[knickknacks]

Username: Knickknacks
Name: Birch
Gender: Male
Spot: A dark brown spot on the bridge of his nose; shown in my various drawings.
Hey look here's my form! It starts as narration and then there's dialogue and then it goes back to narration! Have fun making sense of it!

Age:: 2 months//20 human years
Role:: Builder
Build:: Wiry; surprisingly strong; pretty tall
Strengths:: Planning; physical work; endurance
Weaknesses:: Talking to others; overcautiousness
Likes:: Climbing; birdsong; cool breezes
Dislikes:: The dark; bees; awkward social situations

Click to view at full size!

*Mice other than Birch in the character study are just plain solid colors because Cinders' markings were driving me up a wall and I didn't want to deal with her. oop.

~*~

When Birch first arrived, he was quite a confusing personality to his tribemates. Smart, yes, and hardworking, making him absolutely an asset to the tribe (especially seeing as they were all rather incompetent at building and he was not), but he seemed reluctant to actually associate with them. Birch, in truth, was a kind of awkward soul who considered himself to be frankly terrible at talking to others. He felt kind of like an outsider in the beginning, since the other mice functioned like a close-knit family group, and had convinced himself that they would dislike him if he tried to integrate himself. His solution? It was by no means a great one, but he decided he'd shield himself from this imagined dislike by disassociating himself before the others could disassociate him. Like I said- not a great solution. The other mice were thoroughly puzzled by Birch's strange behavior- working around the clock, politely declining all invitations to hang out. Brindle finally decided she was going to confront Birch and figure out what was up...

~*~

“Hey, Birch! We’re all going over to Outlook Rock today!” Brindle called, coming to sit beside the tall buck. “Cinders told us it’s a great sunning spot, with a nice sandy strip almost like the shore here!” She said, sweeping one paw vaguely toward the riverside. “So since none of us really have work to do, we’re going to just hang out together for the rest of the day!” When Birch didn’t respond immediately, she poked him in the side with her paw. “Hint: ‘we’ means all the members of the tribe. Which means you. I’m telling you to come with us.”

Birch froze, an almost panicky expression flashing across his face. Brindle cocked her head curiously. What about an invitation to have fun was unpleasant to him? Had she said something wrong? This was what she was really after- the brown-and-white mouse had been strangely distant since he'd first come to stay with them. It was almost like he was scared of them or something. Brindle wanted to find out what was up- and, if necessary, help Birch with it. She didn't want a builder in her tribe who was scared to talk to her- or everyone else, for that matter.

“It-” Birch spoke, his voice sounding oddly light and cheery. “It’s fine. I- I do have some work, actually, that I need to do. So, thank you for the invitation, Brindle, but- no. Just go without me.” He stood up as if to leave, but was stopped by Brindle grabbing his front leg in a surprisingly strong grip, forcing him to stay sitting where he was.

“Listen up, Birch,” Brindle said firmly. “I said I was telling you to come with us. Not inviting you. You’ve been working your tail off… basically since you got to the tribe. Five sunrises. Not one break, not one smile. So now, as your leader, I am ordering you to come to Outlook Rock with the rest of your tribemates and have some fun with us. There’s more to life than work, you know.” She let go of Birch’s arm, staring at him with a steely look in her eyes. Birch felt trapped, as though she was staring through him. He shut his eyes again and turned away, hating how easily he fell to pieces as he felt the burning in his face and prickling in his eyes.

~*~

When confronted, Birch found he was completely unable to hide his feelings- how worried he was about fitting into his new home, how he wanted to stay but didn't think he could when the others didn't like him- wait what? Brindle cut him off there and knocked things back into perspective, explaining that they'd love to get to know him and be friends... but he had to make an effort as well. You joined our tribe, she said. We'll stick by you. You're a part of our family now.

...Just maybe don't be such a drama queen about it in the future, she said. All tears abruptly ceased once she got him to laugh.

~*~

CLick to view at full size!

Tried an ever-so-slightly different style for my lining here. And got frustrated with inventing markings to go on Brindle's not-visible-in-the-reference-aka-her-right side. eh. Either way- have a cute sentimental drawing.

~*~

At Brindle's request, Birch did end up going to Outlook Rock with the others that day. And... he actually had a lot of fun! Who knew? His new friends helped him get outside the occasionally-crazy space that was his own head, dragging him into their misadventures and laughing with him and working with him and supporting him. Birch grew closer to them all, and in time came to view himself not as an outsider, but as a member of their family. Which he was.

So all in all? I'd say he got a happy ending.

Plus- he finally dug some burrows big enough for Stormcloud to fit through. That’s a bonus.

