Title Page
Dedication
Map of Friendship Forest
Epigraph
CHAPTER ONE: A Golden Visitor
CHAPTER TWO: The Magical Tree
CHAPTER THREE: Friendship Forest
CHAPTER FOUR: Grizelda
CHAPTER FIVE: Bunny-napped!
CHAPTER SIX: Mr. Cleverfeather
CHAPTER SEVEN: Boggit Blaster
CHAPTER EIGHT: Watch Out, Grizelda!
Sneak Peek
Puzzle Fun!
Lily and Jess’s Animal Care Tips
Copyright
Lily Hart stepped into the long yard, breathing in the scent of the dewy grass. In the distance, nestled behind a grove of trees, was the barn her parents had turned into the Helping Paw Wildlife Hospital. Lily shrugged a vest over her green striped dress, then picked up the bucket of lettuce leaves waiting by the back door. Swinging it over her arm, she walked over to a large pen with a wire fence. At the end of the pen was a wooden hutch.
“Breakfast time!” Lily called. A pink, whiskery nose poked out from one of the hutch’s doors, then another. Soon three rabbits were hopping toward Lily. Two of them had bandages on their paws and the other had a bandage over its ear.
Lily opened the top of the pen and tipped the lettuce leaves into a bowl.
“Eat up,” she murmured. Her bobbed dark hair had fallen across her face, and Lily tucked it behind an ear as she watched the rabbits nibble the leaves. They’re almost better now, she thought. Soon they’ll be ready to go back to their burrow.
A flash of movement from the row of houses across the road caught Lily’s eye. One of the front doors had opened and out came a blond girl in denim shorts, leggings, and a pink hoodie.
Lily smiled. It was Jess Forester—her best friend!
Jess checked that the road was clear and hurried to the garden gate. She grinned as Lily ran to meet her.
“First day of vacation!” said Jess as the two friends hugged. “You know what would make this summer extra amazing? Helping in the hospital every day!”
Like Lily, Jess adored animals, and she loved living across from the Hart family.
Lily clapped her hands together. “Then let’s get started! I just fed the rabbits, but the other animals need their breakfasts, too.”
The girls passed the grove of trees where the Harts kept injured deer. A fawn was skipping around happily on three legs. His fourth leg was wrapped in a plaster cast.
“Dad fixed his leg yesterday,” Lily explained. “I helped.”
“Looks like you did a good job!” Jess patted the pocket of her shorts, where she kept her mini-sketchbook and pencil. “I’ll have to draw him later.”
They entered the barn, smelling the clean hay and fresh sawdust.
Mrs. Hart was standing by a hutch. “Just the helpers I need!” she said with a smile. Her jeans were tucked into a pair of muddy boots, and her dark hair was piled into a messy bun. “Could you feed these fox cubs for me?” she asked. “The poor things were found all alone.”
Lily grabbed two pairs of thick gloves, and Jess fished in her pocket for a hairband to tie back her blond curls. They were ready for work!
Soon the fox cubs were drinking greedily from feeding bottles, just like babies! When they finished, Lily entered the feed time in the hospital’s computer.
“Can you fill the water bottles in the hutches, please?” asked Mrs. Hart. “All except the end one—that hutch is empty. I’m off to check on the baby badgers. They’re very happy in the burrow we built. They seem to think it’s a real one!” She bustled out of the barn.
Lily and Jess filled the bottles from little watering cans, speaking softly to the squirrels, mice, and hedgehogs as they worked.
Finally, Jess said, “That’s all of them.”
But suddenly, Lily saw something move in the end hutch. Funny, she thought. Mom said it was empty.
“Look, Jess,” she whispered, opening the door and peering inside.
In the shadows at the back of the hutch nestled a cat. Its pointed ears twitched at the sight of the girls.
“That’s weird,” said Jess. “How did a cat get in?”
“Magic?” suggested Lily. They both laughed.
With a mew, the cat leaped out of the hutch. It had golden fur and eyes as green as spring leaves.
