The Saviors of Whistling Wood

Chapter One

April 18, 1779
Willow

Willow dragged her paw in the soft, brown dirt that covered the ground, avoiding any patches of tall green grass dappled with clear drops of dew.

Her friend, Oak, was trying to talk quietly with another student behind her. Attempting not to talk, but what came out was a little more than a whisper.

And then Willow remembered that her teacher had excellent hearing.

"Willow, stop dragging your paws in the soil and look up," Leader said to Willow. "And you, Oak, stop talking immediately," she said to Oak.

Both of them jerked their heads up. Willow tried to make herself shrink, while Oak was trying to hide her smile. She was able to say a whole sentence to another student before she got caught.

"How do the two of you either expect to become leaders if you won't say a word," Leader said, gesturing to Willow. "And you say too many?" she said to Oak.

Willow shrank further.

Call and Bell, the mourning doves, starting tweeting from one of the high branches, and half the fox kits ran to the den before Leader could even call out, "Class dismissed."

Willow trudged in the opposite direction of the den, where she nearly stepped on Gecko.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Gecko hollered.

"Oh, oh, oh! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Willow apologized repetitively. She realized that was the most words she said in quite a while.

"You trying to make a pattern?" Gecko teased.

"Uhh. . ., no?" Willow responded.

Gecko laughed, and she lightened the mood as the two of them walked through the woods, getting themselves slightly wet by stepping in tiny puddles of dew.

"Hey, look! There's Hedwig!" Gecko shouted.

"Maybe we should say hi," Willow whispered nervously.

They padded over to Hedwig, who had a satchel that a spider must have weaved, because it glimmers perfectly against her dark feathers.

"Heya, Hedwig!" Gecko called. "Whatcha doing?"

"Leaving," Hedwig answered calmly. "Only for a few weeks." She slowly assured.

"Where, when, why, and how?" Gecko asked.

"I am going to the villages today," She answered. "I want to get more information about the American Revolution, and I am going to fly there with my wings, what do you expect?"

"You answered every question. Impressive," Willow commented. "But - uhm. . . what's the American Revolution?"

"The people who live here are called Americans. Not the people who lived here originally. They are called Native Americans. The Americans, they want to do things there own way, so other people who call themselves the British don't want the Americans to do things their own way." Hedwig rubbed her head. "And so they are angry at each other and they are fighting about it. Approximately. This is why I need the information."

"Soooooooooo, you're basically leaving us to go watch a bunch of people yell and shout at each other? Why?" Gecko whined.

"I believe I have already answered why. And yes, I am basically taking a temporary visit away from Whistling Wood." She spread her wings. "Goodbye, anyone?"

"Bye," Willow said quietly.

"See ya!" Gecko shouted. "But you do gotta come back! Don't forget!"

"Oh, don't worry," Hedwig said. "I'll be back." She tipped her crown in a quick farewell.

Hedwig tilted her wings back and soared through the skies, gracefully swooping over and under branches, flying off into the distance.

Willow and Gecko stood there, silent. Willow could simply tell that the two of them were both thinking about what Hedwig said.

If people are fighting, that means that they could be dangerous, right?

And if there are dangerous people here, does that mean the forest is in danger?

Willow looked at Gecko with a worried expression. Gecko stared at where they last saw Hedwig, but she had a worried expression, too.

Willow turned and looked at the same spot, as Hedwig'a words lingered in her mind. If the forest is in danger, but its not in danger yet . . .

Then maybe they could save their forest.