#3: A New Friend (Tales of Sasha)
Page 2
Sasha’s stomach dropped. She’d been
so sure it had been Sapphire.
“I did pick Verdant Valley. Caleb
showed me that the horses there were
kind,” said Sapphire.
Sasha thought about this. “If you
chose the place, does that mean you
know where I came from?”
Before Sapphire could answer, music
filled the air. A pink horse began to sing.
Others tapped their hooves in time with
the beat.
“Enjoy the party!” cried Sapphire.
“It’s for you. We’ll talk tomorrow.” She
hurried away.
Fireflies filled the night sky. They
spelled SASHA with their lights. A huge
apple-and-carrot cake was wheeled in
front of her.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that
you’re such a big deal here?” asked
Wyatt.
“Maybe, but I like it.” Sasha had never
had a big party before. She tapped her
hooves happily to the music.
“Let’s dance!” Kimani lifted her body
several inches off the ground.
“How do I do that?” Sasha wanted
to hover like a hummingbird, too.
“It’s easy.” Kimani showed Sasha how
to move her wings in small circles. Sasha
rose off the ground.
“Time to twirl!” called Kimani.
Together, they twirled above Wyatt.
“You should dance, too,” called Sasha.
“I’m stuck down here,” said Wyatt.
“You can dance there.” Sasha wished
Wyatt wasn’t being such a party pooper.
Kimani and Sasha twirled until they
were both dizzy.
Thwack! Wyatt’s tail playfully swatted
Sasha. She dropped to the ground.
“You can’t do that.” Kimani narrowed
her eyes at Wyatt.
“I do it all the time.” Wyatt was
forever swatting his tail at Sasha.
“You don’t get it,” said Kimani. “She’s
Sasha.”
“I know who she is.” Wyatt turned
to Sasha. “It’s time to go home.”
“We’re having peppermint ice cream
soon,” said Kimani.
“That sounds yummy.” Then Sasha
saw Wyatt scowl. “But we need to go
back.”
“It’s too late to leave. The ferry
doesn’t run after dark. Wyatt can’t
get across the lake,” said Kimani. The
lake was too wide to swim across, and
Wyatt couldn’t fly.
“Stay here tonight. We’ll have a
sleepover!” Kimani’s violet eyes twinkled
with excitement.
“Great idea,” said Sasha.
Wyatt frowned. He didn’t think so.
“What about Caleb? He’s waiting for
us.”
“No problem.” Kimani
waved over a firefly. She
whispered in his ear, and
then he flew away. “He’ll
bring Caleb a message
right away.”
Sasha and Kimani danced and danced.
Wyatt stood silently near a group of
other horses not dancing.
When Sasha finally took a break,
Wyatt pulled her aside. “I need to talk
to you.”
“The ice cream is melting,” called
Kimani.
“Wait until later,” Sasha told Wyatt.
She hurried to get ice cream.
Afterward, Kimani took them to her
room. All the horses lived in caves carved
into the cliffs. Soft patterned blankets
covered the floors and the walls. Fluffy
fur pillows were scattered everywhere.
Sasha loved how cozy it was.
“We can sleep over here.” Wyatt
pushed together two pillows.
Sasha yawned. She was tired from
their long day.
“Don’t sleep yet,” said Kimani. “Have
you ever flown in the moonlight?”
Sasha’s white patch itched
with excitement. It did that
when her body wanted to
fly. “Could I touch a star?”
she asked Kimani.
“Let’s try.” Kimani
grinned.
“What about me?” Wyatt frowned.
“I wanted to talk to you, Sasha.”
Sasha hated not including Wyatt, but
Kimani was her first flying horse friend.
Tomorrow, she would go home. No one
there would fly with her through the
stars. She’d have plenty of time to talk
to Wyatt later.
“I’ll be right back,” Sasha promised
him.
The world below was dark and silent
as the two horses flew through the
night sky. Sasha tried to touch a star.
She couldn’t reach it. Stars were much
farther away than they looked!
Sasha waved to a snowy-white owl
that glided by. She wondered if Wyatt
were looking up. Did he see her tail
sparking with magic in the darkness?
Together, Sasha and Kimani
somersaulted in the moonlight.
CHAPTER
6
Gone!
Wyatt was fast asleep when they got
back. Sasha didn’t wake him. She went
to sleep, too.
