Muddy Paws Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter ONE

  Chapter TWO

  Chapter THREE

  Chapter FOUR

  Chapter FIVE

  Chapter SIX

  Chapter SEVEN

  Chapter EIGHT

  About the Author

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

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  eISBN : 978-1-101-17105-9

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  To Petra—gentle sheepdog friend

  and a loyal companion.

  Prologue

  Storm paused to drink the clear water that flowed swiftly between two banks of ice. It felt good to be back in his home world.

  But the young silver-gray wolf ’s happiness lasted for only a moment as he thought of his mother, Canista, wounded and in hiding.

  Suddenly a terrifying howl echoed in the icy wind.

  “Shadow!” Storm gasped, realizing that the fierce lone wolf was close.

  Storm used his magic to transform himself quickly so he would be hidden from Shadow. There was a bright flash and a dazzling shower of golden sparks. Where Storm had been standing there now crouched a tiny fluffy black-and-white Border collie puppy with midnight-blue eyes.

  Storm trembled, hoping that his puppy disguise would protect him from the evil Shadow. Keeping his little belly low to the ground, Storm crept into a clump of snow-covered bushes.

  A dark shape pushed through the bushes, loosening a cloud of snow, and Storm’s tiny heart missed a beat. Shadow had found him!

  But instead of the lone wolf ’s dark-gray muzzle and pitiless black eyes, Storm saw a familiar silver-gray face with bright golden eyes.

  “Mother!” he yapped with relief.

  “I am glad you are safe and well, my son, but you have returned at a dangerous time,” Canista said in a warm velvety growl. She nuzzled the disguised cub’s black-and-white face, but then gave a sharp wince of pain.

  “Shadow’s poisonous bite sapped your strength!” Storm blew out a gentle stream of tiny gold sparks, which sank into Canista’s injured leg and disappeared.

  “Thank you, Storm. The pain is easing. But there’s no time right now for you to help me recover all my powers. You must go—Shadow is very close,” Canista rumbled softly.

  Sadness rippled through Storm’s tiny puppy body as he thought of his dead father and litter brothers and the once proud Moon-claw wolf pack, now broken up. His midnight-blue eyes flashed with anger. “One day I will stand beside you and face Shadow!”

  Canista nodded proudly. “But until then, you must hide in the other world. Use this puppy disguise and return when your magic is stronger.”

  Another fierce howl split the air. “I know you are close, Storm! Come out and let us finish this!” Shadow cried in an icy growl.

  “Go now, Storm! Save yourself!” Canista urged.

  Bright gold sparks ignited in the tiny black-and-white puppy’s fur. Storm whined softly as he felt the power building inside him. Bright golden light surrounded him. And grew brighter . . .

  Chapter ONE

  Beth Hollis woke up with a start and lay looking up at the unfamiliar white ceiling with its low black beams. Rain pattered against the window and she could hear animal noises and voices outside.

  Gradually Beth recognized the attic bedroom in the Tail End Farm owned by her aunt and uncle. She was staying here while her parents were away.

  The room was still dark and a gust of wind sent more rain drumming against the window. Beth pulled the blanket over her head and snuggled back under the downy warmth.

  Suddenly the bedroom door swung open. Beth heard muffled footsteps approaching the bed and then she felt a rush of cool air as the blanket was pulled aside.

  “Rise and shine!” cried a voice. “Mornings start early on a farm!”

  “Hey!” Beth complained, sitting straight up.

  Martin Badby, her tall dark-haired cousin, stood grinning mischievously down at her.

  “Give that back!” Beth demanded, lunging at him with outstretched arms.

  “No way!” Martin yelled, backing away. He tossed the blanket across the room out of her reach.

  Beth scowled. Martin was twelve years old, older than her by three years, but he sometimes acted as if he were six. He loved playing silly jokes on people, especially his younger cousin.

  “That was a really mean thing to do!” she yelled.

  “Yeah? So sue me!” Martin said cheerfully. “Are you coming downstairs, or what?”

  Beth sat in the middle of her bed and crossed her arms. “No, I am not! Auntie Em said I didn’t have to get up early on my first day here!”

  “That’s only ’cause you were sulking last night. I heard you talking to your mom and dad before they left. ‘Poor me. It’s so awful that I have to stay at boring Tail End,’ ” he mimicked in a silly whiny little voice.

  “I don’t talk like that!” Beth said, feeling her cheeks turn red. “Anyway, how would you like it if you got dumped on relatives while your parents flew to England for two weeks?”

  Martin rolled his eyes. “They’re not going anywhere fun, are they? It’s just a boring business trip.”

  “I still wanted to go with them,” Beth murmured. She’d never been away from her parents, except for the occasional sleepover at a friend’s house, and she was really going to miss them.

  “Talk about selfish. I guess you didn’t even think about me?” Martin grumbled.

  Beth frowned, puzzled. “What about you?”

