The girls stood silently as the golden dog walked slowly towards them. Megan and Freya looked at each other in amazement. Soon Buttercup was standing right in front of them.

‘Buttercup,’ said Freya. ‘Is it really you?’

But she knew it was, and Megan knew too. Buttercup looked straight at Megan then.

‘He’s going to help us,’ said Megan, turning to Freya. ‘He’s going to help us get home. Oh, I’m so glad you’re here,’ she said to Buttercup, suddenly feeling a whole lot better. ‘I thought we were lost forever.’

Buttercup looked steadily at Megan for a moment, and Megan understood what he was thinking, just as she’d understood Dorothy.

‘That’s what they’re here for,’ Megan said.

‘What do you mean?’ said Freya.

‘Buttercup, Dorothy and the mice,’ said Megan, a big smile lighting up her face. ‘They’re here to protect us.’

‘To protect us?’ said Freya. ‘Like when they helped Granny and Jonathon?’

‘Exactly!’ said Megan, nodding. And Buttercup seemed to nod too.

Buttercup turned around then, and stood between the two girls. Freya looked puzzled.

‘He wants to lead us out,’ said Megan. ‘He wants us to hold on to his coat.’

So the girls held on to Buttercup’s soft coat as he started to walk back through the wood. They didn’t know where they were going, but they just knew that Buttercup was leading them to safety.

Before long, they were out in the open again. The sky was really dark and it was threatening to rain again, but Buttercup stopped and looked straight at Freya.

‘I think he wants us to wait here,’ said Freya.

The girls smiled at each other. Somehow, they both seemed to be able to understand him. Buttercup walked away from them, sniffing the ground. Then, he turned and walked back towards them. Hanging from his mouth was Freya’s missing friendship bracelet.

‘My bracelet!’ gasped Freya. ‘Oh, thank you.’

Freya took the bracelet from Buttercup’s soft mouth and gave him an enormous hug. Then the girls walked on either side of Buttercup as he led them back through the field, and as they walked, they stroked his soft, warm head.

It wasn’t long before the small bridge was in sight. Then Buttercup stopped, looking up at Megan.

‘I think he needs to leave now,’ Megan said to Freya.

‘Will we see you again?’ Freya asked, reaching out to stroke him.

Buttercup turned to Freya and nuzzled his nose in the palm of her hand.

‘I hope we do,’ said Megan.

‘Me too,’ said Freya.

Then Buttercup turned and moved towards the wood. Just at that moment, they felt the first drop of rain. The girls watched as Buttercup sped up, his golden coat blowing in the breeze. He stopped at the edge of the wood and turned to look at them, then disappeared into the trees.

‘Come on, let’s go,’ said Freya. ‘Before we get soaked.’

She grabbed hold of Megan’s hand and they raced across the little bridge. Just as they reached the other side, they saw Freya’s mum come out of the house. She waved to them as they ran up the garden.

‘I was looking for you,’ she called. ‘Where on earth did you get to?’

‘We went to look for this,’ said Freya, holding up her wrist with her friendship bracelet on.

‘Come on, quick,’ said Freya’s mum, grabbing the girls’ hands and running with them back into the house as the rain came down in big drops.

‘Do you want a flapjack?’ she asked them, as they stepped into the kitchen and out of the rain. ‘They’ve just come out of the oven.’

‘Ooh, yes please,’ said Freya. ‘I bet these are even yummier than Granny’s shortbread.’

Later, when Megan was tucked up in bed, she thought about what an amazing few days she’d had. Here she was, living in a big house and there was a big fluffy dog too, just like in the game she used to play in her head. She could hardly believe the exciting things that had happened since she had moved to Buttercup House. And today, seeing Buttercup and him helping them, had been wonderful.

Megan thought about how Buttercup had looked at her and how she had known then that the animals were protecting them. Suddenly, she realised something. Each of the animals was good at something. The mice helped children remember, Dorothy stopped them from feeling lonely and warned them about hidden dangers, and Buttercup was good at finding things. After all, he’d found Freya’s bracelet and helped them find their way out of the wood. Then she realised something else that Buttercup was good at. He was good at being kind and understanding. Megan felt as if she could ask his help for anything and that he wouldn’t mind at all.

As she drifted off to sleep, Megan thought about the animals. Our very own protectors, she thought.