After a few seconds, Quack stood up, looked at Rosie, and barked. Rosie’s tiara sparkled as she listened and nodded. She barked back and turned to Clara. “Quack says she would like to play with another puppy. She loves your family and her new life at your house, but she said she also feels lonely sometimes. She asked if there are any puppies in Feather Palace. I told her we have a pet cat but unfortunately not a pet dog.”

  “Hold on,” Flip said suddenly. “I have an idea.” She winked at Clara as the spiral design on her tiara sparkled. She flapped her wings and did a somersault in the air. In a flash of light, Flip turned into a peach puppy with small, filmy wings. Flip bounded over to Quack and yipped playfully. Quack yipped back. Before Clara could blink, Flip and Quack were wrestling and rolling across the palace floor. They tumbled into Lucinda’s cat sofa, somersaulted for a few more seconds, and then took turns chasing each other in circles.

  That was when Clara noticed Lucinda. Flip and Quack had woken the cat up from her nap, and now she stood on her sofa with her back arched, her tail puffed up, and her green eyes narrowed in annoyance. Rosie followed Clara’s gaze. “Oh dear,” she said. “I’m not sure Lucinda has ever met a dog. We’ve certainly never had one in the palace.”

  “It’s okay, Lucinda,” Snow said gently.

  “What is going on?” Lucinda sniffed, puffing up her tail even more as she watched Flip and Quack zoom around the room.

  “Oh, Lucinda,” Clara said, walking over to the cat. She stroked her back and scratched behind her ears. “Quack is a special member of my family. But I can understand that you’re not happy I brought her with me today. I’m sorry.”

  “Humph,” Lucinda said, though Clara noticed Lucinda’s tail got a tiny bit less puffy and her back relaxed ever so slightly.

  “You know what?” Clara said. “I don’t think Quack has ever met a cat. Maybe you could help Quack learn that it’s okay to be friends with cats.”

  Lucinda swished her tail and wrinkled up her nose.

  “And maybe,” Clara continued, “if Rosie translates, Quack would play a guessing game with you.”

  “Really?” Lucinda asked, widening her eyes and sitting.

  “Really,” Clara said. “I just have a feeling Quack likes guessing games.”

  “I have a feeling it would be hard to find a game Quack doesn’t like,” Rosie said. “And I’d be glad to translate.” Her tiara sparkled, and she barked in the direction of Flip and Quack, who were chasing each other in circles around Dash’s throne.

  Flip and Quack, both panting, raced over to Rosie, Clara, and Lucinda. Flip did a somersault and turned back into a pegasus. Rosie and Quack barked back and forth.

  “Quack says she loves guessing games,” Rosie said. “She can’t wait to play.”

  Quack put her front paws up on Lucinda’s sofa, sniffed Lucinda, and wagged her tail. Lucinda touched her nose to Quack’s. And then, to Clara’s surprise and relief, Lucinda began to purr.

  “How about if I guess Quack’s favorite thing to do in three tries?” Lucinda suggested.

  Rosie and Quack barked, and Rosie said, “Quack loves that idea. She’s ready to play.”

  Lucinda fluttered up into the air and hovered above Quack’s head. “Is it getting a bath?” she asked.

  Rosie and Quack barked back and forth. “Quack hates baths,” Rosie said.

  Clara giggled. She had not needed Rosie’s translation to know that. The day her family brought Quack home, the puppy had rolled in an enormous mud puddle. Clara’s parents had insisted Quack take a bath in the back yard before coming into the house, and Quack had not liked it one bit.

  “Rats!” Lucinda said. “Well, I have two more guesses.” She swooped down to the floor and stared into Quack’s eyes. “Is it getting brushed?” she asked.

  Rosie and Quack barked. “Quack hates getting brushed even more than baths,” Rosie said. Clara had known that, too. After Quack’s bath, Clara had tried to brush her. But the puppy had hidden under the bed. And so Clara had put away the brush.

  “Double rats!” Lucinda said. “Now I’ll get it. I know I will.” She flapped her wings and flew in a circle around Quack’s head. “Is it eating lettuce?” she guessed.

  Rosie and Quack barked back and forth. “Quack says that lettuce is pretty much the only food she refuses to eat,” Rosie said. “She says that while she loves squeaking toys, playing chase, and tugging on things, her very favorite activity in the world is digging holes in the dirt.”

