Tiger Streak's Tale Read online

  The Butterfly Wishes series

  The Wishing Wings

  Tiger Streak’s Tale

  Coming soon

  Blue Rain’s Adventure

  Spring Shine Sparkles

  For S. and C.,

  the butterfly spirits in my life

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PROLOGUE

  An early morning breeze whistled through the woods, making the leaves of a huge willow tree shimmy and shake. Two butterflies sat perched on the edge of a deep hollow in the tree’s trunk, and the breeze made their colorful wings ripple.

  The butterflies barely noticed. They were busy staring into the hollow, where they saw three small gray shapes hanging down. Each one was a chrysalis, and inside were caterpillars waiting to emerge as something beautiful and new.

  One of the butterflies, Sky Dance, had pink and turquoise wings splattered with cloud patterns. She pointed one of her antennae to a fourth shape: the crumpled remains of a chrysalis that had already opened.

  “Just yesterday, you were right in there,” she whispered to the other butterfly, Shimmer Leaf.

  “Whoa,” muttered Shimmer Leaf, stretching her wings out flat. They were bright purple, peach, and mint green with leaf patterns. “Wishing Wing chrysalides should be glowing and gold . . . but these just look wrong.”

  “We suspect there’s a dark enchantment on them,” said Sky Dance. “When you emerged, you didn’t know who you were, or even that you were a Wishing Wing!”

  “I was so scared . . .” said Shimmer Leaf, shuddering at the memory.

  “The worst part was that you didn’t know you had to earn your magic by granting a wish to a human child before sunset. You almost lost your magic forever, and all Wishing Wing magic would have been weakened!” Sky Dance paused, staring sadly into the hollow. “I’m worried that these chrysalides will have the same problem.”

  “Who would cast a dark enchantment like this?” asked Shimmer Leaf. “Who would want to make Wishing Wing magic disappear?”

  “We don’t know, but hopefully we’ll find out soon.”

  Suddenly, one of the gray chrysalides began to move, wiggling and jiggling. It wasn’t because of the breeze.

  This chrysalis was getting ready to burst.

  “I’m nervous,” Shimmer Leaf said softly, touching one of her wings to one of Sky Dance’s wings.

  “Me too,” replied Sky Dance. “But we have to be strong and brave. If our friend is under enchantment, she’ll need our help.”

  “And we’ll have to find it on the far side of the meadow,” added Shimmer Leaf.

  The sisters exchanged a glance. They both knew what that meant.

  They turned back to the chrysalis just as it began to open . . .

  CHAPTER ONE

  Addie Gibson opened her eyes. A stream of golden morning sunlight peeked past her window curtains. She sat up in bed and looked around. For a moment, everything felt the same as it had the day before.

  Her room was still filled with unpacked boxes, since her family had just moved to a new house. The walls were bare with that half-gross, half-sweet smell of fresh turquoise paint. Her best friend, Violet, was still far away, back in the city where Addie used to live, and her new neighborhood, Brook Forest, was still surrounded by way too much nature.

  Then she remembered:

  Butterflies! Wishes!

  MAGIC!

  Yesterday had been the day Addie discovered it all.

  Deep in the woods behind her house, there was a secret grove filled with enchanted butterflies called Wishing Wings. They could talk, grant wishes, and work extraordinary magic. The Wishing Wings needed Addie and her younger sister, Clara, to help newly hatched butterflies earn their magic by making a wish come true for a human child. Someone, or something, had cast a dark enchantment on these “New Blooms.” If Addie and Clara didn’t succeed in their task, the New Blooms would lose their powers forever and weaken the magic of all the Wishing Wings.

  Addie shuddered at the thought as she touched the gold bracelet on her wrist. It kept her close to Violet—that had been the wish her new friend, the Wishing Wing princess Sky Dance, granted her. Sky Dance believed another New Bloom would emerge today who might need help granting its first wish. Addie and Sky Dance could share thoughts if they were near each other, so Addie listened hard inside her head.

