Read Online The Guardian Herd by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez - Free Book Online Page A

moment.”
    The two touched down, and Frostfire continued. “Your starfire forms a shield, like a tortoise shell, right? It protects you. Maybe your starfire can mimic other animal abilities, like maybe you can camouflage yourself.”
    â€œMaybe, but I don’t know how I discovered the shield. It just appeared when Stormtail was about to kill me.”
    â€œThat’s what I’ve been saying, Star. When you’re threatened, your starfire helps defend you. Here, I’ll attack you, and let’s see what happens.”
    Star didn’t like the sound of that.
    Frostfire trotted away and then returned with a wingful of fallen pineapples. “I’m going to throw them at you.”
    â€œWha—”
    Frostfire swooped up the hard fruit and threw them at Star, one after the other.
    Star blocked with his wings, growing angry. “Stop! This isn’t working.”
    â€œDon’t use your voice. Use your power.”
    Star sprang his shield, and the pineapples bounced off it.
    â€œNot that power,” neighed Frostfire.
    Star clenched his jaw and retracted the shield. Frostfire tossed the spiny pineapples at him tirelessly, and thesharper ones cut Star’s hide. “I don’t feel threatened,” grumbled Star. “I feel stupid.”
    â€œBecause you’re letting me attack you,” Frostfire neighed, also growing frustrated. “Defend yourself. Try to disappear, like those lizards that change color.”
    Star’s mind drifted into his body, searching through his powers—not the healing fire, not the hard shield—surely there were more. He closed his eyes, remembering how he’d allowed his shield to project. The power had always been there, just awaiting his permission to spring around him.
    A pineapple smashed into his jaw, making it throb. This had to stop.
    Star opened his eyes, fanned his golden embers of starfire, and then imagined blending into the forest so well that he couldn’t be seen. His starfire crackled and then shut around him, like a thousand flower petals closing.
    Frostfire paused in midthrow. “You did it!”
    Star glanced at himself, but he looked the same; his hide was still black, not camouflaged green like the plants behind him. “No. Nothing’s changed,” he said.
    Frostfire dropped his wingful of pineapples andswallowed hard. “Not true.” Frostfire stared in Star’s direction, his eyes bulging. “You didn’t change color, but you . . . vanished.”
    â€œWhat?” Star spread his wings, examining his black feathers. “I didn’t vanish; I can see myself.”
    â€œBut I can’t see you,” said Frostfire. “Try to retract the power.”
    Star did.
    â€œYou’re back,” nickered Frostfire. “Now I can see you again.”
    â€œMy starfire is getting easier to control,” said Star, astonished. “You were right. These powers have been there all along. I just have to let them work.”
    The sun turned from bright yellow to soft orange, and Star grew anxious for Morningleaf. “This is good, helpful, but we need to catch up to Nightwing. Let’s go.”
    â€œAll right, but we should at least check the Jungle Herd nesting ground first,” said Frostfire. “Survivors may be hiding there.”
    Star followed Frostfire back to the nesting grounds, where the white stallion banked and swooped over the uppermost leaves, cruising above hundreds of pegasi nests. “They’re empty,” said Star, feeling anxious.
    â€œLook,” whinnied Frostfire as he circled lower. “It’s Spiderwing’s old nest. I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it.”
    Star looked and saw a nest that was burned black. Everything else around it was green. “How do you know it’s his?”
    â€œSee there?” said Frostfire, nodding toward a thick rim of charred flowers, feathers, shells, and shiny