Hi! Am i eligible for the giveaway? I used to be at 25 rep until the alts messed it up.

Edit: Thanks Crewdroog, will post shortly.

Reserved post, just in case I ever want to enter. Looks like something I could have fun with!

Thanks Crew!!! +1

What fun idea, +1 and cheers Crewdroog!

Looking forward to all the stories, so keep them coming folks! That's some nifty flexibility. Really curious how she manages the point in the question mark.

well then, maybe that's what your story can be about! ;) hehehe

You cheeky little T-Rex! ;-)

Thanks for the GA, Crew! Not in for the prize, but maybe, just maybe...

tee-hee! *shakes butt at HSL*

Is there any length limitation for our stories? Mine is shaping up to be somewhat longer than I anticipated when I started.

Once upon a time there was a little mouse named Harriet. She had lovely long whiskers, coal-black eyes that shone like diamonds and a long tail that curled like a question mark. The apartment where she lived was warm and cozy, and situated in a wall inside a baker's shop. She had two good friends, Cayde, a large white raven and Bonnet, the doberman that lived with the Butcher next door.

One day, Harriet decided it was time to see the world. Cayde had always told her, how much there was to see, so she asked him, whether he couldn't take her for a flight around the neigborhood. Bonnet wanted to come too - but alas! He was much too heavy for Cayde to carry and he had to guard the butcher's shop with all the tasty meat too. So Cayde and Harriet set off without him, promising to bring amazing stories back.

And what a story it was going to be! For as soon as they had left the area of the city and were flying over a great, dark forest, they were suddenly attacked by a hawk who was hungry and thought, that Harriet looked tasty. Cayde fought valiantly, but in the fight, Harriet dropped from his back and fell down, down towards the dark forest. She thought "This is it! I'm going to die!" ... but luckily a tree with large leaves was below her and the leaves broke her fall without breaking her. But now she was there, at the ground of a strange forest. She knew Cayde would search for her, but his sight would not be able to penetrate the dense canopy and her feeble voice would not carry far enough to call out to him. And he couldn't fly in the dense forest. So Harriet knew, she would have to leave the forest on her own, hoping to be picked up by Cayde outside the forest. She started to run as fast as her little feet would carry her. But the forest was big for someone as small as Harriet and so the day ended, before she reached the end of the forest. She was hungry and tired, but as luck would have it, she found a house, right in the middle of the forest. "I'll enter that house" she said, "For it is better to sleep inside and perhaps there is some cheese!" ... How should she know, that she was walking into danger? For the house belonged to none other than Hubert the Lion!

And this is, where Harriets Amazing Adventure really begins:

[i]You all know the Lion, Hubert by name
Who lost his mane and then hid in shame.
But after a year or it may have been two
His mane did grow back and his vanity too.

Then one fair day he caught Harriet the mouse
Who had been looking for cheese in his house
He fiercely roared „What have we here!
A lowly thief!“ Harriet cowered in fear.

„Oh please don't eat me!“ the little mouse pleaded
„I just was so hungry, 'tis cheese I needed!
If you but spare me, o hear me plead,
I'll help you in turn, should you e'er be in need.“

At this the proud lion laughed haughty and loud
„If I'd be in need, how woulds't you help me out?
I am so powerful and you are but small
There's no way you ever could help me at all.“

„Don't be so sure. Thou might need me one day.
So please let me go!“ little Harriet did pray
„And yes, I am meek, for your power no game
If you were to eat mice, wouldn't that be a shame?“

„Of course, you art right, I deserve larger prey!“
The lion conceded, „So get thee away.“
„You wilt not regret this, I'll help you as well.“
Said Harriet and ran, squeaking thanks and farewell.
[/i]

Of course, when she returned, her friends didn't believe her. But from that day on she went into the forest from time to time, to see if she could make good on her promise to find a way to help the lion. And indeed she did! For the humans of the city were not overly fond of having a Lion living nearby. So one day this happened:

[i]
A few days passed, one day Hubert did see
A huge chunk of meat hanging down from a tree
He believed it a gift „That's for me, what a treat!“
And without second thought sunk his teeth into the meat.

