A Girl Named Apple

Intro:

I was born on the first day of Spring, when mama's apples were big, ripe, and ready to be picked. My father helped her through labor, I was born in our house. I had a big head, full of red hair. As my mother cradled me and ruffled my hair, she looked up at my father and said "I want to name her Apple.." My father smiled and nodded his head in agreement, "Apple it is." He then took a bite out of the apple he was holding.

~~~~

Hot Buns-

Mama was in the kitchen cooking when I ran in. The sun was starting to rise up over the hills. "Mmm, smells delicious. What are you cooking mama?" I peeked around her and saw her kneading some dough on the counter.
She turned over to look at me and smiled, "I'm baking some bread for your father to take to town later."
My eyes lit up, "Can I have one?" I loved eating my mama's homemade bread rolls with jam.
"Of course, I'll save some for you and papa to have." She responded as I stood on my tippy toes beside her. I loved watching mama make food and sometimes she would even let me be her helper.

Animal-Human Hybrids: The Woodlings

In a village called "Kakkomoa" lived animal-human hybrids. They had formerly been children that were abandoned and taken in/raised by animals. They joined together and started their own tribe; they called themselves the "Woodlings." Their village resembled a Native American community. They harvested and built everything on their own. Cub was one of the woodlings; he was a bear-human hybrid. He had been raised by bears since he was a baby.

Cub the Bearling

Children were being adopted by animals; abandoned babies, runaway orphans. Animals would take them in and raise them as one of their own. These children were known as "Woodlings." Cub was one of them.

Cub was a young boy who had been adopted by animals. His mother had abandoned him in the woods, shortly after giving birth to him. Cub was soon taken in by a mama bear who found him while searching for dinner one evening. Instead of eating him, she took him in as one of her own. Cub grew up as one of the bear cubs, he would talk and act like a bear. He was a skilled fisher and often went to fetch dinner for him and his family.

Tragedy struck their quaint little home, forest fires broke out and then hunting season was upon them "Stay away from the men with the guns," his mother would warn him and his brothers and sisters. Cub and his siblings were barely let out of the cozy little cave they lived in. "You must stay in here where it's safe," their mother urged them.

Cub was a curious boy and one day when he was playing inside with his siblings, he heard a gun shot. His mother had gone out earlier in search of dinner and they were all worried. "Oh I hope mama's okay.." Cub thought, "What if those mean creatures that invade our territory caught her?" Finally he decided he would go out and take a look as his siblings huddled together, full of fear.
"Be careful!" They called out to him as he made his way down the long dirt passage that led outside.
"Stay here and take care of each other," Cub lectured them. Cub was the oldest and was often left in charge of his siblings. "I'll be right back.." Those were the last words they heard of him before he ventured off into the woods.

Cub made a bear call once he was outside, hoping it wouldn't call unwanted attention to him. But he had to find a way to call out to his mother. It was far too dangerous to roam the woods alone, especially during this time of year when those evil creatures lurked the woods. "Graawwrr!" Cub called out and stood up to sniff the air. He stopped to listen for a response, but nothing was heard other than the birds in the trees. Suddenly rustling was heard from some bushes nearby and Cub ran to hide behind a big pine tree. He waited for a moment and then slowly peeked from behind. Just then the rustling continued and Cub began to nervously shake, "What if those creatures had found him?" He stood as still as he could behind the tree and looked up as he considered climbing it. Before he could run up the tree, a deer and her fawn ran out of the bushes. Cub did a sigh of relief, "That was close.." He thought as he slowly came out from behind the tree, carefully taking note of his surroundings. The area seemed safe, but the hunters would sneak up on you like that when you least expected it. His mother would tell him and his siblings horror stories of them that made Cub shiver with fear. They were sneakier than a lion hunting it's prey. Cub decided he would climb a tree so he could get a better view of the forest. He climbed up one of the trees next to him and once he was high enough to see the river that ran through the forest, he stopped to sit on a branch. It was hard to see between the leaves, but Cub caught glimpse of his friend Hopper playing in the water down below. "What is he doing outside right now?" Cub panicked, "Doesn't he know there's hunters about?" Then he remembered that hunters only preyed on certain animals; frogs were usually exempt from that group. Still, it was dangerous for a young child to be out alone during a dangerous time like this. "Hopper!" He tried calling out to him, "Hopper, it's me Cub!" Hopper stopped splashing around and looked up towards the trees with a confused expression on his face.
