Otter Chaos! Read Free

branch-breaking. You name it – they’ve won prizes for it.”
    The three grown-up daughters ground their huge teeth menacingly.
    â€œMy name is Chuck,” the beaver concluded, and folded his arms defiantly. “And after we spent the whole night building a brand-new dam and cosy lodge to live in,
we’re not going anywhere
!”
    â€œYou forgot one!” yelled Woody from behind the rustling branch.
    It was then that the head beaver frowned and remembered the youngest member of his family. The kit was standing behind his sisters, scratching in the muddy ground with a stick.
    â€œOh,” said Chuck with obvious disappointment. “That’s Chip.”
    The young kit lifted his head at the mention of his name and smiled at the adult otters. Then he saw the otter pups behind the tree and waved at them.
    â€œChip was meant to be a chip off the old block and take over my dam-building business,” growled Chuck, clearly comfortable sharing his parental sorrows with perfect strangers. “But all he does is scratch around in the mud.”
    â€œHe does his best,” sighed Twiggy, patting Chip’s head.
    â€œHmmm,” grumbled Chuck.
    â€œNow look here!” growled Papa Brown, thinking that the head beaver was trying to get his own way by changing the subject. “We were here first, so according to river rules that means—”
    â€œDon’t you live in Grinder Grime’s old place?” interrupted Chuck.
    â€œWell, we didn’t know his name, but it
was
an abandoned beaver lodge,” said Papa Brown. “That’s not the point, though. Cottonwood Lodge is
our
home now and—”
    â€œBeavers were here first, then,” said Chuck, thumping the muddy ground with his wide, flat tail. “So maybe it’s the otters who should move instead!”
    â€œI’ll show you who needs to move, and I’ll even give you a hand!” growled Grandpa Bruno, swinging his right hook before Grandpa Jack could hold him back.
    Twiggy and the Saw Sisters joined Chuck and started thumping their tails in steady, war-like drumbeats that were obviously intended to warn off attackers. And it appeared to work. Having promised their wives to stay out of trouble and look after the old boxers, Papa Brown and Papa Black exchanged a few mumbles and retreated, tugging Grandpa Jack and Grandpa Bruno away with them before they charged the dam.

    The beavers looked very pleased with themselves as they bundled back inside the lodge. All except Chip, who paused to prod the dam with his stick, frowned at it, and then followed his family inside.
    Woody and Sooty left their overhanging branch and hurried after their elders, who were swimming back downstream. Their fathers were up front, with their grandpas close behind still grumbling about honour and bravery and wanting to give Chuck the beaver a knuckle sandwich. The two young pups trailed behind everyone, looking and feeling completely deflated.
    â€œI can’t believe our dads backed down,” said Woody.
    â€œI think the beavers are very selfish,” retorted Sooty.
    â€œShellfish!” gasped Woody. “No more clams and mussels!”
    â€œAnd no more crayfish,” gasped Sooty. “No more fish at all!”
    â€œI don’t think we’ll be able to stay here if there’re no fish,” sighed Woody. “And I like living together. It’s so much more fun than when our families lived in separate dens.”
    â€œYou don’t think we’ll have to split up, do you?” asked Sooty.
    â€œI don’t know,” said Woody. “But I doubt there are many other dens that two families would fit in so comfortably.”
    The young pups looked ahead at their fathers, who they thought must be feeling pretty awful after their confrontation with the beavers ended so badly. Just then Papa Black and Papa Brown looked back and caught the looks on Sooty and Woody’s