  “Well, I have to put up with you, don’t I? Mom and Dad have practically ordered me to look after you. Just what I wanted, my stupid spoiled cousin following me around—not!”

  “Thanks a lot! I’ll try not to get in your way!” Beth cried indignantly. She flung herself off the bed and stomped over to the closet. “Can you leave now, please? I want to get dressed.”

  “I thought you weren’t getting up?” Martin teased.

  “I changed my mind. Spoiled cousins do that a lot, you know!” Beth said spiritedly.

  “Whatever!” Martin went out and closed the bedroom door behind him.

  Beth made a fac
e at the closed door. She’d forgotten how annoying her cousin could be and now it seemed that he wasn’t happy having her here at all. Her spirits sank even further as she thought of the two weeks stretching endlessly ahead of her.

  “Morning, Beth. You’re up early. Did you sleep well?” Emily Badby called from the yard as Beth stood in the open doorway of the back porch.

  “Fine, thanks,” Beth replied. No thanks to Martin, she thought.

  Her aunt held a bucket of vegetables. “Goats love fresh food. It gets them in a good mood for milking. Do you want to come and watch?”

  “Okay,” Beth said, shrugging. She wasn’t that interested in goats, but there was still so much time before breakfast and nothing else to do.

  She borrowed a pair of boots and followed her aunt into the barn. A sweet musty smell of goats, dung, and warm hay greeted her. “Phew!” Beth said as she wrinkled her nose.

  Emily Badby laughed. “It’s a healthy farm smell. You’ll get used to it.”

  Beth wasn’t sure she wanted to. She went to look at the brown-and-white goats in their pens, down one side of the barn. “They all look a little annoyed. What kind are they?” she asked.

  “Anglo-Nubians. It’s their long noses and floppy ears that give them that expression,” Emily explained, selecting a goat and leading it to a small wooden platform. The goat leaped up nimbly and soon Beth was watching the creamy milk foaming into a clean bucket. “I sell milk, yogurt, and cheese in the local stores,” Emily said. “My dairy’s next door. You can have a look around sometime, but ask me first. I have strict rules about hygiene.”

  Beth nodded.

  When her aunt finished milking, she poured the milk through a filter into a metal churn. “I’ll just take this to the dairy and then get started on breakfast.”

  A loud braying noise came from the back of the barn. “Oh! What’s that?” Beth looked around in surprise.

  Her aunt laughed. “That’s Darcy, my new billy goat. He’s only been here for a week or so, but he’s always complaining because he isn’t getting any attention.”

  “Can I go and say hello to him?” Beth asked.

  “Yes, of course, but be—” The rest of her aunt’s reply was drowned out by a loud irritable voice in the doorway.

  “There you are!” Martin cried, standing aside as his mom left. “What are you hiding in here for?”

  “I wasn’t hiding! Auntie Em said I could watch her milking,” Beth said.

  Martin flicked back a strand of wet dark hair. “Anyway, Dad said I had to ask you if you wanted to come with me to take Ella for a walk.” Ella was the family’s old black-and-white Welsh Border collie.

  “No thanks,” Beth said, feeling annoyed that he’d only asked her because his dad had made him. Turning on her heel, she went toward the back of the barn. “I’m going to look at Darcy.”

  “Hang on! I’ll come with you. Ella won’t mind waiting for her walk. I have to drag her out half the time anyway. Since Dad retired her from farm work, she’s really stiffened up,” Martin said.

  Darcy’s pen was behind some straw bales. He was a handsome dark-brown goat with a white neck. “It looks like he’s wearing a cute white collar!” Beth exclaimed as Darcy lifted his head and gave an inquisitive snicker.

  Martin undid the latch and gestured for Beth to go into the pen ahead of him.

  Beth hesitated. “Are you sure it’s safe to go in?”

  “’Course,” Martin said. “Are you chicken or what?”

  Beth took two steps into the pen. Suddenly, she felt Martin shove her in the back and heard the gate slam shut. She shot forward and almost went sprawling in the straw.

  “You idiot!” she cried, turning around just in time to see Martin jogging away through the barn. “That’s not funny!” she shouted after him.

  There was a noise from behind her. Beth turned to see Darcy curling his lips and eyeing her suspiciously.

  She swallowed. “N-nice goat.”

  Darcy lowered his head. He looked like he was going to charge!

  Chapter TWO

  Beth’s heart rose into her mouth. Suddenly there was a dazzling flash of gold light and a big shower of bright gold sparks sprinkled all around her and Darcy. Blinded for a moment, she rubbed her eyes. Beth tensed as she felt a peculiar warm, tingly feeling down her spine.

  When she could see again, she noticed that Darcy was frozen where he stood and standing between the goat’s legs was a tiny fluffy black-and-white puppy with enormous midnight-blue eyes. Specks of gold dust seemed to be glimmering around its fur.

  “What’s going on?” Beth exclaimed.