"Cub?" He called back out, "Where are you?"
"Come towards my voice!" Cub called out, "I'm coming down!"
"You're in a tree?" Hopper responded while he stopped to look up at the treetops.
"No, now I'm climbing back down!" Cub quickly made his way back down to the ground and ran through the woods towards the river. Right as he was reaching the clearing where the river was, Hopper bumped into him.
"Oh hey! There you are!" Hopper was excited to see his friend, "Isn't it dangerous for you to be out right now?"
Cub looked around, "Yeah, I'm not supposed to be outside right now. I came out to look for my mother, she had gone out to look for dinner a while ago and hadn't returned. Then we heard a gunshot and I got worried; I had to come look for her." It was strange his mother wasn't fishing by the river, she usually brought fish back home for dinner.
"I don't know.." Hopper looked a bit concerned, "I've seen hunters walking around the woods all day.. I'm really glad they leave us frogs alone.."
"You're lucky.." Cub said as Hopper hopped back over to the water, "But you should still be careful.."
"Yeah, I know.. I was just out for a snack, like some tasty mosquitoes.." He licked his lips.
"I don't know how you eat those gross things.." Cub grimaced, "I can't imagine eating that over some fresh juicy fish." Hopper hopped up and caught a bug with his tongue, just as Cub said that.
"Want to come over for some yummy fly pie later?" Hopper smiled at him.
"N-no thanks," Cub kindly refused, "I have to go look for my mother now. See you around!"
"Be careful!" His friend croaked out after him.

After searching for his mother for a while without finding a trace, he stopped to rest on a tree stump. "Maybe I should just head back now.." He started contemplating. The woods were now beginning to get dark. "No!" He stopped himself, "I can't give up until I find my mother!" With that he took off darting through the woods again. He was fearful, yet determined.

*Story cont: (summed up) Cub runs into some hunters and nearly gets caught by them. They seem confused by his appearance; bear-human hybrid. They try to trap him with with a net, but Cub thankfully escapes. With hunters chasing after him, he has no choice but to try and get back home to safety. He manages to trick them and then hide behind some bushes while they run past him. Once the coast is clear, Cub makes a run for it. He runs as fast as he can, back to the cave. There, his mother and siblings are awaiting him worriedly. "I was about to go back out to look for you!" His mother runs over to him, "I just had to come check on the others too." They all hug and stay snug inside for the rest of the night. "No more going out till next month," His mother warns them, "I've collected plenty of food to last us until then." So that's what had taken her so long, Cub figured.

Children of the Night (REVISED)

Running, she did a lot of it. Mostly because she was running from "them." The nocturnal creatures that inhabited the woods at night were far more gruesome than any of the scary stories Luna's mother would tell her of them. They resembled goblins of some sort, but much more terrifying with long sharp teeth and claws. They would roam around like zombies in search of human flesh until dawn..... The crinkling of dry autumn leaves were heard beneath Luna's running feet as she darted through the woods, swerving past the big oak trees that stood in her way. She could hear them coming; their eerie whispers floating in the wind, sending chills down her spine. She knew better than to stay out past dusk and the sun was just about to set. "Mother will be worried about me," she thought as she brushed a strand of long blonde hair out of her face. Behind her, she could hear an owl and he seemed to be warning her of the approaching nightfall causing her to pick up her pace. She was panting heavily when she reached the clearing, and the sky looked like it was on fire. She was distracted momentarily by it's radiant beauty and as the sky got dimmer, she quickly made her way down the hill on the dirt path that led to the little cottage where she lived. The smell of her mother's cooking reminded her of how hungry she was as she ran in through the front door and bolted it closed behind her.
