idea, my fair fox!” Bismark bounded toward Dawn and leaped into her pile of leaves, creating a flurry around him. “Nothing like a snuggle with my sweet!”
With a good-natured roll of her eyes, the fox scooted sideways, creating space between her and the sugar glider. Then she curled up in a crescent and allowed her eyes to close.
Tobin settled nearby and released a contented sigh. It had been an exhausting, strange night, but all was well. A lucky star, he thought, remembering the brilliant flash across the dark sky. And then he fell asleep.
* * *
Guuuurrrrgghhh.
The pangolin awoke to the sound of a loud grumble.
His eyes shot open. The sky was a rich periwinkle; he had slept straight through until dusk.
Guuuurrrrgghhh!
“Mon dieu,” Bismark groaned, rubbing his eyes. “What is that racket? That rumble? That noise? Has another meteorite struck the earth?”
“Oh goodness.” Tobin grinned bashfully. “It’s just my stomach. I’m afraid I’ve woken up hungry.”
The fox rose to her feet and smiled. “We need to check the meteorite’s damage,” she said. “But we’ll start back at Bismark’s pomelo tree, where there will be plenty of pomelos to satisfy your appetite.”
“Pomelos!” cheered Tobin.
“Fallen pomelos,” grunted the sugar glider.
Tobin grinned. “Yes…and someone’s got to eat them before they go bad, right?” And then, with a small yelp of excitement, he hastened to a trot, leading his friends down the final stretch of path to the forest’s edge. But just as soon as he reached the clearing and Bismark’s pomelo tree came into view, something brought him to an abrupt halt.
“Oh goodness!” the pangolin cried. He gestured frantically at the ground. “Dawn, Bismark! Look!”
The pangolin began to tremble at the sight. Bismark’s tree was surrounded by dozens and dozens of mounds of loose soil, just like the ones at the star. What’s more, all the glider’s fallen pomelos had been viciously torn open and savagely clawed to shreds.
Dawn remained silent, but her amber eyes widened with alarm and suspicion.
Bismark’s eyes bulged. “By all that is nightly!” he screamed. “It is an attack! We have been invaded!”
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