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.

Honey Paws The Bear Meets Skippy The Squirrel

Honey Paws was out for a stroll one evening when he stopped to sniff the air. He could smell bread baking. "Mmmm...." He patted his tummy. Just then a walnut fell out of a tree and hit him on the head.

"Uh-oh.." A squirrel ran down the tree, "I'm so very sorry." Honey Paws rubbed his head as the squirrel picked up the walnut that was laying next to him. "Oh how embarrassing. Well I guess I should introduce myself now, my name is Skippy. What's your's?"

"I'm Honey Paws," he replied as the squirrel looked up at him from below.

"Oh is that what they call you? Is it because your paws are covered in honey?" Honey Paws looked at his paws and sure enough they were covered in sticky honey. He could never quite lick it all off.

"Yes, as you can see, honey is my favorite food." Honey Paws licked his paw.

"Well, that's fantastic! My favorite food is walnuts, as you can see." Skippy smiled.

"I've never really tried walnuts.." Honey Paws was curious now, "Are they sweet like honey?"

Skippy laughed, "Oh no, they're much different than honey. You'll just have to try them for yourself." He then ran back up the tree carrying the walnut in his mouth. "Can you climb up?"

Honey Paws was a skilled tree climber, he always climbed up trees to get to beehives. "Oh, of course I can." He followed up behind him. When they were both sitting on a tree branch, Skippy cracked open the walnut. "Here, try some!" Honey Paws grabbed a piece and chewed on it as Skippy watched in suspense.

"Well...," Honey Paws waited for the aftertaste, "It doesn't really taste like much of anything..."

"Oh yes, walnuts are pretty bland.." Skippy threw down the empty walnut shell. "But I like 'em!"

"Ow!" a little voice yelled from below, followed by angry mumbles.

"Oh whoops, I guess I shouldn't just drop those willy nilly..." Skippy looked a bit concerned as he watched a snail angrily slide by the tree.

"You're lucky you didn't crack the shell!" The snail stopped to yell up the tree.

"Sorry about that, old chap!" Skippy shouted and then turned and whispered to Honey Paws, "He's a grumpy one..."

"That's Mr. Slider to you!" He huffed as he continued sliding away, ever so slowly.

"It doesn't look like he'll be sliding anywhere soon," Skippy chuckled. "Anywho, would you like to come inside for a real dinner?"

Now Honey Paws loved honey, but he also loved eating and that included all foods. "Oh yes, I would love to!" He said just as his tummy grumbled.

"Great," Skippy ran up to a little wooden door on the tree and opened it, "Come on in, it might be a tight fit for you." Honey Paws crawled in behind him and followed him down the spiral of stairs. Once they were at the bottom, Skippy pulled out a little wooden chair for him but quickly stopped. "Hmm, this might be a bit too small for you..."

"Oh, it's fine." Honey Paws sat down on it and before Skippy could say another word it broke. "Whoops... I guess you were right..."

"Oh dear," Skippy gathered all the pieces, "No worries. I can fix this up in no time, I'm quite the craftsman. I built all this furniture myself, you know." Honey Paws looked around amazed as he admired all of the furniture made from wood. Everything was wooden, except for a little vase with flowers on the table.

"I hope you don't mind sitting on the ground." He brought out a loaf of bread, "This is fresh out of the oven."

"Oh that must be the bread I smelled baking earlier!" Honey Paws exclaimed.

"Oh yes, banana nut bread is my specialty!" He placed it on the table and cut off two slices, "One for me and one for you and plenty more where that came from!" Honey Paws ate the whole slice in one bite like the hungry bear he was.

"Oh my, well I guess one serving for me is one bite for you," he chuckled, "Help yourself to another."

After they were done eating and talking and laughing while trying not to choke on their bread, Honey Paws heard the orchestra of crickets outside and quickly realized it was night time.

"Oh I should be heading home now," Honey Paws started getting up, "My friend Sunny will be worried about me."

"Of course, I won't keep you any longer," Skippy led the way up the stairs.