~*~

Here! Have a traditional sketch! Another mini character study of this guy; I restated a lot of the initial characteristics in my other drawing above but wanted to show how his character does undergo slight changes as he gets more comfortable in the tribe. Plus I just love his design and enjoy drawing him. so.

He's one of the more responsible mice in the tribe- and indeed usually the first to question the safety of an action. Sometimes this is good, but it can also easily tip over into fretting and overthinking. It's a balance- he acts as a voice of reason for the others, and they in turn keep him from worrying and stressing too much. <3 He does gain more confidence, too, as time goes on- I'm picturing him as being a sort of unofficial (but totally official at the same time) master builder/foreman-type figure once the tribe gets more builders. But he'd forever retain a little bit of his initial awkwardness- which comes off mostly as endearing.

-x-Brindle::
Birch thinks Brindle is great. That is all. He totally isn't nursing a tiny little crush on her. Nope. Not at all.
-x-Chestnut::
Nice neutral relationship. They're not besties or anything, but they like each other and definitely have fun together as well.
-x-Stormcloud::
Birch and Stormcloud really get each other. They're both pretty levelheaded guys, and will gravitate to each other any time they're in the mood for a nice, calm conversation.
-x-Cinders::
Birch likes Cinders pretty well, but her occasional recklessness tends to clash with his sense of caution. While Brindle might just sit back and shake her head in amusement if her Bestie decides to do something crazy, Birch is the one who will continue to follow her, trying to dissuade her from doing whatever-it-is.

-------
hhhhh I think I'm finally done! finally. hope this is... coherent-ish? I adore this guy's design, so whoever wins this can 100% expect/request some art from me! <3

[halflower]

Username: MistyWavez
Name: Reed
Gender: Female
Spot:

Reed has a small, brown smear like pattern on her left cheek. (The side showing on the original.)

Rank: Food Gatherer
Age: 2 months (20 in human years)
Tribe: Tribe of the Tall Stones

Personality:
‣ She's very outgoing, and never misses a chance to meet or talk to someone new.
‣ Reed is a bit clumsy, and often gets herself in predicaments because of it.
‣ She likes making others laugh with jokes, but often times they don't laugh.
‣ Reed would rather talk and joke then work, which gets her in trouble pretty often.

History:

The sound of birds chirping and leaves stirring filled the air as the sun grew higher in the sky. The water from the river rushed by Reed quickly as she walked along the slightly muddy path beside it. She huffed as she walked along, followed by a smaller mouse that looked similar to her, that seemingly was trying to hide her laughter. Of course, she had to be the one to gather the food while her sister watched her. All because she accidentally dropped their last bit of rations into the river. She sighed as she continued following the path while her sister held back laughter behind her.

"You should hurry before the food ends up in the river again!" Her sister called out to Reed, snickering.

Reed huffed, turning around halfway to give a glare at her sister. It didn't help much as her sister only smirked back at her. Reed decided to turn back, and kept walking along the path she was on. The faster she got the last bit of food they needed, the better. As she grew nearer to her destination, the sound of the leaves and birds had grown quieter as well. They were now in an open field filled with high patches of grass, still walking beside the river which went faster as they continued on. Finally, she could see what she was looking for in the distance. A lush patch of herbs and plants grew out in this field, and had quite a lot to munch on for two small mice. As she stopped to collect the food they needed, she could hear her sister's footsteps stop behind her.

"Reed, something's not right here. It's too quiet." Her sister spoke in a hushed tone, glancing around her.

"Oh, stop being so worrisome! It's safe out here Clover, we know that by now!" Reed spoke sarcastically, carrying the food she gathered on her back. Clover looked at her sister with worry stuck in her eyes, and turned to head back home. Reed followed behind her slowly, swaying slightly as she tried to keep her balance without dropping the food. A loud alarm call filled the air near them as she quickly turned her head in the direction of it. Alas, it was too late for her to react.

"Reed, we need to get out of here!" Clover called over her shoulder, but she wouldn't get a response.

As Reed had tried to rush her pace and move her head to answer back, she had lost her balance. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the sound of water, and her sister calling out to her.

- - -

The sky was now dark, and only crickets and other nocturnal creatures could be heard. The only thing lighting the area was the luminescence of the moon shining down onto the pine trees and forest floor below. Reed opened her eyes slowly, trying to regain her conscious. She was laying on some sort of nest, and seemed to be under a type of leaf awning. She coughed as she tried to breathe, her lungs burning slightly. As she slowly looked around her surroundings, panic started to slowly consume her. Wasn't she just in the field, why are there trees- and wasn't it just daytime? As the thoughts swirled around in her head, a voice decided to break the silence.

