Chapter One: Friend and Foe

 

The sun beamed brightly down on the wide pasture as a small black and white puppy carefully scouted around the front of her three-story house, her thick tail stiff with excitement, her green eyes sparkling with mischief and wonderment, her sharp ears pricked. Her gaze slowly traveled around the area and landed on the rosebushes in front of the house. With a grin, she trotted over to one of the bushes, stuck her nose into the foliage, and shouted, “One-two-three on Eloise!”

“Aw, man!” the girl complained, standing to her feet and brushing a few rose petals out of her blond hair. “You did it again, Cloudy! I thought for sure this time you wouldn’t find me!”

“Wouldn’t find you?” Cloudy giggled. “Never let such a thing go to your head. I’m a dog, and dogs have excellent smelling and hearing senses, you know.”

“I know,” Eloise responded, giving the Malamute a playful swat on the shoulder. “Now let’s find everyone else.”

Just then, Cloudy’s keen ears picked up a rustling sound from the garden. Her eyes narrowed slightly and a smile began to form on her face. “I think that’s your sister,” she whispered to Eloise, who nodded silently in agreement.

“Let’s sneak up on her,” Eloise giggled softly.

“Okay,” Cloudy murmured.

Silent as a cat stalking a mouse, the two sneaked over to the garden gate and peered into the thin spaces between the wide boards. Cloudy caught a flash of light on a few strands of blond hair. “That’s Nika,” Cloudy mouthed.

“On my signal. . .” Eloise held up three fingers, then two, then one. With a nod to one another, they threw open the gate and exploded into the garden, leaping in front of Nika cowering behind the fence and yelling “Gotcha!”

“Ahh!” Nika screamed, startled. Her face turned ashen white in fear until she realized who it was. A sigh of relief escaped her. “Cloudy! Eloise! Thank goodness it’s only you!”

“One-two-three on you!” both sang together.

The eight-year-old crossed her arms, a trace of a childish pout on her face. “Okay, you got me.” Then a grin split her face. “But I bet you cannot guess where Zach is.”

“In the tire swing?” Cloudy inquired nonchalantly, her eyes roaming  absently around the garden.

“Ugh, how’d you know?” the nine-year-old boy complained, slipping out of the swing and to the ground. “I thought for sure no one could see me!”

“I couldn’t see you,” Cloudy said.

Zach looked confused. “Then how did you know where I was?”

Cloudy smiled mysteriously, her eyes twinkling. “Hey, we’re missing someone,” she suddenly said, glancing quickly about. “Where’s Sniper?”

Nika’s eyes wandered to the drainpipe behind Cloudy and her eyes widened. A grin spread across her face as if the air itself was going to tell a joke. She covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, then cleared her throat. “Can I guess?” she politely said, raising her hand as though she were in school.

“You may,” Eloise said, looking a bit puzzled as to why her twin was grinning like a maniac.

Nika pointed her finger toward the drainpipe, snickering, her body quivering with uncontrollable laughter. Eloise looked where she was pointing and her mouth dropped open in disbelief. Sniper was hanging from a rope tied to the top of the drainpipe, sleeping like a baby, his mouth slightly open, snoring. Drool was sliding down his face and dripping onto the ground.

“What the!” Cloudy exclaimed, staring at her eldest brother’s ridiculous sleeping face. She slapped her forehead with her paw. “Oh, brother. This is so embarrassing. If this gets around town, I’ll be the laughing stock of Spring Breeze because my annoying brother looks dumb snoozing like a newborn baby.”

Eloise pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the funny scene. “Yeah, maybe they would. Say,” she added with a wicked grin, “I wonder if I could get this picture printed out and stick it on your school bulletin board, Cloudy?”

Cloudy’s eyes grew large. “Eloise, you wouldn’t!”

“Of course she wouldn’t,” Zach quickly answered, shooting Eloise a murderous glare. “None of us would do such a thing. We’re your friends, and true friends would never try to humiliate one another.”

“And you all are certainly my true friends,” Cloudy said with a soft smile.

