Arctic Adventure

STARLIGHT SNOWDOGS

ARCTIC

ADVENTURE

Skye Waters

For Linda Chapman – friend and muse

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

See where it all began. . .

Also available

Copyright

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

Ella Edwards poured milk on to her cereal and dreamily stirred it with a spoon. If only she didn’t have to go to school this morning! Ella wanted to stay at home and play with Blue, her new husky puppy she’d rescued from a box in the nearby country park. Ella had found Blue a whole week ago, but the excitement of owning a puppy hadn’t worn off. She couldn’t spend enough time with him!

“Hurry up, Ella,” said Mum, putting the milk back in the fridge.

“Sorry,” Ella answered, hastily spooning up cornflakes.

She glanced at Blue, dozing in his new dog bed. Suddenly he stiffened, his blue eyes flew open and he pricked up his ears. Then he jumped up and raced for the door, frantically scratching for it to be opened. Ella’s spoon clattered into the bowl as she pushed her chair back. Her heart raced with excitement. What was wrong with Blue? Were the Starlight Snow Dogs howling to him? Quickly Ella opened the door and followed Blue into the hall.

Ella had an incredible secret. She was the leader of the Starlight Snowdogs, a magical team of huskies that included Blue. Together, she and her dogs looked after the Arctic, protecting its wildlife from man-made problems. The other five dogs lived in the Arctic and when there was a situation that needed taking care of, they let Blue know by howling. Then Ella was magically whisked away to join the Starlight Snowdogs on a flying sledge pulled by Blue. But as Ella chased Blue along the hall she realised her mistake. Their adventures always started outdoors. Blue hadn’t heard the Starlight Snowdogs howling, he was investigating another noise…

Blue had heard the postman.

The letterbox flap opened and the postman jammed three letters through it. Claws skittering on the wood, Blue growled then sprang in the air, deftly catching the letters before they touched the floor.

“Blue, no!” Ella cried.

Blue growled playfully and shook the letters from side to side.

“Leave!” panted Ella, catching him up.

At first Blue refused to drop the letters. Thinking it was a game, he pulled away from Ella.

“Blue, drop!” said Ella, forcing herself to stay calm. Blue didn’t mean to be naughty and often his antics were very funny, but he was still on trial; Ella’s parents had only agreed to keep him if he behaved himself. Torn post wouldn’t help his cause to stay.

“Blue,” said Ella sternly. “Drop.”

Reluctantly Blue relaxed his grip on the letters, allowing Ella to prise them from his sharp teeth and examine the damage.

“Oh, Blue!” she said, sadly shaking her head.

All three letters had small holes in. Ella sorted through them. Two were junk mail so that didn’t matter, but the third was in a brown envelope with a clear window for the address.

A bill, thought Ella.

Luckily the bill had been sandwiched between the other letters so the teeth-shaped holes weren’t as deep as they could have been. Ella smoothed out the creased envelope, then putting it under the junk mail, she went back to the kitchen.

“Post,” she said hesitantly.

Mum was rushing round tidying the breakfast things up before she started work.

“Put it on the table. I’ll look at it in a minute,” she said absently.

Ella breathed a sigh of relief. The envelopes didn’t look too bad and with any luck Mum wouldn’t notice when she opened them.

Daisy, Ella’s big sister, was in a hurry too, ramming things into her school bag.

“Can I take an extra snack? I’ve got a maths revision class after school, followed by two hours on the ice. We’re practising for the figure-skating competition. Katie’s mum said she’ll drive us to the rink if you can bring us home.”

“That’s fine,” said Mum. “Take some fruit and a bag of crisps.”

“Thanks, Mum. Out the way, Blue,” said Daisy, stepping over him to get to the cupboard.

Ella finished her cereal and, checking the clock, saw that there were still ten minutes before her own friend Isabel called for her. Enough time to throw a few balls for Blue, who was easily bored and needed lots of entertainment to keep him out of mischief.

“I’ll take Blue out in the garden for a bit,” she said.

“Good idea,” said Mum. “Please can you let the hens out for me? I haven’t had time to do it yet.”

