The Whispering Woods

Loopy Lupin

'Once upon a time...,' well that's how every story starts, but not mine. It all begins on a dull, miserable day in the Whispering woods of Wonderwing...

"We've been walking for ages," Moaned Maple, kicking leaves about with her feet and lazily walking behind her brother,

"Why are we even following this 'abnormal creature' that you happen to think is magical, when both I and you know that it is a perfectly normal RABBIT with no such magic revolved around it - ZERO, I can't believe you sometimes, Loopy Lupin" she said to him (Loopy Lupin is a nickname that well... almost all of the kids at the village School call him, because they all think he's a bit...well...MAD and loopy, you know, thinking that 'rabbits' are magical and other things that may appear a bit crazy to some.)

"But Maple, this rabbit is not what it seems to be, we need to follow it and see where it is going!" Lupin persisted, As Maple plugged her fingers in her ears,

She then started ranting, again...

"Don't you mean you need to follow it, I had no input on this at all," She said, all whiny sounding, with her arms folded stubbornly,

Lupin rolled his eyes, "Ok, then I need to follow it, what does that matter anyway?!" He snapped, then checked his watch and let out an annoyed sigh,

"We'd better be getting back home, Mum'll be wondering where we've gotten to,"

"...And we were only supposed to be going to get her some apples from the market. But, oh no, you saw an 'abnormal creature' and of course you wanted to follow it and dragged me along with you!" cried Maple.

She moaned and fussed all the way back to the market where they bought the apples and headed home. They walked up their pebbly driveway and opened the wooden, door of their small village home, where they were greeted by their Mum, she was calling from the kitchen,

"You're back, finally! Why were you so long? The market is just up the road,"

They both shuffled into the kitchen, Lupin slowly looked up and had just opened his mouth to say something when, Maple interrupted...

"Lupin held us up, Mum, he thought he saw a magic rabbit," She sneered, crossing her arms,

"But magic isn't real Lupin, of course it isn't real," Their Mum said, sounding uneasy,

"But it..." Lupin began,

"Nope! No 'buts', magic does not exist," His mum said hastily, panic in her bloodshot eyes,

Lupin looked away from his Mother, who had started washing and chopping up the apples for her pie, and said under his breath,

"It glowed though, how did it glow, why did it glow?" And he then walked upstairs and into his room wondering, muttering, thinking over what he had seen.

Lupin looks exactly like his Mother, toffee brown hair, emerald green eyes and (although his Mother hates it) an enormous imagination, but their personalities couldn't be any more different: Lupin is curious, mischievous, intuitive and known as a bit mad, he thinks outside the box, believes in the impossible. Whereas his Mother is quiet, believes in facts - just facts - even when there is obvious magic involved. She always has a factual theory, She hates when Lupin shares his thoughts on magic and abnormalities...but Lupin does not know why. She wears her hair up in an incredibly severe bun, which may make her seem stern to some. She is mostly seen wearing long tunics in black or grey, never anything colourful or fun. Although, when he was younger, Lupin remembers tunics of fun colours and pretty patterned scarves, he remembers his Mother wearing funky heels, boots and shoes, but that was a long time ago and now... well... black...grey and boring colours, nothing exciting at all. But beneath that stern, strict layer, Lupin believes there is a soft, once fun, loving woman, who would do anything for her children, if they appreciate it or not. Lupin assumed that his Dad's disappearance had changed his Mum, maybe forever...maybe... would she ever get over it?

Lupin then sat on his bed, confused, curious... Was it only him who could see the glowing? Why did his Mum sound so panicked? Where was the rabbit going? Should he follow it?... What harm could following a cute, fluffy, innocent, little rabbit do?...

He slowly got up and paced around his room for a short while, then sitting in his chair at his desk, he spun around (this helped him to think) and after some pondering, he settled on sneaking out that very night, after his Mum and sister were asleep and go into the woods to find the rabbit. He sketched a picture of the creature then pulled a piece of paper out of his notebook and started writing. He listed the features that the 'rabbits' had. The glow of their fur; a yellow-green, their big bug eyes, their sweet aroma, just as his door swung open! It was Maple.

"Mum says tea will be ready soon," she said, as her ice-blue eyes scanned over what Lupin was doing, "Not again Lupin, "If Mum finds out..." She started,

"She won't," replied Lupin, "Because you won't tell," He continued,

"Ughh," Maple groaned, tossing her dark hair out of her face, "Loopy Lupin," She hissed and then stomped out of his room.

Lupin slid the list under his pillow and then headed downstairs for tea, Maple was already at the table and when she saw him, she glared.

"I know you are up to something, Lupin," She hissed across the table, Lupin sat quiet and kept from retaliating, knowing that if he said something, his Mum would hear and she would be mad - really mad.