Chapter Eight - The Wind Changes

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Wind Changes

THE HIGHER PIP and Bumble climbed, the stranger the air became.
The soft breeze that had guided them gently up the mountain suddenly shifted.

WHOOOOOOSH!

The wind howled with wild energy, swirling and whipping around them like an invisible dragon.
It tugged at Pip, spinning him in tiny circles.
It flipped Bumble’s ears inside out.

“Okay, okay, this wind needs to chill!” Bumble shouted as he grabbed onto a rock.
Pip squinted into the blinding gusts.

Out of the swirling mist came a voice, soft but firm.
“Who do you think you are?”

Pip froze.
The voice didn’t come from the mountain, or the trees, or even the clouds.
It came from… inside.

The wind swirled again.
“You’re just a tiny pebble. You don’t belong up here. Turn back.”

Pip shook.
Maybe the wind was right. Maybe he really was too small for this.

But then… Bumble’s fuzzy paw rested on his side.
“Hey, Pip… remember what the Keeper said?”

Pip breathed deeply.
“I’m never too small to keep climbing.”

The wind howled louder, as if angered by his courage.
“You’ll never make it!”

Pip planted himself firmly on the glowing staircase.
“I already have.”

With that, the wild winds softened.
The howling turned to a gentle breeze once more.
The path ahead became clear.

Bumble smirked.
“Nice job, little rockstar.”

Pip smiled, feeling lighter than ever.
The final steps to the top awaited.
The last twist… the ultimate secret… was just ahead.