“She’s so pretty,” said Jess, tickling the soft fur on the cat’s head. “Lily, doesn’t she look just like that cat who came in last year with the hurt paw?”
Lily looked thoughtfully at the cat. “She does! I wonder if it’s her. Let’s check.”
Lily went to the computer to check the patient records. She clicked through a few pages, then gasped.
“Look!” she said, pointing to an old entry on the screen. It read:
* * *
Patient: Female cat.
Appearance: Gold fur, green eyes.
No collar—maybe a stray?
Notes: Arrived with an injured paw.
Healed well. Took a real liking to Lily
and Jess! Patient then disappeared.
* * *
Beneath the entry was a photograph of the golden cat.
“We were right!” said Jess. “I wonder why she came back today?”
The cat jumped down from the hutch and curled around the girls’ legs, purring.
“She doesn’t look sick,” said Lily, “so that can’t be the reason. It’s a mystery!”
The cat moved toward the barn door, stopped and looked back at the girls, then darted outside!
“Come on!” called Jess. “Let’s catch that cat—before she disappears again!”
Lily and Jess ran outside. The golden cat sprinted across the Harts’ lawn toward Brightley Stream, which ran along the bottom of the yard.
“That’s weird,” Jess panted as the girls followed. “Cats usually keep away from water.”
Lily’s dad had put stepping-stones in the stream so people could cross safely. The cat sprang onto the first stepping-stone. Then she looked over her shoulder at the girls and mewed.
Lily’s dark eyes were wide. “She isn’t running away,” Lily said. “I think she wants us to follow her!”
With a flick of her golden tail, the cat leaped onto the next stone. The girls quickly jumped after her. On the other side of the stream, in Brightley Meadow, stood a huge oak tree. Even though it was the middle of summer, the tree had no leaves. Jess’s dad was a science teacher, and he’d told them it was dead.
But as the cat ran to the tree, something amazing happened. Leaves sprang from every twig, bright green and shimmering in the sunshine, as if they had been speckled with gold dust. Birds swooped down to the branches and began singing, and bumblebees and butterflies danced among the yellow flowers below.
“It’s come back to life!” Lily said with a gasp. “How is that possible?”
Jess rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t believe what they were seeing!
The golden cat was rubbing around the tree trunk, pawing at some strange marks.
Jess kneeled to stroke her silky fur. “I know this sounds crazy, but I think the cat has something to do with this!”
Lily nodded, her eyes wide. “Look! There’s writing carved into the trunk.”
Jess crawled around the tree, reading the letters. “Friend … ship … For … est …”
The cat meowed and pawed at the letters once more.
“Maybe she wants us to say it louder?” Jess guessed. “FRIENDSHIP FOREST!” she shouted.
But the cat just meowed again. She first rubbed Lily’s leg, then Jess’s, and pawed at the letters.
“I know!” cried Lily. “She wants us to read it together!”
Both girls
said, “Friendship Forest!”
Instantly, a small door appeared in the trunk! It was as high as the girls’ shoulders and in the center was a handle shaped like a leaf.
“Wow!” said Jess. Her eyes shone as she gripped the handle.
Lily reached toward it, too, then hesitated. “Do you think we should open it?” she asked warily. “We don’t know what’s on the other side.”
“Exactly!” said Jess with a grin. “Let’s find out!”
Lily twisted the handle, and the little door swung open. A shimmering golden light poured out of the tree.
The cat looked up at the girls. Her green eyes seemed to beg them to follow, then she bounded inside the tree.
Jess held out her hand to Lily. “Ready?” she asked with a smile.
Lily grinned and took Jess’s hand. “Let’s go!”
Taking a deep breath, they bent down. As they squeezed through the door, their skin tingled all over.
The girls blinked as the golden glow faded. They were standing in a clearing in the middle of a sunlit forest.
The leaves on the tall trees shimmered, and flowers nodded their colorful heads in the gentle breeze. The ground was covered in soft, springy moss.
“This is impossible,” Jess said. “How can all this fit inside a tree trunk?”