  “Triple rats!” Lucinda said, doing a giant flip in the air and landing on Clara’s head. “Well, next time I’ll get it. I know I will. It was just bad luck.”

  Clara smiled at the feeling of Lucinda’s tail brushing across her face while the cat’s paws batted Clara’s ponytail. Then Lucinda swooped down, landed next to Quack on the floor, and rubbed her face against Quack’s. The puppy wagged her tail. The two curled up in a ball together, with Lucinda purring loudly and Quack panting happily.

  Clara and the pegasus princesses watched Lucinda and Quack. And then they looked at each other and smiled.

  “Well,” Rosie said. “I think it’s about time Clara, Quack, and I left for the Sky Garden. I told all the insects I would listen to their final practice sessions before the concert. And we have to spread blankets in the grass for the audience.”

  Stitch looked at Clara. “I have something to give you before you go,” she said. She galloped out of the front hall and returned a few seconds later with a green velvet bag. She dropped the bag in Clara’s hands.

  Clara held her breath as she plunged her hand into the bag and pulled out two glittery, bright green shoes with gauzy purple laces. Clara turned them upside down to look at the soles. The toes and heels were metal. They were tap shoes!

  “I used my magic to make those just for you,” Stitch said. “They’ll be perfect for the concert.”

  “Thank you so much,” Clara said. She slid off her flip-flops and put on the tap shoes. She tapped out a rhythm with her toes and heels on the floor. Her shoes made a wonderful clacking noise that echoed throughout the front hall.

  “You’re a natural,” Rosie said with a wink.

  “Thanks again,” Clara said. “These are perfect.”

  “Well,” Rosie said, “I think we’d better go.”

  Rosie kneeled in front of Clara. Clara scooped up Quack, swung her leg over Rosie’s back, and sat between Rosie’s wings. Rosie stood up. “I’ll see all of you in about an hour for the concert,” she said.

  “See you soon!” Mist and Aqua said.

  Star, Dash, and Flip swished their tails and nodded.

  “I’ll get there a little early to help you spread the blankets,” Snow said.

  “Me too,” Stitch said.

  “I’ll come with Snow and Stitch,” Lucinda said. “I’d like to spend extra time with my new friend Quack. But first I want to play a guessing game with Mist. She said I could try to guess her favorite metal. I’m sure it’s bronze or copper!”

  Clara looked at Mist’s silver coat, silver mane, and silver tail. She and Mist smiled at each other, and Mist winked.

  “See you all soon!” Rosie said. She galloped toward the palace’s front doors, and they swung open. Rosie leaped out into a clear blue sky. With one hand, Clara gripped Rosie’s soft pink mane. With the other, she held Quack’s collar. Clara looked down at the sea of green treetops below. She turned for a few seconds and admired Feather Palace. The wing-shaped castle shimmered in the sunlight as it hung in the sky. Clara sucked in her breath with excitement.

  “ I cannot wait to show you and Quack the Sky Garden,” Rosie said as she soared higher and higher into the sky.

  “I can’t wait to see it,” Clara said.

  “Every other year, I’ve planted vegetables in my garden,” Rosie said. “But this year, I decided to do something different. I planted music flowers! As soon as they bloomed, the Sky Garden insects and I came up with a great idea. We formed the Wing Realm’s first-ever Garden Orchestra.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Clara said.

  “I can’t believe it’s finally the day of our first concert,” Rosie said. “We’ve been practicing for weeks and weeks. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.”

  “Thank you for including me,” Clara said, looking down at her shiny tap shoes. “I’m excited, too!”

  Quack barked and yipped several times.

  Rosie barked back. Quack made a whimpering noise. And then the two barked back and forth for several seconds.

  “Quack was wondering what we were talking about, so I told her,” Rosie explained. “She really wants to be part of the concert too, and she feels disappointed she can’t participate. I sure wish I had puppy tap shoes or some kind of instrument she could play.” Rosie paused, and Clara gave Quack a comforting squeeze. “You know what?” Rosie said in an excited voice. “We have a little bit of time before we absolutely have to be at the Sky Garden. I know something we could do on the way there that is sure to cheer Quack up.”

