by RH Disney
“Let’s keep going,” Kate told Cloud. They’d find the herd. It wouldn’t be fair to Cloud to give up.
And besides, Kate was having too much fun.
Back in Pixie Hollow, Silvermist and the girls set out toward Vine Grove. Silvermist flew in front. The girls walked single file behind her, following a narrow path. The path was faint and overgrown, more a deer trail than anything. But it was the quickest way to Vine Grove that Silvermist knew.
Vine Grove was to the north of Pixie Hollow. The trail went through the woods and around a small pond. When Silvermist came to the edge of the pond, she stopped.
There in the mud were two crescent-shaped marks. Hoofprints! Silvermist realized.
“What is it?” asked Mia, coming up behind her.
“There,” Silvermist said, pointing. “They’re from a horse’s hooves, I’m sure of it.”
“If the herd came this way, there’d be more tracks. So it must be from the horse Kate is riding!” Lainey said. “Let’s follow them.”
“The thing is, they’re headed south, toward the ocean,” Silvermist said. “Away from Vine Grove.”
Mia frowned. “Myka said Kate was headed toward Vine Grove. We should go there.”
“But this is a clue!” Lainey countered. “Don’t you think we should follow it?”
Both girls looked at Silvermist. She realized they were waiting for her to decide what to do.
Silvermist looked down at the tracks, thinking. The hoofprints did seem like a good sign. On the other hand, Kate had told Myka that she was going to Vine Grove. Which way was right?
Silvermist took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Trust your instincts, she advised herself. If I were on a mist horse, where would I go? Behind her lids, Silvermist saw waves crashing. She felt the tug of the ocean.
Silvermist opened her eyes. “We should go to the beach,” she said.
With Silvermist once again in the lead, the group set off. Before long, the woods gave way to marsh. They climbed over a dune, slipping and sliding down the soft sand on the other side. Fog still hid everything around them. But they could hear waves breaking and seagulls squawking, and Silvermist knew they’d reached the beach.
“Stay close,” she instructed. “We don’t want to get separated in the fog.”
“Kate?” Mia shouted. “Are you here?”
“Kate! Kate!” Lainey and Gabby joined in. They walked up and down the water’s edge, calling and searching. But there was no sign of Kate.
“She’s not here,” Gabby said finally.
“Maybe we should have gone to Vine Grove after all,” Lainey said, glancing at Silvermist.
Silvermist nodded, feeling a knot in her stomach. She’d been so sure that this way was right. But maybe it was only her feeling for water that had drawn her toward the ocean. Maybe her instincts had let her down.
And now they had lost so much time!
“We’d better hurry,” she said, “or we may never catch up with Kate.”
The girls and Silvermist retraced their steps away from the beach. This time, Silvermist didn’t stop to check for prints. She didn’t want to waste another second.
Soon enough, they came to a thick wooded area. Long vines hung from the trees, twisting around trunks and plants.
“This must be Vine Grove!” Mia said, racing toward the trees. “Kate! Where are you?” she cried.
But once again, no one answered her.
The girls walked among the vines, looking all around. Silvermist flew close to the ground. She scoured the undergrowth for some sign that Kate had been there. But she saw nothing.
“I don’t understand,” Mia said. “If Kate’s not here, where is she?”
Silvermist swallowed hard. “There’s something I haven’t told you. About the legend—”
She was interrupted by a shout. “Over here!” Lainey cried. “I found something.”
They followed Lainey’s voice through a tangle of vines. Lainey stood on the other side. She pointed to the ground. “These vines were trampled.”
“Something big must have done this,” Mia said, examining the vines. “Maybe a horse. What do you think, Silvermist?”
Silvermist nodded. “It’s possible.”
A short distance away, they found another tangle of broken vines. Between the leaves, something gleamed.
“Look!” Gabby cried, bending over to pick it up. “A barrette.”
“It’s Kate’s barrette,” Mia said. “So she was here!”
Silvermist blushed, her glow turning orange with embarrassment. She was sure she’d flown right past this spot before. How could she have missed something as obvious as a Clumsy’s barrette? She was starting to wonder if she should be leading the girls at all.