“OK,” said Ella.

Blue gambolled after Ella as she crossed the dew-soaked grass to let Mum’s silky bantams, small fluffy hens, out of their hutch. Goldie, the bossiest, stared haughtily at Blue as she marched down the ramp and on to the grass.

“Blue, leave,” said Ella firmly, as Blue went to follow her.

Blue only wanted to make friends, but the silky bantams didn’t understand and Ella couldn’t blame them. Blue left Goldie alone, but put a paw on the ramp to say hello to Cluck, Whisper and Echo.

“Blue,” said Ella warningly. She picked up his ball from the grass and threw it for him, adding, “Fetch.”

Hens forgotten, Blue eagerly chased after the ball, his long tail curving gracefully over his back. He’d almost reached it when he suddenly accelerated, running past the ball and on towards Dad’s vegetable patch.

“You missed it, you mad mutt,” said Ella, giggling. “Here, Blue. Fetch the ball.”

Blue ignored her and ran on.

“Blue, fetch,” said Ella, in a sterner voice.

It was important to follow a command through or Blue wouldn’t know when Ella was serious and when she was just playing. Ella stood straight waiting for Blue to return and when he didn’t she ran crossly after him.

“Blue, come,” Ella reached out and grabbed Blue’s collar. Her fingers tingled as they brushed against the silver snowflake dog tag and sank into Blue’s thick coat. Then Ella heard something that made the rest of her body fizzle like her fingers – the faint howl of dogs. So Blue hadn’t been ignoring her at all. The Starlight Snowdogs were calling them! Ella gripped Blue tighter as he accelerated down the garden. Blue howled and with an indignant squawk Goldie hopped out of his way and hid under a bush.

Ella ran alongside Blue, keeping a tight hold on his collar. As the end of the garden rushed closer, Ella swallowed back the panicky feeling that she and Blue might crash into the fence. At the last minute, Blue’s muscles bunched and he launched skyward. Forcing herself to trust that the magic would work, Ella jumped with him, gasping out loud as her breath was sucked from her. Unable to stop herself, Ella looked down. Her stomach somersaulted at the sight of the houses and roads rapidly shrinking away. It made her feel giddy and Ella closed her eyes as she was pulled higher by Blue. When at last she dared to look again, it was pitch black and freezing cold. The wind whipped her face, making her eyes water. There was snow in the air. Ella could smell it even before it came swirling towards her. Soon she was engulfed in a whirling blanket of icy-white snowflakes that coated her eyelashes and made her blink. Ella hung on to Blue until her fingers were too numb to grip. The wind rushed at her, tearing Blue from her hands. Ella groaned. She knew that Blue would be safe, but she hated this bit when they were temporarily parted. Upside down and alone, Ella spun through the air.

Chapter 2

The wind dropped suddenly, depositing Ella on to a wooden sled. Gratefully she sank back, leaning against the driving bow. The worst was over. This was the fun part of her journey to the Arctic. Ella loved flying through the starlit sky on her magical dog sled pulled by Blue. Sensing her enjoyment, Blue gave a joyful bark. His ears were pricked forward and he carried his black tail with its cute white tip arched proudly over his back.

Magical starlight illuminated the sky and Ella threw out her arms and turned up her face, bathing in its twinkling glow. It was a wonderful feeling and it made her insides fizz. Ella couldn’t get enough of it and was disappointed when Blue suddenly dived, pulling the sled downwards until it was engulfed in a swirling array of green and purple lights. The lights twisted across the sky, like long silky maypole ribbons crossing over and under each other so fast that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Ella’s skin glowed green and her hair had a purple sheen, and so did Blue’s black and white coat. Whistling and crackling, the lights danced over Ella and Blue. Usually they gave a silent display and Ella eagerly listened to their song as they bathed her and Blue in their magical sparkling glow. Too soon it was over. The ground rushed closer and Ella closed her eyes, her brown hair streaming behind her as the wind tore through it. She braced herself, tightly holding the sides of the sled. There was a gentle bump as Blue landed, then the whoosh of snow as he ran the sled along the ground, decreasing his speed until he was finally able to stop. It took Ella several seconds to get her breath back. Blue stood patiently waiting for her to stop panting, his triangular ears pointing forward and his tail arched. Ella stared fondly at him. In the Arctic, Blue was still only a puppy, but a larger and older dog than he was at home.

