Chloe the Kitten (4 page)

“I'm sorry,” said Chloe. “I'm sure it's great fun being a Pollen Puppy, but something very sad has happened, and I need your help.”

“Well, why didn't you say so?” said Max.

“What's happened?” asked Petey.

“When I was hanging up my dewdrops this morning, I found this little mouse.” Chloe gestured with her paw.

The puppies, who hadn't noticed Morris because he was so small, gathered closer.

“His name is Morris and he got lost on the way to his grandma's, so I'm helping him find his way back home. But”—Chloe gulped and dropped her voice to a whisper—“Morris says he lives near some lions! Do you know if there are any lions living here in Misty Wood?”

“Lions?” A spotted puppy called Freckles started to laugh. “Has anyone seen any lions?”

“Grrr!” Max bared his tiny white teeth.

“Growl!” Petey sharpened his pointy claws.

“Roar!” Freckles shook his head so the pollen floated around his ears like a golden mane. “Lions, you say? Here we are!”

Chloe shook her head crossly. Usually the cheeky Pollen Puppies made her laugh, but this was no time for joking. She had to get Morris home.

“Please can you help me?” she begged. “Morris has been lost for a very long time.”

At the sound of Chloe's sad voice, the puppies stopped their teasing.

“Sorry,” said Max. “We were only joking.”

“We really don't know where the lions live,” Petey piped up.

“Hmm,” said Freckles. “Why don't you try looking in Crystal Cave at the side of Heather Hill?”

“Crystal Cave? That's a great idea!” Chloe cried.

“You know how to get there, don't you?” said Max. “Just follow the rainbow.”

“Thank you, puppies,” Chloe said with a smile. “Hold on tight, Morris. We're going up again!”

“Good-bye! Good luck!” the Pollen Puppies called, their furry tails waving wildly.

“And if you do ever want to be a Pollen Puppy, just let us know,” Max called out.

*   *   *

Crystal Cave was tucked away on the very darkest side of Heather Hill. Chloe knew exactly where to go.

Usually the sight of her favorite hill, covered with pretty purple flowers, made her feel happy. Today, however, she felt scared. She had never seen a lion before, but she knew they were the biggest members of the cat family.
And a Cobweb Kitten is the smallest
, she thought nervously.

Now someone even smaller needed her help. Morris was counting on her to find his parents. She couldn't let him down.

Suddenly, there was a tiny shout in her left ear. “Look, Chloe!” Morris cried. “A rainbow! A rainbow!”

Sure enough, a rainbow of sparkling light arched across the sky in front of them. Chloe flapped her glittery wings with all her might until she landed on the very top of the rainbow.

“Hold tight, Morris! We're going for a ride!” she called over her shoulder.

“Wheeeeeeeee!” Morris squealed as they started to slide down the rainbow.

Faster and faster they slid. Chloe's whiskers tingled as the air whistled through them. Finally, they landed with a soft bump on the far side of Heather Hill, right at the mouth of Crystal Cave.

The warm colors of the crystals in the cave shimmered across Chloe's fur like fairy lights. For a moment, she almost forgot what she was looking for. The rainbow ride had been so much fun and Crystal Cave was so pretty—it couldn't possibly be home to anything scary. Could it?

Suddenly, a very deep voice boomed out from the depths of the cave. “Who's there?”

Chloe fell back in fright.

“What do you want?” the voice rang out again.

Chloe crouched down. She was terrified.

On her back, Morris gave a small squeal and cowered into her trembling fur.

A dark shadow loomed out of the cave. Chloe could hardly bear to look. Were the Pollen Puppies right? Could this be the hiding place of a large and scary lion?

 

CHAPTER FIVE

Crystal Cave

“Well?” the voice boomed again. “I said, who's there?”

Chloe blinked against the dazzling light. “Oh!” she cried. “You're—”

“I'm what?” the figure boomed.

“You're not a lion!”

“Of course I'm not a lion!”

Chloe laughed with relief as the figure emerged. Now that he was standing in the sunlight, she could see he wasn't anything like a lion. He was a Bark Badger. From his broad black-and-white shoulders sprouted a pair of delicate, graying wings. The stocky creature shuffled forward and frowned down at them.