But alas, in that moment he was suddenly wrapped
In a sturdy net and so found himself trapped.
And he found himself helpless, in spite of his might
For the rope ever tightened the more he did fight.

But then he heard someone say in a squeak
„How is it now, who is strong, who is meek?
But do not worry, I will set you free
For you spared my life and now I'll save thee.“

With a gnish and a gnash Harriet chewed through the rope
And with each riven string Hubert felt increased hope.
Until indeed the entire net broke
Now Hubert was free and he thankfully spoke:

„I thank you, kind Harriet, for saving my hide
And this time I promise to cast off my pride.
For now I have learned that no matter how small
Someone may be, he can still help us all.“

With this they parted and each went his way
But they still are good friends to this very day.[/i]


And of course, he soon met her other friends too, much to the dismay of The Butcher, who found his pantry raided by a Lion. But the four friends set out together and had many more adventures ... but that is a story for another day.

*energises magic eye beam and curls Crewdroog's tale into a fancy section sign*

Not in, just saying thanks for a lovely giveaway! I will see if I can't come up with a story decent enough to share before the deadline just for the fun of it, though. :) +1

What an awesome giveaway Crew! I'M IN! :D

So, here's the story of little Harriet:

Once upon a time there was a little mouse named Harriet. She had lovely long whiskers, coal-black eyes that shone like diamonds and a long tail that curled like a question mark. The apartment where she lived was warm and cozy, and situated in a wall inside a baker's shop. She had two good friends, Cayde, a large white raven and Bonnet, the doberman that lived with the Butcher next door.

One day, as she was asleep, she saw a weird dream... In her dream, she was living in a time when magic still existed... and you know, it IS true that magic existed in this world, at least until the industrial revolution began.

Well, in her dream she saw that all her brothers & sisters were in danger by some terrifying contraptions the men used so as to kill all rodents. And while the reason of all that hate the men had for these little creatures was unknown, Harriet assumed it may had to do with the raids some hamsters did, to get some food for their youngsters. Anyway, whatever the reason was, something had to been done quickly, because all rodentdom was in danger!

Harriet studied how these contraptions worked - they weren't too complex but one mistake may proved fatal - and found a way to disable them, making them safe to take the bait (usually a piece of cheese) and move to the next one and then the next after that etc. She found something else too; on top of each contraption there was a little sign with a name and an address... Her eyes widened the moment she found that this was in fact the place where all these devices were made!

So, she gathered a team of 5 hamsters and planned to infiltrate the factory. Sure, it was a difficult & dangerous mission but she had to take all her courage and succeed for the good of all rodentdom.

At midnight, when no one worked at the factory, Harriet and her team found a way to get inside using a small wall in the wall from where many cables were drived from the outside to the machines inside the building.

They searched everywhere for a way to disable the machines that produced the contraptions but they couldn't find a way to do it but after some long hours, Harriet found out what had to be done; she chewed the lighting cable on the ceiling, ripped the links that held the cable in place and threw it inside a barrel full of volatile liquid.

The explosion was so big & loud that everyone in the town woke up terrified and all the while, our little friends stood a little farther and watched the flames that jumped from the windows. Then they found out the Harriet was missing... the poor Harriet, she didn't manage to evacuate the building in time and died in there.. the hamsters, while they were grateful that all the rodentdom was saved, they were sad they lost a good friend.

And as they say that when someone dies, continues to live in another plane of existence, so did Harriet that had just woke up from that dream, happy to realise that in fact she didn't die and all that was a dream!

End of story.

Thank's again and hope you don't mind any mistakes! ;-)

It seems my story is too long for GOG to handle, so unfortunately you'll be getting it in several parts. :P

Part one:

Once upon a time there was a little mouse named Harriet. She had lovely long whiskers, coal-black eyes that shone like diamonds and a long tail that curled like a question mark. The apartment where she lived was warm and cozy, and situated in a wall inside a baker's shop. She had two good friends, Cayde, a large white raven and Bonnet, the doberman that lived with the Butcher next door.

