by Kiki Thorpe
Lainey heard a distant rushing. “Is it the wind?” she asked.
“No. Water! This way!” Silvermist darted ahead. The girls scrambled after her, clambering over the mossy, rocky mountain slope. As they came over a rise, they saw what made the sound.
A waterfall spilled down the mountainside. It ended in a clear, shallow pool. At the base of the falls, where the water splashed down, a cloud of mist rose into the air.
The girls ran to the edge of the pool. They fell on their knees and splashed the cool water on their faces.
Kate scooped up some to drink. She stopped with her hand halfway to her mouth. “Hold on. Is this safe?”
“Let me check,” Silvermist said.
The water fairy plucked up a droplet of water. Holding it between her hands, she peered into it as if it were a crystal ball. She sniffed it. She stuck out her tongue and tasted it.
“Perfectly safe!” Silvermist declared.
The girls gulped handfuls of water. The fairies drank, too, dipping down like hummingbirds to skim water from the surface.
Dewdrop didn’t want the water. He headed straight for the mist. He climbed into the pool and splashed across it to reach the cloud rising from the waterfall.
“Good idea, Dewdrop!” Kate said. She took off her shoes and jumped into the pool.
A minute later, all the girls had jumped in. They laughed and splashed one another.
Dewdrop whinnied and came toward them, lifting his knees high. He wanted to play, too!
Lainey splashed water on him. He darted away, then came back for more. As the mist and water collected on his coat, it began to shine. He looked like he had when Lainey first saw him in the meadow.
“Look, a rainbow!” Gabby said. The sunlight shining down on them made a faint, shimmering band of color in the mist.
“You call that a rainbow?” Iridessa scoffed.
Silvermist stood up. She and Iridessa exchanged a grin. “We’ll show you a rainbow.”
The light and water fairies began to dart through the air above the pool. Their hands moved quickly, as if they were plucking invisible threads and weaving them together. As they moved back and forth, bands of color appeared in the air behind them—red, orange, yellow, green, blue. A brilliant streak of violet came last.
The fairies came to a stop. A beautiful rainbow arced over the pool. “Now, that’s a rainbow!” Iridessa declared, dusting off her hands.
The girls clapped. “Fairies make the best rainbows,” said Lainey.
“They’re one of our specialties,” Silvermist replied with a wink.
“Did fairies invent rainbows?” Gabby asked.
“Oh no,” Silvermist told her. “One day, at the beginning of time, the sun looked down on Pixie Hollow. When she saw how beautiful it was, she cried tears of joy. That was how the first rainbow was made. Fairies have been copying them ever since.”
Iridessa smiled and shook her head. “There you go with your myths again, Silvermist.”
“Look at Dewdrop!” Mia exclaimed.
The foal had crossed the pool to reach the end of the rainbow. He raised one hoof and pawed the air, as if he was trying to climb onto it.
Gabby laughed. “He thinks it’s a bridge!”
“Silly horse. You can’t walk on a rainbow,” Mia told Dewdrop.
Kate raised her eyebrows. “Who knows? Maybe where he comes from, you can.”
Suddenly, they heard Rosetta cry out. She had been hovering beside the pool. But now she was sprawled on the ground.
Everyone rushed to her. “Rosetta, what’s wrong?” Silvermist asked, helping her up.
The garden fairy’s face was pale. She flapped her wings hard, but she could only rise a few inches into the air. “My magic is gone,” she whispered.
“Oh, Rosetta,” Iridessa said, putting an arm around her shoulders. She and Silvermist exchanged worried looks. Two fairies had lost their magic. Who would be next?
We have to find those horses, Lainey thought. The mist horses were their only chance to get back to Never Land and get more fairy dust.
The girls silently climbed out of the pool. The joy had gone out of the afternoon, like a cloud crossing the sun.
“It’s going to be a harder climb from here,” Kate said, looking up at the steep, rocky mountain.