  “What is it?” Clara asked.

  “You’ll see,” Rosie said in a playful voice.

  That’s when Clara saw a bright pink cloud up ahead. The cloud glittered in the sunlight, and Rosie flew straight for it, beating her wings faster and faster.

  After a few seconds, Rosie landed on the cloud. She kneeled, and Clara slid off her back. The cloud felt bouncy under her feet, like a trampoline. She put Quack down next to her, and the puppy began to leap and jump, yipping with delight as she bounced back and forth across the cloud.

  “It’s this way to the Sky Garden,” Rosie said, and she half trotted, half bounced over to an archway in the center of the cloud. Clara hopped after her. The archway was made of yellow and red vines braided together. Instead of flowers, the vines grew small wind chimes and bunches of maracas. A breeze gusted across the cloud, and the wind chimes played soft notes while the maracas rattled. Clara noticed that the air under the archway seemed to shimmer.

  Rosie looked at Clara and Quack. She winked. And then she leaped through the archway, vanishing into the shimmering air.

  Quack watched Rosie with wide eyes. And then the puppy jumped through the archway and disappeared.

  Clara sucked in her breath. She bent her knees. She squeezed her eyes shut. And she jumped forward through the archway. She landed and opened her eyes. Now she stood next to Rosie and Quack on a cobblestone path. The walkway led straight ahead to an ivy-covered stone wall with a wooden door. Tall, leafy hedges lined the left side of the path. On the right was a meadow with a small hill in its center. “The Sky Garden is right through that door,” Rosie said, nodding straight ahead. She flashed a smile at Clara and Quack. “But before we go in, I have some special friends for you and Quack to meet.”

  Rosie turned and trotted across the meadow while Clara jogged alongside her. Quack zoomed in circles around them, yipping happily, rolling in patches of purple wildflowers, and digging holes. When they reached the hill, Clara’s eyes widened: there were small windows with flower boxes and a door made of sticks built right into the grassy hillside.

  “A mother wolf and her six cubs from the Glitter Realm needed a new home, so I offered to let them live here,” Rosie explained. “They moved in two weeks ago, and they’re still getting settled. They speak Wolf, but luckily, I can use my magic to talk to them.” Rosie paused. “Come to think of it, Dog and Wolf are very similar languages. Quack and the wolf family will probably be able to talk to each other.”

  “Quack will love meeting the wolf cubs,” Clara said.

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Rosie said. Her tiara sparkled, she turned her face toward the sky, and she let out a high howling sound. A second later, the stick door swung open and a lime green wolf with gold eyes slipped out into the meadow. She smiled warmly, tilted her head upward, and howled.

  “This is Winnie the wolf,” Rosie said. “She says her cubs are just now waking up from a nap. She wants to know if you and Quack would like to come inside and meet them.”

  “I’d love to,” Clara said. She looked around for Quack and then giggled when she spotted the tip of Quack’s tail disappearing through the den’s doorway. Apparently the puppy had had no trouble understanding Winnie’s howled invitation!

  Clara, Rosie, and Winnie smiled at each other and followed Quack inside. A yellow light, shaped like a moon, hung from the ceiling. A silver rug covered the floor. Along one wall, six small food dishes and one big one were arranged in a neat line. Along another wall were three puppy-size bunkbeds and what looked to Clara like one large dog bed. In each bunk lay a small green wolf cub. The cubs stretched, blinked their eyes, and yawned.

  Winnie howled softly and yipped.

  Rosie’s tiara sparkled and she nodded. “Winnie would like me to introduce you to Wendy, Watson, Wanda, Wallace, Wendell, and Willa.”

  “Please tell Winnie and her cubs I’m thrilled to meet them,” Clara said.

  But before Rosie could howl Clara’s message, Quack began to bark excitedly. Wendy, Watson, Wanda, Wallace, Wendell, and Willa looked at Quack. Their golden eyes widened. Theirs ears pricked straight up. They leaped from their beds. And before Clara could blink, Quack and the six wolf cubs were sprinting in faster and faster circles around the inside of the den. As they ran, they pointed their noses at the moon-shaped light and began to howl. Clara covered her ears with her hands. Rosie flattened her ears against her head. Winnie looked at Quack and the wolf cubs, yipped several times, and pointed her nose toward the door. Clara did not need a translation from Rosie to know that Winnie was telling Quack and the cubs to go outside if they needed to run and make noise. Clara’s parents had said exactly the same thing to her and Miranda many times.

