Quack Preep [exclusive] «EXCLUSIVE»

It was as if his voice had split in two: the first half was a proper duck’s quack, but the second half was a tiny, squeaky preep , like a chick that had swallowed a whistle.

"A thought?" Pip asked— preep .

Pip nodded— preep .

He opened his beak to greet the dawn, and instead of a crisp "Quack," a strange sound stumbled out: "Quack preep."

"That’s Hodge," whispered Tethys. "He’s building a clock that doesn’t keep time. It keeps moments ." quack preep

"I’m Pip," he said, "and sometimes I go preep ."

The bog fell silent.

Pip crept closer. Inside the log sat a ragged-eared rabbit, tapping a stick against a stone. Every fourth tap, instead of tick or tock , it went boop .