At that moment, Sniper opened his eyes. He blinked wearily, looking blearily around at his friend and youngest sister. Then he looked down at the puddle of drool on the ground, the rope that was looped around his chest, and his friends looking as though they couldn’t contain their laughter for five more seconds. “Where am I?” he inquired.

“Er, well,” Nika began, her voice strained, “apparently our Hide-and-Seek game took longer than expected and you fell asleep. And well, let’s just say you looked pretty silly sleeping while dangling in the air.” The memory was too much for her, and she burst into hysterical laughter, falling to the ground.

“What are you talking about?” Sniper said in a growly tone.

Eloise held up her phone and Sniper’s jaw dropped upon seeing the photo. “N-No way is that me!”

“Oh, yes, it’s you,” Cloudy said, a smirk crossing her face. “And a few minutes ago,” she continued, with a wink at Eloise, “we were talking about putting this picture on the school bulletin board so everyone can see it. Weren’t we , Eloise?”

Eloise caught on. “Yes, indeed,” she nodded.

Sniper gasped with horror. “You can’t do that!” he cried. “Everyone will make fun of me and laugh at me forever!”

Cloudy scratched at her ear, pretending to be in deep thinking mode. “Hmmm,” she said. A mischievous look came across her face. “Okay, then. Maybe we won’t embarrass you in front of everyone. . .that is, on a certain condition.”

“What? I’ll do anything!” Sniper said, his eyes determined.

“You must promise not to bother any of us anymore,” Cloudy said, “and to always tell us the truth about everything. That means if I ask you if you cleaned your room—”

“Okay, okay! I get it! I promise! No more annoying and nothing but the truth!” Sniper said, raising his right paw. “I swear!”

“Ohh, so nothing but the truth, huh?” Eloise said, rubbing her hands together. Cloudy had to restrain a snicker at her impish expression. “Then tell me, Sniper—is it true that you’re in love with Lily?”

An embarrassed look flashed across Sniper’s face. “Um, well. . .”

Cloudy burst into laughter. Zach grinned at her and then at Eloise, who high-fived him. “Oh, Sniper, you should have seen your face!” cackled Nika, slapping Zach’s arm.

Sniper snorted, trying to appear as if he didn’t care. “Can you just get me down now?” he pointedly inquired.

Eloise obliged and in seconds Sniper was standing on the ground,. He shook out his rumpled fur and scowled up at his friends, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

“Children!” came the familiar call of Cloudy’s mother, Springtime, from the front porch. The children hurried out of the garden and around the side of the house. Springtime seemed a bit worried until she spotted them running toward her from the direction of the garden. A relieved smile passed over her features. “Oh, there you are. I thought maybe you left the yard.”

“No way!” Zach burst out. “Why would we do something so idiotic?”

Springtime shrugged, seeming a bit apologetic. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I just want to make sure you’re safe. I am responsible for you all, you know.”

“We know, and don’t worry. We’re all just fine,” Eloise said, trying to suppress a giggle. Nika snickered and Zach smiled widely. Springtime raised an eyebrow, wondering at their contained laughter, but wisely asked no questions.

The other children ran up just then, waving joyfully and shouting. Arrow, a gray Siberian puppy, walked next to Cloudy and asked, “So I take it you found everyone?”

“That we did,” Cloudy said, smirking, “and the last one we discovered in a most enlightening way.”

Sniper blushed a little. “Give me a break.”

At that moment, the familiar sound of an engine drifted toward their ears. But Cloudy knew that was no ordinary car, no everyday automobile passing by on the busy street that separated her house and her elementary school. It belonged to Scazzarda Stellarum, friend of Springtime’s and mother of Meta Knight, mentor and friend to Cloudy.

Sure enough, a gray car pulled up by the fence and a blond-haired humanoid woman climbed out, her field-green eyes glowing in the sun’s rays. A masked figure with a navy-blue cape and gray pauldrons too climbed out of the car and stood beside his mother as she locked the car. Cloudy barked a welcome greeting and mother and son turned.

Scazzarda’s eyes lit up upon seeing the puppy. “Cloudy!” she warmly called. She opened the gate and walked into the pasture. The knight, on the other hand, barreled the fence easily, as he was a warrior and was used to doing all sorts of stunts.

