High, high up where the stars go to sleep, lives a ninja girl named Shiki. Shiki is very special. She has soft, silver cat ears that twitchâtwitch, twitchâat every sound. She has a long, silver tail with a white tip that goes swish-swish as she walks. On her forehead, she wears a shiny metal band with a circle of black and white. Shiki is fast, Shiki is quiet, and Shiki is very, very kind.
One night, the air smelled like sweet flowers. Shiki sat on a fluffy cloud, listening. SuddenlyâPip! Pip! Pip!âa tiny sound came from the Cloud Maze. Can you hear that? Pip! Pip! It was a sad little sound. Shiki stood on her tippy-toes and leaped. Whoosh! She flew through the air and landed softly, like a little feather, right inside the maze of colors.
There, sitting on a cloud as pink as a strawberry, was a little Panda Cub. He was small, round, and very, very fuzzy. He had big, sad eyes because he was lost. He had chased a sparkly moon-butterfly too far! Oh no! The Panda Cub tried to walk, but the blue clouds went Boing! Boing! and he tumbled over his own paws. Puf! He landed on his tummy. Shiki knelt down and patted his soft head. 'Don't worry, little Panda,' she whispered. 'My cat-senses will lead us home.'
Shiki closed her eyes. She used her big, mismatched amber and sapphire eyes to see through the mist. She used her silver ears to listen. Somewhere far away, a deep sound was echoing. Mmmmmm. Mmmmmm. It was the Mother Panda calling! 'Do you hear that?' Shiki asked the cub. 'Mmmmmm.' The Panda Cub perked up his ears. But the maze was tricky! The pink clouds smelled so good, and the blue clouds were so bouncy. Which way should they go?
Shikiâs silver forehead protector began to glow with a soft, warm light. It showed them the Middle Wayâthe path that was not too bouncy and not too slippery. Shiki took the Panda Cubâs paw. Step, step, jump! They hopped over a purple cloud. Slide, slide, wheee! They went down a silver mist-slide. Shiki was so brave and so fast, making sure the little cub stayed safe. Whenever the cub got tired, Shiki would ć a little ninja dance to make him giggle.
The Mother Pandaâs voice got louder. MMMMMM! Suddenly, the colorful clouds opened up like a big hug. There was the Mother Panda in a forest of soft, green bamboo clouds. The little cub ran as fast as his short legs could go. Waddle, waddle, waddleâHUG! He was safe. The Mother Panda looked at Shiki and gave a slow, happy nod.
Shiki felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart, just like a bowl of warm milk. She had used her ninja powers to help a friend. The moon was bright, the clouds were soft, and everyone was sleepy. Shiki curled up her long, silver tail, tucked in her paws, and went to sleep under the stars. And thatâs how it all turned out just right.