“Silvermist,” Gabby said, “what should we do now?”
Silvermist hesitated. She couldn’t trust her instincts. They had led her astray once already. She needed a real clue.
A movement among the trees made Silvermist’s heart skip a beat. She turned toward it, hoping to see Kate. But it was only a deer. The deer gazed silently at them for a moment. Then it turned and bounded away, shaking droplets from the wet leaves around it.
“I wish I could speak Deer,” Lainey said. “I could have asked if it had seen Kate.”
“Hmm,” said Silvermist, not really listening. The deer had given her an idea.
She began to fly slowly over the ground, looking closely at the leaves and blades of grass.
“What are you doing?” Mia asked.
“The leaves and grass are covered with droplets of water from the mist,” Silvermist explained. “So if something as big as a horse passed through here, it would shake the water off … like this!” Silvermist pointed to a path through the damp grass.
The girls squinted. “I don’t really see anything,” Lainey said.
But Silvermist could see it clearly. Each blade of grass was wet on one side and dry on the other. “A large creature has come this way.”
“Are you sure it was Kate and the horse?” Mia asked. “And not a deer or something?”
“I’m not sure it was Kate,” Silvermist admitted. “But it was bigger than a deer. And right now, I’m afraid that it’s our only clue. We have to keep going.”
Before it’s too late, she added to herself.
Cloud galloped down a hill covered with sweet-smelling primroses. Kate could just see the yellow blossoms peeking out from the drifting mist.
Kate giggled with delight and flung one arm into the air, as if she were riding a roller coaster. This time she wasn’t afraid of falling off. “Yeehaw!” she yelled.
The ground leveled, and they trotted past a noisy waterfall. The rushing water gurgled and hissed, dropping from a rocky ledge into a deep blue pool.
A butterfly fluttered in front of them. Its bright blue color was startling in the sea of white mist. Kate sneezed, and the butterfly spiraled away in the whoosh of air.
Never Land was even more amazing than Kate had imagined—animals, flowers, fog, and all. She spurred Cloud on, eager to see more.
But wait, she reminded herself. We have to search for Cloud’s herd.
And then what?
Kate had never cared much about having a pet, unlike Mia, who loved her cat, Bingo, and Lainey, who loved all animals. But now that she and Cloud were together, Kate wanted a horse. She wanted this horse. If she and Cloud could stay together, Kate would have days like this all the time.
Oh, if only there was some way I could keep her! Kate thought.
“Caught you, Clumsy,” a voice purred in her ear.
Kate jumped. She twisted around and saw Vidia flying next to her.
“Look who’s taking in the sights of Never Land,” Vidia said. “Seems we’re both far from home. Lost, are you?”
“Of course not,” Kate snapped. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure how far away from Pixie Hollow she was. But she felt certain that when it was time to return, she could find her way. “I’m bringing this horse to
its herd.”
“I don’t care much what you do,” Vidia said. “But I’m heading back to Pixie Hollow. The fog seems to be getting worse in this direction.”
Kate frowned. She didn’t want any advice—especially not from Vidia.
“I’m not afraid of a little fog,” she said. “Why should I be, when I have Cloud?”
“You really think you’ve trained a wild horse?” Vidia snickered.
Kate grinned. “Watch this! Go, Cloud!”
At that, Cloud took off, leaving Vidia far behind.
This time, they rode until Kate’s arms and legs ached. Her belly grumbled with hunger. She hadn’t had anything to eat except Dulcie’s blueberry puffs, hours earlier. She thought Cloud must be worn out, too. But strangely, the horse never seemed to get tired.
When Kate spied an apple tree rising out of the mist, she stopped and hopped off the horse. She twisted two apples from the tree and held one out for Cloud.
The horse sniffed the apple but didn’t take it.
“I thought horses were supposed to like apples,” Kate said. “Oh well, more for me.” She bit into an apple, crunching loudly. “My legs are tired.” Kate looked around for somewhere to sit.