"It's a bit past your curfew," her mother said, glancing over at her with concern on her face.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said catching her breath again, "Daylen and I lost track of time."
"Your head's always in the clouds when you're with that boy, Luna!" Her mother shook her head, "I tell you, he's nothing but a trouble maker!"
"Don't talk about him like that, mother; he's my good friend!" Luna hated how her mother always had something bad to say about Daylen. "Look, I know he's made mistakes in the past, but his intentions are good. He's actually a nice guy, if you would just get to know him."
Her mother had developed a dislike of Daylen ever since he almost set the woods aflame while tampering with fire. Daylen was a curious boy with a daring attitude. He had become aware of the creatures that lurked in the woods at night, and he was trying to find different ways to destroy them; all which involved dangerous methods. Luna's mother quietly returned to her cooking while still shaking her head. Luna went around closing all the curtains and she could already hear them coming before she went up to the last window. The sky casted one last gleam of light as a farewell and then pitch black darkness slowly started to take over everything. Through a gap in the wood from the planks that covered the window, Luna caught a glimpse of a dark shadow with protruding ears and claws. "It looks like we have our first visitor of the night.." She quickly finished closing the curtains and then stepped back while preparing for the terror that was about to ensue. Her and her mother were forced to board up all the windows, after this one time where a hoard of these dreadful creatures had managed to break the glass on one and nearly came inside.Thankfully it was close to sunrise when it happened and they didn't have to fight them back for long. Luna remembered the snaky smiles with pointy fangs and drool dripping from their jaws, she shuddered at the memory of it as she ran to turn on her mother's old record player. They would use it to muffle the gruesome sounds from outside. They did this every night, as they sat down and ate dinner. Then they would head to bed, with the music still playing and try to sleep through it all. Banging on the door and pounding on the windows was heard until dawn; walls rattling and claws scratching against the wood. No matter how loud the music was, the creatures could still be heard....

Frosty Paws The Polar Bear and Puff The Penguin

Frosty Paws was a polar bear who lived in Antarctica with his friend Puff, the penguin. They both went on many adventures together, sliding down the snowy hills and building igloos. Both Frosty and Puff had gotten separated from their families at an early age and they found each other lost and afraid. They agreed to help each other try to find their way back home, but it seems that their families had already migrated to new homes without them. "They probably figured we got eaten or starved to death..." Puff sighed as Frosty put his snowy white paw on his friend's shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," he reassured him with a smile, "We got each other." And from that day on, they became the best of friends. They were practically inseparable.

The Snow Monster

One snowy sunny day, Frosty Paws was in the kitchen making smores.

"What is all that ruckus in here," Puff walked in rubbing his eyes, "And what is that delicious smell?"

"I hope you had a nice nap," Frosty smiled, "I'm making smores for a yummy afternoon snack."

"Well, I tried to take a nap," Puff still looked a tad sleepy, "Oh well... I'm more hungry than tired."

"Good," said Frosty, "Because they're just about ready," he opened a cabinet and pulled out a plate. Puff sat down at the table as he took a big yawn.

The smell traveled outside their little igloo cottage and through the hills of snow, right into a dark cave where a big furry creature caught whiff of it. "Mmmm..." He sniffed the air and licked his lips, "Smells like someone's cooking smores, my favorite....."

The Smart Cookie (and Friends)

We take the saying "You are what you eat" literally, here at The Smart Cookie and Friends.

We have The Smart Cookie, The Brilliant Banana, The Happy Cherry, and more.

Smart Cookie is a nerdy businesswoman.

Brilliant Banana is a British engineer.

Happy Cherry is a bubbly cheerleader.

Chaos and Calamity: The Twins of Destruction

Chaos and Calamity are brother and sister. They are also partners in crime. Together they bring death and destruction to everything. However, when Chaos is stricken by Harmony he becomes smitten. Calamity is devoted to tearing them apart. Until they meet Yin and Yang, and they teach them how to join forces to create balance. Chaos and Harmony become a couple and tranquility takes over. However, Calamity is still burning with desire for destruction and will try anything to separate them.