Canadian Provinces: Tales Of Mischief & Mayhem

7. The Bear In The Orchard - Easter Special

Child AU:

Smiling to himself, Canada gazed out of the bedroom window, marvelling at the view; the rolling hills were no longer snowy, they were a lush emerald green and coated in every wild flower imaginable. The maple trees in his back garden were also a rich green hue and swayed gently in the cool April breeze. This was the first time since he'd moved out of his parents' house that he'd really been able to admire the stunning countryside around him. After all, with his new provinces to take care of, he'd barely had any to himself.

Speaking of his provinces, where were they? Usually, they would be in bed, but with the excitement of the upcoming Easter festivities, most of them had had trouble falling asleep for the past week, so Nada had allowed them to stay up late to tire them out. Oh well, tomorrow, their curiosity will be satisfied and everything'll go back to normal. Besides, a load of adorable eight-year-olds can't cause that much trouble, eh? Despite this comforting thought, Nada still felt uneasy in the silent house, a silence which seemed so unnatural after the chaos of the day.

Creeping downstairs, he called out to his provinces, wandering through the living room and the kitchen in search of them, but there was no trace of his family, with the exception of a few discarded bottles of maple syrup. Beginning to panic, Nada half-ran out into the garden, where he at last found the young escapees' footprints. The air was sweet, with chatter and birdsong carried away with the gales. Recognising the voices, he followed the sounds out to the neighbouring paddocks, where he was at last greeted by an irritable-looking, black-haired child with dazzling blue eyes, which darted up to his face almost immediately.

"Hey, Alberta!" Canada grinned, "What are you lot doing so far from home, eh?"

"Oh, sorry, Nada," Al shrugged, "We just followed Newf o-"

"Don't call me 'Newf'!" Newf yelled from across the orchard.

"Whatever, Newf. Anyway, we followed him out because he made a new friend that he wants to move in with us. He introduced us and we love him! Can we keep him, Nada?"

"I... Err... we'll see," Maple Man stuttered, utterly taken aback by this announcement, marching over to the tallest child, who was currently kneeling in the centre of the paddock, messy blonde hair falling over his face as usual.

"Hello, Nada!" Newfoundland and Labrador smiled warmly, "This is my new best friend, Bear! Can we keep him?" Much to the surprise of the older landmass, Newf and Lab produced a fluffball with massive paws and cocoa-brown eyes from his jacket, placing it on his lap. Upon seeing Canada, the puppy leapt from his best friend's arms and began licking the newcomer lovingly, causing Nada to warm to the bear-like creature in spite of himself.

"Well, we need to check if he already has an owner, then we need to buy dog stuff, get him vaccines-"

"B-But it's possible, r-right?" Newf sobbed.

"It is," Nada grimaced, "but we should take him to the vet either way."

The veterinarian explained that this puppy was a stray Newfoundland, though had already been vaccinated. After checking the dog's chip, it was confirmed that he'd been abandoned, presumably after his previous owners fell on hard times.

"What's his name?" one of the provinces asked eagerly.

"Bear," the vet replied. "Planning on adopting him?"

Naturally, Canada couldn't refuse. Only a month later, Bear was theirs and nobody had seen Newfoundland and Labrador happier. As soon as Bear had arrived home, the pup had curled up on Newf's lap, showering him in fur and kisses.

"Hello, Boy!" Newfoundland beamed, petting his furry brother, "How've you been?"

"Newfoundland?" Canada asked, something occurring to him. "What were you doing in the orchard when you found Bear anyway?"

"I was Easter Egg-hunting," the ecstatic child laughed, "but I think I got a bit more than I bargained for, eh?"