"Hey, you know, walnuts are pretty good when they're mixed with other food," Honey Paws said as he crawled out of the little wooden door.

"Oh I knew you would love them!" Skippy looked pleased, "Well it was nice meeting you, I hope to see you around!" He waved as Honey Paws climbed down the tree.

"Good bye! Dinner was delicious, thank you!" Honey Paws waved and ran down the hill to his little cottage where him and his friend Sunny The Honeybee lived.

Honey Paws The Bear and Sunny The Honeybee

Honey Paws: The bear with honey covered paws! And Sunny: The Helpful Honey Bee! Together they go on adventures, full of honey and sometimes trouble. Honey Paws is a clumsy bear and he's always getting himself into sticky situations, while Sunny is always willing to lend a helping hand and buzzes behind Honey Paws lecturing him.

Honey Bunny and The Baking Adventures

~Honey Bunny and The Carrot Cake~

    Bunnies love carrots. Honey Bunny loves carrots and sweets. So what better dessert to make than a carrot cake? Honey Bunny thought this to herself as she flipped through her big recipe book. Honey Bunny ran her own bakery and made all kinds of desserts, but today she would be satisfying her own sweet tooth. She knew just the smell of carrot cake baking would have all the bunnies in town hopping to her bakery. "Ah yes," she stopped on a page with a picture of a delicious looking carrot cake topped with frosting, "This will work just fine." She then made a quick list of the ingredients and hopped over to the market next door.

    "Hello there, Honey Bunny!" Sunny Bunny greeted her when she hopped in, "How are you?"

    "Oh hello there, Sunny Bunny!" she smiled, "I'm just picking up a few groceries I need for my carrot cake."

    "That sounds yummy!" Sunny Bunny hopped over to help her.

    "Now I just need milk, eggs, sugar, flour.. Oh and carrots of course!" Honey Bunny read over her list.

    "Oh we had carrots delivered fresh this morning!" Sunny Bunny led her over to them.

    "That's perfect!" Honey Bunny exclaimed as she hopped up to them and put some in her basket. After she was done shopping, Sunny Bunny helped check her out at the counter. "If you'd like to come join me for a slice later, you're more than welcome to." Honey Bunny placed her groceries into her basket. 

    "That would be lovely," Sunny Bunny seemed delighted at the offer, "Well, see you later!" And they both waved good bye as Honey Bunny took off.

    When Honey Bunny was back at the bakery, her friend Bon Bon Bunny hopped in. "Hello Honey Bunny!" he hopped up straight to the dessert case, "Hmm, what sweet thing should I get today?"

    "There you are!" Honey Bunny hopped out of the kitchen, "I was starting to wonder if you would come in today." Bon Bon Bunny was a very loyal customer. "Well, you're just in time to help me make my carrot cake!"

    "Carrot cake!" Bon Bon Bunny was thrilled, "I would love to!" And he hopped back into the kitchen with Honey Bunny.

~~To be continued....

   