One day a morning came that was not like the other mornings. The sun crept through the little hole that was the front door to Harriet’s house, waking her with its lovely warm rays. Almost of its own accord, Harriet’s little nose began to sniff, her long whiskers moving along. She was used to waking to the smell of lovely, fresh warm bread, accompanied by the soft noises the young baker made as he kneaded the flour and put the bread in the oven. Today, however, there was no delicious smell, and the bakery remained silent.

Or no, not quite. Straining her little ears, Harriet could just make out the sound of muffled sobs coming from somewhere near her mouse hole. Feeling curious, she peeked through the hole that led to the baker’s shop.

The young baker was sitting bent over in a chair, his face inside his hands. Harriet crept closer cautiously. The baker was usually generous to her, as he let her live untroubled in her little hole, and would even leave some pieces of unsold bread out for her every evening. Still, humans were just so big, and Harriet could never help feeling slightly scared of them. One of her cousins had died in a mousetrap, and her mother had always cautioned her against getting too comfortable inside a human home. Still, the baker had never attempted to hurt her, and certainly someone who made such delicious bread could not be all bad?

Whiskers twitching, she approached the baker, stopping next to one of his huge feet. Up close, the baker’s sobs were much louder. Harriet had not seen the young man so sad since his parents had died a year ago. She was beginning to feel rather bad for him, and just as she considered what to do, the chair creaked loudly as the baker moved.

Harriet jumped up in fear, all but ready to bolt back to her little hole. Then the baker noticed her and stilled his movements, gazing down at her through watery eyes.

“Oh, it’s you, little mouse,” he spoke, his voice thick. “I’m sorry if I frightened you. It’s just that … well, there’s no more flour, and without flour, I can’t bake any bread.”

Harriet was not quite sure what flour was, but if it was necessary to bake bread it had to be very important indeed. She twitched her whiskers questioningly, not sure why the baker didn’t simply go out to get some more flour.

Appearing to understand her, the young man sighed deeply. “The harvests have been bad this year, and there is no more flour to be found in the village. If I can’t bake my bread I can’t make a living, and the people here will go hungry.”

Harriet curled her tail as she contemplated the situation. Hunger was certainly bad. She had seen it drive normal mice completely insane, risking their lives for the smallest piece of cheese perched atop a trap. To be fair, she had not seen any human-sized traps yet, but one never knew what those strange creatures might get up to if they felt desperate …

“I just don’t know what to do,” the baker said, burying his face in his hands again and sniffling loudly. Harriet scurried away from the baker, stopping near the entrance to her house. She started nibbling on her tiny hands, grooming herself as she thought the situation through. The baker might not know what to do, but that didn’t mean Harriet could not be of help. After all, she had strong and clever friends, and with the help of Bonnet and Cayde she might be able to find some more of this mysterious flour.

Her mind made up, she raced through the large creak underneath the door, making her way through the tall grass outside that tickled her as she ran by. Bonnet the dog lived right next door, and Harriet carefully looked around to see if he was anywhere nearby. She paused next to the door of his home, reluctant to enter. Bonnet’s owner was a butcher, and Harriet was always slightly frightened of the large knives that adorned every surface inside the shop. She knew the butcher was not fond of mice as the baker was, and as such she was reluctant to risk entering.

“Little Harriet, what are you doing?” a voice croaked next to her suddenly. Harriet almost jumped up, but she relaxed as she recognized the voice of her friend Cayde. The white raven was perched on top of a nearby fence, granting him an excellent view of the surrounding garden.

“I’m looking for Bonnet!” Harriet squeaked. “I need his help, and yours too!”

Cayde shook out his feathers. “Of course, I could never abandon a friend in need of help.” He pushed off the fence and took to the air, soaring over Harriet’s head and into the butcher’s shop through the open window. A moment later he emerged again, landing gracefully back on top of the fence. The door to the butcher’s shop pushed open and Bonnet himself came running out, followed by the shouts of his owner, who was apparently not pleased with Cayde’s audacity.

Bonnet halted next to the fence, panting loudly. “Harriet! What’s wrong?”

Harriet rubbed her small hands together. “It’s the baker. He needs help.”

Cayde croaked. “Help with what?”

“He can’t bake any bread because there is no flour anymore. Without the bread the entire village will go hungry!”

Bonnet sat down with a thud. “Well, that’s certainly bad. But what is this flour stuff?”

