12 The day before the day after two days before

CHAPTER TWELVE The day before the day after two days before It was the day before the match. Everyone had gone wibbly with nerves. Frank was perched on the bough of a mighty oak tree. Pamela and Sharon the Party Crow were next to him, after Frank reluctantly agreed they could be cheerleaders. It was the final practice session before the big Grimwood vs. Twinklenuts showdown. 'WHOOP WHOOP OH YEAAAAH!' cried Sharon the Party Crow, who was also doing high-kicks, shaking pompoms and blowing on a small plastic trumpet.

'Yay, Grimwood,' said Pamela, who was looking at the Treebonk team through a pair of binoculars. 'Remember what we agreed, Pamela,' said Frank in a low voice. 'You are NOT to eat any of the players or spectators, got it?' 'But they look so juicy and hairy,' she sighed. Frank gave an angry hoot, then turned his head to the treebonk clearing. 'Positions, everyone!' he shouted through his megaphone. Nancy shot up a tree trunk and waited. She had been exercising day and night. Her tail was the strongest it had ever been.' 'READY… AIM… TREEBONK!, Nancy flung herself out of the tree and pinged between three branches so quickly she didn't even notice she'd knocked two of her teammates to the ground. 'WHIRLIGIG!' shouted Frank. Thanks to hours of practice, the Grimwood team had perfected their new move. The squirrels linked into a chain formation and whirred dangerously through the air. Nancy's tail was so strong that when it whacked against stuff she didn't feel a thing. Nancy laughed. Twinklenuts were going to get the shock of their lives. Titus was shuffling about with a broom. 'Tum-te-tum-te-tum,' he was singing to himself– a sign he was massively stressed out. 'Best make the place look nice for our Twinklenuts guests, eh?'

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Some beavers in dungarees and hard hats were moving logs around, making a higgledy-piggledy seating area. 'Snacks,' fretted Titus, scratching his antlers. 'Whatever shall we do for snacks? Do I have enough napkins? Oh me, oh my!' Frank flew over to his friend. 'Chief,' he said gently. 'We're going to be OK. Just look at our foxy friend up there. She's our secret weapon, all right.' Titus squinted at the trees and saw Nancy treebonking for her life, a streak of bright orange flashing against the blue sky. He chuckled. 'What a blessing it was, those foxes finding us,' he said to himself. 'We're in with a chance, Titus. I know it,' said Frank. And he folded a wing around his old friend's shoulders. How heart-warming! But come, for now we must zoom over to lovely Twinklenuts, and very carefully crawl into this old boat.

Ingrid and Sir Charles Fotheringay were floating along the sparkling Crystal Lake in a small rowing boat. Sir Charles Fotheringay was playing a lute quite terribly, while Ingrid was eating grapes and lazily dragging a wing across the water. 'My love,' said Sir Charles Fotheringay, 'you seem distracted. Is anything wrong? Is it my lute-playing?' Ingrid waved her other wing at him. 'Not at all, my darlink,' she cooed. 'I'm just thinking about my theatre group back in Grimwood. We had SUCH talent, you see. It would be wonderful to show them the marvellous theatre you have here.' Sir Charles gave a little chuckle. 'Oh, I'm not sure that would be a good idea,' he said. 'My darling Ingrid, here in Twinklenuts we need actors of a certain… standard.' Ingrid bristled. She lowered her sunglasses. 'Are you saying I am not an actor of high standards?' she hissed. 'I'll have you know I had a small part in Motorcycle Bad Guys 3.' Sir Charles nodded. 'Oh, I know, darling, I know! You are marvellous. You are perfect. I'm just not sure about your… what do you call them? Your "Grimwood Players". Anyway,

once Grimwood is swallowed up into Twinklenuts, well, why even bother having them any more?' Ingrid pushed her sunglasses up and scowled. She suddenly wanted to thwack her new husband in the beak. Only she was allowed to be rude about the Grimwood Players. But then she saw the Twinklenuts treebonk team finishing up their practice session in the distance. 'Row that way,' she ordered. 'Anything for you, my darling,' said Sir Charles, and the ducks floated to the shore. The Twinklenuts treebonk team were taking off their helmets and shaking out their fur. 'Great game, Tobes,' said one of the squirrels, swigging from a silver bottle. 'This super special energy drink really keeps your tail in the air, doesn't it?' 'Yah, totes,' said the other squirrel (who was probably 'Tobes'). 'Tomorrow's going to be a walk in the park. Those Grimwood scruffs won't know what's hit them.' The squirrels chinked bottles and glugged down their drinks. They did not know that they were being watched by a duck. An angry duck. An angry duck who used to be a spy.