Lily took Jess’s hand again. She was trembling with excitement. “There is an explanation for all this …”
Jess nodded. Together, both girls cried, “Magic!”
“This is amazing!” Jess said, grinning. “But why did the cat bring us here?” She glanced around. “Where’d she go?”
Lily peered behind some pink flowers with petals like tissue paper, hoping to catch a glimpse of golden fur. A familiar scent drifted up from the blooms.
“These smell like cotton candy!” she exclaimed. “Even the flowers are magical!” Then something odd caught her eye.
Inside a hollowed-out tree trunk stood a little cottage.
“Look!” Lily cried.
“Sweet!” said Jess. “But what’s a playhouse doing here?”
A curtain at one of the windows twitched. Jess shook her head. Surely there couldn’t be anyone inside the cottage … Could there?
As the girls gazed around, their eyes widened. More little cottages were dotted around the clearing. Some were nestled among tree roots, and one was half underground, with a mossy roof. Tables and chairs as high as the girls’ knees stood outside a wooden cabin with white spots on the roof. A sign said TOADSTOOL CAFÉ.
A door at the side of the café suddenly slammed shut. From inside came the sound of worried voices.
Lily gasped. “Someone’s living in these little buildings,” she said. “But who?”
“They’re the animals of Friendship Forest,” said a voice.
The girls turned around, trying to work out where the voice had come from. To their astonishment, they saw that the golden cat had reappeared. Standing upright on her hind legs, she reached almost to the girls’ shoulders—and she was smiling at them! Jess noticed that she had a glittery scarf looped around her neck, too.
After a few moments, Jess found her voice. “You can talk,” she said, shaking her head in amazement. “And you’ve grown!”
The cat laughed, her green eyes sparkling. “Actually, you two have shrunk! You became smaller when you stepped through the door in the tree,” she said.
“Oh, so that’s what the tingling feeling was!” said Jess.
The cat nodded. “My name’s Goldie. Welcome to Friendship Forest, Jess and Lily!”
Lily gasped. “You know our names!”
Goldie nodded. “I couldn’t talk to you in your world,” she explained, “but I understood what you were saying. All the animals here walk upright and talk, just like me.”
The girls gazed around in delight. “A forest full of talking animals,” said Lily. “This is amazing!”
Goldie put her paws to her mouth and called, “Come out, everyone! Meet Jess and Lily!”
A little door between two tree roots opened and a mole peeked out. From another door came a squirrel wearing a bowtie. His tail swished as he hopped over to the girls. Door after door opened and more animals appeared, gathering around Lily and Jess.
“I’m Harry Prickleback,” said a little hedgehog as he waddled out from a clump of cotton candy flowers.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” said Lily, bending down to tickle Harry’s nose and making him giggle. She could hardly believe she was talking to a hedgehog!
A kitten wearing a backpack scampered over. “I’m Bella Tabbypaw,” she said. “What kind of animal are you? You’re too tall to be a rabbit and you haven’t got any wings, so I don’t think you’re birds …”
“We’re girls!” Jess stroked Bella under her soft chin. She could feel the rumble of her purr.
“None of the animals have seen people before,” Goldie explained. “That’s why they were hiding.”
A bird almost as tall as the girls flapped down from a tree. “Captain Ace, at your service,” he said. He wore a flying helmet with a badge reading ACE AIR TRAVEL and raised one wing in a salute.
“He’s a stork!” Lily whispered to Jess. Jess saluted Ace back.
Two rabbits came out of the Toadstool Café, one in a waiter’s jacket and one brushing flour from her apron. “Well, I say, how lovely to meet you!” said the waiter. “We’re Mr. and Mrs. Longwhiskers.”
Running out behind them came a young rabbit with a purple ribbon around her neck. She was so small that Lily thought she’d fit in the palm of one hand.
“I’m Lucy Longwhiskers,” the rabbit said in a rush. “You’re really tall. How old are you? Do you live in Friendship Forest like me? How—”
Goldie interrupted her with a laugh. “This is Lily and Jess’s first visit to Friendship Forest. Would you like to help me show them around?”
