Chloe the Kitten (5 page)

Chloe meowed in surprise and fluttered onto the solid branch of an oak tree with a tiny thud.

“Ouch,” Morris squeaked.

“Sshhhh,” Chloe whispered, hardly daring to breathe. Up above her, the eyes blinked again. Chloe gulped. Had she found the lions at last?

The leaves on the tree above her started to rustle, and from the darkness came a soft noise. It sounded a bit like a lion, stretching its paws and shaking out its mane.

Chloe shrank back in fear as the leaves slowly parted to reveal the eyes again, growing bigger and bigger.

But, to Chloe's relief, there was no lion's mane to be seen. Instead, the eyes were framed by the feathery face of an owl. A scarlet beak chirped a welcome.

“T'wit, t'woo! Who are
you
?”

Chloe gave a little sigh of delight. “Magic and milk shakes,” she whispered softly to herself.

“Are you … are you … the Wise Wishing Owl?”

The owl nodded three times.

Morris squeaked and Chloe trembled with excitement. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would come nose-to-beak with the most magical animal in all of Misty Wood.

The Wise Wishing Owl, with her scarlet beak and feathers of gold, was the cleverest and oldest creature in the wood—as old as the oldest oak trees. She had the power to make wishes come true … if you were able to find her.

“You are very far from home, little Cobweb Kitten. Are you lost?” The Wise Wishing Owl's voice was like the most beautiful piece of music Chloe had ever heard.

“Yes,” Chloe said. “I'm trying to help this little Moss Mouse, Morris, find his family. I've been searching and searching, but I can't find them anywhere!” A silvery tear ran down Chloe's cheek, and she sniffed sadly.

“There, there, little kitten. Don't cry,” the Wise Wishing Owl said. “You found me, and not many do. Now, do you have any idea where Morris might live?”

“Yes. He says he lives by the lions,” Chloe answered with a gulp.

“The lions! The lions!” Morris squeaked.

“Oh.” The Wise Wishing Owl furrowed her feathery brow. “I have lived in Misty Wood for a very, very long time, but I have never heard of any lions living here.”

Chloe gave a long, sad sigh. “That's what everyone says.”

The Wise Wishing Owl turned her head slowly from side to side three times. “It helps me to think,” she explained when she saw Chloe staring at her. “And now that I have thought, I believe I know where Morris lives.”

“Hurray!” Morris squeaked.

“You do?” Chloe's face lit up with excitement. “Is it very far?”

“It certainly is,” the Wise Wishing Owl said with a nod. “Perhaps I could have a word with young Morris?”

Chloe tilted her head.

“Hello, Morris,” said the Wise Wishing Owl.

“Hello,” Morris squeaked. “I've lost my mommy and daddy.”

“I understand,” said the Wise Wishing Owl gently. “Now, let me ask you something. What is your dearest wish?”

“To find my mommy and daddy,” Morris said with a little sigh.

“Then I shall grant your wish,” the Wise Wishing Owl said solemnly.

“Hurray!” Morris cheered.

“Really?” Chloe asked.

“Of course,” the Wise Wishing Owl replied. “I always help a fairy animal in need. You have done your best, Chloe, and I can see you are very brave. But you also look very tired. Why not leave the rest to me?”

“Oh yes, please,” Chloe said.

“Then hold on to your whiskers!” the Wise Wishing Owl hooted. “I'm sending you home.” The owl flapped her huge wings up and down three times.

A gentle breeze began to play around the tree branch. Chloe felt a twig brush her face, and the breeze grew stronger. Suddenly, she and Morris were lifted skyward. Up and up they spiraled, traveling faster with each twist and turn. Misty Wood spun beneath them, a blur of colors and light.

Chloe laughed excitedly. It was even better than sliding down the rainbow!

All of a sudden the spinning stopped, and they landed with a bump on the ground, a cloud of yellow cushioning their fall.

“Lions!” Chloe gasped, her head still dizzy. But as her eyes adjusted to the bright daylight, she saw they hadn't landed on the back of a fierce yellow lion, but in a field of golden dandelions.

“Lions! Lions!” Morris cried in delight.

“Sunshine and sparkles!” Chloe said with a smile. “Look! We're in Dandelion Dell!” She stretched out on the blanket of bobbing yellow flowers. “So you live by the
dande
lions, Morris.”

“Yes! Yes!” Morris scampered down from her back and did a cartwheel in delight.

Chloe chuckled. “I should have known there wouldn't be any actual lions in Misty Wood.”

Just then, there was a rustling sound in the dell. The dandelions started to sway. Something—or someone—was making its way toward them. Chloe heard a small, high-pitched noise grow louder as it got nearer.

“Morris,
Morris
,
Morris
,
MORRIS
!”

Across the yellow field, a procession of Moss Mice appeared, marching through the dandelions.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Morris cried, and scampered into the arms of two very relieved-looking Moss Mice. The rest of the procession cheered and waved.

Morris turned to Chloe. “My mommy and daddy! We found them!”

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

Home at Last!

As the Moss Mice gathered around, Chloe told them all about her and Morris's adventures.

“You thought we lived by some scary lions?” Morris's mommy said, her eyes wide.

Chloe nodded.

“And yet you still tried to find us?” Morris's daddy asked.

Chloe nodded again.

“Well then, you are a very brave Cobweb Kitten,” he said, and all the other Moss Mice started clapping and cheering in agreement.

Morris wriggled out of his mommy's arms and scampered back up onto Chloe's back. “Thank you for helping me, Chloe,” he whispered in her ear. “I'll never forget you.”

Chloe fizzed with happiness to the very tips of her whiskers.

Morris's daddy clapped his paws. “Tell us, Chloe, is there any way we can repay you? We Moss Mice may be small, but we are very hard workers. If there is anything you need, just let us know.”

“Anything at all,” Morris's mommy added.

Chloe scratched her head. “Thank you, but I can't think of anything I need, now that Morris is safe. I suppose I'd better get back to—” Chloe gasped. “Decorations and dandelions! My cobwebs!”

She looked at the sun, now high in the sky. It seemed very long ago that she had woken with the sunrise and set off to get her dewdrops. “Yes, yes, there is something you can help me with,” she said eagerly.

*   *   *

Chloe had never flown with so many other fairy animals before. The Moss Mice spun and tumbled through the sky like dandelion seeds scattering on the breeze.

“Here we are!” Chloe cried at last, spotting the Hawthorn Hedgerows far below them.

In a swirl of excitement, the Moss Mice floated down to land in the clearing.

Chloe's basket of dewdrops was still where she had left it, tucked under one of the hedges. After Chloe showed them what to do, the Moss Mice set to work, singing happy songs as they scampered about. Soon, all the cobwebs were decorated with sparkling dewdrops, and Hawthorn Hedgerows had never looked so beautiful.