  Quack, Wendy, Watson, Wanda, Wallace, Wendell, and Willa howled as they raced out the door and into the meadow.

  “Phew!” Clara said.

  “That was extremely loud,” Rosie said.

  Winnie smiled and yipped.

  Rosie’s tiara sparkled, and she nodded. “Winnie says her cubs haven’t gotten to have a friend over since they moved here, and they’re thrilled to play with Quack.”

  Clara, Rosie, and Winnie filed out of the den and into the meadow. Quack and the wolf cubs were chasing each other in circles, chewing on sticks, tugging on tree branches, crunching pinecones in their mouths, wrestling, tumbling over each other, and digging holes. “I’m glad they’re having so much fun,” Clara said.

  “Me too,” Rosie said.

  Winnie howled and yipped. Rosie howled and yipped back. She let out a long sigh. “Winnie just told me that Wendy, Watson, Wanda, Wallace, Wendell, and Willa have all been begging to play instruments in the Garden Orchestra. I sure wish I could think of a way for them to participate. Maybe by our next concert I’ll have an idea for a way to include Quack and her six new wolf cubs.”

  Clara nodded.

  “I hate to say this,” Rosie said, “but, speaking of the concert, I think it’s about time for us to go to the Sky Garden to listen to final practice sessions and set up the blankets.” Rosie’s tiara sparkled and she howled to Winnie. The wolf nodded. She looked at her cubs and yipped six times.

  The wolf cubs stopped playing. They looked at their mother. They cocked their heads, as if they were deciding what to do. And then they all kept wrestling, tumbling, chewing, tugging, digging, and running. Winnie howled and yipped six times again, this time a little louder. The wolf cubs paused. They looked at her. And then they all kept playing. Winnie glanced at Clara and Rosie with a kind but exasperated expression on her face. Then she howled very loudly, bounded over to the cubs, and crouched down. She yipped six times, and Clara thought it sounded like Winnie was calling each of her cubs’ names.

  The six wolf cubs stopped running. They looked at their mother. And then, with their tails wagging, they bounded over to her and climbed onto her back. When all six cubs were sitting in a perfect line, Winnie stood up. She winked at Clara and Rosie. And then she climbed into her den with her cubs and closed the door.

  Quack stopped digging a hole in the middle of the meadow and sat down. She looked longingly at the wolf family’s home.

  “Poor Quack,” Clara said. “She already misses her friends.”

  “I’ll tell her she’ll get to see them at the concert,” Rosie said. Her tiara sparkled as she barked. The puppy’s eyes brightened and she wagged her tail. Clara reached down, scooped up Quack, and gave her an encouraging squeeze.

  With Quack in her arms, Clara walked alongside Rosie across the meadow, onto the cobblestone path, and up to the wooden door in the stone garden wall. Clara smiled at the clacking noise her tap shoes made against the stones.

  Rosie pushed the door open with her nose, and galloped through it. Clara followed right behind.

  “ Welcome to the Sky Garden,” Rosie said.

  “Thank you,” Clara said, admiring a row of large flower beds. Behind them was a pink wooden shed.

  Rosie nodded toward a slate patio on one side of the garden. “And that’s where you, my sisters, and I will stand and tap dance during the concert,” she explained. Then she nodded toward a stretch of grass along the garden wall. “And that’s where we’ll put the blankets for the audience,” she said. “But first, let’s go listen to the insects’ practice sessions.”

  “That sounds great,” Clara said. She put Quack down to sniff and explore. And then she and Rosie walked to the first garden bed. There, a cluster of shrubs with shiny purple leaves displayed what looked at first to Clara like bright orange honey-suckle flowers. But when she leaned forward to smell them, she realized they weren’t honeysuckles at all. They were small flutes!

  “These are flute-flower bushes,” Rosie explained.

  A swarm of red dragonflies and teal-and-pink-striped bumblebees flew over to the garden bed. They swarmed above the flute-flower bushes and made loud buzzing noises.

 

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