Tag: fantasy

Today we set sail… again!

Wiwohka6 Comments

Ok! Once again, we’re all loaded onto the ship and ready to set sail for distant shores. All that is, except for young Henry, the very mouse that we sailed all the way up the river to locate. Why? Well, young Henry has responsibilities to his aging parents that require him to remain at home. Before you start worrying that Tilly will be broken hearted, Brutus saved the day, once again. He’s given Tilly his word that whenever she wants to go and spend time with Henry and his family, Brutus will fly her home and stay til she’s ready to come back. See… problem solved!

Do you know that it’s taken all day to get ready for leaving port, just so that all the babes could pick out their best sailing outfits? I’m not joking! The worst of them was Eustace and Bailey, which I never expected. It’s all about the shoes, according to those two…

I advised Eustace that his choice of enormous backpack and fur lined flip flops would most assuredly cause him to loose his balance and end up over the side of the ship, so we compromised…

Much better!

Now Bailey was more about dressing like a lady, than wearing something that might give off the wrong impression at some port that we visit…

I warned her that she might be mistaken for a caravan belly dancer with these sandals.

As I am Baileys mamma, so to speak, it’s my job to protect her reputation. I like these shoes, because she looks well insulated…

She threatened to stay home, so we had to agree on something we both felt happy with…

There, she can show a little bit of toe… but no more than that and absolutely no ankle showing!

The rest of the babes chose their own outfits and I didn’t even have to say much, at all!

Since we’ve been aboard our ship, Squagon has taken to stretching his ears up into his horns. I know that he looks up to Brutus and all, but I don’t want him to grow up too fast, you know? When I asked him to tone it down a bit, he was quick to adjust them…

Awwwww…. now, there’s my sweet boy!

What is the deal with all the fancy ankle cuffs… sheesha!

Nugget’s favorite snack is honey, so you can see what the problem might be.

While I think the outfit is absolutely adorable… still not gonna work with sticky fingers.

I know it takes more work to keep the hat on, but that’s what ears are for, so it’ll do. Once we settled on the hat, it was easy to get Nugget to lose the sleeves.

Lilly didn’t want to wear anything at all, aside from the hat…

I didn’t want her to get sunburned, though..

Much better, little lady!

Oh, and Tilly?

She’s gonna be just fine… it’s as if she’s a different mouse, ya know?!

Check out Dinky and Boomer…

They chose each others hats.

Why no shoes? Well, Duh! Dragon’s don’t wear shoes, do they.

Anyway, now that everyone’s finally ready to go, let’s do this!

The first order of business is to determine our course. After that, we’re free to set sail. Where will we go first, you might be wondering? Well, without going into too much detail, what I can tell you is that we have a map. If we can successfully navigate to the correct location marked on the map, there is someone waiting… someone who was left behind, just like our young Henry.

This time, however, we shall be traveling for the sake of another… for my grandson, actually. You see, when his family had to move to a new home, they left someone behind. When we talked about his missing friend, the idea came to me that we should seek the little guy out, because it seemed like the right thing to do. No one should feel alone… no one!

His name is Peanut, and yes, he’s a troll. Please don’t judge the little guy to harshly for being a troll. He’s really sweet, honest!

I’ve actually met him, you know. I spied him one day, hiding in the ditch beside my grandson’s house. He’d been watching the children play in their yard, quietly wishing he might join them… I could see it in his adorable eyes. For a time, I actually passed notes back and forth between my grandson and the tiny troll. I believe that’s where their friendship started.

Anyway, I thought to go in search of the little guy, in hopes of inviting him to stay at the barn. We have tons of room now, what with the barn being renovated and expanded. This way, my grandchildren can come and visit him at the barn whenever they wish. Plus, the lonely little troll will have all the babes for company, as well. No more being alone.

A journey such as this seems fitting for our first voyage, wouldn’t you agree?

Wish us luck…

Barnyard Recovery…

Wiwohka1 Comment

As you already know, we’ve no actual barn to recover. The valley is simply empty of anything recognizable, and with no markings that I can even decipher!

I’ve basically been using Journey With Me’s RV as my shelter, while searching the woods for those lost to us…

It was the only thing I had available that was big enough to fit all the babies found, thus far. If you’re wondering, little Tilly is fully recovered from the shock of spending those nights by herself, alone in the woods. I have to say that all this fresh air has done the mouse a world of good! She bounced back much more quickly than I’d anticipated.

