The Quest for Sniffleleaf

By Nithya Karambakkam

Jungle is a wonderful city, home to all sorts of animals. But when a terrible virus strikes, endangering many, it is up to four specially selected animals to venture out to the Island of Magic and find the cure. But can they overcome the obstacles on the journey? It's up to Furry the wolf and his friends Paige, Eucalyptus, and his sort-of-nemesi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Society of Young Inklings, Inc
• Release date: Aug 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781956380200

Book preview

1.png

THE

Quest for

Sniffleleaf

Nithya Karambakkam

Dedicated to T

Contents

Hot Chocolate AND Secret Passageways

The Contest

Morse Code and Toothpicks

Unicorn Celebrity

Forgotten Warnings

Cats Totally Love Water

Making Basketball Hoops

Minty Detests Tomatoes

Magic, Of Course

A Certain Unicorn Ruins Everything

The Frondosus Athenaeum

Plantbubbles, Not Greenhouses

Brilly Commands Respect

Sniffleleaf At Last

About the Author

CHAPTER ONE

Hot Chocolate AND Secret Passageways

Furry wove through the city of Jungle, his yellow shoes clacking against the cobblestone streets. Hang gliders piloted by birds soared in the sky. Buses honked and pedestrians got in each others’ way. He knew this place like the back of the paw. Or perhaps it would be better to say that Furry knew this place like his favorite T-shirt, since how well do wolves really know the backs of their paws? He stopped, spotting the red-and-white awning of a hot chocolate stand. It was late fall, not too long until winter, and fiery orange leaves drifted through the air. Furry glanced at the sign. The menu offered five types of hot chocolate! Peppermint chunk, ice cream float, 100% dark chocolate cacao, orange-flavored, and classic hot chocolate.

This must be a new stall, Furry thought. That or they’ve expanded their flavors. He turned to the animal at the counter.

I’ll get the classic, please.

The friendly-looking elephant at the counter smiled. He wore fancy purple boots and a matching velvet wizard’s hat. We have a lot of great flavors, but I agree with you on this one. Classic might just be the best. Hey, I never introduced myself. How very impolite of me! I’m Eucalyptus Elephant. What’s your—?

Oh, my name is Furry Wolf! It’s nice to meet you, Eucalyptus! Say, do you eat eucalyptus leaves?

Why, all the time! he responded with a grin.

A ding sounded as the hot chocolate came out of the microwave, interrupting their chat. Carefully, Eucalyptus lifted the cup out and handed it to Furry. Furry beamed, showing all his white teeth.

That will be one Sunshine, five Leafys.

That meant one gold coin, five bronze. The animal currency used coins—bronze, silver, and gold ones. Gold coins were Sunshines, bronze coins were Leafys, and silver coins were Faunas. Twenty-three Faunas equaled one Leafy, and twenty Leafys equaled one Sunshine. The conversion was a simple one that everyone in Jungle had memorized.

Furry rummaged in the pocket of his blue jacket, extracting a pouch full of coins. It was gray-blue and made of a stretchy, durable material. He handed Eucalyptus the coins.

Would you like a receipt, sir?

Yes, please.

Eucalyptus punched something into the cash register. It made a whirring sound.

While he waited for the receipt, Eucalyptus said, Take care of yourself. I hear there’s a nasty virus going around. Lilac flu, I think it’s called? I don’t know the specifics. Anyway, be careful.

Furry promised.

Finally, a small piece of leaf paper popped out of the cash register. The animals of Jungle were environmentally friendly, so they didn’t use trees. Instead, paper was made from fallen leaves. Everyone liked how the leaf paper looked in fall. The leaves were a variety of colors, so the paper was too. Furry’s receipt was a smooth gradient of plum purple and deep orange-red. He thanked the friendly elephant, then headed out into the cold.

The steaming cup of hot chocolate left trails of white vapor in the cold evening air. Furry bounded up the sidewalk, occasionally saying, Excuse me! Watch out! to the other pedestrians. He finally came to 123 Wolf Lane.

The house had sprawling lawns and a grand gate. It was painted bright yellow and lime green. It had a flat roof with a transparent dome on top; the night sky viewing dome. The Wolf family loved to go up there and practice their wolf opera skills, or gaze at the thousands of tiny stars that dotted the dark blue sky like diamonds.

