When young people read the story of Wylah

they will all have a better understanding

of the language and history thanks to
Richard and Jordan.
Uncle Robbie Lowe Snr
Peek Whurrong Elder, Wungit • Chief

Dedicated to Yuliya, Djuukan, Alajwa,

Jidah, Ngaluwi, Willow and Krispin.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the

Gunditjmara/Maar Nation,
the Traditional Owners on whose land
this book was made.

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 www.wylah.com.au
First published by Albert Street Books, an imprint of Allen & Unwin, in 2025

Copyright © Text, Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard 2025

Copyright © Illustrations, Richard Pritchard 2025

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968
(the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book,
whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for
its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body
that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency
(Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

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Email: [email protected]
Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Allen & Unwin acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Country on which we
live and work.We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders,
past and present.

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ISBN 978 1 76118 146 7

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For teaching resources, explore allenandunwin.com/learn

Cover and text design by Jo Hunt

Cover illustration by Richard Pritchard
Additional illustrations by Sierra & Max Pritchard
Set in 13pt Chaparral by Jo Hunt
Written and illustrated by Richard Pritchard
Printed and bound in Australia by the Opus Group additional illustrations by Sierra & Max Pritchard
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The paper in this book is FSC® certified.

FSC® promotes environmentally responsible,
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management of the world’s forests.

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 Thank you to Sky Maangi-Ryder for her wonderful This book is dedicated to all those who have been
Māori design that appears on Auta’s pounamu instrumental in our incredible journey. My heartfelt
(greenstone) pendant. We include gratitude goes out to my loved ones, friends and
it with permission. community who have wholeheartedly supported me in
my aspirations. A special shout-out to my mother, who
Thank you to Vaughan Bishop for advising us on the has been an incredible role model and raised me with
use of Māori culture and mythology. Big shout out love and care. Lastly, a big thank you to my little sister
to his beautiful daughter Payton. Thank you for who makes me smile every step of the way.
co-designing Atua’s Tā moko (face tattoo). We present Jordan Gould
it with great honour and the utmost respect towards Co-Author

the people of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Wylah was

greatly inspired by Māori warrior culture, including Dedicated to Sierra, Max, and my wonderful wife,

the haka (war dance), which embodies strength, Rose, who have contributed greatly to the making of the

identity and ancestral pride. Wylah series. To all my friends and extended family,
I am eternally grateful.

Thank you to Prateek, Smita, Rabi, Amrita and Anjan To all the Aboriginal people of Australia,

for their insight and influence on our awesome new theMāori people of Aotearoa, my own people of Samoan,

character Arjun and his mongoose Guardian, Vikram. my Indian and Celtic/European friends. It’s been the

Very excited to include Indian culture in the goal of my life to bring our cultures together.

Wylah adventure. May we celebrate our rich ancestry and the unity
that the Creator has blessed us with.
Dedicated to all the children and animals of the world.
Richard Pritchard
Co-Author, Writer & Illustrator

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 CHAPTER 1

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 Merri, Warpun, Jayden, Kamba, Kinpa, Bunyip, the the rumbling thunder.
children. ‘Is it the Guardian Penguin?’ We were separated
My stomach churns with dread as the names when we entered the storm.
cross my mind once more. I know who I have to ‘No, there!’
face in order to save them, but that doesn’t make I can’t see what he’s pointing at through the
me feel any better. rain, but just then, lightning splits the dark sky
Annabel. and illuminates two huge creatures charging
After the Scorpion Chief’s betrayal during through the gigantic waves below us.
the battle with the Penguin Tribe, the Guardian One of the creatures crests a wave and my eyes
Penguin agreed to lead us to Annabel’s fortress. widen as I get a better look at its shark-like head
The trip was quiet and tense. Pippy, Po and Thara and powerful frog-like legs. It’s arms, covered
hardly said a word, and even Woo stayed silent, in shimmering scales, propel it forward with
but my mind was full of thoughts about my captive terrifying speed.
friends, of my parents back at home, and of what – ‘What is that thing?’ I say under my breath.
and who – waited for me on the island. I saw strange flying creatures headed this way
A howling gust of wind almost tosses me off before we left, but this one looks even more
Pippy’s back and I shake my head quickly. We have unnatural.
entered the forever storm surrounding Annabel’s The second creature leaps up from the sea and
island and I need to focus. balances on top of a wave on webbed kangaroo
‘Wylah!’ I hear Po shout from my left. ‘Did you feet. Its giant dragonfly wings are beating so fast
see that? Down there!’ I can barely hear him over they’re a blur, but what frightens me is the shark