  But she heard only silence, until . . .

  “Stop! Stop it now!”

  It was Clara shouting from across the hallway. Addie burst out of bed and into Clara’s room.

  Clara was huddled in a corner, cradling a little ball of orange fur to her chest: her new kitten, Squish. Clara had helped Shimmer Leaf, Sky Dance’s sister and the first of the newly hatched Wishing Wings, break her enchantment by catching the butterfly and then setting her free. In return, Shimmer Leaf granted Clara’s wish for a real live pet of her own . . . and now Clara’s stuffed kitten was a real one.

  The magic of it had been amazing, but not as amazing as seeing Clara snap out of her sadness about moving to Brook Forest.

  Even Addie’s parents were happy about Squish joining the family—they thought he was a stray kitten the girls found in the backyard. Only Addie’s dog, Pepper, wasn’t a fan of their new feline friend. Right now he was running back and forth in front of Clara, barking at Squish.

  “Pepper!” snapped Addie, grabbing his collar. “Bad boy!”

  She picked him up and put him out of the room, then closed the door.

  “I’m sorry, Clara,” she said, kneeling on the floor next to her sister. “Sorry to you, too, Squish. Pepper has to get used to the fact that he’s no longer the only cute one in the house!”

  Addie reached out to pet Squish. He instantly started purring and stretched out on the floor. She rubbed his soft orange-and-white-striped belly.

  “Can you believe it?” asked Clara. “I woke up and thought maybe it was all just a dream, but then I felt this fuzzy warm thing curled up next to me.”

  “I know,” said Addie. “It seems unreal to me, too. But it was real, wasn’t it?”

  Clara nodded, smiling, then stood up and went to her window. It looked out on their backyard and the woods beyond. Addie joined her.

  “What do you think Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf are doing right now?” asked Clara. “When do you think we’ll see them again?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Addie. “But I have a feeling it’ll be soon.”

  Clara slid open her window and rested her forehead against the screen, breathing in the fresh morning air. “I think I could get used to living in the country.”

  Suddenly, voices came drifting through the open window. They were kid voices, but not happy ones. Someone was yelling at someone else. They sounded pretty mad.

  Clara shot Addie a curious look.

  “I’ll go investigate,” said Addie.

  “You mean, eavesdrop?” teased Clara.

  “Hey, stop picking up big words from Mom and Dad. I can be curious, can’t I?”

  Addie got dressed with lightning speed. She rushed downstairs and out the back door.

  “I can’t believe you!” shouted a boy’s voice. “You ruined it!”

  “I didn’t mean to!” came a girl’s voice, just as loud and angry.

  Addie heard a loud thump. She watched as a soccer ball came crashing through the bushes that separated her yard from the one next door.

  “That’s what I think of your art project!” yelled the boy.

  The ball rolled to
a stop right in front of the deck. Addie picked it up and stood there for a few moments. She looked up at Clara’s window, where Clara had been watching with Squish in her arms. Clara shrugged, then disappeared.

  “Hi,” came a voice.

  Addie turned to see a girl standing at the bushes. She seemed about the same age as Addie, with long red hair in a braid. She wore a T-shirt with the collar cut off, and two different kinds of sneakers. Well, thought Addie, at least her socks match.

  “Hi,” Addie said, and held up the ball. “Is this yours?”

  Now Addie could see that the ball had been painted all white, with a goofy face on it. The face had wide eyes, a big nose, and a crooked smile. It even had earrings and a patch of curly red hair.

  Addie couldn’t help it—she let out a laugh.

  “This is a really good face!” she said.

  “Thanks,” said the girl, but she looked embarrassed about it.

  “I’m Addie. We just moved in a few days ago.”

  “I’m Morgan.”

  They were quiet as Morgan approached and took the ball. It was awkward, meeting new people. Even ones who live right next door.

  The bushes rustled, and now a woman appeared on the edge of the yard.

  “Hey, Mom,” called Morgan when she saw the woman. “This is Addie, our new neighbor. Addie, this is my mom.”