The golden gate gleamed in the sun. Furry shielded his eyes from the glare. On the right side of the gate, a polished bronze doorbell was attached. Hammered into the gate were intricate swirling patterns. To the untrained eye they might just seem decorative, but Furry knew better. He inserted his key, a carved metal stick, into the second biggest swirl on the far left. It had a miniscule hole, invisible from a distance. Furry turned the key left, then right, then left, then a full circle. There was a clicking sound. The gate didn’t swing open. Instead, a metal chute rose up from the ground. Furry leaped into it. After a ride full of twisting turns and loop-de-loops, he was deposited in his room. Furry got to his feet and brushed a little bit of mud off his blue-gray fur.

When Furry was five, he badly wanted a secret passageway to take him to his room. It’s boring going in by the gate! I want to have fun! I don’t want to be bored! Being bored is boring!

So his parents installed a secret passageway for him. It became a project, every summer, for Furry to build some sort of secret passageway or hidden feature in his room. One summer, a zipline activated by answering a riddle... another time, a slide in his closet that dropped him in the pool. Furry loved all of his secret passageways. He even made a map of them each year and hung it on his wall.

Furry clambered onto the mint green ladder that extended from his bed. One year, he had hidden the ladder, but put it back in sight after the time he couldn’t remember how to make it appear and had to sleep on the floor. He flopped onto the messy bed. There was a pattern of lollipops on the warm yellow blanket, and the sheets were a bright shade of purple. His pillow matched his blanket. Furry looked around the room. His bookcase, full of colorful volumes, stood in a corner. His desk, painted a bright purple, jutted out slightly from under the bed. A potted plant stood near the window, absorbing the warm rays of light. Furry dropped straight down off his bed, landing perfectly on his desk.

Better tackle some homework, then, Furry said to himself.

He giggled as he imagined tackling a big piece of paper that looked like his homework.

Furry worked for an hour, then got bored. He decided to visit the library.

Stepping into the cold air, Furry began the short walk to Jungle Library. One of the biggest libraries in the world, Jungle Library was known for its large, spacious rooms, and amazing number of books. The library was three stories tall, dwarfed by the tall and old trees around it. Furry’s favorite room was the Leaf Room, on the second story. He jogged the rest of the way to the library, eager to get out of the cold. His friend, Librarian Dolphin, waved Furry over as he came in. Dolphin sat on a swivel chair behind the glossy wooden desk, a sign attached to it proclaiming CHECK-IN DESK.

Furry! Long time no see!

Yes. I’m very excited to be in the library. I heard you remodeled?

Yes, we did! Oh, it’s amazing! Let me give you a badge and then you can go on over there. Oh, and here, have a purplecorn, Librarian Dolphin said.

Accepting the badge that the librarian gave him, Furry reached out and took a purplecorn from the small platter on the polished wooden desk. He bit into it, savoring the smushy, slightly sweet taste. Purplecorn was a nice treat. It was a coin-sized, teardrop-shaped kernel of corn, colored purple. It was usually filled with some sort of jam. Today it was blackberry. Furry wolfed it down with enthusiasm.

Since the Leaf Room was very old, with lots of valuable books, animals had to request badges to go inside.

The library did not fail to amaze. Shelves upon shelves of books filled the air with a pleasant leafy, papery smell. Cozy, overstuffed armchairs stood in every corner. A big, finely carved cuckoo clock hung on the wall. And of course, more books covered the ceiling. Those were anchored by something called a floating shelf, which was bolted to the ceiling. What a truly mesmerizing contraption. Pulleys and levers were positioned on the wall, right below it. Furry pictured himself lowering the shelf down, using the pulley. It gave him a thrill. Using it was so much fun. But only the lightest books went on the floating shelves, for fear of the whole thing falling down. Furry settled down in a green armchair, noticing something that hadn’t been there the last time he’d come to the library. A white poster, standing out against the pastel walls. It read, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF VIRUS GOING AROUND JUNGLE: PERICULUM ANIMALIA IS CONTAGIOUS AND CAN BE DANGEROUS.

Furry blinked. The virus again. It must be a pretty serious situation.

Furry sounded out the word. Perry-ku-loom ani-mah-lia.

Excuse me, can I sit here? asked an orange tabby cat, motioning to the fluffy purple chair next to Furry’s. "Also, it’s actually peri-cue-lum ani-mah-lia. Just saying. Emphasis on the peri. And it’s called lilac flu for short. Otherwise it would’ve taken much too long to say."

Of course! Furry replied, smiling.

The cat sat down and opened her thick paperback, adjusting her