4 The Cliff’s Edge

Chapter 4 The Cliff's Edge "This way," said Gunnar. They rounded the base of the cliffs, heading toward a steep dirt path. "Nowhere to go but up!" Max let out a low whistle as he craned his head to look at the top of the cliff. His backpack suddenly felt very heavy. "I think I'll wait for the cable car," he joked.

"C'mon," said Sofia, nudging him. "Remember, there are puffins at the top!" She started up the path so quickly, she nearly passed Gunnar. Max followed, but he soon felt sweat sliding down his neck from the effort. He unzipped his parka, hoping the breeze would cool him down. "Do you hike this path a lot?" he asked Gunnar, who wasn't the slightest bit out of breath.

Gunnar nodded. "Our friends take turns with us. We check on the puffins and report back." He patted the walkie-talkie at his side. "Everyone in the Puffin Patrol

gets one of these." "And a badge?" asked Sofia, pointing at the round patch sewn to Agnes's jacket. A cute puffin was embroidered against a blue sky. "Yes," said Agnes. "And notebooks for jotting down what we see. It's all very official." Sofia sighed. "I'd love to be part of the Puffin Patrol— and to hike this pretty path every day." The steep, rocky trail had gradually become a grassy slope blanketed with wild flowers. As they neared the top of the trail, Agnes stopped. "The fjord is the most beautiful part," she said. "Look! It's the valley over there that runs out to sea." To their right, the mountains gave way to a U-shaped valley. A thin waterfall trickled down the cliffs toward the sea, the water sparkling in the distance.

Sofia stepped toward the edge to get a better view, but a stiff gust of wind pushed her backward. "Careful!" Gunnar called. "Puffins dig their burrows out of the cliffside just below your feet." Sofia froze. Was the ground beneath her moving, or was she imagining it? She slowly stepped back toward the trail. "It's all right," said Agnes. "Come look at the other burrows!" She led Sofia to a small rocky ridge and knelt behind it. "Puffin burrows?" Max hurried toward the ridge. He crouched beside Sofia and gazed over the rocks. Grassy mounds stretched out before them. Here and

there, Max could see deep round holes in the earth, masked by tufts of grass. When a puffin poked its colorful bill out of a hole, Sofia gasped. "I see one!" she whispered. The puffin crept from the hole and waddled forward on bright orange feet. Soon another puffin popped out of a burrow. And then another. As they perched on the grass, like little soldiers standing guard, Agnes and Gunnar began jotting notes in their Puffin Patrol notebooks. "Where are the chicks?" whispered Max. "Deep in the burrows," said Gunnar. "It's not fledgling season yet—the pufflings can't fly. So they stay