A Forest Charm

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

GROSSET & DUNLAP
Published by the Penguin Group
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eISBN : 978-1-101-18622-0

The young, silver-gray wolf padded through the trees. Patches of snow still lay on the hillside, gleaming in the spring sunlight. Storm lifted his head. It felt good to breathe the cold air of his home.

Suddenly, a terrifying howl rang out.

“Shadow!” Storm gasped. The fierce lone wolf who had attacked the Moon-claw pack and wounded Storm's mother was very close.

There was a flash of bright golden light and a shower of dazzling sparks. Where the young wolf had been standing, there now crouched a tiny puppy with fluffy white fur, a stocky body, and short legs.

Storm whined with terror and his little puppy heart beat fast. He hoped this disguise would protect him from his enemy.

His puppy paws kicked up the soft snow as he tore through the trees. There was a steep ridge ahead of him. Perhaps there would be somewhere to hide. Storm glimpsed a tangle of tree roots that had formed a natural cave and headed toward them.

As he approached, Storm saw wolf eyes gleaming from within the darkness of the roots. He caught his breath and skidded to a halt, ready to turn and run away as fast as he could.

“Storm! In here, quickly!” the wolf called out in a soft growl.

“Mother.” Storm sighed with relief. He rushed forward and pushed through the tangled roots until he reached the she-wolf.

“It is good to see you again, my son,” Canista rumbled, licking her disguised cub's fluffy white fur and little square muzzle.

Storm yipped a greeting. He wriggled his body and wagged his stumpy tail as he licked his mother's face. “I have come back to lead the Moon-claw pack!”

Canista's gentle eyes lit up with pride. “Bravely said, but now is not the time. Shadow wants to be leader and he is too strong for you. He has already killed your father and litter brothers and left me weak from his poisoned bite.”

Storm curled his lip in a growl, showing small sharp teeth. He knew that his mother was right, but he was reluctant to leave her.

“The other wolves will not follow Shadow—they are waiting for you. Go back to the other world. Use this disguise. Return when you are stronger and wiser, and then face Shadow.” As Canista finished speaking, she gave a wince of pain.

Storm huffed out a shimmering gold puppy breath, which swirled around his mother's wounded paw and then disappeared into her gray fur.

Canista narrowed her eyes. “Thank you. The pain is easing.”

Another fierce howl rang out, sounding much closer.

“Shadow knows you are here. Go. Save yourself!” Canista urged.

Bright gold sparks bloomed in the tiny puppy's downy, white fur. Storm whimpered as he felt the power building inside him. The gold light around him grew brighter. And brighter . . .

Cassie Yorke stamped moodily through the forest in her new walking boots. She was with her mom and dad and about twenty other adults and kids.

“Why do we have to do this stupid family team-building thing, anyway?” she complained.

Mrs. Yorke gave her daughter a patient smile. “That's the third time you've asked me that since leaving home, Cassie. Your dad's new boss likes to encourage his staff to get along well with one another. And that includes their families. This weekend is a way of us working as a team and getting to know one another better,” she explained.

“But we're going to be camping. How can that be a challenge?” Cassie asked.

“Ever tried camping without a tent to sleep in, a stove to cook on, and no water on tap?” her dad asked.

“No way!” Cassie said, horrified.

Her mom laughed. “We are supposed to have fun, too. Now try and lose the long face, Cass. Okay?”

Cassie sighed heavily and felt her shoulders drooping to match her face. Traipsing through a cold, muddy forest on a Friday afternoon was definitely
not
her idea of fun! She had been planning to curl up by the log fire in the living room and finish reading her book.
Lost in the Amazon
was the latest in the series about the amazing adventures of ace explorer Jilly Atkins.

Her dad came over and put his arm around her shoulder. “Come on, Cass. Where's your spirit of adventure? Just try and imagine you're Jilly Atkins!” he suggested cheerily.

“As if!” Cassie said.

Jilly was tall, strong, brave, and fearless. Not small and dumpy like Cassie felt, and she had probably never been teased for being a slowpoke when doing school sports.

“Here we are now,” Mrs. Yorke said as the group came in sight of a large, wooden cabin with a sign above the door that read
Wild Wood Experiences.

After the welcome and introductions, two instructors divided the group into teams: the Reds, Blues, and Greens. Cassie and her mom and dad were in the Reds.

“Oh great. We've been teamed up with Ronson from the office. He's a real know-it-all,” Mr. Yorke said softly.

Cassie saw a fit-looking man who towered over her dad. Mr. Ronson was tanned and broad-shouldered and looked as if he practically lived at the gym. His wife and daughter were both thin and dark-haired.

“Well, we're supposed to be getting to know one another better. Should we go over and say hello?” Cassie said.

Mr. Yorke gave her a mournful look. Despite herself, Cassie couldn't help smiling.

As the adults exchanged greetings, Cassie went over to Mr. Ronson's daughter. “Hi, I'm Cassie.”

“I'm Erin,” the girl said, tossing her long, silky hair over her shoulder.

Cassie looked at her enviously. She wished her hair would grow that long, but her blond curls just seemed to grow outward and get bushier.

Erin didn't really say much. Cassie thought she might be shy, so she made a special attempt to be friendly. “I'm dreading this. I've never been even normal camping or anything. Have you?” she asked, smiling.

Erin shrugged. “No, but I've done tons of outdoor stuff with my dad. This is going to be easy-peasy. But how come
you're
here? The rules say you have to be at least ten before you can participate.”

“I'm almost eleven actually,” Cassie said, her smile wavering.

“But you're so small! I thought you were only about eight,” Erin said rudely, looking Cassie up and down.

“My gran says good things always come in small packages,” Cassie shot back. She was used to people making comments about her size and usually found that making a joke of it got over any awkwardness.

But Erin didn't even grin. “Yeah, well, your gran would have to say that,

I guess. I just hope you're not going to hold our team back. My dad only plays to win. He always says that you don't get any prizes for coming in second.”

Good for him
, Cassie thought, starting to feel annoyed. “My dad's motto is ‘It's the effort that counts.' I like that one much better!”

“Huh!” Erin gave Cassie a pitying look before skipping over to stand with her mom.

Mrs. Yorke noticed her daughter's annoyed face. “Are you okay, Cassie? You're not still sulking, are you?”

“Of course not. I'm fine now,” Cassie said, putting on her best fake smile.

After meeting Erin, Cassie wished more than ever that she could be at home with her head in her book. There didn't seem much chance of the two of them making friends this weekend.

Before the teams set off into the forest, the instructors gathered them all together again for a few words about health and safety. Cassie's tummy suddenly growled, making everyone laugh.

It had been a long drive to get there and lunch seemed like hours ago. Cassie felt more than ready for a snack. There were some chips and chocolate in her backpack, but she hesitated about getting them out. Erin was looking her way and she didn't want to hear any more sarcastic comments.