"So, your finally awake. I'm glad to see you made it, I was worried you wouldn't." A soothing voice called out a bit of a ways from her, as it came closer.

Reed turned her head, and looked up at the owner of the voice that spoke to her. Pale blue eyes looked down on Reed, as she realized it was another like her, a mouse. The mouse sat down in front of Reed, looking at her closely. Reed struggled to lift her head to speak, but after a bit of fighting it she was able to speak back to the stranger.

"Who are you, are you the one who brought me here?" Reed's voice cracked as she spoke, her lungs still burning.

The mouse had nodded curtly back in return, and once again began to speak. "Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Breeze, and I am the one who brought you here." Breeze had spoken back, a soothing tone still being used. "Er, at least I'm the one who found you and brought you to my nest. When I found you on the bank next to the river, you were in pretty rough shape. I decided to take you back here to make sure you would be alright." Breeze continued on, her voice becoming a bit unsure by the time she stopped. Reed only looked up and listened closely, trying to piece everything together. Once Reed began to realize what must of happened, she had began to panic. "So, since you know my name now, can I know your name?" Breeze spoke once again, waiting for an answer. Except, she didn't receive the answer she was expecting.

"Where is my sister? Where's Clover?" Reed spoke in a frantic tone, glancing around herself quickly.

"I-... I'm sorry, I haven't seen another mouse besides you since I've been here. Is she somewhere nearby?" Breeze spoke worryingly, looking down at Reed. "I'm sure we can find-" Before she could finish her next sentence, she was once again interrupted.

"What do you mean I'm the only mouse you've seen? Where is my sister, I need to get to her!" Reed called out frantically, panic setting in once again. She scrambled to get to her feet, almost taking off before Breeze tackled her back onto the nest. "Listen, your going to be okay. I'll help you find your sister, but first you need to tell me who you are, and what happened to you." Breeze spoke softly, as Reed nodded and began to relay what she remembered to her.

- - -

A few days had passed by now, and it was once again dark out. The sound of tall grass could be heard as the wind blew through it, as well as the crickets following with it. The moon was once again shining down on the ground below it, as well as two mice sitting in a small patch of matted down grass beside each other. Reed sat beside Breeze as they looked up at the moon, her thoughts taking her away to somewhere else. Breeze looked at her with a worried look, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Reed, I know we haven't found your sister, and I'm sorry about that. If you want, we can keep looking tomorrow, we can check by the west border again. Maybe she'll be near there." Breeze spoke reassuringly, giving a slight smile to the mouse beside her. Reed didn't turn to look at Breeze, and only continued to look at the moon above them. They sat in silence for a few moments like this, only looking up at the bright moon. Finally, one of them decided to break the silence between them.

"No, we won't check there." Reed spoke quietly, to where Breeze could barely hear her.

"Oh, well we could try the east border then, maybe she'd be there." Breeze spoke once more, looking over at Reed.

"No, we won't. We're not going to be looking for her anymore, we won't find her." Reed spoke louder this time, turning her head to look at the mouse beside her. Breeze looked at her shocked, not knowing what to say. Reed seen the look on her face, and decided to speak once more. "It's not worth it to keep looking for something that we won't find. Besides, she still has our family to go to if she needed help. I don't have that, Breeze." Reed spoke once more, her voice cracking at the last sentence.

The only thing Reed could muster to do was to look at the grass beneath her. Only the sound of crickets could be heard as silence once again came between the two. For a while, it seemed as if neither of them would speak again. As the moon began to slowly move again to signal the approach of the sun, one of them decided to speak once more.

"You're not alone, Reed. I'll help you anyway I can to find your sister, even if you don't want to." Breeze spoke firmly, not moving her head to look at Reed as she finished speaking. Reed smiled slightly, continuing to look at the sky as she did so.

"No, you're not alone Breeze. I'm going to stay here with you, and join your tribe." Reed spoke back, as both the mice began to smile as they watched the sky, as the sun started showing signs of rising. No, they weren't alone anymore. They now had each other.

Reed sitting and watching the moon rise with Breeze. Non shaded version: link

After that, they started setting up the Tribe's camp better. It was hard at times, but at least they could joke with each other as they worked. Not shortly after, Reed was made a food gatherer despite the mishap that happened in her past, and was pretty good at her role in the Tribe. That is, when she wasn't slacking off and hiding somewhere to take a nap. Even though Reed and Breeze had their mishaps along the way, they still were very close friends, and the Tribe was on it's way to better things.

