Katie and the Snow Babies Read Free Page A

He held himself straight and quivered with pride.
    â€œNo one has any power over what happens in Walrus Point except the Chief Walrus,” he declared, banging his flipper down hard on the frosted ice.
    â€œBut if we don’t get the snow diamonds back, the whole of Ice Kingdom will melt—yes, even Walrus Point!” said Poppy angrily, swimming in front of the other mermaids. She stared up fearlessly into the Chief Walrus’s stern face. “And it’s no good pretending that it won’t happen.”
    Becky and Megan gasped and heldhands in the water as Katie looked around at her friends with worried eyes. The walruses would never help them with the clue if Poppy annoyed their leader! But Katie knew in her heart that what Poppy said was right. The Chief Walrus, however, didn’t like it one little bit.
    â€œHow dare you speak to me in this way?” Ulrick glared, his whiskers shaking with disbelief.
    â€œBecause it’s the truth,” Poppy declared.
    Katie swam right up to the ice edge, took a deep breath, and said, “Poppy doesn’t mean to be disrespectful, sir. I’m afraid she is right about the diamonds. Finn told us you were wise and would know what to do …”

    But she never got the chance to finish her sentence. Ulrick rose up on his flippers and his face grew dark with rage.
    â€œFinn?” he bellowed. “You have spoken to that no-good polar bear? Well, you foolish young creatures, let me tell you that any friend of Finn is no friend of mine. Be off with you at once, and take your silly tales of melting icebergs with you!”
    He turned and waddled slowly away from the ice edge, turning his back on the shocked mermaids.

    Everything was going very wrong, thought Katie. She had to do something—and she had to do it quickly.
    With a sharp flick of her lemon-colored tail, Katie pulled herself out of the sea and onto the ice.
    â€œLord Ulrick! Please wait,” she gasped. The others quickly followed her onto the frosty bluff. But at that moment, the mermaids heard a sudden noise of wailing and crying. It was coming from where the mother walruses were huddled together on the flat stretches of ice.
    â€œCaspar! Oh, my lovely son, Caspar,” sobbed a plump mother walrus as she scrambled clumsily over the ice toward Ulrick. The Chief Walrus spun his heavy head around toward her.
    â€œWhy are you weeping, Inga, my daughter?” he asked anxiously. “What has happened to my dear grandson, Caspar?”
    Inga paused and hid her face with her front flipper.
    â€œMy baby has gone,” she cried. “We can’t find him anywhere!”
    The Chief Walrus’s face seemed to grow haggard in front of the mermaids’ eyes.
    â€œG-g-gone,” he stammered. “What do you mean?”

    Then a rough, growly voice called out in answer from the sea, “I can tell you, if you will listen.”
    Katie, the other mermaids, and all the walrus folk swung around to see who was speaking. Paddling furiously through the waves toward the ice’s edge was a large, wet polar bear. It was Finn. He soon heaved himself out of the water and onto the ice, shaking his furry coat and scattering rainbow drops everywhere. Then he looked into Ulrick’s dark eyes and spoke.
    â€œOur babies—they’re both missing.” Finn sighed heavily. “Your Caspar and my Max!”

Chapter Four
    Katie listened in shock as deep cries of concern echoed around the walrus folk. Ulrick stared at the father polar bear with confusion. “H-h-how can this be?” he stuttered.
    Finn sat down wearily. “Max and I had been talking with these brave mermaids,” he explained. “Then we set off across the ice to go home. Max was dashing aroundand playing as usual. But when I reached our lair he wasn’t with me anymore. His mother is sick with worry.”
    â€œAnd Caspar has gone from our home, too,” cried Inga.
    Katie thought