Bon Bon Bunny and The Bunny Blues

One cloudy afternoon, Bon Bon Bunny was out for a stroll. When he got to the park, he saw another bunny sitting by himself on a bench looking very sad. Bon Bon Bunny hopped over to him. "Hi, my name is Bon Bon. May I ask why you're so sad?" The bunny looked up at him and sighed before quickly looking back down. His bunny ears hung down on his face. "My name is Blue..." he said quietly. "And well, I'm just sad.... Most of the time...."
Bon Bon hopped up next to him on the bench, "But what are you so sad about? Maybe I can help." Now Bon Bon was a very curious bunny.
"Lots of things.... They make me sad.... Like my favorite kite, it got stuck in a tree... And the ice-cream fell off my cone...." He sighed again, "They should just call me Bad Luck Bunny...."
"Oh I see... I get sad sometimes too, but I always try to find things that can cheer me up." Just then Funny Bunny showed up riding on his unicycle. "Oh look, there's my friend Funny Bunny! I'm sure he can help."
"Hello there, Bon Bon!" Funny Bunny waved and rode over, "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, this is my new friend Blue. He's very sad."
"Well, you're in luck. Turning a frown upside down is what I specialize in!" Funny Bunny honked his clown nose. Blue Bunny didn't seem very amused and he continued to keep his head down. "This kind of sadness is unacceptable when I'm around." He pulled out a balloon and started blowing it up, but Blue Bunny still didn't seem very interested. "This one's going to be a real airhead," he twisted the balloon into the shape of a puppy, "I think we'll name him Pop, cause 'pop' goes the balloon!" And it popped. This got Blue's attention and he lifted up his head a little. "Now what will we do? Oh I know, we'll name him Scrappy!" Bon Bon Bunny laughed and applauded. Blue Bunny seemed to be holding back a smile. Funny Bunny reached into his bag and pulled out an orange, and apple, and a peach. "You know, they usually tell you not to play with your food. But I like to have some fun with mine before I eat it." He then started to juggle the fruit as he rode around on his unicycle. Now he had Blue Bunny's attention as he watched in amazement. Bon Bon Bunny clapped and cheered. "All this playing around is making me hungry, so orange you glad we have fruit?" He tossed the peach and apple to his two audience members. Bon Bon Bunny caught the peach and Blue Bunny caught the apple. "Yum!" Bon Bon Bunny bit into his peach as Funny Bunny hopped over and sat on the bench next to Blue. "When you're feeling blue, eat something red right?" He chuckled, "But then if you mix blue and red, you'll just be feeling purple." Blue Bunny let out a laugh and Funny Bunny smiled. "That's the sound I want to hear! Laugh and smile, jump and cheer! Hmm.. You know, it's easier if you just tickle someone..." Then they all started running around on the grass, as Funny Bunny tried to tickle tackle them.
"I'm so out of breath, I'm not sure if I can laugh right now," Blue Bunny said as he sat down next to a tree, "But you know what the good part is?" Bon Bon and Funny Bunny sat down and joined him. "I've been having so much fun, I forgot I was sad."
"That's great!" Bon Bon Bunny exclaimed. "See, sometimes you just need good friends to cheer you up." They all hugged and Blue Bunny had never felt so loved.
"Thank you for all your help, I really do feel much better now." Blue Bunny's ears seemed to have perked up a little.
"Oh making people laugh is what I do, just come to me whenever you're feeling blue!" Funny Bunny honked his clown nose.
Bon Bon Bunny pointed up at the sky, "Look! It's sunny again!" They all looked up and sure enough there wasn't a rain cloud in sight. "I guess, the sky is happy now too."
"Well, it may be happy, but it's still blue." Funny Bunny laughed.
"That's true..." Bon Bon Bunny watched as a bird flew by, chirping a merry tune.
"It's a bright and happy blue!" Blue Bunny smiled and for a moment he looked brighter than the sun itself.
"Just like you!" Bon Bon Bunny pointed out, "You're glowing with happiness!"
"I am?" He blushed, "Gee, I am aren't I? I just feel so warm and fuzzy inside."
"It's a great feeling, isn't it?" Bon Bon Bunny smiled.
"Yeah, it feels great! But.... I just worry that something else will happen that makes me sad all over again...." He sighed.
Bon Bon Bunny put his arm around him, "You just have to remember the good things. Things that make you happy!"
"Exactly!" Funny Bunny joined in,"I like to think of funny things, like bears wearing tutus. And sometimes it's hard to laugh, but if you keep at it you'll be cracking up like a walnut that just fell out of a tree!" Bon Bon and Blue Bunny laughed. "See? Just like that!" He winked.
"And what if we just end up looking like we're nuts?" Bon Bon Bunny suggested and they all laughed again.
"You guys are right," Blue Bunny spoke up after a moment of silence. He looked up at the clear sky again, "I'm not usually so fond of sunny weather, but I'm quite enjoying it right now. I think it's because it actually fits my mood for once."
"Hooray! You're no longer Gloomy Bunny, you're Sunny Bunny!" Bon Bon Bunny felt proud of his accomplishment. He loved helping out and making others happy.
"Well, for right now.." Blue Bunny smiled and that was good enough for him.

