About the Author Ellis Byrd is the author of over a dozen books for kids. She lives in New York with her Labrador retriever, who does her part to keep the environment clean by eating all the garbage scraps she can get her paws on. Read more Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One“Welcome to day one of Jamaa’s first-ever Winter Games!”    Cheers erupted from the hundreds of animals surrounding the enormous bonfire at the base of Mt. Shiveer. Liza beamed, lowering the conch shell Graham had modified for her to use as a megaphone. Her heart glowed with warmth at the sight of so many species gathered together, their enthusiasm obvious. Bunnies and elephants handed out pom-poms they had made out of long, silky blades of grass painted in bright colors. Falcons and eagles swooped and dipped over everyone’s heads with confetti clutched in their talons to sprinkle over the festivities. Kangaroos and koalas blew whistles, while lemurs and lions waved noisemakers filled with rattling pebbles. A group of penguins hopped on one another’s shoulders to form a shaky pyramid for a few seconds before tumbling to the ground amid gales of laughter.   Liza raised a paw, and the crowd quieted. “I’m so excited for this event,” she continued, her violet eyes twinkling. “And I know you all are, too. After all, we have much to celebrate! For years, we’ve worked together to clean Jamaa and repair the damage the Phantoms once caused.”   At the mention of Phantoms, the animals grew somber. Liza surveyed them, her chin high. “Many of you here today were at our side at Mt. Mira when we drove the Phantoms away and prevented a terrible volcanic eruption. And some of you even fought with us in the first battle against the Phantom Queen, when we lost our beloved guardian spirits, Mira and Zios. It’s because of their sacrifice, and your hard work and dedication, that Jamaa is once again a safe and beautiful place to live.”   Liza paused, looking for her fellow Alphas. Cosmo and Graham stood near the front of the crowd, clutching noisemakers, along with Peck, who was easy to spot due to the pom-poms she’d tied to her long ears. Sir Gilbert watched Liza proudly from his place between the polar bears and snow leopards, while Greely and a handful of animals quietly sat on the edge of the frost-covered pine tree forest that grew at the base of the mighty mountain.   “Defeating the Phantoms hasn’t been easy,” Liza went on, and a few animals nodded in agreement. “Our success is worth celebrating—and that’s what the Winter Games are all about! Over the next few days, you’ll get to participate in all kinds of exciting athletic competitions, like speed skating, sledding, and skiing, and even a fun game of capture the snow castle. These games are a way for us to celebrate our incredible accomplishments, and I can’t wait to get started!”   Cheers rose up again, along with the rattle of noisemakers and the waving of pom-poms. Liza noticed a snow leopard sigh as he batted a fresh sprinkling of confetti from his eyes, and she lifted her conch shell again.   “I’d like to thank the animals of Mt. Shiveer for their hospitality and patience,” she said, smiling at the snow leopard. “The Winter Games have taken several months of preparation, and I know everyone here is so grateful to them for graciously hosting this event.”   An arctic fox’s head popped up in the middle of the crowd, his black eyes sparkling. “And let’s not forget the Alphas!” he called with a mischievous grin. “After all, they’re the ones who organized this whole shindig. Three cheers for the Alphas!”   “Hip hip hooray!” the animals cried. “Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!”   “Thank you, Artie,” Liza said, returning the fox’s smile. “We can’t wait to share all the activities we have planned with everyone.”   “Oh, I bet there are lots more surprises in store!” Artie replied. Before Liza could respond, a giraffe near the back of the crowd gasped.   “The ice sculpture!” she exclaimed, straining her neck and peering at the entrance to the opening celebrations. Peck and Sir Gilbert had worked with a team of bunnies to carve an enormous statue of Mira, one of the guardian spirits of Jamaa, to welcome everyone to the Winter Games. Liza twisted to look, but she couldn’t see over the rhinos.   “What’s wrong?” Sir Gilbert asked, brows furrowed.   The giraffe’s eyes widened. “It’s . . . it’s melting!”   “But it can’t be!” Peck hopped up and down in an attempt to see the statue. “It’s so cold out!”   “What if it’s not the temperature?” a penguin fretted. “What if it’s . . . Phantoms?”   