Rescue Princesses #5: The Snow Jewel Read Online Free PDF

and on the other was a forest of fir trees. But there was still no sign of Minky.
    “Look at these tracks. She must have run around in circles!” said Emily, pointing to the scrambled-up paw prints.
    The girls ran this way and that, trying to follow the direction of the tracks. But they crisscrossed in so many places that it was hard to figure out which way the little cat had gone.
    “Stop, everyone!” called Freya. “If we keep running, we’ll end up trampling over all the marks in the snow. Then we’ll never find Minky.”
    The princesses stood still, looking anxiously at one another.
    Freya caught a flash of movement near the fir trees and stepped toward it. But it was only a squirrel, darting across the snow and running up the trunk of the nearest tree.
    “Let’s split up and look for Minky in different places,” suggested Jaminta. “Some of the tracks go down to the ice rink. Lulu and I could look there, while you three search those trees.” She pointed at the forest of fir trees.

    “All right, then! Let’s meet back here in a few minutes,” said Emily.
    Freya, Emily, and Clarabel hurried into the trees, following the paw prints closely. Nothing moved in the forest, and the crunching of their boots sounded loud in the silent woods.
    “We should look up into the trees as well as on the ground,” said Freya. “Maybe Minky’s climbed onto a branch and gotten stuck.”
    The girls peered up at the fir trees, which were covered with a thick blanket of snow.
    “Can you hear anything?” asked Emily.
    They all listened for a moment, but heard nothing except the birds singing.
    They followed the paw prints, which circled around and led them over to the edge of the forest again.
    “Now we’re back where we started!”Freya cried. “Why can’t we find her?” Tears filled her eyes and she rushed out of the forest.
    As she ran out of the trees, Jaminta and Lulu ran toward her from the opposite direction.
    “We couldn’t find her down by the ice rink,” said Lulu. “Did you have any luck?”
    Freya shook her head and sniffed.
    Clarabel and Emily ran out of the trees behind them.
    “I don’t think Minky is in there,” panted Emily. “I’m sure we would have heard her meowing.”
    “What should we do?” asked Clarabel.
    “Let’s look at the paw prints again,” said Jaminta.
    “No! That didn’t work before,” said Emily urgently. “The paw prints are too messed up and they just go around in circles.”
    “I think we should try following them one more time,” said Jaminta. “What do you think, Freya?”
    Freya tugged at her braid anxiously. But before she could decide, a large snowflake drifted down and landed on her coat. Then there was another and another, until the air was full of dancing flakes.
    Freya pulled up her hood. “This snow will cover up the paw prints, anyway. So I think we should keep looking for her and calling out, and hope she calls back.”
    “Let’s go toward the river,” said Emily, pointing straight ahead. “We haven’t looked over there yet.”
    They hurried along the side of the ice rink, scanning its shiny surface and calling Minky’s name. Freya trudged on, her heart sinking with every second. Minky would be cold and scared by now,and the falling snow made it so much harder to see.
    They reached the end of the ice rink, where the river curved past and wound away into the distance like a great glittering snake.
    “Minky?” bellowed Lulu. “Can you hear us?” Her call bounced off the hills and echoed back at her.
    “Did you hear that?” asked Freya, suddenly.
    “It’s a good echo, isn’t it?” agreed Lulu, wiping snow off her black hair.
    “No! Not the echo,” said Freya. “Listen!”
    The princesses listened carefully. At last they heard a tiny meow drifting across the ice and snow.
    “That must be Minky!” breathed Clarabel. “We’ve found her at last!”

The princesses grinned at one another.
    “We’re coming, Minky!” called Freya.