Children of the Night

Running, she did a lot of it. Mostly because she was running from "them." The creatures that came out of the woods at night were far more gruesome than any of the scary stories Luna's mother would tell her of them. The crinkling of dry autumn leaves were heard beneath her 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 as she picked 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 that was nestled down below. 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 done bad things before, but he's changed. And he has a very kind-heart, if you would just get to know him."

The nocturnal creatures that inhabited the woods would come out at night and roam around like zombies in search of human flesh. They resembled goblins of some sort, but much more terrifying with long sharp teeth and claws....

Daylen was a boy who loved sword-fighting and practiced everyday.

Honey Paws The Bear And Sunny The Honeybee: The Tale Of An Unexpected Friendship

Honey Paws The Bear and Sunny The Honeybee would be assumed by most to be enemies, but they were actually the complete opposite.

It was Thanksgiving and they were sitting up on the hill having a nice picnic while the sun shined bright above them. "Honey Paws, what are you thankful for?" Sunny questioned as she nibbled on her honey muffin.
"Hmmm.... Honey." he quickly responded as he took a bite out of his peanut butter and honey sandwich.
Sunny laughed, "Of course you are." She smiled, "Well then, you should be thankful for me too. After all, I am a honeybee. And we make honey."
"That's true.." Honey Paws absolutely loved his best friend, Sunny. Most bees weren't very fond of him because he would take honey from their beehives. But Sunny was a different kind of bee and she was quite happy that Honey Paws enjoyed her honey as much as he did. The first time they bumped into each other, Honey Paws was nosing around in her hive as usual. Sunny had just gotten back from collecting nectar with her brothers and sisters.
"Umph!" she buzzed into him, "Hey, what are you doing digging around in our hive?"
Honey Paws was licking honey off of his now yellow paws, "Huh?"
"I'm tired of bears like you taking our honey!"
"Mmmm, but it's so good..." Honey Paws licked his honey-covered chops.
She looked a bit surprised at his compliment and stopped buzzing around angrily, "....Really? But all the other bees tease us about our honey... I'm very self conscious about it. Do you really think it's good?" She looked a bit hopeful now.
"Oh, it's delicious!" Honey Paws smiled at her, "I like it because it's different than all the other honey; that's why I always come to your hive."
This made Sunny very confident and she beamed with happiness. Since then on, her and Honey Paws became best friends. They even made a deal where Sunny would give Honey Paws an endless supply of honey if he protected her hive from other bears. Honey Paws wasn't much of a tough bear; he was just a big clumsy softie. So he invited Sunny and her honeybee family to move into his backyard instead where there was a big apple tree. "You should be safe back here," Honey Paws assured them once he had helped move their hive over. "Thank you, Honey Paws!" they all thanked him and gifted him with tons of honey. He was in bear heaven.
Honey Paws smiled at that memory as he lay down now with his tummy full, looking up at the clouds passing by. "I'm thankful for honey. But what I'm most thankful for is you because without you, I would never have known how exquisite tasting honey can be."
Sunny blushed, "I'm thankful for you because without you, I would've never known how good my honey actually is."
They both smiled at each other.
"Look! It's a cloud that looks like you!" Honey Paws pointed up at the sky at a cloud shaped like a little honeybee.
"Oh, you're right." Sunny looked up and then noticed a cloud that looked like a big cuddly bear, "And look, it's a cloud that looks like you next to it!"
"Oh wow, they're best friends too, I think." Who knew bears and bees could get along? 

Honey Paws The Bear

Honey Paws was always getting into honey. Also trouble. He was a very clumsy bear. His friend Sunny The Honeybee would always be buzzing behind him lecturing him about things. She was a very smart bee. Her and Honey Paws were best friends.

