07 The Cloudlings

CHAPTER 7 THE CLOUDLINGS The three friends followed after the fluffy creature as she rolled ahead. "I'm Fifi," she said as she rolled along. "I'm Tag," Tag replied. "These are my friends, Skyla and Blaze." "Um... I don't mean to be rude," Skyla said. "But what are you?" Fifi giggled. "I'm a cloudling! You've never seen a cloudling before?"

Skyla shook her head. "We're not from around here," she said. "Thank you for helping us find the firehawks," Blaze added. "So have you really seen birds like me?" Fifi stopped rolling and looked up at Blaze. "Well... the birds I saw were a little bigger than you." Skyla glanced at Tag nervously. Tag shrugged. "This is the only clue we have," he whispered. "We should keep going." The sun was still high in the sky, and it seemed to get hotter the farther they walked. Tag wished that the stream hadn't been filled with snappy fish. He was so thirsty! Fifi started rolling slower and slower. "Are you okay?" Tag asked. "Should we rest?"

Fifi stopped. "I thought I remembered which way to go, but I don't," she said. "I'm sorry." "Let's take a break," Skyla said, patting Fifi on the head. "Maybe it will come back to you?" Tag handed some fruit to Fifi and his friends. He felt a sudden creeping feeling down his feathers and looked up. It was the dark figure again! This time, it was standing a little way ahead beneath a tree. "Look!" Tag said, pulling out his dagger. Blaze turned to where Tag was pointing. "I don't see anything," she said.

Skyla frowned. "What did you see?" Tag walked toward the tree. The shadowy figure had gone. "I thought I saw someone watching us Blaze stuck her beak in the sack and pulled out the three golden feathers. "We need to keep moving, especially if we're being followed," she said. "Maybe the feathers will give me another vision and show us the way." Something glittered as Blaze moved her wing. "Whoa!" Tag said. The feathers had left a sparkle of golden light hanging in the air.

Tag tried to touch the sparkling light. It disappeared. Blaze waved the feathers back and forth. "Look!" Skyla gasped. The feathers had left another sparkling trail. Blaze waved them faster. At first nothing happened, but then their tips began to sparkle. Blaze's eyes shone golden as the feathers made more marks in the air. Tag peered closely at the sparkles. "The feathers are making a picture!" he cried. Fifi's eyes widened. "That looks like the Cloud Kingdom!" she said. Tag jumped up. "Fifi is right!" he said. "It's a map!"