by Bentley, Sue
To Honey—such a sweetie and a friend for only a short time
GROSSET & DUNLAP
Published by the Penguin Group
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Text copyright © 2009, 2014 Sue Bentley. Illustrations copyright © 2009 Angela Swan. Cover illustration copyright © 2009 Andrew Farley. First printed in Great Britain in 2009 by Penguin Books Ltd. First published in the United States in 2014 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-698-17178-7
Version_1
Contents
Dedication
Copyright
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter *ONE*
Chapter *TWO*
Chapter *THREE*
Chapter *FOUR*
Chapter *FIVE*
Chapter *SIX*
Chapter *SEVEN*
Chapter *EIGHT*
Chapter *NINE*
*About the Author*
Prologue
The young silver-gray wolf sped across the ice. Dark clouds were gathering overhead, and it began to snow. Storm lifted his head. A big snowflake landed on the young wolf’s nose, and he licked it off. It felt good to be back in his homeland.
Suddenly a fierce howl split the still air.
“Shadow!” Storm gasped. The powerful 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 black fur, a stocky body, and short little legs.
Storm scampered forward, his little puppy heart beating fast. He hoped this disguise would protect him from his enemy.
The snow was falling thickly now. It swirled around Storm as he tore toward a thick clump of pine trees. He needed to find somewhere to hide, and quickly. His breath fogged in the cold air as he scrambled into the trees.
A large dark shape moved between the trunks, and Storm saw wolf eyes gleaming through the curtain of snow. He caught his breath and skidded to a halt, ready to turn and run away as fast as he could.
“Storm! This way, quickly!” the wolf called in a soft growl.
“Mother.” Storm sighed with relief. He rushed forward and weaved through the trees until he reached the she-wolf.
“It is good to see you again, my son,” Canista rumbled, licking her disguised cub’s fluffy black fur and small square muzzle.
Storm yipped a greeting. He wriggled his stocky little body and wagged his stumpy tail as he licked his mother’s face. “I have come back to lead the Moon-claw pack!”
Canista showed her sharp teeth in a proud smile. “Bravely said, but now is not the time. Shadow still wants to be leader, and he is too strong for you. I remain weak from his poisoned bite.”
Storm’s midnight-blue eyes narrowed with anger and sorrow. 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. Return when you are stronger and your magic is more powerful.” As Canista finished speaking, her eyes clouded with pain.
Storm leaned close and huffed out a warm puppy breath, which glinted with thousands of tiny gold sparkles. The mist swirled around Canista’s injured paw and then disappeared into her gray fur.
Canista gave a sigh of relief as a tiny bit of her strength returned. But before Storm could complete the healing, another terrifying howl rang out, sounding much closer. Heavy paws thundered against the ground as a huge wolf crashed through the trees, and Storm could hear harsh breathing.
“Shadow knows you are here! Go now, Storm! Save yourself,” Canista urged.
Storm whimpered as dazzling gold sparks bloomed in his fluffy black fur and he felt the power surging through him. The gold glow around him grew brighter. And brighter . . .
Chapter
* ONE *
“I can’t wait to ask Mom and Dad about having figure-skating lessons!” Lauren Medley said as she and Jemila came out of the White Water ice rink.
“It would be great if you joined the Ice Academy with me!” Jemila said, her dark eyes sparkling. “We can go to classes together. Maggie, our coach, is great.”
Lauren smiled at her best friend. Jemila was in the same class at school and was an amazing figure skater. She was going to be performing in the show at the rink in a few weeks’ time.
“Ice skating’s so different from everything else I’ve ever tried. I love it so much, and I know it’s something I really want to do,” Lauren enthused.
Jemila smiled. “I think Maggie noticed that. She told me that she’d like to meet you sometime.”
“Really? That’s fantastic. Here’s Mom now. Fingers crossed!” Lauren flicked back her shoulder-length fair hair as she ran over to her mom’s car and opened the door. “Hi, Mom. Is it okay if we give Jemila a ride home?”
Lauren’s mom nodded. “Yes, of course it is. Hop in, you two.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Medley,” Jemila said politely as she climbed into the backseat.
“Did you have a nice time at the rink?” Lauren’s mom asked her as she began to drive.
“The best! I’ve been practicing some new moves. I’m getting really good at skating,” Lauren replied. “And guess what? Jemila’s going to do a solo performance at the figure-skating show!”
“Congratulations!” Mrs. Medley smiled at Jemila in the rearview mirror. “We’ll have to get tickets to come and watch you.”
“I really love ice skating, and I want to be a figure skater, too, Mom,” Lauren said eagerly. “So can I join the Ice Academy with Jemila? Some other girls from my class at school are going to join, too. And we’re all—” She stopped as she saw that her mom was glancing across at her with raised eyebrows.