A short distance away, she spied a big black rock. “Let’s rest over there,” she said.
Kate peered at the rock. Had it just moved?
The rock stretched, growing larger.
Kate froze, stifling a cry. That was no rock. It was a bear!
The bear rose to its feet. Kate hoped it hadn’t noticed them in the mist. If they could hide somewhere, maybe they’d be safe. Kate glanced around. The only thing she saw was the apple tree.
The bear started to lumber toward them. Kate dropped the apples she was holding and inched herself behind the tree. She stood as still as a statue, afraid to run and draw the bear’s attention. Maybe, by some miracle, it would pass them by.
The bear advanced until it was so close she could hear it grunting. She could see the droplets of mist on its thick black fur.
Reaching the apple tree, the bear rose on its hind legs. It lifted its giant paw to strike—
At a beehive! Kate almost laughed out loud in relief. The bear was only reaching for the beehive hanging from a branch!
The hive fell to the ground, spilling honey. Angry bees swarmed around the tree. They buzzed through the mist, darkening the orchard. One of them stung Kate on her arm. She covered the sting with her hand and gritted her teeth. They had to get out of there!
The bear was digging its paw into the hive. Kate saw her chance. She rushed to Cloud and scrambled up onto her back. “Go!” she murmured. “Go!”
Without a backward glance, they raced away.
When she thought they had gone far enough, Kate caught her breath. “Whoa!” she told Cloud. “Slow down now.”
She grinned as Cloud slowed to a walk. How well Cloud understood her!
“I wish you could be my horse, always,” Kate said.
Ahead, Kate saw a wide, rushing river—the biggest one she’d ever seen in Never Land.
It must be Wough River, she thought. The big river that runs from Torth Mountain to the sea. Kate hadn’t been there before, but she’d heard the fairies talk about it. She knew she was far, far from Pixie Hollow. It would take her ages to walk back.
That is, if I can even find my way, Kate thought. She realized she’d been wrong when she’d spoken to Vidia—she had no idea which direction Pixie Hollow was in. All the landmarks she’d passed were hidden in the fog.
For the first time since she’d left Pixie Hollow with Cloud, Kate started to feel worried. She knew she needed to find her way home as quickly as possible.
And yet she hesitated. The truth was, she wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Cloud.
Cloud suddenly lifted her head. She looked alert.
“What is it?” Kate asked.
A whinny rang out from across the river. Then another. It was the herd! Kate nudged the horse with her heels.
When they reached the edge of the water, Cloud didn’t even pause. The fast-moving water frothed around her hooves as she charged across. Kate couldn’t tell if the river was shallow or if Cloud was actually striding across the surface.
Within moments, Cloud was scrambling up the far bank. The herd was just ahead. Kate’s thoughts of returning to Pixie Hollow melted away.
As the day wore on, Silvermist tried her best to follow the trails through the damp grass. But doubts constantly tugged at her mind. Sometimes the trail disappeared. Other times it seemed to go in two directions at once. And, as Mia had pointed out, were they even really following Kate? With every turn, Silvermist doubted her choices.
If only there were some way to be sure!
Once, when Silvermist peered through the fog, she thought she saw a dark-haired fairy flying fast.
“Vidia!” she called, hoping the fairy might have seen Kate. “Is that you?”
But if Vidia heard her, she didn’t reply.
At last, in a valley, Silvermist lost the trail completely. She stopped and looked around. A short distance away stood a crooked old apple tree. A broken beehive lay on the ground beneath it. A few bees buzzed around the tree.
Silvermist was tired. Her wings ached. She could see that the girls were exhausted, too.
“It’s useless!” Mia complained, flopping down to the ground. “Kate’s on a horse. We’ll never catch up with her.” Her forehead furrowed. “It’s just like Kate to go running off and leave us behind to worry about her.”
“We can’t give up,” Silvermist said.
“Mia’s right,” Lainey agreed. “We should go back to Pixie Hollow and wait for Kate there. After all, Never Land is an island. If she goes around it, she’ll end up back there eventually. Right?”
