by Ellis Byrd
Before Sir Gilbert could respond, the doubtful-looking bunny approached them. “I appreciate what you just did,” he said, tugging nervously at his light brown ears. “But did you say we have to trust the wolves?”
Peck nodded resolutely. “This land belongs to the wolves as much as it does to us bunnies,” she said. “If we work with them, we can—”
“But what if the wolves are working with the Phantoms?” the bunny interrupted, his eyes darting around.
Sir Gilbert frowned deeply. “Why would you suspect such a thing?”
The bunny swallowed. “Well, I saw one, right before you two arrived. A wolf, a shady-looking one. Bluish gray, bushy white eyebrows. He was lurking around when the Phantoms opened the portal. But he didn’t try to stop them, like you did. He just let them try to destroy that tree.”
Peck’s ears drooped. “Thanks for letting us know,” she said softly.
Sir Gilbert waited until the bunny had hopped away before turning to Peck.
“It must have been Greely,” he said in a low voice.
“It couldn’t have been,” Peck said, although she suspected the same thing. “Why would he just let the Phantoms open a portal? Why wouldn’t he try to stop them?”
Sir Gilbert’s nostrils flared. “I suppose we’ll have to ask him when the rest of the Alphas reconvene.”
“Speaking of, we should get back to the Hollow,” Peck said, attempting to recapture the positivity they’d both felt a few minutes ago. “Hopefully the others have been just as successful!”
The two Alphas set off back down the path. Peck tried to focus on the fact that they had successfully driven the Phantoms away and inspired the tigers and bunnies of Appondale. It was a great first step, she told herself. Maybe they really could do what Mira and Zios believed they could do.
But the knowledge that Greely had been nearby and had done nothing to help followed Peck and Sir Gilbert back to Alphas Hollow like a storm cloud.
CHAPTER FIVE
Cosmo sighed as a hot breeze ruffled the daisy on top of his hat. He and Graham had tracked the oily streaks across the sands of Kimbara Outback, which had led them to the source of the problem. Several thick dark spikes rose up out of the ground, like the tips of a giant’s pitchfork. The spaces between the spikes were tightly packed with hardened sludge.
“Those things are interfering with the reservoir,” Graham said, scratching his head. “The Phantoms’ doing, I’d guess, from all the muck and mud and yuck.”
“This reservoir supplied water to all of Kimbara Outback.” Cosmo pointed behind them, where the oily streaks spread out in different directions. “These used to be freshwater streams! Now they’re just spreading pollution.”
The two Alphas surveyed the brown, murky water in dismay. Even if they managed to get rid of the spikes, releasing such polluted water would only cause even worse contamination.
Graham stroked his beard. “A purifier, perhaps?” he mumbled, inspecting the dam. “A bigger spick-and-spanner? I can build one that will clean the water once we dismantle the spikes. In fact, I might be able to modify this . . .”
Still rambling to himself, Graham set to work with his tools, making adjustments to his smog vacuum.
Cosmo had other ideas. Or rather, the plants did. He could sense them trying to tell him something. The grass around the reservoir was dry and crunchy, the shrubs brown and stiff . . . but not all the plants were dying.
Each and every succulent plant was bright green and sturdy. Cosmo even noticed yellow flowers blooming on a few of them. He hurried over to the nearest one and placed his ear close to its thorns.
“Hello there,” he whispered. “You look perfectly healthy. What’s your secret?”
Cosmo listened intently. Nearby, several monkeys huddled together and watched him, pointing and snickering. But a few seconds later, it was Cosmo who was laughing in delight.
“That’s it! Of course!” he cried, hurrying over to Graham. “Graham, we don’t need a purifier—the water inside is clean! They store freshwater!”
“Hmm?” Graham didn’t look up from his work. “No thanks, I’m not thirsty.”
“Oh, you’re not listening. Aha—look!” Cosmo plucked a yellow flower from the plant behind Graham. “See? The succulents are drinking the water, and it’s still clean.”
Frowning, the monkey Alpha pushed his goggles up his nose. “But the water is right there,” he said, gesturing to the reservoir. Here and there, patches of grass stuck out from the murky water. “It’s clearly dirty.”