Mia had stepped away to wring out her skirt. Suddenly, she called, “Hey, come look at this!”
A narrow trail led up the mountainside. “That’s where we go next,” Mia said.
High in the air, Fawn peered out from the cage of the hawk’s talons. One of her wings was bent uncomfortably. But at least she was in one piece.
Although Fawn couldn’t see the bird’s head, she had a good view of its underside. From its mottled feathers, she guessed it was a goshawk.
Fawn felt a pinprick of hope. Goshawks were one of the friendlier birds of prey. Maybe she could talk her way out of this.
She cleared her throat. “Hello up there!” she squawked in Hawk.
The goshawk screamed in surprise. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting his dinner to greet him. He paused, flapping his wings, and looked down to see exactly what he had picked up.
When he saw the fairy, his claws opened so fast Fawn had to grab onto a talon to keep from falling.
“I say!” the goshawk screeched. “Is that Fawn?”
Fawn was so busy trying to hold on that she hadn’t taken a good look at the hawk’s face. Now her mouth fell open in surprise. “Striker?”
Fawn had last seen Striker on Never Land. She’d found him tangled in vine when he was only a hatchling. She had set him free and had never seen him again. She sometimes wondered what had happened to him.
“Yes! Yes, it’s me!” the bird answered. “But what on earth are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same. But, Striker, would you mind pulling me up? We’re awfully high up here.” Fawn wasn’t sure she could hold on much longer.
“Of course.” Striker flexed his claws, pulling Fawn back into their grip. He held her more gently now.
“This is awkward,” the bird clucked. “We never would have snatched you up if we’d known it was you. From above, you looked like some sort of sparrow.”
“It’s all right,” Fawn said. “But is there somewhere we can land? It’s hard to talk like this.”
“Of course. Our nest is just up ahead.” Striker spread his wings and soared on.
Now that she wasn’t worried about being a hawk’s meal, Fawn paid more attention to the land flashing below. They were flying above a mountain. A great forest stretched out beyond it. Where were her friends now? Would she ever find her way back to them?
Striker sailed down toward a wooded area at the base of the mountain. He landed on the edge of a bowl-shaped nest. Carefully, he placed Fawn inside it.
The two faced each other. The goshawk’s yellow eyes and the fierce white stripes on his forehead made him look as if he were scowling. But he wasn’t angry, only embarrassed.
“Cuk-cuk-cuk,” he chortled, ducking his head. “We truly are sorry for meeting you under these circumstances.”
“Say no more, Striker. It was an honest mistake.” Fawn wondered why he kept saying we. As far as she could see, they were the only two creatures in the nest. “I’m happy to see you again. You’re all grown up. But what are you doing here? Why aren’t you in Never Land?”
“Ah, now, that is an interesting story.” Striker ruffled his wings and settled into the nest. “I was out flying one day in Never Land, when I was caught by a sudden storm. I sought shelter in a tree, but there were few to be found. I ended up in one that was no more than a bundle of sticks.
“The wind was fierce. I clung to my branch and barely managed not to blow away. My shadow, however, wasn’t so lucky. The wind tore it clean off.”
“Tore your shad
ow off?” Fawn asked, startled.
The goshawk nodded. “I saw it go tumbling away. Of course, I chased it. Before I knew it, I’d been swept into the heart of the storm. And it spit me out here, on Shadow Island.”
Fawn was struck by a sudden hope. “Do you think you could show me the way back to Never Land?”
“To be honest, I’ve never looked for it,” Striker said. “We’re happy here.”
“Really?” Fawn looked around. “Striker, who is we?”
“My shadow and I,” the bird replied.
“Shadow?” Fawn gaped at him.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice it there. It’s the one that spotted you on the cliff.”
Fawn suddenly remembered the shadow among the rocks, the one that had frightened the rock rat. “But that couldn’t have been your shadow,” she said. “You were too far away.”