  Morgan’s mom smiled and waved. “Otherwise known as Mrs. Werner. I was planning to bring over some cookies tomorrow, so we could all meet properly. But I see that, once again, Morgan has gone and done things her own way.”

  She gave Morgan a stern look.

  “Calvin kicked the ball over here!” said Morgan. “I was just getting it back.”

  “Oh,” said Mrs. Werner, but her expression grew even more stern. “Yes, he told me you destroyed his new soccer ball.”

  “I thought it was an old one he doesn’t use anymore!” Morgan added.

  Mrs. Werner shook her head. “Honey, you can’t keep painting things that aren’t supposed to be painted. I bought you paper and blank canvases. Paint those!”

  “But . . .” protested Morgan.

  “Addie, it was nice meeting you,” said Mrs. Werner. “Tell your parents I’m looking forward to meeting them too.”

  Mrs. Werner went back to her yard.

  Morgan sighed. She looked at the ball again and then at Addie. “But I don’t want to paint on paper or canvas,” she said softly. “I just like taking real things and making them look different. Mom doesn’t understand. She calls me The Troublemaker.”

  Addie smiled back. “That’s a good one. My mom calls me Little Miss Overthink.”

  Morgan and Addie laughed together. The awkwardness was gone, and Addie felt more comfortable now. Hey! she thought. We might like each other!

  Would Morgan be her first new friend in Brook Forest? Human friend, that is?

  A moment later, Addie heard and felt something flutter past her ear. She looked up to see a flash of color in the air above.

  Make that two flashes of color.

  It was Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf!

  As soon as Addie realized this, she felt Sky Dance’s thoughts in her head. Quick! Get Clara! Meet us in the woods!

  This could mean only one thing: another New Bloom had emerged, and the Wishing Wings needed help!

  “I’m so sorry,” said Addie to Morgan as she started backing away. “There’s kind of an emergency. I’ve got to find my sister right now.”

  Morgan looked confused. “An emergency?”

  “I can’t explain it. I just have to go.”

  Now Morgan looked deeply hurt. She dropped her head and turned toward the bushes, her shoulders sagging.

  Addie watched Morgan walk away, imagining Morgan’s point of view. To her, it must have looked like Addie had suddenly, randomly, changed her mind about talking to Morgan. But that was totally not the case!

  Addie wasn’t sure what else to say, so she didn’t say anything.

  She just ran into the house, feeling absolutely awful. She vowed to herself to make it up to Morgan somehow. But right now, Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf were depending on her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Clara!” shouted Addie to her sister’s window. “Come quick! The butterflies need us!”

  But Clara was already stepping out the back door. Addie jumped, startled.

  “I know,” said Clara. “I got the same message from Shimmer.”

  “We should tell Mom that we’re going for a walk.”

  “Already done.”

  Addie was impressed. “Nice work.”

  “I think of things, too, you know,” said Clara, but she didn’t sound mad. Just proud of herself.

  Addie reached out and took her sister’s hand. Together, they walked past the row of evenly spaced trees at the back edge of their yard and into the thick, green world of the woods.

  Addie was surprised to find she already recognized certain trees and rocks. It really was becoming their woods now, after just a day! She couldn’t help but smile, remembering how scared she’d been of all this twenty-four hours ago.

  Eventually, the girls reached Silk Meadow, a sun-drenched clearing of tall grass that marked the entrance to Wishing Wing Grove. Addie felt something land on her arm. A familiar tickle.

  “Hi, Sky Dance,” she said, raising her arm so she was eye level with her butterfly friend. “Long time no see.”

  Sky Dance flapped her wings. They were just as big and beautiful as Addie remembered. Sky Dance tilted her furry pink head as if she were thinking hard. Her big, dark eyes, which were as smooth and shiny as beads, gazed into Addie’s.

  “You know what’s strange?” Sky Dance asked Addie in her high, clear voice. “I woke up this morning and had to remind myself that yesterday really happened!”

