?" Katie smiled broadly. She glanced around the room, at all of her dear scottie friends who were having such a grand time, and who had followed her into danger, to help recover the legendary bone. It had always held an important place in the annals of scottie history. It belonged back in the present. It belonged in the National Museum of Scottie History. "Watch me get this bone. Wait here," she said, and sashayed across the room to stand at the side of the Laird's chair on the dais. Riley groaned, then turned to Webber, who was smiling broadly. "I don't know who to feel sorrier for," Riley said, "the Laird, who is about to lose a bone... or the poor souls who're going to have to LUG this bone back to the tree!!!" Webber laughed out loud. "Yessir, he said. The Laird doesn't know who he's dealing with. He doesn't stand a chance!" The two scotties laughed uproariously, then leisurely leaned back against a nearby pillar to watch the Laird face the Wild Child. It actually didn't take long at all. Katie soon returned to Riley and Webber, smiling happily. "Okay, we have to know. What'd you tell him? Did you get the Bone??" Webber asked, not doubting the outcome for a minute. "Well," Katie began, "he wasn't too thrilled with the idea at first. I told him we wanted to take the Bone of Brannoch to our own village, to put it in a place of honor so everyone could come and see this symbol of scottie bravery. He is a shrewd trader. But, I finally won him over to our side." Curiosity got the better of Riley as he asked, "Well, what'd he trade for the bone?" The wicked gleam in Katie's eye betrayed her. "He wants me to teach him to ARROOOO!" Riley and Webber almost choked on their laughter. The story quickly spread to the rest of the BASH scotties. The Bone of Brannoch would be returning with them, and would be permanently housed in the National Museum of Scottie History, where it belonged. Their quest at an end, the scotties bid a fond adieu to the Laird of Brannoch Castle and his Lady Gwenneth. After much fanfare, and many long farewell speeches, the BASH scotties headed back to the hill where their adventure began. It took most of the scotties pulling on the cart to get the bone to the top of the hill. The scotties leaned the Bone carefully against the trunk of the tree, then each one scurried to find a pawhold. One last glance back down the hill showed Brannoch Castle, shining brightly in the late afternoon sunlight, its residents going about their daily lives as if the scotties had never been there. "Let's go home," Katie said. Everyone cheered at that suggestion, and together the scotties chanted the magical words that would return them to their own place and time... "TIME MOVES!" As quickly as the words were spoken, the light flashed, the mist rolled in, and the scotties found themselves once again on the manicured lawn of the Swamp Witch's home. The relief was overwhelming when they realized that they could take the Bone of Brannoch back out of the swamp in the hot-air balloon, and wouldn't have to DRAG it out of the swamp through the mud. The remainder of the afternoon was spent preparing the balloon and loading the Bone into the gondola. As soon as the balloon lifted off, the wee adventurers began phoning their Mams and Dads, using the cell phones they'd left in the gondola at the beginning of their adventure. They soon found themselves back at the airport, and gently set the balloon down as close to the Scotcorde as they dared. Carefully unloading the Bone of Brannoch, they were more than willing to leave the transfer of the Bone to Captain Scotty. He immediately called in several favors, and within an hour, the National Museum of Scottie History had a truck backed up to the Scotcorde, to take delivery of the legendary Bone. As the Bone of Brannoch headed off to its permanent home at the Scottie Museum, the BASH guests wearily climbed aboard the Scotcorde. They were ready to return to their homes, to their Mams and Dads, and to a warm, cozy bed for a well-deserved nap. The BASH guests waved goodbye to Katie and Riley as Captain Scotty closed the door and prepared to take off. He had seen this so many times. The scotties always ended a BASH adventure in a state of exhaustion, and this trip was no different. Within minutes of take-off, the main lounge was absolutely silent. Each scottie, each furry adventurer had found a cozy place to curl up. The Guardian Brigade,always on duty, were struggling to keep their eyes open. Captain Scotty smiled again. The BASH adventure was over. Everyone must have had a grand time, everyone made it back in one piece, and the Scotcorde once again was returning the guests to their families. The Captain was certainly curious about the events that had taken place at this BASH. He made a promise to himself to find out about THIS trip... but not just yet. His wee ones were quiet and all was well with the world. He smiled to himself as his attention returned to the instrument panel in front of him. The silence of the skies was broken only by the sounds of the great engines of Sleek One, as it streaked across the sky, to disappear into the distance. THE END This ORIGINAL story was created and written by Carol Johnson. ORIGINAL illustrations done by Karen Donnelly. It is NOT to be reproduced in ANY way ....PERIOD!!!! ©Copyright 2004 All rights reserved. | Site Menu | | Links | Awards | Guestbook | Tell a Friend | Webmaster: Katie & Riley's Mam Ja nuns hons pris by Richard I Lionheart (1157-1199) ©Copyright 2004 All rights reserved.