Daring Do and the Silver Star

Daring Do and the Silver Star
Written by Alex Carlson
Chapter 1: Invasion of Privacy

Upon leaving the museum of Dry Pages, after giving him the artifact from her last adventure, Daring Do was going for her morning stroll. As she walked out of the museum, the sun beaming down on her coat felt good after being in the chilly museum all night, her eyes still adjusting to the bright beams of sunlight. Along the way she passed by the town police station. She overheard the sheriff talking with the owner of the general store, Bronco Bill.

“Did ya hear about all the missing pigs from Famer Hoofweeds ranch? 50 of them have gone missing” said the sheriff “just like that, in one night no less. I mean, who in the hay can steal 50 pigs in one night.”

“Boy, that’s a lot of pigs to take. Who would want those pigs anyway?” said Bronco Bill

“I haven’t a clue, but whoever it was, must have a sweet spot for bacon”

Daring pondered this a while and continued her morning walk through town. Along the way she heard other people talking about strange happenings. She overheard Miss Weatherbee talking about her ransacked shed, and missing silver hatchet she had in there for chopping wood for her stove. Marion Stallio, the owner of the butcher shop, was missing a whole bunch of fresh chicken breasts from his meat locker and Mr. Hogspruce was missing his prized collection of silver spoons and forks. Thinking as quickly as she does, Daring Do put all this together and figured it must be someone with a love of Meat and Silver objects. ‘But what kind of creature likes all these things?’ She wondered, ‘And why would it happen now?’ Daring went about her day pondering this the whole time. She spent most of her time in the Leaking Barrel drinking cider. As she finished her 5th mug of cider she realized what creature relates to silver and large quantities of meat, Werewolves. Daring shuddered at the thought of werewolves invading the town. Daring paid her tab and rushed out the front doors of the Leaking Barrel. She quickly galloped to the police station to tell the sheriff what she had concluded.

“Werewolves! Haha, no one has seen a werewolf around here in 50 years. It’s impossible to even think werewolves could have done this. Now run along and don’t dream of such impossibilities.”

The sheriff dismissed Daring and locked up the police station for the night. Daring decided to test her theory. She got her grandmothers silver locket and a pound of ground beef and laid them in front of a trap she set in her backyard. She waited and waited. The clock struck midnight and Daring was just about to doze off and she heard a rustling in her hedges. She perked up and readied herself for what was about to come. A dark shape appeared from the hedges. It moved with the grace of a swan, but the hostility of a lion searching for prey. The shape swooped in and snatched the silver locket and ground beef so quickly, Daring almost couldn’t see it happen. But Daring was still quick as a whip and pulled the rope which dropped a box onto the shape. The box was jumping around like a crazed stallion. Daring jumped on the box to hold it down. The box was still hopping around, almost flinging Daring off multiple times. Daring had a bottle of sleep serum with her. Daring opened the bottle and threw the aromatic gas into the box. Before long the box stopped moving and Daring went to check inside. It was hard to see but Daring could make out some scraggly dark fur and grayish skin. A horrible rancid smell came from the mouth of the beast. A couple of sharp yellow fangs were glimmering in the light cast by a nearly full moon. Daring had captured a werewolf. She slid off the box to catch her breath. She had caught a werewolf, she almost couldn’t believe it. Daring dragged the box down to the home of the sheriff and pounded furiously on the door. She heard the dragging of hooves and the clanking of the locks on the door. The sheriff opened the door and stood there almost falling asleep where he stood. The sheriff looked at daring with sleepy eyes and glanced at the box Daring had next to her.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” The sheriff asked as he yawned.

“Sheriff, this is important! I have captured a werewolf. I was right about the werewolves. You have to help me!”

“Hold on Daring, a werewolf? You cannot be serious. It’s probably just that old coot Crazy Canterbottom dressed in a wolf suit. Let me take a look.”

The sheriff bent down and looked in through the hole in the side. The sheriff jumped back with a terrified look on his face. “It… can’t be true. Th.. th.. there’s no way.” The sheriff grabbed Daring by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. “Daring, this is a real werewolf! Do you realize what this means? It means that the werewolves have broken through; they have broken through the walls of the Temple of Lupenstein. Quick, let’s get this box down to the station and lock it up.”

“Sheriff wait, what is the Temple of Lupenstein? I have never heard of it before.”

“Not now Daring, first let’s lock this thing up.”

The sheriff and Daring dragged the box down to the station and put it in cell seven. The werewolf had just woken up and bucked the box off his back and went absolutely crazy. It began to scrape at the walls and howl towards the sky. The werewolf thrashed at the bars and kept howling its sick cry. It began roaring at Daring and the sheriff. They stared in awe and fear as the werewolf nearly twisted completely around in his crazed state of being.
“Now, let’s go to the museum and talk to Dry Pages about the Temple of Lupenstein. He’ll know more than I do” Said the sheriff.