Ruby Fuzzybrush’s Star Dance

Chapter One Sunset in the Forest

As it got dark, Lily Hart and her best friend, Jess Forester, grinned at each other excitedly. They’d been waiting all day for the sun to go down, so that some very special animals would wake up! As they left the barn, the last of the sunshine lit up the sign on the door: HELPING PAW WILDLIFE HOSPITAL. Lily’s parents had set up the hospital to take care of all kinds of animals, and Lily and Jess helped out there whenever they could.

“I’m so excited,” Jess said, twirling one of her blond curls around her finger. “I’ve never fed a fox cub before.”

“Me neither!” said Lily. “Wait until you see them, they’re adorable!”

“You forgot these!” Mrs. Hart came out of the hospital and handed them each a feeding bottle full of milk and a flashlight. “Here you go,” she said. “Have fun!”

Lily took Jess over to one of the special runs her dad had made to keep the animal patients safe. It had a lid made of wire netting on a wooden frame. As Lily lifted it, two fluffy little faces with pointed noses and amber eyes peeped sleepily out from a wooden shelter.

“They’re so cute!” exclaimed Jess.

“A lady from the village found them all alone yesterday afternoon,” Lily said, shaking her head so that her short dark hair swung around her face. “Dad said foxes are nocturnal, so they’re supposed to sleep during the day and be awake at night.”

The girls knelt down next to the run. The cubs tottered over on wobbly legs, with their long fluffy tails trailing in the grass. Soon they were guzzling the warm milk greedily.

When the bottles were empty, Jess and Lily replaced the wire cover. The sun was going down, but the cubs were wide awake. Lily and Jess turned on their flashlights and stayed to watch as the cute little fox cubs played with each other.

As she looked at them, Lily caught sight of something else glowing: two shining eyes! Something was crouched underneath a nearby bush.

“Look, Jess,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s another fox cub.”

As she spoke, the creature appeared.

“Even better—it’s Goldie!” Lily gasped in delight.

A beautiful golden cat bounded over and curled around their legs.

The girls shared a wonderful secret with the little cat—she lived in Friendship Forest, a hidden world where all the animals could talk! Now both girls were smiling with excitement.

“If Goldie’s here, that means we’re going back to Friendship Forest!” cried Jess happily.

“A nighttime adventure with our animal friends!” Lily grinned in delight.

The cat immediately turned toward Brightley Stream, which ran across the bottom of the Harts’ yard. Using the beams from their flashlights, Jess and Lily followed Goldie over the stepping-stones and into Brightley Meadow.

Lily shone her flashlight on a lifeless old oak tree in the middle of the meadow—the Friendship Tree. She glanced at Jess excitedly, knowing what would happen as they drew near.

Sure enough, the old tree burst into life. As leaves sprouted from every twig, a nightingale sang sweetly from the topmost branch and pale moths danced around the yellow flower buds that dotted the grass below. Lily and Jess gasped. They’d never seen the Friendship Tree in the dark before.

“It looks so different from how it is in the day,” said Lily, “but just as beautiful!”

The girls read aloud the words carved into the tree’s bark.

“Friendship Forest!” they said together.

They felt a thrill as a small door with a leaf-shaped handle appeared in the trunk. When Jess opened it, shimmering golden light poured out.

Goldie darted inside.

“I can’t wait to see everyone again!” exclaimed Lily.

Tucking their flashlights into their pockets, the girls stooped to follow Goldie.

Instantly, they tingled all over, and knew that they were shrinking, just a little.

As the golden light faded, Jess and Lily found themselves once more in beautiful, flower-scented Friendship Forest. The sun was setting here, too, casting long shadows, and the flowers were closing up for the evening.

Lily looked back. “The Friendship Tree’s leaves aren’t golden anymore,” she said in surprise. “They’re turning silver!”

“That’s because it’s nearly nighttime,” said a soft voice.

The girls spun around. “Goldie!” they cried, rushing to hug her.

The green-eyed cat was standing upright, wearing her golden scarf. As the girls were smaller, Goldie almost reached up to their shoulders, and now that they were in Friendship Forest, she could talk!

“It’s so nice to see you,” Jess told their friend. Then she noticed that Goldie’s tail was twitching anxiously. “What is it, Goldie? Are Grizelda’s dragons causing trouble again?”

Grizelda was an evil witch who wanted to make the animals leave Friendship Forest so she could have it all for herself. The girls had managed to stop her wicked plans so far, but now she had dragons helping her!

Goldie sighed. “I think one of the dragons must be up to something. The Fuzzybrush fox family say they’ve seen strange things in the sky.”

The girls stared at Goldie in dismay.

“It sounds like Grizelda has an awful new plan,” said Lily.

“Whatever it is,” said Jess fiercely, “we’ll stop her. We won’t let her or her dragons hurt Friendship Forest, Goldie—we promise!”