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“I bet we can find the Beast before you,” she said.
    Penelope laughed. “Watch out, Beast of Oddington!” she said. “The loser patrol is on its way! You’re on!”
    She and Warren set off into the forest.
    “Well, now that we’re rid of them,” said Wilf, “let’s go get the fishing rods!”
    Maud looked from the woods to Wilf, unsure. “I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t want to hang around with Warren and Penelope, but that doesn’t mean I
don’t want to look for the Beast. Just imagine if we discovered it first. What an adventure that would be! You’d convince your dad you’re just as brave as Warren, and I’d
get something to write my essay about.”
    Wilf looked down at his feet. “Maybe if I caught a big fish instead. One with a really stern expression. That would still be quite brave, wouldn’t it?”
    “Not really,” said Maud. “Being brave means forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to do. It means pushing yourself on, even when part of you resists.”
    Wilf was silent for a moment. Then he looked up and said, “Alright. Let’s do it!”
    “Monstrous!” said Maud. She held her hand up for a high-five, and Wilf gave it a weak slap.
    There was no turning back now. They had to find the Beast, and they had to do it before Penelope did.
     

T he sun had gone in, and wisps of mist were descending again, making the forest look scary … but exciting, too. They followed the tracks out
of the clearing and among the leafless black trees. Then Maud noticed something strange about the prints – they were completely identical and spaced evenly in a straight line.
    “Weird,” said Maud. “Does the Beast hop along on one leg?”
    Wilf shrugged. “I’ve never seen it.”
    They pressed on, deeper into the forest. The mist grew thicker with every step they took. Soon it was so thick that Maud could barely see a few feet ahead of her. She stepped over thick roots
and ducked under low branches, keeping her eyes on the trail. Then she heard a sudden howl – low and mournful – echoing through the trees. She felt a trembling in the pocket of her
coat.
    “Don’t worry, Quent,” said Maud. “It’s probably just Warren stubbing his toe again.”
    “It doesn’t sound like him,” said Wilf. “In fact, it doesn’t sound like a human or a wolf. We ought to go back now. Maybe we could look for the Beast later, when
the mist clears?”
    “No,” said Maud, trying to sound brave. “This proves we’re close. We have to keep going.”

    The forest grew even thicker, and Maud could barely see ten paces ahead. The black branches of the trees meshed so close to her head that it felt as though she was walking down
a crooked corridor. She cried out as her knee bumped into something, and she stumbled forward. It was the trunk of an overturned tree. At first Maud thought last night’s storm might have
pushed it over, but after looking closer she knew that wasn’t right. It had been ripped apart at the base. Huge gashes streaked the bark, and splinters the size of daggers were strewn across
the ground. Something very strong had destroyed that tree. Very strong … and very angry.
    Sharp bursts of pain shot into Maud’s arm as Wilf grabbed her. “Ouch! Your claws are out!”
    “Sorry,” said Wilf. “Look! There’s something in the grass!” He pointed to a patch of tall weeds.
    Maud peered into the undergrowth. When she realised what she was looking at, she walked over and bent down to pick it up.
    “It’s not a beast,” she said, smiling. “But I think it might help us find one.”
    She wiped the grime from the cover of the old leather book. It was Penelope’s
Weather Spells for Beginners
.
    “Penelope must have dropped it!” said Wilf.
    Maud flipped through the book. Some of the pages were damaged from the downpour the night before, but she could still see a snow spell, a rainbow spell and a spell to banish mist. What luck!
    Maud glanced at the words etched on the