04 Surprise!

CHAPTER 4 SURPRISE! Tag jumped up. Behind him, another snow mound moved, then another. "What's happening?" Skyla cried. She pulled out her slingshot as the snow rumbled and crumbled around her. Blaze snapped her beak at the snow. Then a large head popped up out of one of the mounds.

It was a huge, spotted black-and-grey seal! "Can we help you?" the seal boomed. Blaze covered her ears. The sound echoed around the caverns as hundreds more seals popped up out of the snow.

The black-and-grey seal shuffled toward them. His long white whiskers shook as he moved. "Wh-wh-who are you?" Skyla squeaked. "I'm Gilbert," the seal said. He waved his flipper. Tag checked Gilbert's eyes. They were black. "Did Thorn send you?" Tag asked. Gilbert blinked. "Who is Thorn?" "You haven't heard of Thorn?" Skyla asked.

Gilbert shook his head. "We don't get many visitors. You are the first animals we've seen in a long time." He looked closely at Blaze. "Although... I think I've seen someone like you before." "Peep!" Blaze cried. "You've seen a firehawk?" Skyla asked. Gilbert nodded at Skyla. "Are you a groundhog?" he asked. "I've always wanted to meet a groundhog." "Ha! Ha! Ho!" Skyla fell to the ground, howling with laughter. "Skyla is a squirrel," Tag explained. "I'm Tag and I'm an owl. One day, I will be an Owl of Valor."

"This is Blaze," Tag continued. "The last firehawk." "That sounds important," said Gilbert. Tag showed Gilbert the piece of the Ember Stone. It was still cold. "Have you seen anything like this before?" he asked. Gilbert shook his head. "We think there's one just like it hidden inside here," Skyla said, pointing to the largest cavern. "Oh no!" cried Gilbert. "Don't go in there. If you do, you won't come out." "Peep?" asked Blaze.

"It's too dangerous," Gilbert said. "Years ago, a young seal named Coralie went inside." "What happened to her?" asked Tag. "We never saw her again," Gilbert replied. WAAAAAAHHHHHH! A loud wailing noise came from the big cavern. Tag pulled out his dagger. "Maybe we should wait until morning..." Skyla said, moving closer to Tag. "We could eat and rest tonight." "Is it safe here?" Tag asked Gilbert. "We'll keep you safe," Gilbert told him. He called more seals over. They quickly got to work, building a snow circle to hide the three friends.