Cayde hopped around on top of the fence. “You don’t know? It’s a white powdery sort of thing, I think they make it around mills.”

“Mills, huh?” Harriet curled and uncurled her tail again. “Then we should find one of these mills.”

Bonnet looked confused. “But there’s one right on the other side of the village!”

“Oh Bonnet, that one is out of flour!” Harriet squeaked. “We have to find a different mill.”

Cayde stood up a little straighter and fluffed up his feathers. “If you’ll allow me, I think I am uniquely suited to this task.”

Harriet squealed. “Yes, excellent idea! You can fly over and search the area for other mills!”

Wasting no time, Cayde took off again, nearly hitting Bonnet in the face with one of his wings. The Doberman sniffed and lay down on the ground. “I am not so sure about all of this, Harriet. What if we run into any trouble?”

Bonnet might look like a big bad dog, but deep down he was the most scared animal Harriet knew. Her whiskers twitched as she thought. This adventure might not be so bad for Bonnet at all … “I’m sure everything will be fine. Besides, we have to help! Wouldn’t you also try to find a solution if your owner suddenly ran out of meat?”

Bonnet sniffed. “Of course, but leaving the village … it seems so dangerous. Who knows what might be out there?”

“Exactly! Who knows? You might meet some really great new friends! Remember that day when we first met?”

Bonnet’s nose twitched in amusement. “Of course! My owner saw you and tried to chase you from the store. You were so scared!”

“Yes, but you came to help me! And we’ve been friends ever since! So the risk was worth it.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Bonnet said. “It might be good to leave the village for once.”

Harriet squeaked happily as Cayde appeared above them again, circling as he looked for a good place to land. He finally set down next to Harriet, the flapping of his wings creating an air current that made Harriet’s hair stand up straight.

“Good news!” Cayde croaked. “There’s another mill a little to the east of here. It should not take us long to get there at all. Harriet, you climb on top of Bonnet, and I’ll fly ahead to show you the way!”

Harriet ran over to Bonnet, quickly grabbing a hold of his fur and climbing on top of him. She took a hold of his collar with her tiny hands, clinging on tightly as Bonnet began to run. His long legs allowed for much larger strides than she could take herself, and Harriet looked on eagerly as the ground raced by below her. Cayde soared above, the bright sunshine making his feathers look even more white than they usually did.
The ride was magnificent, and Bonnet slowed down all but too soon as the huge structure of the mill appeared up ahead. Cayde was beginning to descend as well, circling around the mill once to take in the situation. Bonnet stopped in the shade of the mill and waited patiently as Harriet climbed back down again.

Cayde hopped onto the grass in front of them. “This is the place. I think there’s flour inside, but …”

Harriet sniffed. “What is it, Cayde?”

Cayde croaked reluctantly. “There’s a fat red cat sitting in front of the door opening.”

Bonnet’s ears immediately flattened. “That’s it, we have to go back. The two of you are just food for that creature!”

“Bonnet!” Cayde scolded.

“It’s true! Cats love to hunt, and mice and birds are their favorite. You’ve never seen them up close, have you? I have, and they’re terrifying.” He pawed at his nose. “Look, I still have a scar from the last cat I met. He clawed at me like some sort of monster!”

Continued below, not in the next post but the one after that

I'm in, thanks for the chance!

Once upon a time there was a little mouse named Harriet. She had lovely long whiskers, coal-black eyes that shone like diamonds and a long tail that curled like a question mark. The apartment where she lived was warm and cozy, and situated in a wall inside a baker's shop. She had two good friends, Cayde, a large white raven and Bonnet, the doberman that lived with the Butcher next door.

One day, the piece of wood Harriet used as a makeshift door was knocked on. Well, knocking implies gently using physical force to make a sound that alerts the person on the other side of your presence. In actuality, it was hit. A lot of times, actually. The noise generated here woke Harriet with a start. Who the hell would be at her door at this hour? She roused herself from her little bed made out of wool and toothpicks. "Hang on, I'm coming! 5 AM, what the hell..." she mumbled to herself, as she opened the door to reveal Cayde, covered in a reddish substance, with a scared look in his eyes.