“Your eyes are playing tricks on you, my friend!” Leaning down, Cosmo picked up a rock and tossed it into the reservoir. It landed with a soft thump . . . and sat there on the surface.
Graham blinked several times. “The rock is floating! A floating rock, my goodness! Or . . . wait . . . ah. It’s not sinking.”
“Because there’s nowhere to sink!” Cosmo finished with a grin. “This is just a giant, muddy puddle, not the reservoir.”
“Then where is the reservoir?” Graham looked around. Then his eyes lit up. “Of course! Underground!”
“Exactly!” Cosmo cried. “The succulents are drinking it right now, sucking it up like straws!” Then his smile fell. “But that means the Phantoms’ spikes extend underground, too,” he fretted. “How will we dismantle them now? Should we start digging?”
Now it was Graham’s turn to laugh. “Dig? Dig, dig, dig. That’s always animals’ answer to everything. Is that what your friends the succulents would do?” Before Cosmo could respond, Graham bounded over to his smog vacuum. “Let’s take a cue from them, shall we?”
Beaming, Cosmo hurried over to help. Together, the two Alphas set to work transforming the smog vacuum into a water vacuum. They spent the afternoon inserting the bamboo tubes into the sludge between the dark spikes, then using the copper coils to connect the tubes to the vacuum’s engine.
As they worked, a large crowd of koalas and monkeys gathered to watch. “You can help!” Graham called to them. “Drag that big log over here.”
Several monkeys did as he asked, and the Alphas put them to work hollowing out the trunk with spades and saws. When it was finished, they drove the hollow trunk straight into the ground, breaking through the mud and muck the Phantoms had used to obstruct the water.
Cosmo and Graham hurried over to the engine, and the other animals stepped back.
“Here goes nothing!” Graham said, flipping the switch. The vacuum rumbled to life, and everyone stared expectantly at the opening of the hollow trunk.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then gallons and gallons of clear, sparkling water began to pour from the trunk. The animals cheered at the sight of the water flowing out into the streams, washing away the oily streaks and spreading out across the arid land.
Graham and Cosmo grinned at each other as the koalas and monkeys surrounded them, clapping them on the back and thanking them.
“It was Graham’s invention,” Cosmo told the koalas. “He’s full of brilliant ideas!”
“But I never would have thought of this if Cosmo hadn’t noticed the succulents,” Graham informed the monkeys. “His connection with plants is astonishing!”
The two Alphas shook hands, pleased with a job well done.
“Let’s head back to the Hollow,” Cosmo said, and Graham nodded in agreement. They set off through the desert, leaving the koalas and monkeys splashing and laughing in the cool, clean streams.
Meanwhile, Liza had spent hours walking the streets of Jamaa Township, speaking to any animal that would listen. Now a crowd had gathered around her in the square. They listened quietly as she told them all about the Alphas and their goals, some looking interested, others doubtful or even irritated.
“Mira and Zios believe that unity is our best chance against the Phantoms,” Liza said, smiling around at the pandas, monkeys, koalas,
bunnies, and tigers. “And that is what I believe, too. There was once a time in Jamaa when all the species lived in harmony. If we’re going to reclaim our land from this enemy, banding together is the first step!”
A tiger snorted disdainfully, and Liza turned to him. “Yes?” she asked, keeping her tone polite.
“I mean no offense,” the tiger told her. “But the guardian spirits have already tried that, and it failed.”
“That battle was a disaster, all right,” one of the monkeys said with a scowl. “No thanks to you tigers, rushing into battle without giving a thought to what the rest of us were doing.”
“You monkeys were no better!” a koala cried angrily. “Hogging all the vines to make a net, like that could possibly work against the Phantoms.”
The monkey crossed her arms. “Because lassos were so much cleverer?”
Bickering broke out among the animals, each species blaming the others for the disastrous battle. Liza took a deep breath and tried to focus on the encouraging words Mira and Zios had told her.
“I know the last battle didn’t go well,” she said loudly and clearly. “But we can’t give up! Surely you understand that arguing among yourselves isn’t doing any species any good?”