~

One day, Honey Paws and Sunny were out playing in the woods. Honey Paws was hiding behind a tree waiting for Sunny to come find him. He then noticed a turtle that was slowly walking by. Suddenly he was filled with curiosity and walked up behind it "Hello there, sir," he greeted him.
The turtle nearly jumped out of his shell, "Oh my! And who are you?" he exclaimed.
"I'm Honey Paws and..." he searched around for Sunny, "And I have a friend named Sunny who is supposed to come and find me; we're playing hide and seek."
"Hmm, that's nice..." the turtle didn't seem very amused, "Well, I must be on my way now. Good day."
Honey Paws watched him slowly continue down the path, "Where are you headed to?"
"Well, that's none of your business now. Is it?" The turtle was getting a little snappy.
"I just thought I might be able to help," Honey Paws was quite the nosy bear.
"I walk to and from town every day and I'm perfectly fine, but thank you for the kind offer."
Just then, Sunny came buzzing over, "There you are!"
Honey Paws was glad to see her "Sunny! This is.. Um..." He stopped and realized he hadn't even asked for a name. "Mister turtle sir, what is your name?"
The turtle seemed a bit bothered by this question, "And why would you want to know?" This turtle reminded Honey Paws of his grandfather, very grumpy. "Look, you ask too many questions and I really need to get going now."
Honey Paws and Sunny watched him in silence, "Turtles are interesting creatures," Honey Paws whispered. "Let's go pick blueberries now." He started walking away.
"Wait," Sunny stopped him, "Did you hear those bushes move?"
Just then a big hungry alligator came out from behind the bush in a very sneaky-like manner, or so he thought.
"An alli-" Honey Paws was about to shout out.
"Shhh..." Sunny interrupted him, "I don't think he's seen us yet."
The alligator was headed straight after the turtle, who was very unaware of him. "We have to help that turtle," Sunny whispered.
"We're no match for that big guy," Honey Paws gulped.
"Well, neither is that turtle and he's about to be lunch if we don't help him." Sunny pointed out.
"Hmm, you're right... Well what should we do?" Honey Paws scratched his head as if it would make him think up a good idea.
"Hmm.. What are alligators afraid of?" Sunny thought, "Hey, we can make pretend snake sounds like a big scary python and try to scare him off."
"That's a great idea, except I don't know how." Honey Paws looked a bit discouraged.
"It's easy, just make a long hissing sound like this: "Sssssssssssss..."
"Oh, that's easy." Honey Paws joined in, "Ssssssssssss..."
"Huh?" The alligator stopped to look around, "That's strange..." He spoke in a low deep voice.
"Ssssssssssssss!" Honey Paws and Sunny hissed louder.
They now had the alligator's attention, "Oh no, he saw us!" Sunny hid behind Honey Paws as the alligator started making his way towards them "Quick, Honey Paws, let's go get that turtle and make a run for it."
"You thought you would fool me, didn't you?" The alligator was very angry now. Honey Paws and Sunny ran up to the turtle, "Sorry mister turtle sir, but you're going to have to come with us if you want to save your life." Honey Paws scooped him up and they took off.
"Wait, what's going on? Put me down!" The turtle yelled and when he noticed the alligator coming towards them he yelped and hid inside his shell.
Honey Paws and Sunny ran as fast as they could through the woods and when they were far away enough they stopped to catch their breath, "I think we lost him," Sunny looked around, "Good thing alligators are pretty slow, just like turtles."
"Hey, I heard that," the turtle spoke up from inside his shell, he then poked his head out slowly, "Look, I'm sorry for being a bit rude earlier, but I really owe you both my sincerest gratitude for saving my life back there. I would be inside an alligator's tummy right now if it wasn't for you two.... So thank you." He smiled, "And by the way, my name is Sheldon. It's my pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Sheldon. I'm Sunny and I believe you already met my friend, Honey Paws."
"Oh yes, the bear with lots of questions," he chuckled, "Well, I'll be happy to answer all your questions now."
Honey Paws rubbed his tummy as it made a loud grumble, "Would you care for a honey sandwich?" They all laughed.
"Oh, I won't turn down a meal right now," Sheldon's tummy growled in agreement.
Then they all headed down the hill to the little cottage where Honey Paws lived and had a nice big lunch. But beware of the creatures that lurked in the woods, Sheldon would not be traveling to town that way anymore. And Honey Paws and Sunny hoped to never encounter that angry alligator again.
 