  “Same here!” exclaimed Addie, and they both laughed.

  Addie saw Clara holding out her palm for Shimmer Leaf to land on.

  “Hello again,” said Clara to Shimmer Leaf. “How was your first night as a butterfly?”

  Shimmer Leaf stretched out her new wings. They were bright purple, peach, and mint green with leaf patterns. “Once I figured out how to tuck these things in for sleeping,” she said, “it was great!”

  The two girls and the two butterflies all giggled again, then fell silent . . . and serious.

  “You called us,” said Addie. “Does that mean . . .”

  “Yes,” replied Sky Dance. “Another New Bloom came out of her chrysalis this morning.”

  “It’s our cousin Tiger Streak,” added Shimmer Leaf.

  “Was it just like with Shimmer?” asked Addie. Shimmer Leaf had woken up not knowing who she was, or that she had to grant a wish before sunset. It had taken lots of quick thinking, plus a dash of courage, for Clara to catch the butterfly and set her free.

  “We’re not sure,” said Sky Dance. “She flew away from the Changing Tree before we could talk to her. But she’s been seen throughout the grove.”

  “You mean heard throughout the grove,” corrected Shimmer Leaf.

  Sky Dance sighed. “That too.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Clara.

  “Apparently,” said Sky Dance, “Tiger Streak is fluttering around making a very un-butterfly-like noise.”

  “Bzzz,” added Shimmer Leaf.

  “Like a bee?” asked Addie, frowning.

  “Exactly,” said Sky Dance.

  “That, uh, seems like a bad sign,” said Clara.

  “Exactly,” agreed Shimmer Leaf. “Will you help us find her? We’ll also need to find a human child to catch her and set her free to break the enchantment. Then Tiger Streak can grant that child a wish and earn her magic.”

  “We’ll do whatever we can,” Clara said.

  “We’re ready,” Addie assured them.

  The butterflies took flight again, and the girls followed them across the meadow. As they stepped through the entrance of Wishing Wing Grove, Sky Dance led them toward a large boulder. At first
glance, it looked like someone had covered it with a thousand rainbow sprinkles. But Addie knew the boulder was crowded with dozens of Wishing Wing butterflies gathered together, each one with a dazzling combination of colors and patterns on its wings. She’d never seen anything so beautiful . . . and couldn’t imagine who, or what, would want to drain these creatures of their magic.

  At the top of the boulder sat Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf’s parents, Queen Rose Glow and King Flit Flash.

  “Addie, Clara, my dears!” said Rose Glow. “Welcome back!”

  Rose Glow’s name suddenly made sense to Addie: her red, green, and silver wings sparkled in the sunlight, making the rose patterns on them light up.

  “Thank you,” said Addie and Clara at the same time. Sky Dance landed on Addie’s shoulder, and Shimmer Leaf landed on Clara’s.

  “No, thank you,” said Flit Flash. “We have our Shimmer Leaf back, and we’ll be forever grateful.” His wings were blue and black, with white lightning bolts on them. They reminded Addie of a toy race car she once had.

  “We did get lucky,” said Addie. “Our plan worked just in the nick of time.”

  “Don’t be so modest,” chirped a cheerful voice from the boulder. “I think you had more than luck on your side.”

  Addie saw Madame Furia sitting next to the queen. She was the queen’s green caterpillar friend, and her story was a sad one: when she was young, she’d broken a rule, and as punishment was never allowed to change into a Wishing Wing. It didn’t seem to get her down, though.

  “You had smarts, and you used them,” continued Madame Furia. “Feel proud of that! It’s another kind of magic. I know I use it.” She winked at Addie, and one of her long antennae dipped forward as if she were raising an eyebrow.

  BZZZ!

  Something yellow, orange, and black suddenly streaked past overhead.

  “That’s her!” shouted Shimmer Leaf.

  Another something streaked past, right behind Tiger Streak. This something was yellow and black. It also made a bzzz noise, but a much more natural-sounding one.