  The tiny puppy drew itself up. “I am Storm, of the Moon-claw pack. I have arrived from a place that is far from here.”

  “Y-you can talk?” Beth gasped in total amazement.

  Suddenly, Beth had a realization. This was obviously another one of her cousin’s practical jokes. She looked around, expecting Martin to jump out triumphantly.

  But there was no sign of him. Beth slowly looked back to where Storm was blinking up at her, and Darcy was still standing as if he were carved from stone.

  “I don’t get this,” she said, puzzled.

  The fluffy black-and-white puppy took a few steps toward her on big soft paws that seemed too large for his tiny body. “I used my magic to stop this animal before it could hurt you,” Storm woofed. “Who are you?”

  “I’m B-Beth H-Hollis,” Beth stammered.

  Storm bowed his head. “I am honored to meet you, Beth.”

  Beth was still having trouble taking all of this in. “Um . . . me too. But . . . who are you? What are you?”

  Storm didn’t answer. Instead, there was another bright golden flash.

  “Oh!” Beth found herself outside Darcy’s pen. Behind her the goat snickered contentedly and she heard him moving around in the straw as if nothing had happened.

  Beth looked around for the puppy. But it had disappeared and standing in its place outside the pen with her there crouched a magnificent young silver-gray wolf with glowing midnight-blue eyes. Large gold sparks glowed in the thick ruff around his neck.

  Beth gasped, eyeing the wolf ’s sharp teeth. “Storm?”

  “Yes, it is me, Beth. Do not be afraid,” Storm said in a deep velvety growl.

  Before Beth could get used to the sight of the amazing young wolf there was a final dazzling flash of gold light and Storm was once again a tiny fluffy black-and-white puppy.

  “Wow! That’s an amazing disguise. No one would ever know you’re a wolf!” Beth exclaimed. “But who are you hiding from?”

  Storm began to tremble all over and his deep-blue eyes glowed with anger and fear. “Shadow is a fierce lone wolf who killed my father and all my brothers and wounded my mother with his poisonous bite. Now Shadow is looking for me. Can you help me, Beth?”

  “Of course I will!” Beth’s soft heart went out to him. Storm was impressive as a young wolf, but he was adorable as a tiny helpless puppy. She bent down to pick him up. “I’ll ask Auntie Em if you can stay in my room,” she said, petting his soft little ears.

  Storm leaned up to lick her chin. “Thank you, Beth.”

  “Just wait until I tell Martin about you! He’s going to be so jealous!”

  “No, Beth! You can’t tell anyone my secret!” Storm said, his tiny black-and-white face was very serious.

  Beth didn’t want to do anything that would put her new friend in danger. Besides, she reasoned, Martin had been such a pain recently that he didn’t deserve to know about Storm anyway. “Okay, then,” she decided. “It’s just you and me. I promise.”

  “Aren’t you a little too old to be talking to an imaginary friend?” Martin said, suddenly appearing from behind the straw bales. His eyes widened when he saw Storm. “Where did that cute puppy come from?”

  “I just found him. He said his name’s—” Beth stopped quickly as she realized that she was going to have to be a lot more careful about keeping Storm’s secret. “I mean I’m going
to call him Storm.”

  Martin’s face softened for an instant. “Ella looked just like that when she was a puppy. He must be a Border collie, too. Let me hold him.”

  “I think I’ll hold on to him. He’s still a little scared,” Beth said.

  Martin frowned. “No one would think he’s yours. This is my barn, so Storm obviously belongs to me. Hand him over!” he ordered.

  Beth hesitated, annoyed at being bossed around again. Martin didn’t even bother to ask if she was okay after he’d shoved her into Darcy’s pen.

  “Do not worry, Beth. Do as he says,” Storm woofed.

  Beth blinked in astonishment. What was Storm doing, talking to her when Martin was so close? But her cousin didn’t seem to have noticed anything strange. I hope you know what you’re doing, Storm, she thought as she reluctantly held him out toward Martin.

  Smiling triumphantly, Martin went to grab Storm, but the moment he touched his black-and-white fur he jumped backward. “Ye-oww!” he yelled, shaking his hands in the air. “Something just stung me! Does he have a stinging bug in his fur or something?”

  Beth pulled Storm back and held him closely again. “I’ll take a look. Maybe you should go and ask Auntie Em for some antiseptic cream.”

  “Er . . . yeah,” Martin nodded as he went off, still rubbing at his hands.

  “Storm!” Beth scolded gently. “You gave him a prick from your invisible gold sparks, didn’t you?”

  Storm’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously. “I think I may have made them a bit too sharp. But the feeling will soon wear off,” he woofed.

  “Serves Martin right. Maybe he’ll think twice before grabbing you again! But how come he didn’t hear you speak to me just now?” Beth asked, puzzled.

  “I used my magic, so that only you can hear me.” Storm snuggled up in Beth’s arms.