"YOU GOTTA HIDE ME!" he screamed, as he barged in to the apartment right past Harriet.

"W-what's going- why do you have jam on you?" Harriet questioned.

"It's not jam, it's blood." Cade responded in a hurried way, as he sat down on the floor.

"BLOOD?" Harriet screamed. "Are you ok? I'll go get a-"

"It isn't mine," Cayde interrupted.

"What do you mean it isn't- WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I killed Bonnet."

Harriet looked at him with a confused look, before laughing. "Ha ha, very funny prank. That's jam alright, and I'm pretty sure Bonnet's ALIVE. Get out, you're testing our friendship at this hour."

"I'm fucking serious, Harriet. I killed the dog."

The way Cayde said that made her question her previous statement. He never spoke like that especially not with swearing involved... and his eyes seemed to darken just a little when he said that... and his face didn't betray any sign of laughter bubbling up from deep inside... and he was frowning. Whenever he frowned that meant he did something wrong and was angry at himself.

"You... you killed her," she finally spoke after processing all the information presented to her.

"Yeah."

"But-but HOW?"

"Well," Cayde said, "you know how crows and ravens can use sticks to dig up insects?"

"Yeah?" Harriet said

"Well, I sharpened one into a knife"

"But why?"

"She called me an excuse of an ornithological study, I don't what that meant, but I assumed it meant that i was ugly. So I offed her."

Harriet suddenly felt very scared. If she was right, the Butcher would see this when he wakes up at 7. No doubt the Baker would be considered a prime suspect; he always spoke badly about Bonnet due to her energetic nature (she's messed up the kitchen more than once during her visits) and has repeatedly made threats of sending her to a pound. She didn't want to be in the middle of a confrontation.

She then remembered she was in a room with a murderer. She needed to get out. What to say, what to SAY?

"Uhh, I-I'm just going to-"

"What?" Cayde interrupted, for the second time during his stay. He moved toward her, much like a predator.

"Uhhh... oh SHIT!"

Cayde zoomed toward her. She ducked, and tried to run, but was pinned to the ground by Cayde's foot. He bent down, and smiled evilly. She knew she was a goner (she wasn't gonna bite him so he would lift his foot in agony, as she couldn't separate her friend from the monster he had become). She closed her eyes....

Nothing.

Was this what death was? A feeling of nothing? Why was she still breathing? And why did she smell jam?

Wait a minute...

She opened her eyes to Cayde giggling.

"Cayde..."

"APRIL FOOLS SUCKER!" he shouted, as he let her go and laughed like a maniac.

"You-you PRANKED me! You fucking pranked me!" Harriet screamed. "I knew that was fucking jam!"

"I'm sorry," Cayde said between laughs, "I couldn't pass it up. Not today. April 1st and all that."

"You son of a bitch."

"Yeah."

Harriet composed herself.

"So," she said, "Bonnet's not dead, yeah?"

"No way!" Cade replied. "She's sleeping at the Butcher's. I got in there and tried to convince her to join the prank, but she wanted none of it. She was gonna be a vengeful ghost or something. Had to improvise after that."

"So that really is jam on you?"

"Yep! Straight from the Baker's supply."

"And you're not a horrible murderer?"

"Nope."

Harriet wasn't sure what to say. She'd just been scared out of her wits by what she assumed at the time a psychotic bird. She eventually settled on something, and spoke with calm fury.

"Cayde, you're one of my best friends, and I love you.... but you're an arsehole."

"Yes, but I'm you're arsehole, aren't I?"

With that, Harriet started chucking things like cookie bits and her wool fluff pillow at him. "Out, out, OUT!" she shouted.

"Alright, alright, I'm leavin', I'm leavin'!" Cayde said. Barely avoiding her stuff (she was a very good thrower for a mouse), he made his way out of the apartment and through the inconspicuous hole in the wall that led to it. "See ya later!" he called as he flew out the building.

Harriet, both shaken and stirred, flopped herself onto her bed, prepared to go back to sleep.

"Fucking ravens," she murmured, with a small, relieved smile on her face. She closed her eyes, and quickly, without effort, fell into a deep slumber

Part two:

“But not all cats are like that,” Cayde said reasonably. “As a crow, I’m supposed to eat mice as well.”