Several animals let out cries of fear, and before Liza could say a single reassuring word, chaos ensued. There was a stampede as the frightened crowd fled into the woods, putting as much distance between themselves and the entrance as possible. Liza joined Sir Gilbert and Cosmo in trying to calm the animals, while Graham and Peck rushed toward the sculpture.   “We’ll check it out!” Peck called to Liza, dodging around a charging rhino. “I’m sure it’s just an accident!”   On the outskirts of the woods, Greely frowned as he murmured to himself. “Phantoms are unlikely, but I doubt this is an accident.”   The arctic wolf at his side was silent for a moment. Snowflakes drifted down from the pine trees, blending perfectly with his thick white fur. “I’d be happy to look into it, if you like,” he said gruffly. “I’ve learned much from you in the last few months, Greely.”   “I appreciate that, Walter,” Greely replied. “But I’d rather investigate this myself.”   The arctic wolf smiled tightly. “We’ve been through this, Greely. You can call me Walt,” he replied. “And while I know you’re quite capable, you don’t know Mt. Shiveer quite as well as I do.”   Greely turned to his protégé, considering this. The other Alphas had befriended many of the animals who called Mt. Shiveer home back when they’d first started planning the Winter Games. But Walt had avoided the Alphas, staying on the side and watching, instead of joining the crowd. He reminded Greely strongly of himself—someone who often worked best alone. But though Greely was still reluctant to admit it, he now understood that being part of a team did have some value. He was hoping he could help Walt come to that realization, too.   “A valid point,” Greely conceded at last, his low voice barely audible over the retreating stampede. “Very well. Do a careful inspection of the entrance. Be sure to ask anyone nearby if they saw anything unusual. I will check on the other activities we have planned for today and make sure everything is still in order.”   With that, Greely slipped between the trees and vanished. Walt gazed after him for a moment before making his way toward the entrance, his glittering yellow eyes the only thing visible against the snow.      Chapter Two  “What a mess.”   Paws on her hips, Peck surveyed the entrance to the opening celebrations. The beautiful ice sculpture of Mira that she and Sir Gilbert had been so excited about was now just a puddle of gray slush. Discarded noisemakers and whistles were scattered all over the wet ground, along with plenty of confetti. Next to Peck, Graham scratched his head.   “I could probably build something to clean this up quickly,” he said, peering around through his goggles. “Some sort of super cooler to freeze this puddle, trapping the trash inside. Then we could just lift up the ice and dispose of it all in one go.”   “That’s a good idea,” Peck told him. “But first, let’s take a look around. Maybe we can find a clue that’ll tell us how this happened—and who’s responsible.”   The two Alphas inspected the entrance. Peck checked under some bushes and sighed.   “Nothing here . . . Oh, hang on!”   A few feet away, something round and purple stuck out of a mound of snow. Peck hurried over to take a closer look.   “A handle,” she murmured, brushing a bit of frost away. “Wait a minute, I know what this is . . .”   Peck grabbed the handle and pulled a giant, heavy pitcher from the snow. Then she spotted another one beneath it. “Graham!” she called. “Do you recognize these?”   A moment later, Graham joined her. “Yes, yes indeed,” the monkey Alpha said, pushing his goggles up to the top of his head. “Pitchers from the Hot Cocoa Hut!”   “That’s what I thought,” Peck said, pulling out a second pitcher. “Two . . . three . . . there’s gotta be at least a dozen here! And it almost looks like someone tried to bury them.”   “Or maybe a few animals just brought some hot cocoa to the opening celebrations and forgot the pitchers when they fled.” Tilting his head back, Graham squinted up at the tall pine trees. “Those branches are holding a lot of snow. Some could’ve fallen on them.”   “True.” Peck handed the first pitcher to Graham. “Still, they might be evidence. I think we should see what the other Alphas think.”   When Peck turned around, she heard a light rustling sound in the bushes. A bit of movement caught her eye—a white tail, almost invisible against the snowy backdrop, whipping around a tree trunk.   Peck stepped forward. “Artie?” she called. “Is that you? You can come out—there aren’t any Phantoms, it’s perfectly safe!”   There was no response. Peck and Graham looked at each other, frowning.   “Everyone’s a bit spooked,” Peck said at last. “I hope Liza and the others were able to calm them down.”   Graham nodded. “Let’s get back to Alphas Hollow and find out.”       Read more
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