As Ella climbed from the sled she was grateful that during her journey her boring green school uniform had been replaced with a bright red padded coat with a fur-lined hood, matching snow trousers, a thick pair of gloves and sturdy boats. She snuggled deeper into the coat, grateful for its warmth. She didn’t recognise where she was, but away to her left she heard a noise. Ella spun round and saw in the distance five husky dogs running towards her at speed. She stood by Blue, excitement welling inside her as the dogs drew closer. Acer reached her first and, stopping a paw’s length away, he bowed his head. He was a handsome dog with a glossy black coat, white legs and a white tummy, with a band of black fur across his chest, like a sash. His forehead was black and his face white, the black fur arching like eyebrows and joining in a point between his brown eyes. He was closely followed by his sister Honey, a pretty dog with orangey brown markings and soft brown eyes. Ambitious Bandit was next, but he refused to meet Ella’s eyes, staring past her. Ella caught her breath, but didn’t have time to dwell on Bandit’s continued unfriendliness, as Coda and Inca, arriving last, were clearly pleased to see her. Lovely faithful Coda had waited for Inca, and Ella felt a rush of affection for him. Blue twitched with pleasure, barely able to conceal his excitement at seeing his sister Inca again.

“Hello, Ella,” said Acer, pushing his nose into her hand. “I hope you had a good journey through the Northern Lights?”

“Yes, thank you,” said Ella. Acer had never mentioned the Northern Lights before, but before she could ask what they were Acer said, “Good, and now we need your help to move a large wooden crate that we found outside Port Nanuk.”

Ella was surprised. In the short time she’d spent in the Arctic, she’d not seen any litter at all. People were careful how they disposed of their rubbish because they didn’t want to attract polar bears, as they were dangerous animals, especially when they were hungry.

“Let’s go then,” she said eagerly.

Immediately the dogs took up their positions in the harness. Ella walked down the line checking that everything was fine. It made her feel good to see the dogs standing with their ears pricked forward with anticipation. All except for Blue, who Ella caught giving Inca a friendly lick on her muzzle. Ella pretended not to notice as she moved on to Coda and Bandit, who always went at the back. Satisfied everything was in order, Ella climbed on to the sled runners and picked up the gangline where it was resting over the curved handrail.

“Hike,” she said smartly.

Immediately the dogs took off, running with their ears pricked forward and their tails arched over their backs. It began to snow and soon the craggy mountains, away to Ella’s left, vanished in a whirl of whiteness. Something ran across the front of the sledge. Ella leant forward straining to see and just made out an arctic hare, its browny grey coat heavily flecked with white winter fur. Automatically Ella stiffened, worried that Blue might try and chase it. But she’d underestimated him. Here in the Arctic, Blue was a working dog and once the sled was moving he wasn’t easily distracted.

The sled sped on, dipping up and down as it rode the bumps in the landscape. Ella hung on to the driving bow until a long while later she saw buildings in the distance. It looked like Port Nanuk, although Ella wasn’t sure as she’d not approached it from this direction before. There were no roads leading to the town, just miles of open snow stretching away like a blank painter’s canvas. Then Ella noticed a large object ahead looking very out of place in the bare white landscape.

“Whoa,” she called, pulling on the gangline.

Obediently the dogs slowed, stopping a short step from the object, a large wooden crate. Looping the gangline over the driving bow, Ella hopped from the sled and went to investigate. The crate was sealed with nails and had no markings on it. It was very heavy and barely moved when Ella pushed it. Ella had discovered that here in the Arctic she had magical powers, and one of those powers was strength. She put both hands on the side of the box and cleared her mind. Believing you could do something played a large part in making the magic work. Ella concentrated on the box, convincing herself that she could push it, when suddenly she had a better idea.