“But you’ve always been odd,” Bonnet retorted.

“Let’s not fight,” Harriet pleaded with them. “Cayde and I can’t approach the cat, just in case he really is feeling hungry. But Bonnet could!”

Bonnet tucked his tail between his legs. “Definitely not!”

“Come on, Bonnet! You’re much larger than that cat is, and besides, most cats are frightened of dogs.”

“No, no, no! I won’t do it!”

As they were arguing, Cayde had taken to the air again, circling above the blissfully unaware Bonnet. Catching Harriet’s eyes, he gave her a wicked look, and promptly proceeded to peck at Bonnet’s tail. The poor dog yelped at the unexpected pinch and took off in the other direction, heading straight for the fat cat. Harriet and Cayde ran after him, eager to see the confrontation (and to rescue their friend if need be).

Bonnet, having realized that he had been tricked, had stopped abruptly in front of the cat, who was lazing about in the sun. He began to back up slowly in an attempt to get away before the cat realized he was there.

Then he stepped onto a branch and the cat’s eyes snapped open.

“Well, well,” the cat purred, stretching his front legs. “Who have we here?”

Bonnet cowered in front of the stranger, too frightened to say anything.

“Well, what’s that?” The cat sat up and began to lick his paw. “Cat got your tongue?”

Bonnet looked even more frightened at that, but somewhere deep down he appeared to find some resolve, as he stopped shivering and drew himself up straight. “I’m Bonnet.”

“And what are you doing here, Bonnet?”

Bonnet squared his chest. “I’m here to help my friend Harriet!”

The cat leaned to the side to see around Bonnet, finally noticing Cayde and Harriet. To Harriet’s immense relief, he did not appear inclined towards hunting them at all. In fact, he stretched again, curling his back and raising his tail, then lay back down onto the grass.

“And what does your friend Harriet want?”

Bonnet appeared to have found his bravado. “We’re looking for flour. The human whose home she lives in is a baker, and without flour he can’t bake his bread.”

“A serious problem indeed. As it so happens, my owner has a great deal of flour just lying about …” Seeing Bonnet’s eager face, the cat flexed his claws in amusement. “But tell me, Bonnet, what would you be prepared to do to gain access to this flour?”

Bonnet appeared close to tucking his tail between his legs again, but still he did not falter. “Anything!”

“Very well, then. Here’s what I propose. I will distract my owner, allowing you to take a bag of flour. When she discovers the theft, she will surely come running after you, and you can lead her back to the baker. But first …” the cat’s tail twitched. “You will have to answer three questions. Just you, without any help from your friends.”

Bonnet’s ears moved nervously. “… all right.”

The cat almost seemed to grin. “Purrrrfect. Here’s the first question: why can’t a leopard hide?”

Bonnet’s tail began to wag slowly. “That one’s easy! Because he’s always spotted.”

“Well done indeed! Let’s see if you do as well with the next one. What pillar is not used in a building?”

Bonnet sat down as he considered. “What pillar … hmmm … Oh, I know! A caterpillar!”

The cat purred in delight. “Excellent, truly excellent! Here’s the last one for you: what has the fur of a cat, the whiskers of a cat, the ears of a cat and the tail of a cat, but is not a cat?”

Bonnet’s ears twitched again. “Something that is a cat but yet not a cat?”

The cat began licking his other paw. “Or not yet a cat, as the case may be.”

“How can that be?”

“That’s up to you to figure out, isn’t it? Unless you would rather give up?”

“No!” Bonnet barked.

Harriet’s heart beat loudly within her chest as she watched her friend think. He was doing so well … Just one more question and they could get the flour!

“Now now, let’s have the answer, shall we?”

“I don’t … what if … no, wait!” Bonnet jumped up. “I know! A kitten!”

The cat threw himself onto his back, rolling through the grass. “Astounding! Simply marvelous. What a delightful dog you are.”

Bonnet's tail began wagging again and his ears perked up. “Now can we have our reward?”

“Certainly. Be ready. I will run in and distract my owner, but you will need to grab the flour immediately afterward.”