“So—figure skating’s your latest craze, is it? What happened to BMX biking? You were nuts about that a few months ago,” Mrs. Medley commented.
“I know, but this is different. I was terrible at that other stuff, but I’m good at figure skating! Even Maggie, the coach, thinks I show promise. Isn’t that great?” Lauren said eagerly.
“Hmmm.” Her mom rolled her eyes. She turned on to a treelined road and drew up outside a redbrick house.
“Thanks for the ride. See you at school tomorrow, Lauren!” Jemila called as she got out and walked toward her house.
“Bye!” Lauren waved.
As they drove off, Lauren chewed her nails nervously. “So, when can I start figure-skating classes?” she finally said.
“I’m not sure how I feel about this idea,” her mom said. “Let’s wait until we get home before we discuss it. I want to see what your dad has to say.”
“Okay.” Lauren just
about managed not to say anything more. She was feeling hopeful as she followed her mom into their house. Her dad was really easygoing. He was bound to let her take ice-skating lessons.
But she was disappointed this time. “I’m sorry, but I agree with your mom,” Mr. Medley decided after Lauren and her mom had finished talking. “We’ve already paid for tennis lessons and bought you a BMX bike. It doesn’t make sense to shell out for skates and figure-skating lessons when you’ll probably lose interest in about five minutes.”
“But I won’t! Not this time—honest!” Lauren promised. She knew that she really meant it this time. “And you won’t even have to buy me skates. Jemila’s promised to give me her old ones!”
“It sounds like you and Jemila have got this all worked out,” her dad said, raising his eyebrows.
“We have!” she said hopefully, giving him her best pleading smile.
Her dad shook his head slowly. “Even so, I’m sorry, Lauren, but the answer’s the same.”
Lauren knew when she was beaten. She sighed as she trudged out of the room and went upstairs.
“Great! Everyone in my class is joining up. Except me,” she murmured glumly, her spirits sinking. She imagined all the lonely evenings while her friends had fun without her. What she wanted most of all was to pursue her dream of figure skating.
Just as Lauren reached the top step, there was a dazzling flash of bright gold light and a silent explosion of sparks that lit up the entire hallway.
“Oh!” Lauren gasped, rubbing her eyes. When she could see again, she noticed that a tiny fluffy puppy with black fur and a little square muzzle stood there.
“Can you help me, please?” it woofed.
Chapter
* TWO *
Lauren’s jaw dropped and she gaped at the tiny puppy in complete astonishment. Was she imagining things?
She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the puppy still stood there. It was gazing up at her with the biggest, brightest midnight-blue eyes she had ever seen.
“Where . . . where did you come from? How did you get in here?” Lauren asked, puzzled.
“I used my magic to come here from far away. My name is Storm, of the Moon-claw pack. What is yours?” the puppy yapped softly.
Lauren did a double take. “Whoa! You really can talk! I thought I’d imagined that, too!” She swallowed. “I’m Lauren. Lauren Medley. I live here with my mom and dad.”
Storm bowed his little head. “I am honored to meet you, Lauren.”
“Um . . . me too,” Lauren said, still having trouble taking this all in. As she bent down to make herself seem less big and frightening to this amazing puppy, she remembered something he had said. “Why do you need my help?”
Storm laid back his ears, and his little muzzle wrinkled nervously. “An evil lone wolf called Shadow is looking for me. He attacked our Moon-claw pack and killed my father and brothers, and wounded my mother, so that he might lead the wolves. But it is my destiny.”
Lauren frowned. “How can you lead a wolf pack? You’re just a tiny pu—”
“Stand back, please,” Storm ordered. As Lauren stood up and backed slowly into her bedroom, there was another dazzling flash of golden light and the tiny black puppy disappeared. In its place, almost filling the entire hallway, stood an impressive young wolf with silver-gray fur and a thick neck ruff that twinkled with thousands of lights, like glittering yellow fireflies.
“Storm?” Lauren eyed the powerful wolf’s big teeth nervously.
“Yes, it is me. Do not be afraid,” Storm rumbled in a soft velvety growl.
Before Lauren had time to get used to seeing Storm as his true self, there was a final, even brighter flash of light, and a fountain of sparks sprinkled down all around Lauren, crackling harmlessly to the carpet.
When Lauren’s sight cleared, she saw that Storm was a tiny, cute, helpless puppy once more. “Wow! That’s a great disguise,” she breathed. “No one would know that you’re not really a cute little Scottie dog.”
“Shadow will know it is me, if he finds me. I need to hide now,” Storm whined.
Lauren saw that the tiny puppy was beginning to tremble all over. She felt a surge of protectiveness and gently picked him up. Storm snuggled into her arms as she stroked his fluffy black fur.