Relationships:

Breeze: Despite them both having mishaps when Reed would decide to slack on her work, Breeze and Reed were still very good friends. Even though it would frustrate Breeze to no end when she did this, the two of them would get over it quickly and go back to normal as if nothing happened. They often joke with each other when neither of them are working, and like to journey to the field nearby to watch the moon when they have nothing better to do. All in all, they're very good friends and they'll probably be this way until the end.

[azhdarchid]

Another question, whoops, hope this is okay

Are any extras allowed? Like, just a bit of writing with some info about personality or something like that?

Edit: gonna respond in this comment because I don’t wanna spam too much, but thanks for the response ^-^

[Neon sparks]

Another question, whoops, hope this is okay

Are any extras allowed? Like, just a bit of writing with some info about personality or something like that?

extras are allowed

[Imagine_Ink]

One more question: Is there a limit to how many extras we can do? Like one art piece and one piece of writing? Just asking so I don't go overboard

Edit: Thank you for the clarification. Just let me know If my entry is too long

[Neon sparks]

no real limit!

[NinjaGerbil]

Hawkbit

Username: NinjaGerbil

pєrѕσnαlítч:
=============================
Naturally curious and with a heart of gold, this little pup lives in wonder of all the world around
him. Hawkbit still has much to learn, but he faces it with an eagerness and excitement not usually seen by
most. Although he means well, he often makes many mistakes, and his desire to become a true working
mouse of the Tribe has a tendency to get him into trouble. Fortunately for him, few can stay truly angry at
Hawkbit, and it's never too long until he gets back to his usual mischief. He has yet to earn his True Name,
but he's certain it won't be long until he earns it.

вαѕíc ínfσrmαtíσn
=================
gєndєr: Buck
αgє: 3 Weeks (About 10)
rαnk: Pup
(Will become a Builder)
ѕpσt: Arrowhead
shape across back

nєgαtívє trαítѕ
===================================================
- Naive
- Childish
- Overly curious
- Easily upset, "crybaby"
- Airheaded, often doesn't listen

pσѕítívє trαítѕ
===================================================
- Cheerful
- Tries his best
- Generous
- Loyal
- Friendly

αrt αnd єхtrαѕ
=============================

- His name is based on the flower genus Leontodon, more commonly known as Hawkbit, which is a close relative of the dandelion. The plant name in general is in reference to his green eyes, but the "Hawk" part itself is a nod to his spot- the mice he met on his journey to the Tribe often saw the marking as a pair of wings.

The Lost Pup

Hawkbit was not lost to begin with. He had been travelling comfortably with his family for a good few days now, and it had never occurred to him that he might get lost, or face any of the numerous dangers a mouse faced out in the open. They had wandered beside streams, over hills and under trees, and passed many mice on their journey. Some had been kind, some had been mean, and some had asked them to stay, but Mother Clover had always politely refused and moved on, apparently with the knowledge there was somewhere better to go. Now, they were currently passing through a tall field of grass, and Hawkbit couldn't wait to see where they ended up next.

Eager as always, Hawkbit sprang ahead of the others, almost dancing as he weaved his way through the grass stems. Somewhere from behind him was the gruff voice of Campion, the eldest of the litter, who declared that he was a weasel and that he was going to tear apart the first mouse he caught. This sent all the other pups scattering away with cries of fake fear, and Hawkbit yelled with them as he darted ahead.

He ran, and scurried, and sprinted and sprang and ran some more, and all the time behind him was the sound of his family; Betony's shriek as Campion caught her, Cowslip's laugh as he outran the both of them, and Mother Clover reminding her children to be careful as she always did. Hawkbit always thought his mother was too cautious at times, but then again he was just a pup, and he knew very little of the world.

After a while he reached a large rock, tall enough to see over the grass, but small enough to climb. With a triumphant cheer the feisty little mouse sprang up to the top with ease, and Hawkbit turned to greet his family.

But no-one was there.

This confused the pup greatly, he was sure he'd heard them just behind him not even a minute ago. He sat neatly on all fours, and waited for them to arrive.

"Campion? ...Clover? Helloooo!"

Nobody replied, not even little chatterbox Betony. The first small feelings of worry began to crawl up Hawkbit's spine, but he shook it off and kept waiting, ever the optimist.

Seconds became minutes. Time dragged on, and still Hawkbit's family did not appear. He felt sick, and now even his thoughts were laced with dread and doubt. When Betony shrieked earlier, had it really been from playful excitement, or had there been something in the field with them?