“We go our own ways now, my shadow and I,” Striker explained. “Though we still keep an eye on each other. It’s much easier to hunt with a loose shadow than one that’s always following you around.” He gave Fawn a sharp look. “I see yours is right on your heels. It must be quite attached to you to stay so close.”
Fawn, who had not paid any attention to her shadow, now noticed something strange. Although she hadn’t moved, her shadow was growing smaller and smaller. It appeared to be trying to squeeze up against her, the way a chick huddles under its mother’s wing.
At the same moment, Fawn noticed that Striker’s shadow was leaning forward in a rather hungry way.
“Mind your manners,” Striker scolded his shadow. “Any friend’s shadow is my friend, too.”
His shadow straightened up. Of course, Fawn couldn’t see its face. But she could tell by the way the shadow huffed and puffed that it was rather put out.
“You talk to your shadow?” she asked in amazement.
“Yes. And the best part is, it never talks back.” Striker chuckled. “But enough about us. You haven’t told me why you’re here on Shadow Island.”
“I’m looking for my friend Tinker Bell. She’s missing.” Fawn told Striker the story of how Tink had set out to sea in a toy boat and disappeared. “We have reason to believe she’s here on Shadow Island,” she explained.
“I haven’t seen any fairies. I would have remembered that. But—” Striker narrowed his eyes. “You know, something you said rings a bell. Come with me.” He turned to his shadow. “Stay here. We’ll be back soon.”
The shadow goshawk tossed its head, as if to say, Fine. Suit yourself.
Fawn climbed up on the edge of the nest. “Do you mind if I ride with you?” she asked. “I’m having a little trouble flying.”
“Not at all,” the bird replied. “Hop aboard.”
Fawn fluttered up onto his back. She settled in the soft feathers between his wings. It was much better than riding in his claws. “Ready!” she called.
Striker spread his wings. As they lifted into the air, Fawn glanced back at the shadow goshawk. It perched on the edge of the nest like a ghostly guard.
Striker soared over the forest until they came to a beautiful waterfall. It spilled down the side of the mountain into a clear blue pool.
The goshawk flew down and landed on a ledge beside the waterfall.
“In there,” he said as Fawn hopped down from his back. “Behind the waterfall. I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind. I don’t like getting my wings wet.”
Fawn flutter-hopped over to the waterfall. At first she couldn’t see any way behind it. But after searching for a moment, she found a slippery ledge along the rock.
Spray from the waterfall dampened her wings and clothes as she shuffled along the ledge. A moment later, Fawn found herself in a shallow cave. The waterfall made a curtain on one side, shutting out much of the light.
As Fawn’s eyes adjusted to the dimness, she spied a hulking shape in the darkness. Something was in the cave with her.
Her eyes traveled over a wooden hull, past a rope net, up to a little cabin. They came to rest on a golden bell.
She’d found Tinker Bell’s boat!
“Hello?” Fawn called. “Tinker Bell?” The rushing waterfall drowned out her voice.
Fawn flutter-hopped onto the deck. “Tink?” she called again.
The ship’s bell hung from the side of the cabin. Fawn grasped the rope and pulled it. A golden note rang through the cave’s gloom. The sound was so pretty and bright, it almost seemed as if Tink were there with her.
In the cabin, she found Tink’s thistledown comforter and her favorite leaf-coat. Fawn picked up an empty acorn cup and sniffed it. It smelled faintly of chamomile tea. The room felt as if Tink had just left it and might return at any moment.
There was one more place to check. Fawn descended into the hold.
The boat’s cargo area was musty and dank. Barrels filled the space. Fawn took the lid off one. It was half full of dried cherries.
She brought food with her, Fawn thought with surprise. From the look of it, Tink had meant to be gone for a long time.
Fawn picked a cherry and replaced the lid. When she bit into it, the sweet taste reminded her of Pixie Hollow. For a second, she was filled with longing for home.