Cloudy yipped happily and ran over to her mentor, doing a rough-and-tumble right into him and knocking him flat on his back. A startled exclamation escaped him as he fell down. “Cloudburst, what are you doing?”

“Yay! Sir Meta Knight!” the child cried delightedly, licking his hand in delight. “You’re back! It’s been a while. I thought you would come to visit sooner than that!”

“It’s been only three weeks or so since I visited, but I have had to help my daughter with her new baby, as well as Mother with the housework,” Meta Knight said softly. “I have been busy.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know,” Cloudy said hurriedly. She lightly scraped her claws across the dirt.

“Scazzarda!” Springtime’s cheerful voice rang out with joy. “Welcome! It’s been some time! How have you been? And why have you come here?”

“I’ve been wonderful,” Scazzarda said, embracing her friend. “As a matter of fact, I came over here to see if the children would like to drive over with me to look at the new church. It’s almost done; they just have to put the roof on and finish the painting.”

“I understand they’ve been working on that project since January,” Springtime said. “Most buildings don’t get finished in so short a time.”

“The workers are very diligent,” Scazzarda said. She glanced around at the wide, excited eyes of the curious children standing around. “So, you kids want to go?”

“Yeah!” they all chorused.

“It’s so hard to believe we’re gonna get to go to church soon!” Arrow said. “And the great part is, the very first service we’ll be attending is the Easter service!”

This was going to be Cloudy’s second Easter, but she couldn’t remember much from her first one because she had been so little then. However, her mother had told her much about her first Easter and why they celebrated that special holiday.

“Easter is my favorite holiday, next to Christmas!” Star, Cloudy’s older sister, said. “I can’t wait to hide eggs, eat chocolate, and play with the adorable baby bunnies! It’s sure to be a great time!”

“Yes, honey, but always remember that Jesus’ resurrection is the reason for Easter,” Springtime gently reminded her daughter.

“Okay, if we want to go, let’s move!” Scazzarda said, clapping her hands for attention. “Let’s get this show on the road and go see that church!”

The children and Meta Knight jumped into the car and buckled up, all squeezing together. Sometimes two puppies sat in one seat. “I hope I won’t get a ticket for this,” Scazzarda said worriedly as she put the car in drive and turned around.

As Scazzarda drove, Cloudy glanced briefly out at the passing fields and houses and neighbors. Then she thought about her life and family.

Cloudy had five brothers—Sniper, Sharkell, Yodi, Pancake, and Waffle—who could be mannerly and kind if they really wanted to be. More often than not, though, they teamed up to play pranks and wreak havoc and generally cause all sorts of bad things to occur. They were Siberians, and like their father, had brown eyes and brown and white fur.

Star was a gray and white Siberian with sapphire-blue eyes that seemed to see deep into the soul of even the objects that had no soul. She was charming and lively, but could sometimes be snippy and hurtful with her words.

Springtime, the stay-at-home, Christian mom, taught her children to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, body, and strength. She cooked, she cleaned, she loved, she edified, she taught, and she reached out. She was truly a rare example of the Proverbs 31 woman.

Showerstorm was an author/bank worker who occasionally submitted short stories or poems to The Dreamland Times. He was quiet and meditative and enjoyed studying God’s Word. He supported his children, wife, friends, and coworkers through thick and thin.

And Cloudy herself was what others called the Prophesied One. She was titled that for a specific reason, and the reason was simple: She was the Star Warrior who would save Dreamland from Nightmare’s tyrannical grip of death and hatred. Over a hundred years ago, Photron, ruler of Planet Popstar and the forger of Galaxia, prophesied that a Star Warrior bearing a diamond mark on her paw would be born. Cloudy bore that mark and thus was known to be the Prophesied One. Cloudy was strong, spirited, and brave, and she showed potential and status as a growing warrior, thanks to Meta Knight.

Cloudy also had a rare gift she had discovered last year while conversing with her new friend, Jacob Osen, while in Leupochena. She, her parents, and a few friends had come to Leupochena to visit her aunt’s friends, the Mestereins, for Christmas. While flying, Cloudy had had a strange “dream” which forewarned her of a crashing. The plane had indeed crashed and the pilot was killed, and Cloudy learned from Jacob the next day that she had a light form of ESP. While it was odd to think of herself as being weakly psychic, Cloudy accepted the gift as part of who she was.