“Well,” he said, “what do you little 'uns want? Apart from telling me that I'm not a lion!”

Chloe opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She might not have been face-to-face with a lion, but she
was
still a little scared.

Bark Badgers were very kind fairy animals, but they were also very big and strong. Their nimble paws carved the most beautiful patterns into the tree barks of Misty Wood, and they took their job very seriously indeed. Unlike the cheeky Pollen Puppies, they had no time for jokes or tricks.

Gathering all her courage, Chloe raised her head and began to speak. “I'm helping this little Moss Mouse,” she said with a trembling voice. “He's lost and I'm trying to find his home. He says it's near the lions, but I have no idea where the lions live. The Pollen Puppies suggested I try looking here.”

“Hmm.” The Bark Badger stroked his whiskery chin thoughtfully. “Lions, you say?”

Chloe nodded.

“I have lived in Misty Wood forever and a day, and I have never known there to be lions here,” the Bark Badger said.

“Oh, bother and broomsticks,” Chloe said with a sad little sigh. “Will I ever get Morris home?”

The Bark Badger's wise black eyes began to twinkle. “I can see you are a very helpful and caring kitten,” he said. “So I will give you some advice. Are you listening carefully?”

Chloe leaned forward. “Oh yes,” she said eagerly.

“There is a place in Misty Wood that is very dark and very quiet,” the Bark Badger whispered in her ear. “No birds sing. No squirrels scamper. Everything is silent and still. It is in the Heart of Misty Wood, and few have ever been there.” He tapped the side of his nose knowingly with a long, pointy claw. “If there are lions in Misty Wood, that is where they will be hiding.”

Chloe gave a small meow of fear. “Really, truly?” she whispered.

“Really, truly.” The Bark Badger nodded.

“Oh. Well. Thank you,” Chloe squeaked, trying to look braver than she felt. Her mind was racing. She had never ventured into the Heart of Misty Wood before. It sounded very dark. And very scary.

“What did he say? What did he say?” Morris squeaked from her back.

“He said we are close to finding your home,” Chloe replied. She couldn't let Morris know how nervous she was.

“Yippee! Yippee!” Morris cried, and did a little somersault behind Chloe's ear.

“Well, we'd better be off, then.” Chloe smiled bravely at the Bark Badger. “Here I go. Into the Heart of Misty Wood.” She paused. “Into the darkness,” she went on, her voice wobbling ever so slightly.

“Perhaps you would like something to light your way?” the Bark Badger suggested.

Chloe smiled. “Oh yes, please.”

The Bark Badger shuffled back into his cave and soon returned with a piece of crystal taken from the roof of the cave. It glowed with so many different colors it was as if he were holding a piece of rainbow.

“Thank you. It's very beautiful,” Chloe breathed.

“You're welcome,” the badger replied. “Now, hold it carefully ahead of you and let the light show you the way. Good-bye.” The Bark Badger waved a large paw at them. “And good luck!”

Chloe flew up into the air, clutching the crystal tightly in her front paws. “Good-bye, Mr. Bark Badger!” she called. “And thank you again!”

Soon they had left the beauty of Crystal Cave far behind and were venturing deeper into Misty Wood. Chloe held the rainbow crystal before her. Its warm glow lit up the gloom but also cast shadows that darted among the tree trunks. Sometimes it looked as if strange shapes were following them as they flew.

“It's so dark,” Morris squeaked. “And scary, too.”

“It's only the light playing tricks on us,” Chloe said, trying to sound cheerful. “Now, Morris, do you recognize anything?”

“No,” Morris replied sadly.

Chloe flew even deeper into the tangle of trees. It was very dark. And very quiet.

Up ahead, she saw two pinpoints of light coming from the trunk of a tree. Then they disappeared. Then they beamed brightly at her once more. On and off, on and off the lights blinked.

Chloe's tummy gave a fearful lurch as she realized what she was looking at. They weren't lights.

They were eyes blinking at her from the dark.

 

CHAPTER SIX

A Magical Wish