Chapter 7
A Helping Hand
Tom meets Tayler, a cheerful squirrel, who offers to help him search. Tayler's energy is a contrast to Tom's steady pace, but his loyalty is clear.
The world felt… different. Tom the turtle, with his usually calm heart thumping a nervous beat against his shell, blinked slowly. The familiar scent of damp earth and sweet clover was there, but it was mixed with something new, something wild. He was on his own, the path ahead as murky as the puddles that still dotted the meadow. He missed Lily’s bright red shell, her quick wit, her reassuring buzz. He missed their little nook by the whispering reeds. He missed everything.
Just as a heavy sigh threatened to escape him, a flash of bushy tail and a blur of brown fur zipped past. Tom flinched, his head retracting slightly into his sturdy shell. The blur stopped, and a pair of bright, curious eyes peered at him from a small, energetic squirrel.
"Whoa there, slowpoke!" the squirrel chattered, his voice a rapid-fire series of chirps and squeaks. "Didn't see you hiding there. You look a bit… lost."
Keep reading "A Helping Hand"
The full chapter is in the AIBookCraft app — free to read, with your spot saved.
Free on iOS & Android · No signup to read