I DON'T WORRY, WORRYING DON'T AGREE
THINGS THAT BOTHER YOU, NEVER BOTHER ME!

Life was so very lovely in the Forest. Talya loved it here very, very much! She loved the impossibly tall trees (and staring up at their tops for so long her neck became sore and she felt lightheaded afterwards) and the thick vegetation, the wild berry bushes and the abundance of wildlife to torment, chase, and stalk. There was never a dull day for Talya. Mamapapa had asked her the other morning if she was bored yet. Mamapapa had seemed nervous when he asked her, like he was worried Talya was going to say she was very bored and wanted to go somewhere else. But Talya didn’t want to go anywhere!

The Forest had so many things to keep her occupied and also her very amazing wonderful pretty friend Aurora and the Goddess of the Forest, who Talya never wanted to lose. There had been one day the Forest had a not-so-nice thing Talya didn’t like… but she tried her best to not think about that day as best she could. Thinking about the stranger made her feel very bad things and Talya did not like feeling anything but good things.

So the Forest was wonderful and she loved it here very much.

Gorging herself on the last of the ripe berries growing on thorny vines, Talya’s ears twitched as she heard a low rumble above. She lifted her head – her pink lips and white chin stained dark from the berry juice – and blinked at the darkening sky. “Ooooohh,” she squealed softly, “the sky’s gone grumbly.” Talya knew what it meant when the sky ‘went grumbly’ and her eyes lit up, knowing it was going to rain. Rain meant puddles! Puddles were fun to splash in!

“Yaaay! Puddles!” She exclaimed and started forward out of the thorny berry bushes, uncaring how the sharp thorns snagged her skin and scratched her pale legs. It was just as she was about to find the perfect clearing to play in the coming rain that she heard something that was not the approach of a storm. It was a squeal. A horse. A hurt horse? Who?

Talya blinked and made for the noise without hesitation, crashing unceremoniously through underbrush, ignoring any semblance of a decent path, and getting twigs and leaves caught up in her already tangled hair as she went. By the time she came into the clearing where Aurora was, she looked a right mess – then again, Talya kind of always looked like a mess.

“Aurora!” She cried out as she moved in close to her friend, “Did the grumbly sky hurt you?” Talya looked suspiciously above them and squinted. “Bad grumbly sky!”