Cloudy looked thoughtfully out the car window as she wondered what her future held.

 

* * * * *

 

“Here we are,” Scazzarda said, braking the car to a stop and gesturing to the half-finished building sitting neatly on a large  patch of grass and wildflowers. “Hallowed Father Church. . .or at least part of it.”

“It looks weird unfinished,” Star commented, looking at the skeleton woodwork and rough scrawls on the paneling. “It looks more like an abandoned building than a half-completed church.”

“Yeah, I know. But trust me,” Scazzarda said, opening the door and stepping out, “once they get it done, you won’t even be able to tell it was once an odd-looking, unpainted structure.” She slammed the driver’s door shut.

Eloise opened both backseat doors and the children leaped out. “Wow, neat!” Sniper said, staring in awe at the pile of stacked wooden boards. “Hey, Yodi! Check this out! This is like a playground!”

“Except you’re not allowed to play on it,” Cloudy muttered under her breath, hoping her brother wouldn’t get ideas. Aloud she called, “Why don’t we all ask if we can look at the interior of the church?”

“Okay, but who are we gonna ask?” Zach asked with a shrug. The place seemed deserted but for a few workers.

“I don’t know. Why don’t we see if we can find someone who will let us in?” Cloudy began to walk off toward the church, and the others, after exchanging brief glances, followed.

Cloudy sniffed the woodwork and the carvings on the red bricks lining the underside of the unpainted windowsills. She smiled upon seeing a carving of a cross with Jesus hanging upon it. Another carving showed an empty tomb, and a third displayed Jesus ascending to heaven, with his disciples staring upward in fascination.

As she rounded a corner, ready to hunt for more interesting sights around the site, she was startled to come face to face with a young pink-skinned girl with purple eyes sitting on a wooden board lying on the ground behind the church. Cloudy’s eyes widened and her ears went back slightly in alarm. The girl gasped and jumped to her feet upon seeing the puppy, neither making a sound. They merely stared, as if trying to deduce who the other was.

“Who are you?” the little girl demanded after a minute or two of silence and staring. Her voice was not one of harshness or rudeness, but the manner of politeness and habit.

It was a moment before Cloudy could find her voice. “Cloudy,” she said at last. “And you are?”

“Carny.” The girl smiled, her surprised look replaced by one of friendliness. “Carny Lambe.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Carny,” Cloudy said, smiling tentatively. She glanced around. “Are you alone?”

“No, my dad’s here too. I think he’s with my mom around the other side of the church,” Carny explained. “They were checking the foundation of the red bricks. I was hanging out here waiting for them to get back.” She grinned. ” Sometimes when I’m bored, I like to pretend I’m a superhero or a warrior fighting to save the day!”
She dramatically pumped a fist in the air, then positioned her stance to look heroic. Cloudy laughed.

“So what do you do on your spare time, Cloudy?” Carny asked, plopping down beside Cloudy and folding her hands. “Pretend to rescue someone? Play swordfighting?”

“Actually, I do do those things, but it’s not pretend,” Cloudy said. At Carny’s puzzled frown, she held up her left-front paw. The girl’s eyes grew as big as paper plates and she gasped in awe.

“So you must be the Prophesied One!” Carny said in a stage whisper. She looked ready to squeal from pure excitement. “I am so pleased to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too,” Cloudy said, extending her paw. Carny shook it eagerly. “And I’d like to meet your parents. Who are they?”

“Kimora and Victor Lambe. My dad’s the future pastor of this church,” Carny said.

Cloudy blinked in disbelief, shocked at what she had just heard. “Wait, what?! You mean. . .your father is going to be the pastor of this church?!”

“I know, it’s exciting!” Carny said, clapping her hands and giggling a little. “This is sure to be the greatest Easter ever!”

