Pondovadia: World I Love, Tears I Drop

Chapter One: Life's a Kick in this Town

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July 24, 302X

What is it that makes Pondovadia, West Virginia a city unlike any other in the Appalachia region? Is it the harmonious blend of human past yet animal presence? Could it be the combination of sleek architecture and spiraling nature of flora? Perhaps it's the delightfully eccentric animal residents who liven up the current state capitol. Let's see what some of these residents are up to.
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Three children were hanging out that afternoon in one of the downtown apartments. They were sitting together on the bed and talking amongst themselves about who knows what. A phone went off on the grey nightside table.

The cyan blue North American beaver immediately hopped off the bed and grabbed her phone. She held the phone up to her right ear.

"Alright! What the fuck is up?" the girl happily greeted whoever was on the line. All she heard on the other end was some shuffling.

One of the other kids, a red ferret in a green tunic, shook his head and crossed his arms. The other kid, a yellow turtle chimera in a sleeveless grey hoodie, chuckled to himself in amusement.

"Bell, it's a pyramid call. Don't bother with it" the ferret snarked.

Bell turned around to roll her eyes and went back on the line as she finally heard someone else pick up.

"Hi, is this Isabell Woodrow?" the chirpy voice asked.

"Yeah?" Bell looked confused as she stayed on the line. Her two friends looked at each other in confusion.

"Yes, we're with the Pondovadian Touristry Division. You won the drawing we held last week, congratulations" the silky hen on the line explained to her. "You and two friends get to go on a trip to the Lake of the Unknown Knotts!"

Bell gasped and nearly dropped her phone in excitement. Her eyes glittered in excitement.
"Are you kidding!!"

"Oh no, I'm not kidding," the woman on the line continued. "Your tour of the Unknown Knotts is this Friday at three o'clock, and your tour pass number is 7347. See you then!" she hung up.

The beaver widely grinned before shoving her phone into her pocket. She jumped back onto the bed in excitement.

"Ponce, Toshi, can you guys believe it?!?!?!" Bell was beaming in joy.

"Of course we'd believe it," Ponce, the gold and purple turtle chimera, laughed in amusement. "I saw you stuff the raffle box twice"

Toshi, the pinkish-red ferret, tilted his head. "She did what now?"

"Oh yeah" Ponce choked a bit on his laughter.

Bell facepalmed in embarrassment. "Toshi, why the hell does it matter, we won anyways"

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July 27

The Deutschendorf Forest, named after a prominent folk singer of the nineteen seventies. One of West Virginia's beautiful state forests that maps two counties in the northern area. Monongahela University, the most prominent public land-grant university of West Virginia, manages half of the trailing forest while the other half is maintained by the Appalachia commission.

It was an exciting Friday down by the Deutschendorf Forest. Fourteen animals had gathered at a large patch of grass near the dusty brown shores.

Bell, Ponce, and Toshi checked their belongings to make sure they were safe. Toshi carefully placed his belongings into his pastel pink messenger bag, Bell crammed her junk into the bottom of her Monongahela University drawstring bag, and Ponce sorted his stuff at the bottom of his simple black backpack.