Chapter 9

9 The sky blazed with starlight. Just moments ago it had been a dark, inky blue! Now stars zipped back and forth, squealing with star delight. "The stars look better already," Phoebe said. "They are much brighter," Rosie said, "but they're still not very shiny." The stars looked a bit like old coins in need of a good polish. But at least they had lots of energy!

Down below, the creatures of the forest blinked and stretched. It was like they'd just woken from a deep sleep. The Fire Queen's hold over them was broken. The animals chatted happily as they started to scurry, swim, or fly home. They were returning to their burrows, streams, and nests. The Fire Queen, however, was not happy at all. She flew back and forth in a rage, her fiery gown trailing smoke behind her. She was trying to recapture the stars, but they were too quick for her. Each time, they slipped from her outstretched hands. "Come back here!" she screamed, her voice so full of fury that she singed the leaves on a nearby tree. It wasn't very scary, though. She just wasn't as bright as before. She looked like a fire that was running out of fuel to burn. The stars circled around her, blocking her way.

One of the bigger stars hovered above the others. It clapped two points together to get everyone's attention. "Follow me!" it called. "We need to get polished up so we can get the forest's wishes flowing again!" The star took off like a rocket into the sky. Many of the other stars promptly shot off after it, leaving sparkly trails behind them. "We should go, too," Stella said to her friends. "The Fire Queen will chase them as soon as she

can. We need to make sure the stars get away safely." "They're heading for the Wish Clouds," LuckyStar said as he cartwheeled over to Stella. "Those are the highest layer of clouds. The air is too thin for dragons to fly that high. You'll need to catch a ride on a shooting star." This sounded like an excellent idea to Stella! But catching a shooting star was easier said than done. Rosie was the first to do it. Phoebe and Stella cheered as she zoomed up into the dark sky. Then Phoebe took off, too. Stella was just about to catch one when she felt a tug on her wing. It was one of the little stars, and hovering next to it were all the other little stars. "Can we ride with you?" the junior star asked. "We don't want to get lost." "Of course," said Stella. "Climb on." As the last little star clambered on, Stella saw a shooting star heading her way. It was a nice big

one. Stella hoped it was strong enough to pull both a dragon and lots of little stars along. It was! In fact, it was such a strong star that Stella soon caught up with Phoebe and Rosie. She could see on their faces that they were enjoying the ride just as much as she was. "I wonder if this is what waterskiing feels like?" Phoebe called as her shooting star neatly dodged around other slower stars. Rosie laughed. "If your boat was a star!" Stella was having so much fun that she forgot all about the Fire Queen. It was only when she heard a crackling behind her that she turned and saw the Fire Queen's menacing shape. She was surrounded by sparks, but there were fewer of them than usual. She still looked a little scary, but there was no doubt the Fire Queen was weaker. And she looked furious about it! Still, she was traveling fast, and gaining on the Night Dragons.

Stella felt the little stars on her back shiver nervously. They flew through two layers of clouds before the shooting star they were riding called out, "Wish Clouds looming! Get ready for buffing!" Up ahead was a layer of pale, silvery cloud. The stars all flew to it, disappearing into its billowing shapes. Would they make it into the clouds before the queen reached them? "I'm not finished with you yet!" the Fire Queen growled. The queen loomed just behind Stella, one flaming hand reaching out to grab her tail. "Well, we're finished with you!" Stella roared. Rosie and Phoebe saw what was going on, and added their roars. "Leave our friend alone!" Their roars mingled and swirled with Stella's, shoving the Fire Queen back with a jolt. Stella felt energy surging through her. Right then, she was