“You’re right!” one of the bunnies said sourly. “This is pointless. We might as well give up.”
The bunnies hopped away, and the monkeys swung themselves back up into the trees. Liza watched helplessly as the koalas and tigers also went their separate ways. Soon, only a few pandas were left.
“What you’re doing is really admirable,” one told Liza, smiling sadly. “But it’s hard to imagine the animals of Jamaa will ever find a way to trust one another again.”
Liza held her head high. “I know it’s a great challenge,” she agreed. “But please, promise me you’ll keep trying.”
The other pandas nodded in agreement, and Liza headed back to Alphas Hollow feeling despondent. But it wasn’t just the failed attempt at rallying the animals that had her down.
What troubled her even more was that not a single wolf had even been present. Just like Greely had said, they stuck with their own kind. How could Liza possibly spread a message of hope and unity to such a mistrustful species?
CHAPTER SIX
Greely crept through the trees, trying to catch the electric scent of the Phantoms’ portal over the smell of pine trees and grass. The breeze shifted, and Greely’s nose burned slightly. Adjusting his course, he headed deeper into Sarepia Forest.
If Sir Gilbert and Peck hadn’t shown up in Appondale and ruined everything with their rash, reckless behavior, Greely thought dourly, he would already have the information he was looking for.
But there was no sense in feeling irritated. Greely had a job to do. He slowed, his eyes glinting as he caught sight of a purple glow in a clearing up ahead.
In fact, maybe the other Alphas’ clumsy interference had actually worked to his advantage.
Greely peered through the dry, thorny bushes. Dozens of Phantoms filled the clearing, including Stench, who was looking abashed while a familiar Phantom with a particularly cruel sneer berated him.
“A storm cloud?” Leach seethed, gesturing to the portal Greely now saw hanging overhead. “You conjured that portal, you’ve done it countless times—and some bunny convinced you it was a storm cloud?”
“Sorry, Leach,” Stench mumbled. Before Leach could respond, the portal began to hum and crackle. Greely leaned as far forward as he dared, and it began to expand, sending little sparks shooting over the gathered Phantoms like fireworks. They hurried to the outskirts of the clearing and fell silent, watching and waiting. The humming noise grew into a dull roar, and then two enormous tentacles appeared, followed by a massive black blob covered in purple splotches.
The Phantom Queen had arrived.
Greely crouched, as still as a statue, and gazed at the colossal Phantom. The roar died down to a hum again, and the only other sound was the wind whistling through the canopy of pine needles overhead.
The Phantom Queen’s pupil focused on Leach, who moved forward. A hissing, snapping crackle of energy passed between them like a static spark. Then Leach nodded and turned to face the other Phantoms.
“It’s time for the final phase in our plan,” Leach hissed, his eye shining with delight. “The Phantom Queen has directed us to launch an attack on Jamaa Township . . . in two days.”
Greely watched the Phantoms cackle and rub their tentacles together gleefully. He would have to return to Alphas Hollow soon to warn the others. But his business here wasn’t finished yet.
He crept farther into the clearing, listening intently as Leach whispered the Phantom Queen’s plan, memorizing every word.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Thunder boomed loudly, and rain began to pitter-patter against the knotted trunk of Alphas Hollow. Inside, a few of the Alphas mumbled in their sleep. Only Peck was awake.
She’d volunteered to be the first to stay up on watch when everyone had started getting sleepy. Peck was still too energetic from their meeting to sleep. Her emotions were all over the place after hearing the other Alphas recount their adventures. Cosmo and Graham’s success in Kimbara Outback had lifted Peck’s spirits tremendously, and she’d beamed with pride when Sir Gilbert told the group how she’d tricked the Phantoms into leaving the baobab tree alone. Although privately, Peck couldn’t help thinking it had been a close call. Mira and Zios had said their Alpha Stones would help give them power, so why weren’t they able to do more?
Then Liza admitted she hadn’t been so successful in Jamaa Township, and the celebratory mood had shifted. How were they ever going to get the animals to trust one another again? And where were all the wolves?