“Acer, can you bring the sled closer? It’ll be easier if I can lift the crate straight on to it.”

Acer barked a command and the dogs stepped forward. Ella put her arms round the crate. It was too wide for her to get a proper grip, but telling herself she could lift it, she took a deep breath and with a straight back bent her knees.

“Think strong,” said Acer encouragingly.

Ella concentrated on lifting the box. She knew she had the strength to do it. Then, as her arms began to tingle with magical energy, she lifted it off the snowy ground. It was a struggle at first, but Ella trusted the magic to help her. Her arm muscles tightened like knotty old rope and they prickled like mad, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. Grunting loudly Ella carefully transferred the box to the sled.

“Go on,” barked Acer.

Ella lowered the box on to the seat. She was red in the face with exertion and her breath huffed out in a noisy sigh. But she’d done it!

“Well done,” said Acer approvingly.

Ella flushed with pleasure, then standing back she studied the box. Now what? She couldn’t return it to its owners as there was no way of identifying where it had come from. Maybe she should take it to her new friend Saskia, who lived in Port Nanuk? Saskia would know what to do with the crate. But asking Saskia straight away, without trying to deal with the problem herself, felt like cheating. Ella wanted to have a go on her own. Glancing at the ground she suddenly realised there were tracks in the snow. They weren’t very clear as the falling snow was filling them in, but if she hurried she could follow them. Ella noticed that the tracks were much wider than the ones made by her own sled and interestingly they led away from the town.

“If we follow the tracks they might lead us to the owner of this crate,” she said to Acer.

Acer seemed pleased with the suggestion. With a surge of excitement Ella climbed back on the runners and picked up the gangline.

“Hike,” she said, leaning forward as she urged the dogs on.

As Ella journeyed away from Port Nanuk it stopped snowing. Ella loved the snow, but was pleased it had stopped, as it meant she still had a trail to follow. Keeping her eyes to the ground she concentrated on following the wide tracks. Sometimes they disappeared completely, then Ella would stop and glance around until she picked the trail up again. Ella hoped she was following the right trail, but didn’t think there would be too many people travelling out here. Soon she heard a whispering noise that grew steadily louder. Ella kept going until the whispering revealed itself as a wide river. The water was semi-frozen and chunks of ice clanked against the banks. Ella and her dog team followed alongside the river for ages until the tracks snaked one way and the river flowed in the opposite direction. The dogs pulled Ella up a hill, then effortlessly slid down the other side. The landscape here was bleak with a few distinctive-looking trees dotted about. There were three that looked like people gossiping and one with a dramatic Y-shaped trunk. Ella urged the dogs on until far in the distance she saw a thick forest of coniferous trees.

“Look!” she cried, excitedly pointing at a curl of smoke rising from them.

“A camp fire in the forest.”

Chapter 3

Excitement gave Ella a new energy and she pushed the dogs on. They ran faster, their harness creaking and their paws crunching in the fresh snow. The forest was further away than it looked and for a while Ella thought they would never reach it, but eventually they drew close enough to see inside. Suddenly Ella wished there was another route to follow. The forest looked dark and uninviting. What if polar bears were sheltering in there? The dogs hesitated, sensing Ella’s nervousness.

Bravely she urged them on, calling, “Hike.”

They entered the trees and Ella slowed the dogs to a walk. It was an eerie place to make a camp. The forest seemed too quiet. There was none of the rustling of unseen creatures like there was in the Country Park near Ella’s home. Hoping that she would be able to find her way back, Ella steered the dogs deeper. A little while later she heard an unfamiliar noise. Ella suppressed a shiver. Whatever was going on?

“Whoa,” she whispered.

The dogs stopped immediately, ears pricked waiting for their next command.

Acer threw back his head, his whiskers twitching as he sniffed the air.

“I can hear a machine. And I can smell smoke,” said Ella quietly. “We must be nearly at the camp.”

She climbed off the sled saying, “Wait here while I take a closer look.”

“Be careful,” Acer warned her.

