SPLASH! Polly jerked awake as a shower of icy droplets rained onto her snowy-white and night-black patched fur. "Ah!" she gasped, before her shock melted into annoyance. "Juliet!" The elegant white swan lay on the clear lake, her long feathery neck stretched into a perfect arc. "What was that for?" demanded the little panda. "I didn't mean too," called Juliet in her silken voice. "I was just landing." One of Polly's other friends, Hazel, a golden-brown rabbit, sprang to the edge of the pond. "Mornin', Polly! Mornin', Juliet!" she greeted them, flicking her long ears. "Good morning," replied Juliet and Polly in unison. Hazel grinned. "Say we find Melody and get somethin' to eat?" "Sounds good," agreed Polly as Juliet nodded and spreading her beautiful wings. The three trotted over to where they knew they would find Melody; at the base of a tall silver birch, which was swaying in the wind. "Melody?" A sunny golden face peered out between the soft, pale green leaves. The canary fluttered down to them. "Hi," she chirped shyly. "All right, now, let's go find something to eat, I'm starving," announced Hazel, bounding into the undergrowth. Juliet and Melody glided after her, Polly trailing behind them. They reached a small clearing surrounded by a glade of tall green trees. In the center of it was a large pond, the blue-green water glittering in the sunlight. Juliet splashed into it, thrusting her head beneath the surface to find the algae. Melody began pecking at the ground for seeds as Polly found some lush bamboo and Hazel devoured dandelions and blades of grass. For awhile there was silence as they all ate their fill, broken only by small splashing sounds as Juliet resurfaced and dove under again. Suddenly, Hazel's head shot up, her nose twitching and ears erect. "What is it?" inquired Polly, confused. "Fire," whispered Hazel. "FIRE! RUN! NOW!" she screeched. The scent of smoke filled Polly's nose, acrid and strong, as she stumbled through the forest, Hazel bounding beside her, Juliet alternating between flying and running in front of her, Melody flapping her wings frantically. Flames licked at her paws, scalding her pads, but she charged on. "We can't outrun it!" gasped Polly finally. "I know!" yelled Hazel. Juliet just gave a small moan. "Juliet! Get into the water!" ordered Polly, thinking fast. "Hazel, try going into your burrows!" "Not without you!" yelled Hazel. "I'LL BE FINE! GO!" bellowed Polly, and her friends finally obeyed. Polly followed Juliet to the water's edge, where she found an outcropping of stone looming over the reed bed. It wasn't perfect, she thought, wriggling under it, but it would do as a shelter. She could see Juliet and Hazel watching her. The three of them were safe- the three of them! Polly sprang to her paws. Her head slammed into the rock, sending bolts of pain through her body, but that didn't matter, what mattered was that Melody- small, quiet little Melody- was out in the smoke and fire and intense heat! Polly surged out of her shelter and bolted for the forest. "Stay there!" she commanded Hazel and Juliet, but it was pointless, they shot after her. "What're you doing?" screamed Hazel. "Melody!" panted Polly. "MELODY!" Hazel's amber eyes widened, and Juliet gasped. "No- we didn't- we can't have-" "Left her!" finished Polly. "We need to find her!" Hazel and Juliet nodded. "Melody!" the three cried. A burning log toppled in front of Polly. She leaped over it, but the flames scorched her underbelly. She wanted to assess the damage, but there was no time. Soon, the smoke was making it impossible to see and smell. They had to duck inside a small dip in the earth sheltered by some brambles and wait, not knowing where Melody was or if she was injured or if she was even alive- "Stop this!" yelped Juliet shrilly. "We mustn't just keep quiet and worry. Let's just- just try and distract ourselves until this fire is over." Hazel's ears and nose twitched. "Can't be long," the rabbit informed them. "The crackling isn't as loud and the smoke-smell is fading." Polly noticed it too; the air was becoming better, she could now take deep breaths of air without coughing or choking. After several more minutes, Hazel nodded. "It's safe," she told them. Polly, Hazel, and Juliet exited the shelter. Together, they yelled. "MELODY! MELODY!" No results. They trekked through the forest, listening, occasionally calling Melody's name. Nothing. Polly realized what she could do. She found a tall tree that was scorched but stable. "I'm going up," she told her friends, and climbed to to top branch, scouting the ash-covered ground for Melody. Then her eyes landed on a speck of yellow. "I see her!" Polly gasped. She scurried down the tree and charged in the direction she'd seen the yellow feathers. She reached a heap of ash and dust. Sparks still glowed on the fallen, charred logs around it. But Polly's eyes were scanning the ash, Juliet and Hazel catching up behind her. Suddenly, Polly heard a thin, high-pitched chirp. "P-Polly?" gasped a faint voice. "H-h- Hazel? J-Jul-liet?" "Melody!" cried Polly, Hazel, and Juliet. Polly leaped towards the direction of the sound and found Melody, lying unharmed near the edge of the pile. Days later, the four were sprawled over the warm stones on a pond bed. New trees had begun to sprout and several flowers were blooming already. "Lovely morning, isn't it?" muttered Hazel sleepily. "It's never been better," sighed Polly. Then she lay her head down and fell asleep with her friends.
My entry. You notice I didn't enter for art, and the reason for that is below the word 'Notes'.
