Skye Waters - Arctic Adventure

STARLIGHT SNOWDOGS

ARCTIC

ADVENTURE

Skye Waters

For Linda Chapman – friend and muse

Contents

Cover

Title Page STARLIGHT SNOWDOGS ARCTIC ADVENTURE Skye Waters

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

See where it all began. . .

Also available

Copyright

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

Ella Edwards poured milk on to her cereal and dreamily stirred it with a spoon. If only she didn’t have to go to school this morning! Ella wanted to stay at home and play with Blue, her new husky puppy she’d rescued from a box in the nearby country park. Ella had found Blue a whole week ago, but the excitement of owning a puppy hadn’t worn off. She couldn’t spend enough time with him!

“Hurry up, Ella,” said Mum, putting the milk back in the fridge.

“Sorry,” Ella answered, hastily spooning up cornflakes.

She glanced at Blue, dozing in his new dog bed. Suddenly he stiffened, his blue eyes flew open and he pricked up his ears. Then he jumped up and raced for the door, frantically scratching for it to be opened. Ella’s spoon clattered into the bowl as she pushed her chair back. Her heart raced with excitement. What was wrong with Blue? Were the Starlight Snow Dogs howling to him? Quickly Ella opened the door and followed Blue into the hall.

Ella had an incredible secret. She was the leader of the Starlight Snowdogs, a magical team of huskies that included Blue. Together, she and her dogs looked after the Arctic, protecting its wildlife from man-made problems. The other five dogs lived in the Arctic and when there was a situation that needed taking care of, they let Blue know by howling. Then Ella was magically whisked away to join the Starlight Snowdogs on a flying sledge pulled by Blue. But as Ella chased Blue along the hall she realised her mistake. Their adventures always started outdoors. Blue hadn’t heard the Starlight Snowdogs howling, he was investigating another noise…

Blue had heard the postman.

The letterbox flap opened and the postman jammed three letters through it. Claws skittering on the wood, Blue growled then sprang in the air, deftly catching the letters before they touched the floor.

“Blue, no!” Ella cried.

Blue growled playfully and shook the letters from side to side.

“Leave!” panted Ella, catching him up.

At first Blue refused to drop the letters. Thinking it was a game, he pulled away from Ella.

“Blue, drop!” said Ella, forcing herself to stay calm. Blue didn’t mean to be naughty and often his antics were very funny, but he was still on trial; Ella’s parents had only agreed to keep him if he behaved himself. Torn post wouldn’t help his cause to stay.

“Blue,” said Ella sternly. “Drop.”

Reluctantly Blue relaxed his grip on the letters, allowing Ella to prise them from his sharp teeth and examine the damage.

“Oh, Blue!” she said, sadly shaking her head.

All three letters had small holes in. Ella sorted through them. Two were junk mail so that didn’t matter, but the third was in a brown envelope with a clear window for the address.

A bill , thought Ella.

Luckily the bill had been sandwiched between the other letters so the teeth-shaped holes weren’t as deep as they could have been. Ella smoothed out the creased envelope, then putting it under the junk mail, she went back to the kitchen.

“Post,” she said hesitantly.

Mum was rushing round tidying the breakfast things up before she started work.

“Put it on the table. I’ll look at it in a minute,” she said absently.

Ella breathed a sigh of relief. The envelopes didn’t look too bad and with any luck Mum wouldn’t notice when she opened them.

Daisy, Ella’s big sister, was in a hurry too, ramming things into her school bag.

“Can I take an extra snack? I’ve got a maths revision class after school, followed by two hours on the ice. We’re practising for the figure-skating competition. Katie’s mum said she’ll drive us to the rink if you can bring us home.”

“That’s fine,” said Mum. “Take some fruit and a bag of crisps.”

“Thanks, Mum. Out the way, Blue,” said Daisy, stepping over him to get to the cupboard.

Ella finished her cereal and, checking the clock, saw that there were still ten minutes before her own friend Isabel called for her. Enough time to throw a few balls for Blue, who was easily bored and needed lots of entertainment to keep him out of mischief.

“I’ll take Blue out in the garden for a bit,” she said.

“Good idea,” said Mum. “Please can you let the hens out for me? I haven’t had time to do it yet.”

“OK,” said Ella.

Blue gambolled after Ella as she crossed the dew-soaked grass to let Mum’s silky bantams, small fluffy hens, out of their hutch. Goldie, the bossiest, stared haughtily at Blue as she marched down the ramp and on to the grass.

“Blue, leave,” said Ella firmly, as Blue went to follow her.

Blue only wanted to make friends, but the silky bantams didn’t understand and Ella couldn’t blame them. Blue left Goldie alone, but put a paw on the ramp to say hello to Cluck, Whisper and Echo.

“Blue,” said Ella warningly. She picked up his ball from the grass and threw it for him, adding, “Fetch.”

Hens forgotten, Blue eagerly chased after the ball, his long tail curving gracefully over his back. He’d almost reached it when he suddenly accelerated, running past the ball and on towards Dad’s vegetable patch.

“You missed it, you mad mutt,” said Ella, giggling. “Here, Blue. Fetch the ball.”

Blue ignored her and ran on.

“Blue, fetch,” said Ella, in a sterner voice.

It was important to follow a command through or Blue wouldn’t know when Ella was serious and when she was just playing. Ella stood straight waiting for Blue to return and when he didn’t she ran crossly after him.

“Blue, come,” Ella reached out and grabbed Blue’s collar. Her fingers tingled as they brushed against the silver snowflake dog tag and sank into Blue’s thick coat. Then Ella heard something that made the rest of her body fizzle like her fingers – the faint howl of dogs. So Blue hadn’t been ignoring her at all. The Starlight Snowdogs were calling them! Ella gripped Blue tighter as he accelerated down the garden. Blue howled and with an indignant squawk Goldie hopped out of his way and hid under a bush.

Ella ran alongside Blue, keeping a tight hold on his collar. As the end of the garden rushed closer, Ella swallowed back the panicky feeling that she and Blue might crash into the fence. At the last minute, Blue’s muscles bunched and he launched skyward. Forcing herself to trust that the magic would work, Ella jumped with him, gasping out loud as her breath was sucked from her. Unable to stop herself, Ella looked down. Her stomach somersaulted at the sight of the houses and roads rapidly shrinking away. It made her feel giddy and Ella closed her eyes as she was pulled higher by Blue. When at last she dared to look again, it was pitch black and freezing cold. The wind whipped her face, making her eyes water. There was snow in the air. Ella could smell it even before it came swirling towards her. Soon she was engulfed in a whirling blanket of icy-white snowflakes that coated her eyelashes and made her blink. Ella hung on to Blue until her fingers were too numb to grip. The wind rushed at her, tearing Blue from her hands. Ella groaned. She knew that Blue would be safe, but she hated this bit when they were temporarily parted. Upside down and alone, Ella spun through the air.