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 head full of sharp teeth that look like they could The kangaroo-shark leaps out behind us and
tear me and Pippy into pieces. kicks Pippy in the back, sending us spiralling into
‘Is it jumping on the waves?’ Po asks, his eyes the storm. We regain our balance and I hurl Kae
wide. Kae at its head, but before it can make contact,
‘I think it’s flying above the water,’ I shout back the kangaroo-shark kicks up a wall of water that
as Po, Woo and Thara fly closer. ‘Watch out!’ knocks the boomerang into the sea.
With a mighty roar, the kangaroo-shark hops ‘No!’ I reach out my hand to call Kae Kae back,
up at us, its wings buzzing angrily. Pippy swerves but nothing happens. I try again, and when no
sharply and dodges its jagged teeth, and I quickly boomerang returns, Pippy’s nervous screech fills
steady myself and reach for Kae Kae. My aim is the air.
good and the boomerang hits the creature hard in ‘Wylah, I can’t go in and get Kae Kae, and
the side before returning to my hand. neither can Thara. Water is our weakness.’ He
Lightning strikes the water, narrowly missing swoops low and hovers over the spot where the
me and Pippy but illuminating the waves just boomerang disappeared. I can sense his worry.
enough for me to see the frog-shark slamming into ‘If Kae Kae is not returning, it must be stuck. You
Thara. My heart freezes as Po tumbles off her back, must call out Lapaka for help.’
arms flailing, but Thara twists midair and catches ‘But those beasts could come back . . .’ I scan the
him before he hits the water. water anxiously, but my hand goes to the shield
‘Hey, fish lips!’ Po yells as he swirls Thara’s club strapped to my back. I can’t believe I’ve lost Pippy’s
in the air. A wind whip flies at the leaping frog-shark totem!
and it spins back into the wild sea below. Before I can panic properly, the water erupts

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 around us and a blur of sleek feathers and powerful The rain has slowed now that the forever storm has
flippers bursts from the ocean. It’s the Guardian moved on to another part of the island.
Penguin, with Kae Kae in its beak! ‘Is everyone okay?’ I ask.
‘Kae Kae!’ I cry. ‘Just a little terrified. I’ve never seen a shark walk
The Guardian Penguin swims over and flicks the on water,’ Po says shakily, managing a small grin.
boomerang at me. As soon as I catch it, relief floods ‘Let’s keep going,’ Pippy adds, determined, and
through me. I clutch Kae Kae to my chest and Woo barks in approval.
whisper, ‘Thank you.’ ‘If that was the welcoming party, I wonder
The Guardian nods solemnly. ‘You saved my what’s next,’ I say.
tribe, Wylah. I will forever be in your debt.’ ‘Whatever lies ahead, I will protect you with my
I nod. ‘And you saved us, my friend. Thank you life,’ Thara says.
for guiding us here.’ I take a deep breath and hope that it doesn’t
‘I have led you as far as I can go, and now I must come to that.
return to my tribe.’ The Guardian flaps it’s four Pippy and Thara carry us forward again.
flippers, preparing to dive down, but stops and Annabel’s island looms ahead of us, dark and
looks at me directly. ‘There is no greatness without menacing, and my doubts creep back in like
great purpose, Koorie Warrior. Remember your shadows, whispering fears I don’t want to hear.
purpose and have courage. Farewell, and may the I think of Jayden’s warning about Annabel’s
Creator be with you all.’ fortress, how it would be worse than anything we’ve
We watch silently as the Guardian Penguin dives faced before.
beneath the waves, and then we rise and regroup. Can I really stop her? Can I save everyone?

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 My thoughts drift to home, and I see my trembling. ‘I wish we could go back home.’
mother’s fierce eyes, hear her fearless voice chasing My heart aches at his words. ‘Me too, Po,’ I say.
away animals that dared to approach our camp. ‘I wish it more than anything.’
And my father, calm and steady, who taught me Merri, Warpun, Jayden, Kapa, Kamba, Bunyip,
about trading slippery eels with other tribes. the children.
I remember his stories told to me beneath the I hold Pippy tightly and draw courage from his
stars, the constellations he pointed out that would steady heartbeat. Somehow, we have to do this.
guide me through darkness. We have to save everyone.
Po breaks the silence, his voice soft and sad as There is no other choice.
he asks the one question I don’t want to answer.
‘What if we can’t rescue them?’ He sighs and goes
on, ‘We’ve done okay against things we know,
but these creatures are so . . . mixed up! How can
we fight more of those things? And Annabel is so
powerful!’
Thara trills gently at him. ‘We will rescue them,
Po. We’ll free Merri, Bunyip, Kamba, Kapa, and all
the captured children. And Warpun too.’
‘And we’ll do it together.’ Pippy’s voice is steady,
comforting. ‘Like always.’
‘I just wish they would stop,’ says Po, his voice

