Ruby Fuzzybrush’s Star Dance

Chapter Three Smudge the Dragon

The black dragon zoomed closer.

“He’s heading right toward the lighthouse!” cried Jess.

As he flew, the dragon’s long, scaly tail tangled around his back legs. He beat his black wings harder as he tried to swerve aside, but it was too late.

Crash! He bashed into the lighthouse roof and skidded on the tiles.

Ruby scooped up the moonstone and the foxes ran toward their home, followed by Goldie and the girls. As they got to the lighthouse, everyone gasped.

Long curved claws scrabbled at the roof. A cloud of soot puffed over the lighthouse, blocking out the night-light that shone through the windows. Immediately, the forest went darker. The dragon scrambled over the roof and Ruby ducked as a tile crashed down.

The dragon peered down at the foxes. Then he took off from the roof and circled around, lower and lower, until his tail caught around his wing and he bump-bump-bumped to the ground, sending up another puff of soot.

“He’s so clumsy!” said Lily.

“And dirty!” said Goldie. She pointed to the lighthouse, which was smeared with black soot. “What a mess! Grizelda called him Smudge, remember? No wonder!”

Smudge spotted something and grinned. Then he shook his wing free from his tail and swooped down toward Ruby Fuzzybrush.

“Raargh!” he roared, as he grabbed the magical moonstone out of her paws.

Jess heard Ruby start to cry and knelt down to stroke the cub’s soft, furry head.

“No more night-light and no more stars.” Smudge laughed. “The night should be the darkest dark.”

Mr. Fuzzybrush folded his paws crossly. “Give that back,” he said to Smudge. “We need the moonstone to make starlight so all the nighttime animals can find their way.”

Smudge stumbled over his tail as he landed and waddled over to Mr. Fuzzybrush. “Grizelda wants the forest to be dark, and so do I,” he said. “So there!” He took a deep breath and huffed a great sooty cloud all over the foxes.

Lily and Jess expected them to start coughing. But they didn’t. When the sooty cloud cleared, Mr. and Mrs. Fuzzybrush and Rusty had completely vanished!

“Hee hee!” Smudge giggled. He flapped his wings and took off. There was a sound of snapping branches as he crashed through the trees on his way back up into the night sky.

Beside Jess, Ruby stared in horror at the place where her family had been. “Mom! Dad! Rusty! They disappeared!” she cried. “Where are they?”

“I don’t know,” said Jess, looking around desperately.

“Oh, no!” cried Lily. “The stars are disappearing, too!”

“The moonstone!” Ruby wailed. “The stars are fading because Smudge has the moonstone and we didn’t finish the dance!” The little fox cub sniffled miserably. Then her eyes widened. “What’s that?”

Lily and Jess looked, and groaned.

A familiar yellow-green orb was flying toward them. With a cra-ack! it exploded in a huge shower of nasty-smelling, yellow-green sparks and Grizelda appeared. Her long green hair snaked around her thin, bony face.

“Grizelda!” said Jess. “What did Smudge do to the Fuzzybrushes? Tell him to bring them back right now!”

The witch threw back her cloak, revealing her shiny purple tunic and pants, and her pointy-toed boots.

“Ha haaa!” she cackled. “No more starlight! The nighttime animals will get lost and fall down holes and bump into things, because they won’t be able to see. Then they’ll have to leave the forest! Ha ha haaa!”

The girls glared at her. Ruby hid behind Jess’s legs.

“That’s not all,” Grizelda said gleefully. “No more starlight means no more Friendship Tree.”

“What?” gasped Lily.

“Without starlight, the silver leaves will fall from the Friendship Tree,” Goldie explained. “And without its leaves, it will lose its magic.”

The girls were horrified.

“But doesn’t that mean...” Jess began.

Goldie nodded sadly. “You wouldn’t be able to come back to Friendship Forest ever again.”