Bonnet nodded in determination, and Harriet hurried to climb onto his back, grabbing hold of the collar once again. Cayde took to the air again as the cat ran into the house, mewing loudly. A moment later he ran outside again, followed closely by a pretty young woman with long red hair. Bonnet did not hesitate a moment and immediately rushed inside, grabbing the nearest bag of flour with his mouth and taking it outside with him. As they emerged from the mill, the woman spotted them and began shouting.

“Hey! What are you doing? Drop that bag!”

Ignoring the shouting, Bonnet took off and ran as fast as his strong legs would carry him. Harriet clung to the collar tightly, feeling the wind rush through her short fur. Cayde soared ahead, showing them the shortest way to the village. When Harriet chanced a glance behind her she could see the woman following, hiking up her skirts and running after Bonnet.

Before too long the houses of their own village came into sight, which was a good thing, as Bonnet was starting to pant, and the girl chasing them was falling behind. With his last strength, Bonnet pushed open the door to the bakery and dropped the bag onto the ground, spilling flour all over the store. The baker, who had been quietly sweeping the floor, jumped up in surprise at the sudden intrusion. His eyes grew even wider when the red-haired women finally stumbled over the threshold as well.

“Ha! There you are, you mangy –”

She stopped short as she caught sight of the baker. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I just … Is this your dog? He took my flour and I …”

The baker perked up. “Flour?”

“Yes, I own a mill not far from here. Why are you asking?”

“I’m desperate for flour! I own this bakery but our harvest has been so bad that there’s no flour to be had around here. Now I can’t bake bread and the people here will go hungry.”

The young woman clamped a hand in front of her mouth. “That’s terrible! You simply must buy my flour, then!”

The baker’s face broke out into a grin. “You would do that?”

“Of course! I have too much anyway. Since my father died I haven’t been able to carry it to nearby villages myself.”

Abruptly, the baker walked over and picked the young woman up, lifting her into the air as she screamed. Harriet looked on in wonder, realizing once again just how strange human customs were. The woman did not appear hurt, though, as she was also laughing when the baker finally put her down onto the ground again.

“So this is not your dog, then?” she asked, smiling.

The baker shook his head. “No! He belongs to the village butcher. Although …” He frowned as he took a closer look at Bonnet. “I think I see someone I know.”

He reached out and carefully cupped Harriet into his too-large hands. Her heart was beating wildly, but she willed herself to be calm. The baker was a good man, and he would not hurt her … But what if he accidentally crushed her? Oh, humans were just so big …

The baker brought Harriet close to his face so he could look into her big, shiny eyes. “Did you and your friends do this?”

Harriet squeaked affirmatively, rubbing her hands together.

The baker smiled. “Well, who would have thought? My father always did have a soft spot for mice, and now I finally know why …” He gently set Harriet down on the ground again. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget what you did for me. From now on your belly will always be filled, I promise that. And your friends will have my help too, of course.”

Cayde croaked happily and Bonnet wagged his tail. Harriet could almost not believe her luck, but it seemed the baker still wasn’t done. “And I’ll try to find you some nice cheese every once in a while too, wouldn’t you like that?”

Harriet squealed, rubbing her nose excitedly. Today was turning out to be the best day of her life! The baker and the miller laughed, looking at each other happily. Bonnet barked loudly and ran outside, skipping through the fields. Harriet and Cayde did not hesitate and rushed out after him, jumping and frolicking in their joy. They finally collapsed into one big heap of fur and feathers, trying to catch their breath.

“Thank you so much!” Harriet said, her tail curling in pleasure. “You’ve all been so helpful! And Bonnet, I’ve never seen you so brave before.”

Bonnet barked proudly. “From now on, I will fear nothing!”

Cayde and Harriet croaked and squeaked with laughter as they rolled on the grass. Today had been a perfect day, and with the help of the baker, she could now be sure she would always have a home and food in her belly … All thanks to her friends. Harriet curled up against Bonnet’s warm side, feeling sleepy and content, ready to dream of what tomorrow might bring.

End

Also, apparently I accidentally named Bonnet 'Butcher' originally (got confused with his owner xD), but that's fixed now. Also not sure what gender Bonnet is supposed to be, so I just made him male. :P