A New Beginning

Table of Contents

 

 

 

GROSSET & DUNLAP
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eISBN : 978-1-101-17103-5

Prologue

Storm whimpered as he crawled into the cave. Behind the young silver-gray wolf, stars glimmered in the purple sky.

Suddenly, a piercing howl echoed in the night air.

“Shadow!” Storm gasped, trembling with fear.

The fierce lone wolf who had attacked Storm and the Moon-claw pack was close by. Storm knew he had to disguise himself, and quickly!

There was a dazzling gold flash and a fountain of golden sparks that lit up the back of the cave for a brief second. Where the wolf cub had just stood, there now crouched a tiny, sandy golden retriever puppy with floppy ears and twinkling midnight-blue eyes.

Storm's little puppy heart beat fast. In that split second of light, he had seen his mother, the she-wolf, lying crumpled against a rock.

“Mother?” he whined, plunging deeper into the cave.

“Storm?” Canista lifted her head to answer him in a velvety growl.

In the dim light Storm could see his mother's heaving sides and hear her rapid breathing. He felt a new surge of panic. “You are hurt! Did Shadow attack you, too?”

Canista nodded weakly. “His bite is poisoned. It drains my strength.”

Storm's blue eyes flared with sorrow and anger. “Shadow has already killed my father and my three litter brothers. I will face Shadow and fight him!”

“Bravely said, my son. But now is not the time. You are the only cub left of our Moon-claw pack. Go to the other world. Use this puppy disguise to hide. Return when your magic is stronger. Then, together, we will fight Shadow.” Canista's head flopped back tiredly as she finished speaking.

Storm bowed his head. He did not want to leave her, but he knew his mother was right.

The sound of mighty paws and a thunderous snarl echoed from the mouth of the cave.

“Go, Storm. Save yourself,” Canista growled urgently.

Storm's sandy fur ignited with gold sparks. He whined softly as he felt the power building inside him. The golden light around him grew brighter. And brighter . . .

Chapter ONE

Lily Benson felt a leap of excitement as her dad pulled up outside Greengates riding stables.

“Yay! I love Saturday afternoons. I get to spend hours and hours with ponies!” she cried, jumping out of the car.

Lily went around to the open window and bent down to kiss her dad's cheek.

Mr. Benson laughed. “Careful you don't get pony-overload!”

“There's no such thing,” Lily said. Her bedroom walls were covered with posters of ponies and her bookcase was crammed with riding books and magazines.

“What a shame. I was hoping you might stop bugging your mom and me to buy you one!” her dad said.

He was only joking, but Lily felt a pang. She was desperate for a pony of her own. But her parents were worried about the hard work and amount of time it would take to care for it. Lily knew they were hoping she'd be satisfied with having free rides in exchange for helping out at Greengates.

“I'll never stop asking in a zillion years. Ponies rule, Dad!” she said.

“You've got a one-track mind, Lily Benson. Have a good time. See you later,” he called, steering away from the curb.

Lily sighed. She waved good-bye and then went into the stable yard.

The main stable buildings were built around two sides of a square. A large gate at one end led to the grazing field. Just beyond the field Lily could see the house where Janie Green who ran Greengates lived.

Janie was outside the tack room with Treacle and Taffy, two of the smaller ponies. Two young children in riding gear stood waiting ready to mount.

Janie looked up and smiled warmly as Lily approached. She had a round pretty face with twinkling brown eyes and was always cheerful. “Hi, Lily. I hope you're feeling energetic. We're fully booked this afternoon.”

“Hi, Janie,” Lily said. She patted Taffy's neck and stroked Treacle's nose. “What do you want me to do first?”

“You could give Don a hand with the cleaning, if you don't mind. He's over at Bandit's stall,” Janie said.

“Okay,” Lily said happily. Bandit was her favorite pony. She was a sweet-natured palomino with a golden-tan coat and a pale mane and tail. Lily would have loved to own a pony just like her.

As Lily went off to find the stable boy she saw even more young riders arriving with their parents. It looked like it was going to be a hectic afternoon.

 

Lily said hello to Bandit for a few minutes, before spending the next hour or so forking up droppings, wheeling them over to the pile, and spreading fresh bedding.

Riders and ponies came and went. Lily lent a hand where it was needed. It was a hot day and she was soon red-faced and sweaty.

“Why don't you take a break and go and get a drink?” Don suggested as she helped him fill the hay nets and water buckets. He was tall and wiry, with dark-red hair, freckles, and a thin face.

“Phew! I think I will,” Lily said, pushing a strand of damp blond hair back from her forehead.

She went to the stable's kitchen and had a long, cold drink of orange juice.

As Lily was walking back past the grazing fields, she noticed some trash blowing around on the grass and went to pick it up.

“Thanks, Lily. You're doing a great job!” Janie Green called, pausing to rest the heavy saddle she was carrying on the fence.

“It makes me so mad when people leave stuff behind. Don't they care that a plastic bag could kill a pony if it eats it?” Lily said indignantly.

“I don't think they give it a thought. Maybe they'd be more careful if they did—but not everyone's into horses.”

Lily shrugged. “That's their loss, then!”

“I'm with you on that!” Janie said, smiling. “Have you persuaded your parents to buy you a pony yet?”

Lily made a face, thinking miserably of the earlier conversation with her dad.

“I take it that's a sore point,” Janie said.

Lily nodded. “I still have to convince them that I can fit taking care of a pony around my schoolwork. Mom and Dad think it would be too much for me and I should wait until I'm older.”

“They might be right, you know,” Janie said gently. “Looking after a pony is a big commitment and there are no days off.”

Lily felt her spirits sink. She thought Janie would be on her side!

“Do you want to take Bandit out? We just got a cancellation, so she's free for a couple of hours,” Janie said.

Lily brightened immediately at the thought of a longer free ride than usual. “Really? I can take her out by myself ?” she asked delightedly.

Janie nodded. “You've ridden her plenty of times and she's used to you. You can take her along the bridle paths, but don't go beyond the woods. Okay?”

Lily nodded, feeling proud that Janie trusted her. “Thanks, Janie! That's awesome!”

She dashed straight across to Bandit, who was already tacked up. “Hello, girl. We're going for a ride,” she crooned, stroking the pony's nose.

Bandit gave a friendly neigh and nuzzled Lily's palm. Lily buckled on her riding hat before mounting the palomino pony and using her heels to nudge her forward.

They trotted out of Greengates and turned onto the bridle path that ran down the edge of a field. The path branched farther on and Lily took the way to the woods.

Other riders from the stables passed her on their way back.

As she and Bandit entered the shade of the trees, Lily's mind drifted into a wonderful daydream. It was easy to imagine that Bandit was her own pony and they were alone. The sound of other riders was muffled and she was screened from them by the thick bushes. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and speckled everything with spots of light.