Free Ozette's Destiny by Judy Pierce Page A

head. She sniffed and smelled jumbledberry scones. Cassady looked up quizzically and saw Ozette leaning out of her nest, throwing what appeared to be her entire food stash down to the ground below. Out went half of a neener-neener supreme, some walnutto wafers and her store of pecanettes that Oliver had baked. Cassady snarfed down every morsel, feeling only a little guilty.
    “Pink blob, harrumph!” Ozette muttered. “I’ll show them. I won’t come out of my nest until I’m thin as a twig.” Ozette stuffed leaves into her doorway so no one would disturb her and, ignoring her growling stomach, fell asleep.
    She woke early the next morning to the sound of whispering outside her nest. She tossed aside the leaves and stuck out her head to find four of her best squirrel-girl friends – Daphne, Zoe, Luna and Nissa – perched on her branch.
    “Go away. I’m staying in my nest until I’m not a pink blob,” she said crossly.
    Daphne held out her paw kindly. “Come with us, Ozette.” Ozette shook her head. Daphne grabbed Ozette’s paw and pulled her out of her nest. “This is important and will just take a minute.”
    Ozette reluctantly climbed down her tree with the squirrels, who then led her to a pond.
    “Look at us, Ozette,” Daphne ordered.
    Ozette looked at the four squirrels and shrugged her shoulders.
    “Are we blobs?” Zoe asked.
    “Of course not. You’ve normal squirrelly shapes, with lots of muscle from climbing. You look great,” she said.
    “Look in the pond, Ozette,” Luna ordered.
    Ozette stared at her reflection. “So what?” Ozette asked, noticing she was still pink.
    “Look at your shape, Ozette,” Daphne said. “Compare it with ours.”
    Ozette peered into the pond. She bit her lip. “Why, I look the same size as you! In fact, I’m thinner than you, Daphne,” she exclaimed. “I just overreacted at the magpie’s words, but realize now that she didn’t mean to be hurtful. All of us squirrels need a little extra cushion and muscle, and you are right…we all look just fine! OK, so I’m not a blob. But I am definitely pink!” she sighed. “I can’t go to the Spring Fling pink! We’ll just have to call it off,” she said sadly, wondering how canceling her coronation would affect her destiny.
    “No way, Ozette,” Luna said determinedly. “We’re looking forward to your coronation. Besides, we want you to be our queen because of who you are on the inside, not the color of your fur or your shape.”
    They bid farewell to Ozette, who started home in a much better mood. When she reached her tree, Ozette saw a bespectacled black magpie perched on a limb.
    “Hi Ozette. Do you recognize me?” she chirped.
    Ozette pursed her lips and cocked her head. There was something vaguely familiar about her visitor, although she had never seen a bird with glasses before.
    “I wanted to come by and formally introduce myself since we didn’t have the greatest start,” the bird said, politely. “I’m Melanie Magpie. My family has been begging me for months to get spectacles. After thoughtlessly mistaking you for a pink, um, blob of cotton candy, I decided they were right and I got a pair. Now I can see you clearly. And what a lovely pink squirrel you are!”
    “Thank you, Melanie,” Ozette said, bowing graciously. After all, she still had the same forgiving heart underneath her new pink fur. “Please do come to the Spring Fling, if I still decide to have it.”
    Melanie’s beak snapped open in surprise. “If? If? You must have the Spring Fling. We’re all counting on it.”
    Just then, Ariel landed on Ozette’s tree, fluttering her violet wings excitedly. She looked quite pleased with herself and eager to share news.
    “I think I found a solution. After you took off, I flew back to Princess Abrianna’s cottage. She thinks she can concoct an herbal tincture that will not only make your fur white again, but will also condition it, make it soft and a bunch of other stuff. She’s never