Where was Greely?
That was the big question. After seeing his empty cushion at the round table, Peck and Sir Gilbert now informed the others what the bunny and told them. An uncomfortable silence followed their story.
Peck was so lost in thought, she didn’t notice the light scratching sound at first. Then another clap of thunder caused her to jump, and she stared at the door.
Scratch. Scritch-scritch. Scraaatch.
Heart racing, Peck zoomed around the Hollow. “Wake up, wake up!” she cried, rousing Sir Gilbert first. “Someone’s found us!”
The Alphas sprang into action, grabbing metal tools and spicy herbs and anything that could be used for protection.
“It’s possible the Phantoms noticed our activity,” Sir Gilbert said in a low voice, creeping toward the door. “They may have tracked us here. Prepare for battle . . .”
Peck held her breath, brandishing a paintbrush with extra-pointy bristles over her head and watching Sir Gilbert place his paw on the gnarled knob. Thunder rumbled as the entrance twisted and shifted open to reveal a shadowy figure in the rain. Lightning flashed in the distance, and Peck gasped.
“Greely!”
The wolf stepped inside, shaking water from his fur. “We should have a password for entry,” he said shortly. “Getting in was far too easy. And I highly doubt a paintbrush would do you much good against a Phantom,” he added to Peck.
She lowered the brush, her cheeks warm. “Where have you been?” she demanded, lifting her chin defiantly.
“You know where he’s been,” Sir Gilbert told her, though his eyes never left Greely. “With the Phantoms.”
“Now, hold on,” Liza said calmly. “Let’s give Greely a chance to explain.”
“Explain why he stood by and watched the Phantoms nearly destroy an innocent baobab tree?” Cosmo’s hat slipped to the side when he shook his head. “There is no excuse for that.”
“We don’t have time for this.” Greely looked around at the Alphas, his face mostly hidden in shadows. “The Phantoms are launching a final attack on Jamaa Township in two days’ time.”
Peck gasped, and the others immediately b
egan talking all at once. Though their unease was apparent, it was obvious no one was ready to trust Greely’s word, either.
“We need to strike first,” Greely went on, ignoring the chatter. “Take the fight to the Phantoms before they can bring it to us.”
Sir Gilbert’s nostrils flared. “And if we do, whose side will you be fighting on?”
Greely arched a brow. “I’m not here to convince you to trust me. If you don’t believe me . . .” He turned to leave. “That is on you.”
Peck tugged anxiously at her ears. Greely couldn’t possibly be on the Phantoms’ side, could he? Jamaa belonged to the wolves just as much as any of the other animals. But before she could say anything, Cosmo called out. “Wait!”
All eyes turned to the koala Alpha. His amber eyes were wide and unfocused, his head tilted as if he was listening to something no one else could hear. Peck realized the rain and thunder had stopped. The sudden silence was eerie.
“The trees,” he whispered. “The trees are crying for help.”
Greely’s nose twitched, and his pupils contracted. “Smoke,” he hissed, then lunged for the entrance, the other Alphas right behind him.
Outside the Hollow, the air was thick with smoke. Peck coughed and covered her mouth with her paw, squinting through the haze. In the distance, the tops of the trees glowed orange.
“Fire!” she cried, pointing.
Without hesitation, the Alphas sprinted through the woods as a pack. The edge of Jamaa Township was ablaze, and they could hear the screams and shouts of the panicked animals. Many were pointing at the sky, and with a feeling of dread, Peck looked up.
Dozens of Phantoms swirled and twirled over the trees, fanning the flames. Every few seconds, a flash of light streaked through the highest branches, adding more fuel to the fire.
The Alphas tried to help, but each had a different idea about what should be done. Liza attempted to calm the frightened animals and help them escape in an orderly fashion, but Sir Gilbert tried to rally them into fighting the Phantoms with him. Graham quickly constructed a makeshift slingshot from brambles and rubber bands and tried to use it to frighten the Phantoms off, but Cosmo accidentally knocked the slingshot out of Graham’s hands when he found a bucket of water and tossed it a little too enthusiastically.