“There’s a part of the legend I didn’t tell you,” Silvermist said. “I didn’t want you to be afraid. But Kate is in danger. According to the legend, once the mist horse has a rider, it never lets her go. It will spirit her away to the clouds—forever.”
The girls stared at her, wide-eyed. “That means we might never see Kate again?” Lainey whispered.
Mia leaped to her feet. “We have to go now!”
At that moment, they saw a large, dark shape coming toward them through the mist. Not a horse, Silvermist thought, peering at it. Something bigger …
“Bear!” Gabby gasped.
“Run!” cried Mia.
“No! Don’t!” Lainey whispered. “That will make it want to chase you.”
The girls froze. The bear was coming closer. It was no more than twenty feet away from them now.
“I’m scared,” said Gabby.
“Somebody do something!” hissed Mia.
Silvermist fluttered in distress. She was only a tiny fairy! How could she stop a huge bear? Maybe she could throw an apple at it? Or should she fly right at the bear and try to distract it? She flittered back and forth, unsure what to do.
Just then, she heard a string of high-pitched squeaks. Silvermist looked around. She realized the squeaks were coming from Lainey.
The bear heard them, too. It rose onto its hind legs and sniffed the air. It seemed confused.
A moment passed. Lainey squeaked again. The bear turned and lumbered away.
The girls stayed frozen until the bear was out of sight. Then everyone whooshed out a sigh of relief. “I didn’t know you could speak Bear!” Mia said to Lainey.
“I can’t,” Lainey admitted. “I was speaking Mouse. I don’t know why—it just came out.”
“What did you say?” Gabby asked.
Lainey grinned sheepishly. “I said, ‘I’ve lost my brothers and sisters. There are twenty more like me. Have you seen them?’ ”
“He probably thought you were the biggest mouse he’d ever seen,” Silvermist said with a chuckle.
Everyone laughed. But their laughter quickly faded. “Is Kate going to be okay?” Gabby asked.
Lainey glanced at Silvermist with a worried look. “I
hope so.”
Mia was collecting apples from the tree. Suddenly, she stopped and sucked in her breath. “Look!” she said, holding an apple core up by its stem. “It’s been eaten. And not by a bear.”
“It could have been Kate!” Lainey said. “That means she did pass through here!”
Silvermist looked to the far end of the valley. “I think Wough River is just ahead. She’ll have to stop to rest at some point. Let’s hope we can catch her there.”
When they reached the river, Silvermist lighted on Gabby’s shoulder. They stood on the rocky bank, looking at the water rushing past. Silvermist took a deep breath and let the sound soothe her nerves. Water always made her feel calmer.
“She’s not here,” Mia said, looking as if she might cry. “And how will we ever get across?” The shore on the other side of the river was nearly lost in the fog.
“Hello?” came a voice from the mist.
Silvermist looked around. No one was there.
“Silvermist?”
“Did you call me?” Silvermist asked the girls.
They all shook their heads. Am I hearing things? wondered Silvermist.
“It’s me.” The fog swirled in front of Silvermist. She made out the shape of one wing, then another. Then Myka appeared. She was wearing a cottony top and pants and a cotton-ball hat. “I’m in camouflage so predators won’t see me. You can’t be too careful in this fog,” she explained.
“Have you seen Kate?” Mia asked quickly.
Myka shook her head. “I haven’t seen anyone except Vidia. And even she was on her way back to Pixie Hollow. The fog seems to be worse over here.”
So it was Vidia I saw, thought Silvermist.
“The mist is retreating around Pixie Hollow,” Myka said. “The Home Tree is all clear. Maybe that means the fog is leaving Never Land.”
The girls looked stricken. “Oh no. Kate!” said Mia.
“What is it?” Myka asked.
Silvermist explained the myth to Myka. “But maybe there’s still time,” she said. Being near the water was helping her think more clearly. “The fog follows the mist horses. And it’s as thick as we’ve seen it here. Perhaps that’s a sign that the horses are nearby. And maybe Kate is with them.”