At dawn, Wyatt woke up.
“Sasha,” whispered Wyatt. His breath
was warm against her ear. “Sasha.”
She didn’t answer. She was still
sleeping.
Wyatt nudged her. “It’s time to go
home.”
Sasha opened one eye. Pale morning
sunlight poked through the cave door.
How could that be? She felt as if she’d just
gone to bed. “Not yet,” she mumbled.
Wyatt kept on nudging her.
“Go away,” she grumbled. She was
so tired. She closed her eyes again.
Hours later, Sasha finally woke up.
Bright sunshine filled the cave.
“Hey, there.” Kimani stood by the
open door. “There’s leftover cake. Want
some?”
“Sure.” Sasha stretched her legs.
“Where’s Wyatt?”
“He went home,” said Kimani.
“He went without me?” Sasha couldn’t
believe it.
Kimani shrugged. “He was up early.
He tried to wake you.”
Sasha winced. She remembered now.
“I told him not to bother you. Besides,
we don’t need him. He’s better off in
Verdant Valley,” said Kimani.
“You told him to go?” Sasha’s voice
rose.
“He wanted to go,” said Kimani. “He
was upset.”
Sasha felt horrible. She had been so
caught up with her new friend that she
hadn’t realized he was upset.
“I’ve got good news!” cried Kimani.
“Sapphire has been waiting for you to
wake up.”
“I need to find Wyatt,” said Sasha.
“He’ll be fine.” Kimani pointed over
at the golden door where Sapphire
lived. “Don’t you want answers to your
questions? This is your chance.”
Sasha let Kimani push her toward
Sapphire’s home.<
br />
“Greetings!” The toucan opened the
door. “Sapphire’s almost ready. Please
enjoy this breakfast.”
He placed an enormous platter in
front of Sasha. Sunflowers, marigolds,
and daisies were piled high. There was
one bowl filled with honey and one bowl
filled with raspberry jam.
Sasha licked her lips. She leaned
forward to dip a daisy into the honey.
The sweet smell made her think of
Wyatt. Wyatt loved wildflowers. She
remembered the day they climbed Mystic
Mountain to search for the tastiest
flowers and her wings had popped out
for the very first time. Wyatt had been
so happy for her. He had wanted her
to find the flying horses. He had gone
with her through the scary forest when
Caleb couldn’t make it. He’d been by
her side the whole time. Now he was by
himself. What if he didn’t know how to
get home? He didn’t have the magic map.
Sasha spit out the flower. She couldn’t
stay here any longer.
“Kimani,” said Sasha, “tell Sapphire I
have to go.”
“You can’t!” cried Kimani.
“I need to make sure Wyatt is okay.”
Wyatt was her oldest friend. She’d been
wrong to ignore him. She wasn’t going
to leave him alone now.
“Go with her,” the toucan told Kimani.
“You don’t have to.” Sasha knew
Kimani didn’t like Wyatt all that much.
“I want to help,” said Kimani. “I know
this land better than you.”
CHAPTER
7
Bend, Cross,
Spring!
Sasha and Kimani trotted down the
beach.
“Hello!” A peacock stepped out and
opened his tail feathers.
“We’re looking for my friend.” Sasha
had met this peacock yesterday.
“Eyes in the sky see so much more,”
said the peacock.
“We can’t fly,” explained Kimani.
“We’re searching for hoof prints. Her
friend doesn’t fly.”
“He’s heading to the big trees,” said
Sasha.
The peacock’s feathers quivered.
“You’re going into the big trees, too?”
Kimani nodded.
The peacock lowered his voice. “Keep
eyes open for the little ones.”
Sasha wanted to ask who the little
ones were, but a troop of spider
monkeys rode by on scooters. Kimani
stopped one to ask about Wyatt.
“He was meeting the morning ferry,”
said the spider monkey.
Sasha and Kimani set off at a gallop.
They reached the edge of the big lake.
“Is that him on the ferry?” asked
Kimani.
Sasha squinted at the far side of the
lake. Wyatt stood on a raft that was
paddled by three beavers. They watched
him step onto the far dock and trot
away.
Sasha pawed the ground. What
should she do? It would take a long time
for the beavers to paddle back to pick
them up.
“Let’s fly,” said Kimani.
Sasha stared at the water in front of
her. “I can’t. I need a running start to
take off.”