“You can live here with me in
my bedro—” Lauren paused as she realized that there was no way her mom and dad were going to let her have a puppy. They’d just think it was another one of her impulsive, half-baked ideas, especially after the figure-skating discussion. “Oh, I don’t think you can stay here after all,” she said sadly.
Storm nodded. “I understand. Thank you for your kindness. I will find someone else to help me.”
But Lauren wasn’t ready to lose her magical new friend so quickly. She thought hard. “Maybe I can hide you in my bedroom. I could make you a bed inside my closet, but you’d need to stay really quiet and not run around or anything when Mom and Dad are in the house. It might be really boring for you, though.”
Storm tipped up his intelligent little face and blinked at her. “I would like to stay here in your room. It is a safe place. And I will use my magic, so that only you will be able to see and hear me.”
“You can make yourself invisible? Cool! There’s no problem then!” Lauren said eagerly.
She opened her closet and began throwing out old pairs of sneakers and a box of old dolls and teddy bears to make room for a bed for Storm.
“Lauren? I hope you’re not too upset about . . . Hello, what are you up to?” asked a surprised voice from the open door.
Lauren whipped around to see her mom standing there. In all the excitement of finding Storm, she hadn’t heard anyone coming up the stairs. “I thought I’d . . . um . . . clean out . . . um, some old clothes and toys and . . . um, stuff,” she said hastily.
Mrs. Medley took a step forward. She put the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to feel faint. “You’re cleaning your room without being asked to? Wonders will never cease, Lauren Medley!”
Lauren flashed an anxious grin. She tensed as her mom seemed to look straight at the tiny black puppy who sat on the floor beside her. But when her mom took no notice of Storm, Lauren felt herself relax, as she realized that he must have already made himself invisible.
A secret smile crossed Lauren’s face. Perhaps she wouldn’t be all by herself while everyone else was ice skating at the academy, after all.
Chapter
* THREE *
Lauren woke early on Monday morning. She’d been having a wonderful dream about gliding gracefully over the ice in pretty white skates and a shimmering costume trimmed with sparkling white feathers.
The feathers were tickling her nose. Lauren lifted a hand to brush them away, and then she realized that she had her cheek pressed against Storm’s soft, fluffy black fur.
She grinned with delight as she gathered the tiny puppy close for a cuddle. “Hello, you,” she crooned. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you. I feel safe here,” Storm woofed, lifting his head to lick her chin with his little pink tongue.
“I’m glad,” Lauren said. “Because I love having you living with me.” She told him all about her dream. “I was playing Sleeping Beauty in a fabulous ice show. Being a top figure skater was so amazing!”
Storm put his head to one side, his dewy eyes bright. “What is figure skating? Winter is very cold in my homeland, and lakes become covered with ice. But we do not skate on them.”
“It’s something people do for fun. We wear special shoes with metal blades to skate across the ice. But you have to practice a lot and learn to do jumps and twists and stuff in time to music to be a figure skater,” Lauren explained.
Storm nodded. “It sounds very exciting. Are you going to do this?”
“I want to, more than anything. But I d
on’t think it’s going to happen,” Lauren said, her whole body drooping back against the comforter.
“Why is that?” Storm’s furry little face creased in concern.
“Mom and Dad think that I’ll get bored with figure skating, so they won’t pay for me to join the Ice Academy, and be coached, like all my friends. I did used to get bored with things easily when I was younger,” Lauren explained honestly, “but I’ve changed. I know I have. It means everything to me to become a figure skater. If I could just find some way to prove it, Mom and Dad might change their minds and let me join.”
“Is joining the Ice Academy the only way to get better at figure skating?” Storm yapped.
“It really is—unless I had my own private ice rink. Then I could practice whenever I wanted to!” Lauren joked glumly. “But that’s never going to happen. So I might as well totally give up on the idea. Anyway, this is my problem. Don’t you worry about me, Storm.”
Lauren forced herself to cheer up as she threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. She was usually a happy person and, after all, she had Storm to keep her company now. “Time to get up. I’ve got to get ready for school.”
Storm watched as Lauren began pulling on her school uniform, a thoughtful expression on his little square face.
Lauren smuggled some food upstairs for Storm after she finished her breakfast. She stood by, watching him slurping up the cereal and milk. “Sorry, but that’s all there is for now. I’ll get you some real dog food on my way home from school.”
Storm was licking milk from his chops. “That was very nice. Thank you.”
Lauren beamed at him. He looked so cute with a white milk mustache on his little black muzzle. It was hard to believe that the tiny helpless puppy was really an impressive young wolf.
“Will you be okay hiding up here while I’m at school?” she asked.