“Cloudy!” Eloise called, darting around the back of the church. “What are you doing back here for so long! We’ve been. . .” Her voice trailed off upon seeing Carny and Cloudy together. Carny’s brow furrowed and she raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, casting a questioning look at Cloudy,

“It’s okay,” Cloudy said reassuringly. “This is Eloise, one of my best friends. Eloise, meet Carny Lambe. She’s the daughter of our future pastor.”

“Oh.” Eloise hesitated a second, then shook hands with Carny. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Carny.”

Carny smiled. “You too.”

“Eloise!” Nika yelled, tearing over to her sister and accidentally knocking her off-balance. The twins tumbled to the ground.

“Ouch!” Eloise hissed, rubbing the scrape on her elbow.

“Incoming!” Sniper cried, racing by Cloudy and Carny and tripping over Eloise’s prostrate form. Yodi, right behind him, fell over his older brother and crashed to the earth. Then the rest of Cloudy’s friends appeared, shouting and shrieking. Carny stared, dumbfounded, at the vast array of humanoids and puppies leaping around and falling over each other. Cloudy just rolled her eyes and told Carny the names of the rest of the kids.

“Hey, children!” Scazzarda called, attempting to restore order. “Children, behave yourselves! We’re in a public place. Please, let’s be orderly and respectful to all who are here, okay?”

“Oh, we’re sorry,” Zach panted, standing to his feet and brushing the dirt off his clothes. “We were just caught up in the moment, I suppose.”

Meta Knight appeared beside his mother, quiet as usual, observing as always.

Carny smiled at Scazzarda and Meta Knight. “Hello. Who are you two?”

“My name is Scazzarda Stellarum. This is my son, Magnus,” Scazzarda said kindly. “But for personal reasons, he wishes to be called Meta Knight.”

“I’m Carny. Carny Lambe.” The girl shook hands with Scazzarda. “I’m the pastor’s daughter.”

“How nice!” Scazzarda said, beaming a smile. “Um, where is your father, dear?”

“He’s at the other side of the church with my mom,” Carny said. “Do you wish to see them on a certain matter?”

“I do.”

“Then just walk around that way. You’ll find them,” Carny said, pointing to the right.

“Thank you.” Scazzarda smiled thankfully at Carny and walked off, Meta Knight following behind.

Eloise grinned at Carny. “How old are you, Carny?”

“I’m seven!” Carny said, tossing back her hair. “What about you?”

“Eight. Zach’s nine,” said Eloise. “The puppies are all over a year old.”

“Neat! We should be friends!” Carny did an excellent pirouette, her pink hair flying wildly in the breeze. Then she stopped, suddenly looking sober. “I don’t have any friends yet. We just moved to the parsonage a month ago.”

“Well, we’ll be your friends,” Star said, furiously wagging her tail.

Carny smiled a little. “You really want to be friends with me?”

“Why not? You’re nice and we like you!” Nika said, draping her arm over Carny’s shoulder. “Of course you can be our friend! We would love to hang with you sometime!”

“What school do you go to?” Sharkell asked.

“I’m homeschooled,” Carny said, brushing a leaf off her dress. “Mommy is scared to death to let me go to public school. She thinks it’s safer to teach me at home. I guess I agree with her, but I’ve never been in a public school before. If I could visit a real public school, perhaps I’d understand why she’s so against putting me in it.”

“Yeah, well, we go to public school, and trust me, it’s not that great, so be glad you’re homeschooled,” Nika said. “Our mom was talking to my dad this morning at breakfast about maybe homeschooling us next school year.”

“Yeah. I’d much rather prefer to be homeschooled,” Nika admitted. “I mean, my friends are nice and all, but some of my teachers. . .well, they just don’t really try hard to properly teach us.”

Before Carny could answer, everyone heard a truck pull up in front of the church and brake to a stop. The engine shut off and the door opened, and a man’s brusque voice could be heard yelling: “Victor! Where are you?!”

“Ugh,” Yodi complained. “Who the heck is that dude shrieking?”

Carny looked none too pleased. “That’s Raymond Holder. He’s a farmer who raises prize animals. He lives in the western area of Spring Breeze. Sometimes he helps my dad with yard work and my dad helps him with farm work. However, he’s not at all friendly, and he hates anything to do with God or church or the Bible.”

