knew it!” declared Bismark proudly. “And now that I see you and your radiant red fur, mon amour, I’m shaken straight to the core.”
“Shaken, yes,” Dawn said breathlessly.
Slowly, Tobin uncurled and stood up. The rumble grew louder, and he felt a tremor beneath him. The pangolin glanced at the ground. Pebbles jumped at his feet. “The earth! It’s moving!”
“My silly amigo—that is just what it feels like when my beautiful Dawn comes into view!”
“There’s no time for romance,” said Dawn. The tawny fur along her back stood up like blades of wild grass. “We need to take cover. These tremors are growing larger.”
“Nonsense!” cried Bismark. “The only thing growing is the surge of love in my heart! And it is all for you, my lady!”
Ssssssss. A faint hiss rose from the ground.
Bismark let out a high-pitched shriek and leaped onto Dawn’s back. “By all that glides! Is that a snake I hear?”
“No,” said the fox, “but let’s move. We need to find a safe place at once.” She pointed uphill, at a boulder with a large hole carved into it. Then she plucked Bismark from her back and bounded toward it, seeking its shelter.
As the trio dashed through the trees toward high ground, the hiss around them turned into a sizzle. Soon, the ground was crackling and popping beneath their paws. Dawn leaped into the hole in the boulder, and Bismark and Tobin followed.
Bismark clutched Dawn’s slender leg while Tobin hesitantly peered past the rock’s edge.
“Oh no,” cried the pangolin. “Look!”
In the distance, a thick veil of steam spiraled through the night air. As the wind picked up speed, the steam billowed toward the three friends. The moon flashed in and out from behind the sheet of white clouds.
Tobin shut his eyes tight, dizzy from the sudden humidity and the rapid changes of light. The scent of rotten eggs filled his sensitive nostrils as the steam spread over the animals and blanketed them in a haze.
The frightened cries of other creatures echoed from beyond the trees. The bushes rustled and shook as animals throughout the valley bolted through the forest in search of safe places to hide. The Brigade, however, held their ground and each other.
Bismark wiped a thick bead of sweat from his brow then fanned himself with the wing-like flaps that connected his arms and legs. “Is it just me,” he gasped, “or is it getting hot out here?”
A low hum rang through the air. The pangolin felt his heart shake as the sound grew to a growl, drowning out everything else.
Then, suddenly, all was still. The ground no longer shook. The air no longer rang. The animals, the branches, the leaves—all fell quiet.
“Phew!” exclaimed Bismark. The sugar glider brushed some loose dirt off his flaps. “What a doozy! That shaking, that groaning, that heat?” He exhaled with great relief. “Muy caliente! At least it’s over…”
BOOM!
A giant blast shook the earth. The ground rocked and the wind roared and the three animals grasped one another in terror. A giant column of smoke rose up from the distant hills. And then, all went black.
“Tobin? Bismark? Where are you?” Dawn struggled to see through the darkness.
A cloud of ash hung in the air, blotting out the light from the stars. Slowly, the ash began to fall, carpeting the ground in a soft layer of gray.
“Oh goodness, I’m right here!” called the pangolin, shuffling toward the sound of Dawn’s voice.
Bismark appeared from under a small pile of cinders. “Mon dieu!” he cried. “What was that rumble, that thunder, that bang?”
“I don’t know, but we must find out,” Dawn said.
“Are you loco, my love?” Bismark coughed. “You want to go toward the big boom?”
Dawn stood tall. “Yes,” she said. Her ears still rang from the blast, making her voice sound hollow and foreign to her. She lowered her gaze to the ground—it was splintered with zigzagging cracks. “Even this far away, there is damage. Who knows how bad it is near the blast?”
Tobin saw the determined face of his leader. Despite his nerves, he nodded in agreement.
“So be it! Bold in adventure, brave in challenge, the Nocturnal Brigade to the rescue!” cried Bismark. With a flourish, he drew out his glittering, blue snakeskin cape—the costume the Brigade wore when they were on a mission. Dawn and Tobin took their capes out, too, and fastened them around their necks. Within a moment, the trio was ready. It was time to keep the Brigade’s promise to protect the animals of the night.
“I think the sound came from that direction,” said Dawn. She pointed toward a mountain in the near distance. “Let’s go.”
The Brigade crept toward the peak. The ground was hot and glowed red with embers. Carefully, the animals plowed their way through the smoldering fields of ash and broken rock.
“Pee-yew!” exclaimed Bismark. “Either Tobin’s scared out of his scales, or this stuff smells like rot!”
“Oh goodness, Bismark—you know that’s not me!” The pangolin squinted, struggling to keep Dawn in sight. Usually, to help his poor eyesight, he tracked the white tip of her tail. But now it, like everything else, was painted a dull shade of gray. “Oof,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t even see the moon.”
Despite being almost full, the moon was barely a blur, fighting to shine through the clouds of ash. The light that did reach the ground was filtered and flat.
“Everything’s so different. Even the air.” Tobin coughed. He flicked some ash from his paw. “It feels like another planet.”
“A planet of nightmares!” cried Bismark. The sugar glider flapped his way through the dust, attempting to wave it away, but just whipping it into his own face in the process. “What sort of world is this?” he wheezed. “The earth: scorched and lifeless! The air: stinky with fumes! My fur: stripped of its incredible sheen! My eyes: struggling to see my love’s face!” He scoffed. “This is no place for me, mis amigos. I say we turn back!”
Dawn came to a halt.
“Hmm?” Bismark cocked his head. “Have I convinced you?”
“Everyone, stop,” warned the fox. Her voice was sharp and abrupt. “Do not take another step.”
The animals froze. Without their movement stirring the air, some of the ash settled down and the landscape came into view. Right