Lucy gave a happy squeak. “Can I? Can I?” she asked her mom and dad.
“Of course,” said Mrs. Longwhiskers. “Stay close to Goldie, and don’t get into any trouble!”
The animals bustled around as the girls waved good-bye.
“Bye!” squawked Captain Ace. “Come back soon!”
The girls glanced excitedly at each other as they set off through the trees with Goldie and Lucy. Sweet scents drifted up from the flowers and beads of dew twinkled on the mossy ground like tiny stars.
“You’ve been at Helping Paw before, haven’t you, Goldie?” asked Lily as they walked. “We both recognized you. Why did you bring us here?”
“Ever since I was a tiny kitten, I’ve been able to go between Friendship Forest and your world,” Goldie explained. “I was in your world when I hurt my paw, and a kind lady took me to your wildlife hospital.”
Goldie told Lucy how Lily and Jess had looked after her while she recovered.
Lucy’s eyes were wide and shining. “That was so kind! I’m happy that you’re in Friendship Forest.” She bounded on ahead.
“I never forgot you,” Goldie said. “I’ve always thought that if I needed help, I could call on you two.”
“Are you in trouble, Goldie?” Jess asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I think Friendship Forest is in danger.” Goldie lowered her voice so Lucy wouldn’t hear. “A few days ago, I was on my way home with a basket full of berries when I saw a tall woman in a cloak walking through the trees. I was about to say hello, but then she stopped to pick a flower. Its pretty yellow petals went gray, then it turned to dust in her hand!”
Lily gasped. “How horrible! But who was she?”
“I don’t know.” Goldie’s whiskers trembled. “I’m worried she might harm Friendship Forest.”
A shiver ran through Jess. They couldn’t let that happen!
“Don’t worry, Goldie,” Jess said. “If this stranger tries anything, we’ll stop her.”
“You can count on us!” Lily said.
“Thank you,” said Goldie, reaching up to hold the girls’ hands in each of her fore
paws. “Here we are! Welcome to my home!”
The trees opened out to reveal a large, mossy clearing in front of a cave. Set into the front of the cave was a red door with a little window in the shape of the letter G.
Goldie beamed. “This is my grotto!”
Lucy hopped across the clearing, her tiny white tail bobbing. “Look at the Blossom Briar!” she said, sitting on her back legs and peering up.
Lily and Jess followed Lucy’s gaze. Growing beside the cave was a bush as tall as the forest trees. It was covered in huge, colorful flowers as fluffy as pom-poms.
Lily gave a delighted cry. “It’s beautiful!”
“The Blossom Briar is connected to every flower in Friendship Forest,” Goldie explained. “As long as the Blossom Briar blooms, all the flowers in the forest will, too.”
Jess ran to stand beneath the Blossom Briar’s branches, giggling as a football-size yellow flower tickled her face. “It’s like being inside a rainbow!” she called. She took out her sketchbook and started to draw the shape of the flowers.
Lily held Lucy up so she could sniff a purple flower. The little rabbit was quivering with excitement.
Then Lily spotted something strange. An orb of yellow-green light was floating above the Blossom Briar.
“What’s that?” Lily asked.
Goldie’s eyes went wide with alarm. “I don’t know, but I’ve got a bad feeling about it. My fur’s standing on end!”
They all watched the light float down. It hovered in the center of the clearing, casting an eerie glow. Lily could feel Lucy trembling in her arms.
“Quick, hide!” said Goldie. She pushed open the red front door and they ran inside.
Through the window, the girls could see the orb of light growing bigger, then … Cra-ack! It exploded into a shower of green sparks.
The sparks faded to reveal a tall, thin figure wearing a shiny purple tunic over tight black pants. Her high-heeled boots had sharply pointed toes, and her long green hair swirled around her head. A black cloak hung from her shoulders.
Lucy Longwhiskers Gets Lost Page 1