“Yikes. Does that mean he doesn’t like your dad, either?” said Star, her eyes suddenly showing worry.

“I don’t know,” Carny said. “They don’t see themselves as close friends, but they’ll help each other if need be. You know?”

“Yeah, I think I do,” Star replied. The truck door slammed shut and the kids could hear heavily booted feet moving toward the front doors. Star detected Holder muttering something under his breath, but she couldn’t make out what it was.

Carny stood up. “Let’s go meet Mr. Holder and direct him to my dad. He doesn’t sound as if he’s in a really great mood.” She led the way around to the front of the church and met up with Holder, who looked ready to let off some steam.

“Oh, hello, Mr. Holder,” Carny politely greeted him. “Are you looking for my dad?”

“Yes, I am!” Holder said firmly. His eyes locked on the children behind Carny and his brows drew down. “Who are these, Carny?”

“Oh, they’re my new friends,” Carny said cheerfully. “Everyone, this is Ray Holder.”

The children smiled and called out greetings.

“Hi,” Holder said curtly, barely nodding in their direction. Then he returned his attention to Carny. “Young lady, get me to your father at once. I don’t have time to waste standing around here all day.”

Cloudy’s mouth fell open as Carny led Mr. Holder toward the other side of the church. “Okay, that was really rude,” she whispered.

“No kidding. His momma must not have cared that he flunked manners school,” Pancake muttered.

“Aw, come on, guys. He probably isn’t as bad as he seems,” Zach said. “Maybe we just need to get through to him. Perhaps he hasn’t had a lot of love and kindness shown toward him throughout his life. Maybe it’s up to us to change his attitude. And that starts with being Christlike!”

“Yeah!” “Amen!” “Zach’s right!” “Speak the truth!” several voices clamored.

Cloudy stepped to the front of the group, a determined glint in her eye. “Then let’s do this,” she said, flashing her pearly fangs.

 

* * * * *

 

Victor looked up briefly from pointing out to his wife how solid the red bricks were to see Carny leading Ray Holder toward him. “Howdy, Ray,” he said, calmly, straightening up. “What do you need?”

“I came over to here to collect my money from that job I did for you the other day,” Ray said in a completely no-nonsense tone.

“Oh, of course. I’m terribly sorry,” Victor apologized. “I completely forgot.” He pulled out his wallet and counted some bills, laying them in Holder’s hand.

“Thanks,” Ray said, not sounding at all like he meant it. He stashed the bills in his pocket. Then his eyes locked on Scazzarda and Meta Knight, who were standing behind Pastor Lambe and his wife. “Who are you two?”

“I am Scazzarda Stellarum,” Scazzarda said cooly. “This is Magnus, my son, but for reasons he does not wish to address, he wants to be known simply as Meta Knight.”

“Hmph, so you’ve got a blueberry for a son,” said Holder with a snort. “Real nice. Though I think he’d be of much better use in the winepress.”

“Hey!” Eloise said angrily, putting her hands on her hips. “That’s not nice!”

“Who says it has to be?” Holder returned. “The truth ain’t always pretty, girly.”

Nika placed her hand on her twin’s arm. “Please don’t say anything, Eloise,” she quietly begged.

Zach, trying to act on his determination from earlier, said in a tone of forced politeness, “So Mr. Holder, are you going to be attending the Easter service with the rest of us?”

“Me?” Holder laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t set foot in that church even if you begged me to. It’s a waste of time to sit around reading stupid fairy tales from that idiotic Book. I don’t want anything to do with that religion.”

Sharkell gasped. Yodi’s eyes narrowed sharply into slits.

“Why do you think such a thing, Mr. Holder?” Zach said.

“Because of what I’ve been taught, that’s why.” Holder stormed away from them without waiting for a reply. Then all of a sudden, he halted and spun on his heel to face the group. “And Victor, if I were you, I’d consider halting the construction of this useless building! It’ll serve no purpose at all except to get Christian fanatics to study a bunch of crazy mythology!” He stomped back to his truck, climbed, and drove away, squealing his tires as he did so.

Cloudy blinked in confusion and shook her head to clear her mind. It seemed like this Easter was going to be challenged by a quarrelsome farmer.