Noble Songbird

Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Jane

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere."
~Disney's Beauty and the Beast

And they lived happily ever after.

Sighing dreamily, I shut the book and held it close to my heart- a goodbye to the wondrous story. When I finally opened my dark brown eyes, I found two, beady black ones staring back at me.

"Orso! You startled me! You ridiculous bear!" I shoved his big nose away from my face and laughed as he nudged my arm to get me to play with him.

Snapping out of my daze, I realized I spent hours reading. Meaning, I delayed trading the farm's eggs, milk and other merchandise at the market.

I picked up my skirts and ran as fast as my legs could take me, Orso tagging along. I ran out of the mysterious, yet familiar forest and stopped by my family farm to pick up my basket full of goods. I waved goodbye to Orso as I left for the marketplace.

My father, Lorenzo Moretti, found Orso. I remember that day so clearly.

I was walking through the forest, the sun shining through the thick trees and other than my footsteps, the world was quiet. I was trying to avoid doing my chores and crept to the welcoming forest, as I had done many times before.

Suddenly, a terrifying shriek pierced through the silence. I ran toward the source, fearing that it was my father.

When I reached him, Lorenzo's eyes were gleaming and he was smiling.

"Papa?" I squeaked.

He turned and frowned at me. "Jane, what are you doing here?" I stayed quiet until realization hit him. "Oh, avoiding chores again? Janie, you can't stay away from them forever." But he was smiling again and the scolding rendered useless to my ears.

"Are you hurt?"

"Huh?" He looked down at his bloodied arm. "It's just a scratch. I promise." He hesitated, then opened his mouth as if to speak and closed it again. He struggled for a while, until my father finally said, "Janie, do you want to know something?"

I eyed him skeptically, but curiosity won. "What?"

He ruffled my hair and laughed. "That's my girl. You know how several of our livestock has gone missing? Well, I solved the problem... you won't have to be hungry anymore!" I giggled and felt his sturdy arms pick me up and swing me around in a circle.
When he set me down and the dizziness faded, I looked around the trees.

"What was the problem Papa?" He didn't answer me; he didn't have to. I screeched as I saw a big mass of blood and fur lying on the forest floor.

"It's okay! It won't hurt you anymore!" My father rushes toward me but I moved toward a rustle in the bushes near the lifeless bear.
Two beady eyes peek out from underneath the thorny branches and though my heart drummed in fear, I leaned closer to the creature.

"Hello there!" I gently cooed. The small furry form shrinked into the brush as my father approached.

"Janie, get away from there. Slowly now." I ignored his warning and reached my tiny hand out toward the figure, kneeling to get a better view.

A tiny nose poked out and sniffed my outstretched figures. Then the figure licked me, and I giggled.

"Won't you come out and play?" I asked the creature, assuming it could understand my language. I suppose it did, for the figure burst through the bushes and straight into my lap.
That's when a realized what the creature was: a bear cub.