Kate had gotten so used to animals talking politely that she’d almost forgotten they were wild creatures. They weren’t tame. They weren’t safe. The boar strained at the doors to get at her. He tossed his head viciously, with those tusks, and Kate cowered back even farther. She’d thought she wanted this—she’d thought she wanted an adventure—but she hadn’t thought at all about how scary it would be! She hadn’t thought about the fact that when you were in it, you didn’t know how it would end! For all you knew you could end up gored and trampled by an angry boar far from home and never see your parents again—

“What on earth do you think you’re doing? Get your fat head out of those doors!”

The voice came from behind Kate.

Kate didn’t dare take her eyes off the boar. But as she watched, an incredible thing happened to him. The boar’s little eyes went as wide as they could go, and his huge, snorting face showed an expression Kate hadn’t thought it was capable of.

It was fear. Kate risked a glance behind her. The voice belonged to the porcupine.

His black-and-white danger-striped quills were rattling and sticking up from his body in a huge, ridiculous ruff. It was like a deadly case of bedhead. He was rude, and sulky, and thoroughly unpleasant, and Kate had never been so glad to see anyone in her whole life.

The porcupine took a step forward. The boar took a step backward—and Kate slammed the doors shut in his big, fat face.

The engine chuffed. The train pulled out of the station. Kate’s knees felt weak. She sank down onto the floor.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

“I did not want him on this train!” She hugged herself.

“You were right,” the porcupine said. “He didn’t belong here.”

The porcupine’s quills were lying back down. He must be able to control them, she thought.

“I’m just glad I didn’t have to quill him,” he said, perfectly calmly. “Takes weeks to grow back a good quill.”

“Does it hurt? When you use one?”

“A little. Like having a hair pulled out. Now, why don’t you come with me to the dining car? You look pale. I’ll bet you haven’t had any lunch.”

13

The Station That Wasn’t There

WHEN KATE GOT TO THE DINING CAR, SHE WAS AMAZED to see the other animals from the library—the fishing cat, the green snake, and the heron—all sitting around a table together, chatting away like old friends. Apparently they’d bonded over the baby pangolin.

He was still asleep, but they’d made a nest for him in a fruit bowl. They were cooing over him and taking turns stroking him.

“Everything all right?” the heron said.