Forest of the Golden Acorn

"Come on. We can take 'em. There are a dozen of us and only a pair of them."

"Get off my shoulder," Jacques hissed at Elqua. "There might only be two of them, but they can fly and dive bomb. We just duck and cover, or run like...like...well, like squirrels."

"We are...."

"I know what we are. That's why I said it. Regardless, Elqua, we need a diversionary tactic so I can grab that golden acorn."

Elqua's fur puffed up. "Why do you get it?"

"Well, there are a dozen of us and only one acorn. As the natural leader of the scurry, it is mine by right."

"Leader? Who made you leader?" The two began to bark at one another and dizzily chase each other around a large Weymouth pine tree. The blue jay couple screamed in their general direction, not because they were worried about the squirrels, but simply because they were not in the mood to hear what they considered to be tree-climbing rats squabble.

"Chester, go get that acorn," said Azure, the female mate of the bird pair.

Chester looked at the shining little nut. It had just fallen from the majestic and ancient white oak, landing with a particularly odd thud that sounded throughout the whole of the vast northern woods.

He and Azure had flown to see what could've made such a sound. The sparkle of the golden acorn quickly caught their eyes as they had flown over. They circled back, landing in the lowest branch of the oak, an oak they had perched upon many times before. Never had they seen an acorn such as this. Within seconds of their arrival they saw the rambunctious squirrels amongst the branches and dashing across the forest floor through the carpet of multi-hued leaves.

Chester swooped down just a yard from the shiny morsel and began hopping forward. He was just inches away when the squirrels raised a raucous alarm. Swift shadows cluttered the ground, and the sun became a strobe light of flapping wings and black silhouettes.