Swallowing back her nerves Ella crept through the trees. Soon she heard voices – a man and a lady, both with strong Canadian accents, were talking earnestly. Using the trees for cover Ella crept closer until she reached the edge of a clearing and stopped in surprise. She’d stumbled upon a camp consisting of several sturdy tents, three snowmobiles and a large amount of machinery. Her eyes widened as she took it all in. There were cylinders, pipes, a small generator and a large red machine that looked like a portable drill. It was the drill that was making the noise. Ella stared at it for ages, but she couldn’t work out what it was drilling for. In one corner of the camp were several wooden boxes, all identical to the one Ella had found. One box was open and inside was a mountain of cooking utensils and tins of food. The man and the lady were still talking, sitting round a camp fire clutching mugs. Ella listened to them for a bit, but the conversation didn’t make any sense as it was full of unfamiliar words that she guessed must be connected to the machinery. But at least she’d found out who owned the crate. Ella guessed it contained supplies and it had obviously fallen from the vehicle that had transported all the other things here. Eager to share her news with the Starlight Snowdogs she made her way back to her sled.

“What will you do now?” asked Acer, when Ella finished telling him what she’d discovered.

Ella thought about it. She didn’t want the drilling team to know she was there in case they asked awkward questions. No one had actually said that the Starlight Snowdogs were a secret, but instinctively Ella knew they were.

“I know,” she said at last. “I’ll leave the crate on the edge of the camp for the people to find.”

“Won’t they wonder how it got there?” piped up Blue.

“They’ll probably think that’s where they lost it,” said Ella.

“What are they doing?” asked Honey curiously.

“They’re drilling for something.” Ella wished she knew what. The hidden camp had made her feel uneasy. “Acer, how far can you take the sled without being heard?”

“Right up to the clearing,” said Acer confidently.

“Let’s go,” said Ella, leading the way.

On silent paws the dogs stepped forward, pulling the sled behind them. At the edge of the clearing Ella put up her hand for them to stop. Once more she leant over the crate and cleared her mind of everything else.

I can do this, she told herself.

Blue was watching Ella and tilted his head in encouragement. Ella smiled back. Her confidence was so strong that she lifted the box as easily as if it was a box of tissues. She put it on the ground, then stood back. She was hot with exertion and unzipped her coat a short way, welcoming the feel of the chilly air on her neck. The dogs watched her expectantly, waiting for their next command. Silently Ella pointed back the way they’d come. There wasn’t much room to turn, but with a few shunts they managed it and, once the sled was facing in the right direction, Ella climbed on to its runners with her hands resting on the driving bow. No one spoke until they were out of the forest and back in the open.

The weak autumn sunlight reflected off the snow, dazzling Ella. She screwed up her eyes and called, “Easy,” to the dogs, who immediately slowed down.

Ella was pleased she’d found the crate’s owners, but a niggling feeling told her that her task wasn’t over. Her initial surprise and unease at finding a drilling camp in the middle of nowhere had now turned to suspicion. Exactly what were the people looking for and how would their activities affect the Arctic wildlife? There was one person Ella knew who might have the answers to her questions.

“Acer,” she called. “Can we go to Port Nanuk? I want to talk to Saskia.”

“Yes, of course,” said Acer.

Ella guided the sled back the way they’d come and although the tracks she’d followed earlier had been wiped out with fresh snow she recognised certain landmarks. There was the coniferous, Y-shaped tree, the three trees huddled together like gossiping friends and the gently sloping hill. The dogs were panting as they reached the top and Ella called them to a halt to let them catch their breath. There was an amazing view from up here. A bubbling feeling rose in Ella’s stomach as she stared at the brilliant white world stretching before her. It was so beautiful and so unspoilt. Leading the Starlight Snowdogs and exper iencing this wild landscape was the most wonderful thing ever. For a split second Ella wished that Isabel was there to share it with her too. But at least she had Saskia. Ella couldn’t wait to see her new friend again. Gathering up the gangline she prepared to send the dogs forward, but before she could, something caught her eye. A long dark line that from this distance resembled marching ants was heading towards the river from the opposite direction. Ella stared in fascination until the ant-like figures grew large enough to make out.