Decadence~

Vivian was a little girl with a wild imagination and a lively sweet tooth. She loved munching on her grandmother's baked goods while she was told tales about a land made of sweets.  Especially around Christmastime when she could just snuggle up beside her and eat cookies and sip hot cocoa.

It was a snowy Christmas night, and Vivian was indulged in a tale that brought more terror than delight...

"Now listen here, Vivi, Decadence was no doubt a land luxurious with goodness. However, deep in the Waffle Woods, in a little hut that stood beside Licorice Lagoon there was evil secretly brewing... The Sweet Fairy had quickly become aware of this after an encounter with some of these bitter creations that were being brought to life, who broke into her palace one night and stole her magic wand. Panicking she gathered her little army of confection critters to seek out these thieves and bring back her wand. For the power of sweet goodness would surely win over whatever sour evil creatures were being conjured..... It was a late evening when the orange sun was setting and the marshmallow clouds were raining soda pop, Cinnabunny and Cupcat were standing in the great big hall that led to The Sweet Fairy's throne. She had sent out her little chocolate dove messengers to gather all of the sweetlings here tonight for an emergency meeting. 'I suppose we can just go in right ahead,' Cinnabunny went up to the big wafer doors and slowly pushed them open while Cupcat followed behind.
'Oh, my sweetlings, you're here! I knew I could count on you two!' The Sweet Fairy exclaimed flying over to them with her arms wide open, 'This is urgent and I'm glad to see you!'
'We were worried, your highness!' Cinnabunny cuddled up next to her for a warm hug and Cupcat joined in.
'My dear sweetlings, the land is in danger and we must save it," she flew over to her throne, 'These little goblins made of gingerbread broke in last night and they stole my precious wand! Without it, I can't bring any more goodness to the land! Decadence will be doomed forever! I need my wand to bring sweetness to life for the better of the land! Or else it will be taken over by sour evil and darkness!'
Cinnabunny and Cupcat were shocked at this news and couldn't stand the thought of Decadence becoming a land without sweetness.
'Don't worry, your highness, we'll catch those rotten thieves!' But who could be responsible for creating such evil concoctions? Cinnabunny and Cupcat were determined to find out. After the meeting, all of the sweetlings agreed to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity and report it immediately. Peppermint Puffin had even claimed to see these suspicious Gingerbread Goblins in the Waffle Woods, down below from her home on the mountaintops of Mt. Snowcone. This sent an uproar of fear within the crowd of confections. 'Lock your doors tonight and be safe!' The Sweet Fairy ordered and with that she sent everyone off, except for Cinnabunny and Cupcat which she presented with shiny candy armor. 'I chose you two because you are my most loyal creations.' she patted them both on the heads, 'I want you to seek out this evil and destroy it, but please be careful, my dear sweetlings.. I am rather worried.' She had a look of concern on her face, 'And make sure to use that armor; it will aid you on your journey.. Oh and one more thing!' She then flew away to quickly grab something. 'My magic sugar is powerless without my wand, but it will at least ward off those sourlings. Here.' She handed them a little pouch and then nodded with approval for departure. Cinnabunny and Cupcat both looked at each other a bit fearful for this journey they were about to embark on, but they now knew it was ultimately up to them to save the land and they would not let The Sweet Fairy down. 'Farewell, and be safe!' she called out after them as they took off."

Vivian was sitting in the living room next to her grandmother who was in her rocking chair. She had wide open eyes filled with both excitement and fear, "Grandmerry, what ever happens next?" There was a recipe book laying out on the coffee table left opened on a page that read 'Gingerbread Men' and they had smiling faces and little gumdrop buttons, unlike the evil Gingerbread Goblins that Vivian imagined to be frowning and had long pointy ears.
"Oh we'll have to continue the story tomorrow. But for now it's well past your bedtime, little one." her grandmother smiled, "After all, I don't want to spoil your sweet dreams."