Now, every time I send her off to play in the meadow she looses her coveralls, loosing them somewhere in the grass. This leaves me to wander across the meadow in search of her things. Well, at least she’s covered in fur, so a little dirt won’t hurt her!

I am, however, very glad that I let her run wild! Tilly wandering about in the woods actually paid off! While I was busy searching one part of the forest, it was our tiny little mouse that found another of our lost ones…

Thank the heavens, we’ve recovered little Bailey! She was quite upset when Miss Tilly found her, howling in misery; covered in mud and twigs. Tilly had to work for nearly an hour to coax the puppy out from beneath the old rotted out log that she’d been hiding.

According to Tilly, the place where she’d discovered Bailey was terribly close to a busy road, with cars frequently zooming past at some speed. Gabriel was nowhere to be seen! Before you get upset and think the wrong thing, it’s not that bad, really. I truly believe that Gabriel will be just fine, and I think you’ll agree with me, once I tell you the rest of what Bailey told Tilly…

In tears, the puppy retold of how a car pulled off the road and an older gentleman got out and picked her brother up in his arms, before the puppy could run back into the woods. Then, the man walked back to the car, opening the back door and handing the puppy over to the outstretched hands of a small child. Then the man climbed back into the car, driving off into the night with Gabriel in the back seat. Bailey tried to run after the car, barking as loudly as she was able… but it was hopeless! She lost sight of the car almost immediately, and found herself completely alone in the dark. The frightened puppy was left to climb under an old log for shelter. There, she cried herself to sleep, cold and alone.

If it weren’t for Tilly’s keen eyes and ears, we may never have found the tiny puppy. Since then, she hasn’t left Tilly’s side for even a moment! The two of them formed a deep connection, ever since the mouse brought her back from the woods…

I suppose I should explain the reason that I left Tilly near the RV, rather than taking her with me. I really needed to search for any trace of either Acorn Valley, or Pinion Valley, which meant that I could be gone for hours. Not only that, it’s hard to focus your concerns and efforts on finding one baby, if your busy tending to another one, if that makes any sense. I desperately needed to look for any sign of Squagon, and the only place I thought to start searching was the valley where the little guy was born. I found the river and followed it for a bit, in the hopes that it would at least lead me in the general direction of Acorn Valley… remember, there was a sizeable river that flowed past that the little squirrel’s family home.

My plan worked like I’d hoped, leading me straight past the park where I’d first discovered Squagon’s kin so long ago, it seems. Sadly, the park was empty of any wildlife, including the Raven Brothers who were nowhere to be found! There’s now a walking bridge that goes from the park to the other side of the river, so I followed it across and headed down an old, long forgotten path. After an hour or so of walking, I came upon a small picnic area beside the path, deciding to stop for a rest. Sitting down at one of the tables, I leaned back against it and closed my eyes, listening to the birds singing in the trees, as I breathed deeply of the fragrant air that drifted past my face.

From somewhere in the trees above my head, I heard the sound of something small land on the table beside me, most probably a pinecone, or a branch. When I opened my eyes to see what had fallen from the tree, I nearly fell off the bench in surprise!

What had fallen from the tree above my head was NOT a pinecone, at all!

It was, in fact, a very glad to see me squirrel, who happens to bear the name of SQUAGON!!!

Now, I realize that he looks different than we’re used to seeing, but you have to understand that the little guy has been flying around in the forest, lost and confused, by all that has happened. Apparently, he awoke one morning to find himself there in that tree, looking across the river at Acorn Valley, where he’d been born. When he searched the park and found it empty, the confused squirrel went looking for the barn, only to discover that it too, had disappeared! In a panic, he went in search of Pinion Valley, and the rest of his family. When the little guy found no one, he had no idea what else to do, so he returned to the place where he’d first woken up, weeks earlier. The only thing he knew to do, was wait for me to come for him, as he apparently knew that I would! Huh!

Anyways, at least we can all breath a sigh of relief… now that he’s safely tucked away, back at the camper with the rest of his barn mate’s that have we’ve recovered, so far. It’s been good for them to have each other nearby for comfort and reassurance…

I apologize for Boomer being absent, but he’s still rather grumpy and stand-offish. Something’s been really bothering the dragon, ever since Tilly brought Bailey back to the camp without Gabriel accompanying them, too. All that I can think to do here, is to wait. We’ll have to give him more time to come ’round, that’s all!

Speaking of which, it’s time that I come ’round to ending this note. Keep your eyes on the horizon for the return of our beloved Eustace, as well as the return of mini-me with our mighty dragon, Brutus… never say never, right?!