Page 32 of Searching for Thanksgiving

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The sounds of laughter echoed loudly along the narrow canyon walls as the bright pink raft bobbed in the current. James had taken over guiding the raft. He had gone on and on about currents, rocks, funneling, and other stuff that made Morah’s head hurt until she ordered him to pilot the craft.

She wasn’t sure that was a good idea after Leo talked him into bouncing off some of the rocks so that they could spin like a top. When Pearl turned a delicate shade of green, Morah threatened to throw both boys into the water if they did it again. James sheepishly kept the raft in the center of the river after that.

“This is almost as much fun as flying,” Hope said, trailing her fingers in the water.

“Yeah, and we don’t have to blow hot air,” James agreed.

He laid back against the soft side of the raft and stared up at the canyon walls. Morah scooted over when he stretched his legs out and wiggled his feet. Her eyes narrowed on Leo when he got a mischievous grin on his face and shifted into his cat form.

“Leo, you better nots put your claws into the raft,” Morah growled when he began to bounce up and down.

Leo gave her a sharp-tooth grin, sat, and lifted his front paw up. Morah growled again when he slowly extended his claws. She sat up and glared at him. He snickered at her, as if daring her to do something.

I roast his tail again? her dragon suggested.

We can’t. Remember what Alice said, she silently groaned.

Alice not know.

Morah was about to agree when the raft hit a rough spot in the river. She had been so focused on Leo that she hadn’t noticed that they were moving faster. Her eyes widened with dismay when Leo was thrown forward. The hiss of air from where his claws pierced the raft was drowned out by James yelling.

“Holds on! We’ve gots rapids!” James warned.

“We’ve gots holes!” Pearl snapped.

“Quicks, puts your hands over it,” Sacha suggested.

“It’s not working,” Pearl replied, frantically trying to cover the holes. Water gushed into the bottom of the raft. “Sacha, help me!”

“Maybe if Leo puts his claws back in it will stop the air,” Hope suggested, gripping the side of the raft as it rocked.

“No! That’s only going to make it worse,” Morah cried out when Leo did as Hope suggested.

Leo bounced up and down. The hissing grew louder as every time he landed, he poked new holes in the bottom of the raft. Sacha fell across him on his third bounce.

“Buttercup, covers the holes,” Morah shouted above the roar of the water.

“Holds on, everybodys,” James yelled.

“Why… oh!” Sacha hissed.

Startled shouts and squeals rang out as the raft tilted forward before plummeting over a short waterfall. Morah clung with one hand to the side of the raft and the other to Hope who was laughing and squealing with delight. The raft twirled in a circle before going over a second, shorter waterfall.

“Here comes another ones,” James warned.

Morah was glad the symbiots had formed life vests around each of them when they went over the last waterfall. By then, the bottom of the raft had filled with water. As the raft tilted, it caught on a rock and sent the lot of them into the water. Morah held her breath as her head went under the water for a brief moment before she popped up. Beside her, Hope appeared, turning in a slow circle in the water. James floated by them, clinging to the nearly deflated pink raft.

Morah frantically searched for Sacha, Pearl, and Leo. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the three had shifted into their cat forms and were paddling towards shore. She reached out when she saw the knapsack floating by her and snagged it.

“That was fun!” Hope exclaimed with a grin.

“It was like the ride at the amusement park Mom made,” James agreed, reaching a hand out to pull Hope onto the over-turned raft.

“You two are crazy,” Morah replied, shifting enough to form her tail.

She swiped her tail back and forth, propelling herself toward the shore where Sacha, Pearl, and Leo were now shaking from head-to-tail in an effort to dry off. James ordered Prime to push himself and Hope to shore. The second her feet touched the rocky bottom, Morah tossed the knapsack to the shore and shifted. With a loud growl, she charged Leo.

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