The Trophy of Champions Read Online Free

Rat ignored all four of them and took a step towards Ruby.
    Ruby crossed her arms and scowled, clearly displeased with her uncle’s surprise choice of coach.
    â€˜And how’s my favourite granddaughter?’ Granny Rat asked, brushing a fleck of dust off Ruby’s scarlet vest.
    â€˜ Only granddaughter,’ Ruby corrected, gruffly.
    â€˜Yes, well, it’s good to find you in a presentable state for a change,’ Granny Rat said, ignoring Ruby’s hostile demeanour. ‘I may have failed in preventing you from becoming a lawless pirate, but at least I gave you a firm grounding in how to be a stylish one.’
    â€˜My cabin’s not filled with pretty little skull-and-cross-bones dresses if that’s what you’re implying,’ Ruby huffed.
    â€˜No,’ Granny Rat murmured, locking eyes with her headstrong granddaughter. ‘That would be too much to expect …’ She sighed to herself then resumed her small talk as if the two rats were best friends. ‘So, have you met any respectable cabin boys yet?’
    Ruby mumbled something inaudible and Whisker looked awkwardly at his toes.
    â€˜Chin up, Sonny,’ Granny Rat snapped, whipping her head in his direction. ‘You won’t win the Pirate Cup staring at the ground.’
    Startled, Whisker leapt to attention like a soldier on parade. Granny Rat hobbled over to him with an expression that was anything but granny-like. Her ageing body was slight and frail, but her mind was sharper than a razor. It wasn’t hard for Whisker to see why she’d been recruited as the head coach.
    What Granny Rat wants, Granny Rat gets, he thought to himself.
    â€˜You must be the new apprentice,’ she said, eyeing him suspiciously. ‘ Wafer or whatever your name is.’
    â€˜It’s Whisker, actually,’ Whisker replied.
    â€˜Well, Wafer,’ she continued, ‘I’ve heard you’re quite the adventurer. My dear fool of a husband, the Hermit, hasn’t stopped gabbling on about you since he returned from his island hiatus. From what I’ve deciphered from his ramblings, you’ve already passed four apprenticeship tests and are on track to becoming a capable young Pie Rat. I personally can’t see any of that by looking at you and you’re yet to pass the all-important Pie Rat Sailing Test , but if you combed your fur and learnt to control that fidgeting tail of yours, you might just win us a medal.’
    She leant closer to Whisker and whispered with minty breath, ‘I’ll have you know that this isn’t the first time I’ve coached a team in the Pirate Cup, but unlike my previous team’s pathetic performance, I intend to leave these games as a victor. Understand?’
    â€˜Yes, coach,’ Whisker replied, straightening his messy fringe with his trembling tail. ‘I won’t let you down.’
    Granny Rat relaxed a few wrinkles and turned to the hulking figure of Fred and the miniscule body of Horace.
    â€˜As for you two …’ she began.
    While the newly appointed head coach gave Horace and Fred a pep talk on personal hygiene and team etiquette, a wiry rat wearing a baggy tracksuit approached the tent. He dropped two large suitcases on the ground and crumpled over in exhaustion.
    â€˜Hermit not used to girls’ suitcases, no, no,’ he panted. ‘Girls bring half a house with them.’
    â€˜Don’t ye be complainin’,’ puffed a portly rat behind him, carrying an even larger suitcase. ‘Me case be three times the size o’ yers.’ He straightened his back and began fanning himself with his tattered blue captain’s hat.

    â€˜I’m too old to be carryin’ damsel’s bags, especially with me injury,’ he said, pointing to a large, purple circle around his left eye. ‘This bruise be growin’ bigger by the minute –’
    Before he could continue, there were several high-pitched