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There was sniffing and strange huffing noises, followed by the undeniable sound of an old-fashioned, thick key being turned and a lock clunking open. Crystal pushed the door handle down and then used her shoulder to hoist the door open. Inside the room was dark, with only the sunlight shining in through the windows. There was a scuffle of scratching noises on the tiles, and Lydia could have sworn she saw something with a curled tail disappear around the corner. The entrance hall was expansive and extended up the three stories to the skylight roof. The floor was classic black and white tiles, with the walls rich in a dark colour complemented by warm wood trimmings. While there was a muskiness to the air that one would expect in such an old interior design, there was also a strong smell of pilchards, which pierced through the dusty atmosphere and attacked your face.

Crystal walked straight across the room to where the creature Lydia saw went. They all followed her, shuffling behind, not sure what to expect.

The room was a library of sorts. There were desks with papers and tablets. Books piled up with bookmarks in them. There were old-world scrolls, but also modern monitors. The oddest thing was that there were also comfortable-looking giant pillows on the floor. Right at the centre of it all was the grandest table, and at the table sat a creature that none of them, save for Crystal, had seen before. Although Lydia, who knew everyone, after all, had heard about such beasts, but this was the first time she was crossing paths with this creation. It definitely contained a dog. Not the chippy, happy, large tail-wagging things off the coffee type, though. No. This was stouter. Broader. More skin than what it needed. Its face was flat and unbothered. Its brilliant green eyes looked unconcerned about the humans in its doorway. In fact, if anything, it looked almost put out. Protruding from its back were two substantial wings that seemed to have chew marks.

“What is it,” the beast said, in a low, dignified voice, “that you want with my dear Smut?”

Crystal strode up to the table and placed hands on its shiny surface. The creature looked down at where her gritty farmer hands were now smudging the glossy varnish and, even though Lydia thought it impossible, he became even less impressed.

“Arthur, the end of the ….”

“Sir Arthur. Let’s not be savages.”

“Alright. Sir Arthur. The great dam is on the verge of bursting. The beavers that were supposed to ensure its structure have all come down to play in the flooded street.”

“Nonsense,” Sir Arthur huffed. “It hasn’t rained in days. The street can’t possibly be flooded.”

“It most certainly did, sir,” Lydia said, walking forward.

Sir Arthur looked up and down at Lydia. The latest in shaved, dynamic, diagonal hairstyles, the perfect ballet coloured tips, a balance of retro, punk, and yet class… yes…. Sir Arthur decided that he liked this woman. He had, of course, heard about Lydia, since he knew all. But it was the first time he was crossing paths with this human.

“We don’t have time for this,” Rammi muttered from the back.

Crystal looked at him, then looked back at Sir Arthur.

“Sir Arthur,” she said. “We don’t have time to debate.”

“Then you should have come sooner,” he replied.

“We didn’t know!” she responded.

“Well, this lot should have,” he said. “After all, the clock stopped at midnight last night. It’s almost evening. Why has it taken so long to work this all out?”

Rammi, Bill and Lydia shuffled their feet and exchanged awkward looks.

“No,” Lydia said firmly. “I’m not going to be guilt-tripped about this. We’ve done our best. We’ve identified the issue. Now we are trying to resolve it, and you are now the one who is taking so long. Either you help us or face the consequences of the entire dam contents at the front door.”

Sir Arthur did not seem pleased by Lydia’s aggression. It was obvious he thought this was not civilized behaviour and now considered the group barbaric. But despite his feeling of disdain, he slid off his chair and led them to a wrought-iron cage elevator. The elevator managed to hold the entire group, although Bill, who had little faith in man-made items, held the bars tightly. The elevator went all the way up to the roof, where it opened into a small room. Sir Arthur looked at the cheap door there, then rolled his eyes at Rammi.

“Ah,” Rammi said. He leaned forward and turned the knob that Sir Arthur’s paws couldn’t.

They walked out. The roof had a large flat surface, covered in gravel, before it slid down to the tiles that could be seen from the street. A cracking noise echoed through, and Sir Arthur looked up at the dam with renewed interest. It seemed that the group had been correct. The dam was about to explode.

“You’ll have to tell Smut to fetch all the beavers,” he said thoughtfully, then turned and made his way back to the elevator.

“Who’s Smut?” Rammi asked.

He didn’t need an answer. An enormous puppy with wings galloped in front of them. Like Sir Arthur, he had a face that resembled a bulldog, and his tail was curled up. Smut was pounding on a pile of charcoal, and it only took the group a few seconds to understand why he was called Smut. He was covered in charcoal dust.

“Oh, MAN!” Lydia all of a sudden announced. They turned to look at her.

“My left sock is gone!” she announced, lifting her leg up. “These were supposed to be anti-toshi boots! Dammit!”

“Perspective, Lydia,” Bill said. “We have to stop a dam from killing everybody.”

“Right, right…” she muttered. Her foot was uncomfortable now in the boot. She could feel every single little blob of glue under the inner sole, and her toes rubbed hard against the leather.

Crystal walked slowly up to Smut, who turned to look at her. His ears pricked up, and his jaw dropped a little as the little cogs in his brain turned. After a few moments, it clicked in, and he recognized her. He jumped and barked/roared in excitement and flapped his oversized wings, which churned up the dust a little, and they had to protect themselves with their arms as a black cloud descended on them.

“Ok, boy, ok boy,” Crystal said, waving her arms down. He lowered his head and let her give him a hard scratch behind his ears. “Listen, boy,” she continued. “You’re going to do us a favour. We need to go pick up the beavers…”

“I’m not picking up anything…” Lydia immediately announced. Crystal gave her a hard look.

“And then we’re going to fly all the way up to that dam,” Crystal continued.

“Wait, your idea is that we ride this thing?” Rammi asked.

“Smut,” she said, holding his face with her hands and squishing his cheeks up. “Is a wonderful beast. And he is going to help us save the town.”