said Ella warningly. She picked up his ball from the grass and threw it for him, adding, “Fetch.”
Hens forgotten, Blue eagerly chased after the ball, his long tail curving gracefully over his back. He’d almost reached it when he suddenly accelerated, running past the ball and on towards Dad’s vegetable patch.
“You missed it, you mad mutt,” said Ella, giggling. “Here, Blue. Fetch the ball.”
Blue ignored her and ran on.
“Blue, fetch,” said Ella, in a sterner voice.
It was important to follow a command through or Blue wouldn’t know when Ella was serious and when she was just playing. Ella stood straight waiting for Blue to return and when he didn’t she ran crossly after him.
“Blue, come,” Ella reached out and grabbed Blue’s collar. Her fingers tingled as they brushed against the silver snowflake dog tag and sank into Blue’s thick coat. Then Ella heard something that made the rest of her body fizzle like her fingers – the faint howl of dogs. So Blue hadn’t been ignoring her at all. The Starlight Snowdogs were calling them! Ella gripped Blue tighter as he accelerated down the garden. Blue howled and with an indignant squawk Goldie hopped out of his way and hid under a bush.
Ella ran alongside Blue, keeping a tight hold on his collar. As the end of the garden rushed closer, Ella swallowed back the panicky feeling that she and Blue might crash into the fence. At the last minute, Blue’s muscles bunched and he launched skyward. Forcing herself to trust that the magic would work, Ella jumped with him, gasping out loud as her breath was sucked from her. Unable to stop herself, Ella looked down. Her stomach somersaulted at the sight of the houses and roads rapidly shrinking away. It made her feel giddy and Ella closed her eyes as she was pulled higher by Blue. When at last she dared to look again, it was pitch black and freezing cold. The wind whipped her face, making her eyes water. There was snow in the air. Ella could smell it even before it came swirling towards her. Soon she was engulfed in a whirling blanket of icy-white snowflakes that coated her eyelashes and made her blink. Ella hung on to Blue until her fingers were too numb to grip. The wind rushed at her, tearing Blue from her hands. Ella groaned. She knew that Blue would be safe, but she hated this bit when they were temporarily parted. Upside down and alone, Ella spun through the air.
Chapter 2
The wind dropped suddenly, depositing Ella on to a wooden sled. Gratefully she sank back, leaning against the driving bow. The worst was over. This was the fun part of her journey to the Arctic. Ella loved flying through the starlit sky on her magical dog sled pulled by Blue. Sensing her enjoyment, Blue gave a joyful bark. His ears were pricked forward and he carried his black tail with its cute white tip arched proudly over his back.
Magical starlight illuminated the sky and Ella threw out her arms and turned up her face, bathing in its twinkling glow. It was a wonderful feeling and it made her insides fizz. Ella couldn’t get enough of it and was disappointed when Blue suddenly dived, pulling the sled downwards until it was engulfed in a swirling array of green and purple lights. The lights twisted across the sky, like long silky maypole ribbons crossing over and under each other so fast that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Ella’s skin glowed green and her hair had a purple sheen, and so did Blue’s black and white coat. Whistling and crackling, the lights danced over Ella and Blue. Usually they gave a silent display and Ella eagerly listened to their song as they bathed her and Blue in their magical sparkling glow. Too soon it was over. The ground rushed closer and Ella closed her eyes, her brown hair streaming behind her as the wind tore through it. She braced herself, tightly holding the sides of the sled. There was a gentle bump as Blue landed, then the whoosh of snow as he ran the sled along the ground, decreasing his speed until he was finally able to stop. It took Ella several seconds to get her breath back. Blue stood patiently waiting for her to stop panting, his triangular ears pointing forward and his tail arched. Ella stared fondly at him. In the Arctic, Blue was still only a puppy, but a larger and older dog than he was at home.
As Ella climbed from the sled she was grateful that during her journey her boring green school uniform had been replaced with a bright red padded coat with a fur-lined hood, matching snow trousers, a thick pair of gloves and sturdy boats. She snuggled deeper into the coat, grateful for its warmth. She didn’t recognise where she was, but away to her left she heard a noise. Ella spun round and saw in the distance five husky dogs running towards her at speed. She stood by Blue, excitement welling inside her as the dogs drew closer. Acer reached her first and, stopping a paw’s length away, he bowed his head. He was a handsome dog with a glossy black coat, white legs and a white tummy, with a band of black fur across his chest, like a sash. His forehead was black and his face white, the black fur arching like eyebrows and joining in a point between his brown eyes. He was closely followed by his sister Honey, a pretty dog with orangey brown markings and soft brown eyes. Ambitious Bandit was next, but he refused to meet Ella’s eyes, staring past her. Ella caught her breath, but didn’t have time to dwell on Bandit’s continued unfriendliness, as Coda and Inca, arriving last, were clearly pleased to see her. Lovely faithful Coda had waited for Inca, and Ella felt a rush of affection for him. Blue twitched with pleasure, barely able to conceal his excitement at seeing his sister Inca again.
“Hello, Ella,” said Acer, pushing his nose into her hand. “I hope you had a good journey through the Northern Lights?”
“Yes, thank you,” said Ella. Acer had never mentioned the Northern Lights before, but before she could ask what they were Acer said, “Good, and now we need your help to move a large wooden crate that we found outside Port Nanuk.”
Ella was surprised. In the short time she’d spent in the Arctic, she’d not seen any litter at all. People were careful how they disposed of their rubbish because they didn’t want to attract polar bears, as they were dangerous animals, especially when they were hungry.
“Let’s go then,” she said eagerly.
Immediately the dogs took up their positions in the harness. Ella walked down the line checking that everything was fine. It made her feel good to see the dogs standing with their ears pricked forward with anticipation. All except for Blue, who Ella caught giving Inca a friendly lick on her muzzle. Ella pretended not to notice as she moved on to Coda and Bandit, who always went at the back. Satisfied everything was in order, Ella climbed on to the sled runners and picked up the gangline where it was resting over the curved handrail.
“Hike,” she said smartly.
Immediately the dogs took off, running with their ears pricked forward and their tails arched over their backs. It began to snow and soon the craggy mountains, away to Ella’s left, vanished in a whirl of whiteness. Something ran across the front of the sledge. Ella leant forward straining to see and just made out an arctic hare, its browny grey coat heavily flecked with white winter fur. Automatically Ella stiffened, worried that Blue might try and chase it. But she’d underestimated him. Here in the Arctic, Blue was a working dog and once the sled was moving he wasn’t easily distracted.
The sled sped on, dipping up and down as it rode the bumps in the landscape. Ella hung on to the driving bow until a long while later she saw buildings in the distance. It looked like Port Nanuk, although Ella wasn’t sure as she’d not approached it from this direction before. There were no roads leading to the town, just miles of open snow stretching away like a blank painter’s canvas. Then Ella noticed a large object ahead looking very out of place in the bare white landscape.
“Whoa,” she called, pulling on the gangline.
Obediently the dogs slowed, stopping a short step from the object, a large wooden crate. Looping the gangline over the driving bow, Ella hopped from the sled and went to investigate. The crate was sealed with nails and