“No, you don’t. Bend your knees
low.” Kimani showed her how. “Then
cross your eyes.”
“What?” That sounded so silly.
“Do you want to catch up to Wyatt?”
asked Kimani.
Sasha nodded. The longer she waited,
the farther away he was getting.
“Bend your knees, cross your eyes,
then spring up fast,” said Kimani.
Sasha bent, crossed, and sprang. She
was flying! She couldn’t believe how
many new things Kimani had taught her
in the past day.
She and Kimani flew over the lake
in minutes. Wyatt had already trotted
through the field of neon flowers. Now
he stepped into the woods
beyond the big trees.
Sasha landed and ran
with a burst of speed
towards Wyatt.
“Stop!” Kimani cut in
front of her.
Sasha pulled back so
she wouldn’t crash into
Kimani. “What’s wrong?”
“You can’t go into
the woods,” said Kimani.
“There is danger there
for flying horses.”
Sasha remembered that Kimani had
made up that story about honey turning
wings fluffier. “You’re making this up
because you don’t want Wyatt around.”
“I’m not making it up,” said Kimani.
“You’re my friend, and I want you to be
safe. You have wings now, and others
know it. There’s danger for us.”
What should I do? Sasha wondered.
Should I trust Kimani? Or should I follow
Wyatt?
CHAPTER
8
A Big Sneeze
Sasha dodged around Kimani. She
sped toward the trees. She was fine
yesterday in the woods. She was going
after Wyatt.
Sasha tried to remember the path
home through the woods. The trees
were close together and tangled with
one another.
She looked behind her. No Kimani.
She was by herself. She followed the map
until she spotted green fields beyond the
trees—and Wyatt! He was leaving the
woods.
“Wy—” She started to call for him.
Then she felt pricks along her back.
What was that? It felt like tiny feet were
running on her back. How could that
be? What was on her? She twisted to
see.
Oh! Five tiny creatures stood on
her back. Everything about them was
pointy. Pointy nose. Pointy chin. Pointy
ears. Pointy elbows and fingers. They
had bright green skin and wore outfits
made from leaves.
She tried to shake them off. They
stayed on.
“Help!” She felt something tug at one
of her wings.
Wyatt hurried back into the woods
at the sound of her cries. He swatted
them with his tail, but their tiny feet
seemed glued to her back. Two more
dropped onto her from the tree above.
“What should we do?” Sasha was
scared.
“I don’t know.” Wyatt looked scared,
too.
“Sneeze,” called someone from deep
in the woods.
Sasha spotted Kimani hiding behind
a nearby tree.
“Come out and help,” called Wyatt.
“I can’t,” said Kimani. “They’ll get
me, too. Wyatt, you need to sneeze on
them.”
Wyatt didn’t move.
“Do it fast!” called Kimani.
This is the danger Kimani warned about,
Sasha realized. She had been telling the
truth.
“Trust her,” Sasha told Wyatt.
&
nbsp; Wyatt tried to sneeze. Only a cough
came out. He tried again. The little
creatures started tugging on Sasha’s
wings.
“I can’t sneeze on command,” he said.
Kimani raced from the safety of her
hiding spot. She picked a dandelion from
the ground. She waved it under Wyatt’s
nose.
A-a-choo! Wyatt let out an enormous
sneeze near Sasha’s back. Snot covered
the little creatures and unglued their
feet. They fell to the ground.
For a moment, Sasha stared at them.
They were so tiny! Then they grabbed
onto her tail. They began to climb it,
using the hair as a rope.
Sasha’s surprise turned to anger.
Hot white sparks shot out of her tail,
shocking the creatures. They scurried
into the bushes and wrapped themselves
in leaves until they couldn’t be seen.
“We need to get out of here,” said
Kimani.
They all quickly hurried into Verdant
Valley.
CHAPTER
9
Two Friends
Sasha was so happy to see the green
fields of home again.
“I didn’t listen and left you out. I’m
sorry,” Sasha told Wyatt. “Is that why
you left?”
Wyatt kicked at the grass. “You
didn’t need me. You found a new friend.
I thought you wanted to stay with her.”
“I’m your friend, too,” said Sasha. “I
do need you, don’t you see? You just
saved me.”
“It wasn’t only me. Kimani helped,
too.” Wyatt gave Kimani a shy smile.
“We worked together.”