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 CHAPTER 2

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 I stare. I can’t help it. I close my mouth and gulp. Grandma’s bedtime stories where she barely makes
‘That’s . . . that’s enormous.’ it out alive, and now I can’t shake the feeling we’re
In front of us, a gigantic fortress rises like a being watched.
jagged mountain, its towering walls disappearing ‘We’ll be fine, Wylah,’ Pippy whispers, as if
into the mist. The cliffs it sits on are dark and reading my mind. ‘Be strong. The Ancestors are
sheer, as if the land itself was carved out by some with us.’
kind of giant. We fly higher and circle a long, flat platform
I look over and see Po gaping at the fortress as extending from the fortress. Pippy and Thara land
he pets a whimpering Woo. ‘It’s the biggest thing without a sound. I slide to the ground and try to
I’ve ever seen!’ he says. hide the wobble in my legs by straightening my
‘I might have seen bigger,’ Thara says, unfazed. clothes. Po lands beside me with a soft thud, and
Pippy looks at her and trills in disbelief. Woo leaps off Thara, shakes himself off and begins
I shake my head and look back at the fortress. to sniff around. I motion to them to be quiet, and
It’s so unlike any of the others we’ve come across. look around.
We silently fly past a line of massive towers that ‘Pippy,’ I whisper, gripping Kae Kae tight,
face the sea. Each is topped with a stone dragon ‘I thought Jayden said it would be hard to get into
head with glowing eyes that cast eerie yellow light this fortress.’
into the night. A shadow darts behind one of the Pippy shifts his feathers and scans the walls.
towers and I squint at that spot. ‘Well, we’re not in yet.’
The whole place looks unwelcoming and ‘Something’s not right,’ Po mutters, rubbing his
dangerous, like somewhere straight from one of arms. ‘It feels . . . like a trap.’

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 ‘Why do you think that?’ Thara asks. But before anyone can move, another strange
‘Because I make them. The trick is to make traps creature waddles out.
feel easy. This feels too easy,’ Po whispers back.
I take a few steps towards the fortress wall.
Suddenly, a tremendous horn blasts and gigantic
doors materialise in the stone wall and open in
front of us.
A thunderous roar coming through the doors
sends us backwards, then two massive creatures
stomp out, each the size of a tall tree. One has a
large horn on its head and giant muscles, and the
other has a cow’s head, six arms and four wings.
They are followed by a dozen smaller creatures that
look like large pink insects with bird’s legs.
I stumble back, holding Kae Kae in front of me
ready to call my Ancestors.
Po lets out a choked squeak, his eyes wide.
One of the larger creatures lets out a bone-
shaking roar, its horn glistening in the low light.
Woo yelps and stands protectively in front of me.
Pippy and Thara spread their wings, ready to fight.

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 This one’s not terrifying, but more . . . strange. ‘Hey! HEY!’ I cry, my voice trembling
It’s a purple, blobby thing with thin little legs, because of the vibration hold. I reach for Kae Kae,
flippers for arms and a gigantic round head. Bright but my arms don’t move from my sides. ‘That’s
green hair flops over its face, and its tiny beady my boomerang!’
eyes blink slowly as if it has just woken up from a Po grunts, trying to break the hold as well.
deep sleep. ‘That thing took the club, too,’ he mutters.
Po’s eyebrows are raised so high they’re almost ‘Do not fight! We megabeasts mean you no
leaping off his head. harm,’ the purple beast announces cheerfully.
The blob wobbles towards us, takes a deep ‘I am Blobington, Master of Megabeast Island.
breath and . . . We have been expecting you, Wylah – you almost

RRRRRMMMMMM!!
missed the start of the Games!’
VV V R
VVVV
I blink. Po stares.
VVV ‘Blobington? The . . . games? Megabeasts?’
A powerful vibration surges through the air, I repeat. ‘Wait, how do you know who I am?’
shaking the stone beneath us. My knees buckle and Blobington ignores me and continues,
I drop Kae Kae. Next to me, Po yelps as his club ‘I apologise for the rude welcome, but we have no
falls from his grasp, and Woo cowers and whines. time to waste on explanations. Follow me.’
Even Pippy and Thara stagger, unable to move. He turns dramatically and wobbles towards
The purple thing waves a flipper-arm, and the the fortress.
smaller creatures scamper forward and snatch the The purple blob waves his flipper again and
dropped Totems. we slump to the ground as the hold is released.

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 The insect-like megabeasts quickly surround us, Small megabeasts clamber past us, making
their gazes unreadable. chittering sounds as they haul heavy chains and
A small part of me wants to think this is all wheel weapons in large carts.
a funny dream and I’ll wake up to see we’re still A chill runs down my back. The weapons look
flying across the water towards the fortress. like the same ones the dragon soldiers used against
Except it isn’t, and now we have no Totems my people.
or weapons, Annabel is somewhere close, and ‘Wylah,’ Po murmurs, ‘what’s happening?’
apparently, we’re about to be thrown into some I give him a shaky smile. ‘I don’t know, but we’ll
sort of game. be alright. Just stay close.’
I shoot a glance at Pippy, who looks just as Woo nudges my leg.
confused as I am but he tries to nod reassuringly. ‘Good boy, Woo,’ I whisper. ‘Keep your nose up
‘This creature might know where our friends are,’ and be ready for anything.’
he whispers. Blobington leads us to a second, even bigger, set
I look at the dark doorway and take a deep of doors. He vibrates his flippers and they open,
breath. ‘Let’s go,’ I say, sounding braver than I feel. revealing a huge hall.
We follow Blobington through a cold and I freeze.
echoing hallway. Weird-looking fire sticks attached Hundreds of people fill the area, and each one is
to the wall offer some light, and I see bright pink looking at us.
flags with a twisting dragon symbol decorating the
walls and stone dragon wings curving along the
ceiling. It feels as if we’re inside a massive creature.

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