The next barrel contained rainwater. Fawn took a long drink, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She reached for the lid on the next barrel.
Fawn gaped in astonishment. She opened another barrel. Then another.
Fawn’s hands trembled as she replaced the lids. Of all the things she’d thought she might find, she had not expected this. She knew she could not wait for Tink to return. She had to find her friends right away.
* * *
On the mountain, Lainey and her friends huddled together. The trail had led them up the mountainside, past rocks and over narrow streams, until they came to the edge of a dense wood.
The trees looked like ancient creatures. Their trunks were thick and knobby. Their branches twisted at strange angles.
“I don’t like the look of this place,” Rosetta said from her perch on Gabby’s shoulder. She’d been riding there since they left the waterfall.
“That’s what you always say. You said that about the Great Ones’ forest,” Iridessa reminded her. “And that turned out all right, didn’t it?”
“I just hope these trees don’t start talking to us,” Mia said. “I’m not sure I’d like what they have to say.”
“I don’t see a way around,” said Kate. “The faster we get through this forest, the sooner we’ll be to the top.”
They entered the woods, sticking close together on the path. Lower down, the trail wound back and forth across the mountainside. But here it rose steeply, as if whoever made it had wanted to get through the woods as quickly as possible.
Sunlight slanted down through the treetops, casting beams in the faint mist. Rather than making the forest brighter, they somehow enhanced the gloom.
Lainey shivered. “Did you hear something?” she asked her friends.
They stopped and listened. The silence was complete. No bird chirped. No breeze rustled the leaves. Yet Lainey was certain that something had disturbed the stillness.
Dewdrop stood tense and alert. His nostrils quivered.
“What is it, Dewdrop?” Lainey asked.
She tried to nudge him forward, but Dewdrop wouldn’t move. His legs trembled. His eyes rolled, showing their whites.
Gabby gasped. “There’s a wolf!”
They spun to look where she pointed. But it was only a shadow on the base of a tree trunk. It had the shape of a wolf’s pointed ears and long snout.
Mia took Gabby’s hand. “Don’t worry. It’s only a…”
She trailed off, her eyes going wide. The shadow was moving!
It slid across the tree trunk and vanished, then appeared again on the next tree. The shadow paused there, its jaw open. Its lon
g tongue lolled out.
Something flickered in the corner of Lainey’s vision. She looked up and saw the shadow of a bird alight on a branch. It hunched there, peering down at them. Deeper in the forest, she saw another dark shape scuttle across the ground and disappear into the undergrowth.
Fear squeezed Lainey’s heart. What were these things? How could shadows move on their own?
A sudden blaze of light startled her. But it was only Iridessa flaring her glow. “Keep going,” the light fairy told them. “They’re only shadows. They can’t hurt you.”
Gabby eyed the wolf shadow. It had moved one tree closer. “Are you sure?”
Iridessa nodded. She was trembling with the effort of shining so brightly. “Don’t let fear freeze you. Just stay calm and keep walking.”
The girls did as she said. Lainey walked fast. Her fingers clutched Dewdrop’s wispy mane to keep him beside her.
The wolf shadow followed them, moving from tree to tree. He seemed to want to come closer. But he stayed outside the ring of Iridessa’s light.
Ahead, Lainey saw a break in the trees. Bright sunlight shone beyond them. They were almost out of the woods!
Lainey couldn’t help herself. She broke into a run. As soon as he felt her move, Dewdrop bolted.
As if a dam had burst, Lainey’s friends began to run, too. They spread out, abandoning the narrow trail.
A second later, they emerged into sunlight. Even though her lungs felt ready to explode, Lainey kept on running, until she was far, far away from the woods.
At last, the girls slowed. They stood gulping air and looked back at the trees. The woods were still and silent. There was no sign of the shadows. If it hadn’t been for her friends and Dewdrop panting next to her, Lainey would have thought she’d imagined them.
“Everyone okay?” Kate asked.