Hawkbit looked up and realised with horror that the sky was now a vivid orange, seemingly an age away from the blue skies that had greeted him like an old friend when he left the burrow with his family that morning. It would be dark soon, and even a little pup like him knew that the dark was very dangerous for a mouse out in the open. Hope dying in his eyes, he turned and miserably climbed down the rock he'd sprang up so eagerly earlier, making the final decision to find shelter. Only this time, he was truly and utterly alone.

After what felt like hours, he crawled inside a small burrow among the roots of a huge, towering oak tree, smoothing out a patch of damp soil before squatting down awkwardly. He was ravenous, but he had not yet learnt about what was safe to eat, and so he had decided to go hungry rather than accidentally eat something harmful. With a last, exhausted sigh, he curled up with his tail around himself, clutching the tufted end in his little front paws. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, but not before the tuft was damp with tears.

=================================

Hawkbit looked around himself with confusion and bewilderment. He was in the field again, surrounded by tall grass stems and the faint chirp of crickets. But hadn't he left here some time ago?

A rustling in the grass caught his attention, and the pup watched it with large, curious eyes.

"Hawkbit?"

Hawkbit froze. That voice was unmistakable.

"Mother?"

"Hawkbit! Come here, my sunshine. You gave us all quite a fright."

He hurried across towards the sound... but for some reason, he didn't have the will to push aside the grass stems.
It didn't feel right somehow.

"Over here, sweetheart. Even Campion was worried about you, you know."

Since when did Clover use the term 'sweetheart'? He wanted to reach for the grass, but his arms were stuck to his sides. Hawkbit began to feel afraid, but he didn't understand why.

"Hawkbit? Come on, don't keep us all waiting."

He wanted to run away. But why?

"Hawkbit. Come here. Now."

Clover sounded angry. She was never angry. Something was very, very wrong.

The grass rustled again. Hawkbit glimpsed something large through the stalks. A long, large body. Yellow eyes and slitted pupils. Rows of sharp teeth.

That something was not his mother.

"Hawkbiiiit..."

A huge jaw full of teeth sprang towards him, faster than he could blink. Hawkbit fell back, screaming wildly-

=================================

-and with a muffled yelp he awoke, rolling around on the dirt floor, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest.

Hawkbit sat up, tears welling in his big green eyes. He knew it had just been a nightmare, but it had frightened him horribly and he barely knew what to do with himself. Coiled tight in a little ball, he wished this living nightmare would end too, hoping he could open his eyes and have his family around him again.

A long time passed. The world outside grew just a little bit lighter. It was almost dawn.

As Hawkbit lay in the burrow, he slowly became aware that there was a peculiar singing coming from outside. It sounded like a bird, and yet not a bird, and it was close, and yet far away all at the same time. What sort of creature could whistle and click a melody like that? Once more, childish curiosity took over the little pup little by little, until at last he could take it no more and finally poked his little muzzle outside of the burrow.

Now he was outside, the sound was slightly louder, and oh! What a melody it was! Hawkbit was entirely entranced by the song, and for what felt like quite a few minutes he sat at the edge of the burrow and listened. There seemed to be no particular rhythm or pattern to it, and when the tune came to an end, it would begin all over again just seconds later. Once he began to recognise a few of the notes and clicks, he decided to try and sing along- he had often seen Clover try to teach Betony to sing, and he usually joined in much to his mother's delight.

Now fully outside of the burrow, he stood up on his hind paws with a deep breath, and sang a loud but wobbly reply.

And all at once, the singing stopped.

The silence was almost tangible, a cold and unwelcome feeling unlike the comforting notes of the melody. It seemed to last forever, and Hawkbit was now deeply regretting his actions. Suddenly, a tune rang out, seemingly a little closer than before. It was neither a whistle nor a click, but a genuine song note, the melody starting out deep and low before changing pitch and slowly becoming high-pitched. It repeated it twice, then the forest fell silent again.

Hawkbit now hesitated. If he replied to this, and the owner of the tune turned out to be some large creature, he was certain it would be very displeased about having its time wasted by a little mouse. But if he didn't reply, he'd never know...

Shakily, he lifted his head and repeated the notes, performing a little better on the second one.

A faint rustling came from somewhere nearby. Remembering the nightmare he'd had, Hawkbit instantly shrunk back into the burrow.

The tune came again, the same two notes from before, but definitely louder.

Hawkbit could barely repeat the tune once, let alone twice.

Closer and closer the rustling came, the little pup cowering within the burrow, until-

"Hello?"

The voice came from so close by, Hawkbit nearly fainted with shock. A little pink nose appeared at the burrow entrance, and then came a white, whiskered muzzle, and then little grey spots, and finally a pair big blue eyes locked eyes with his.

Another mouse!

"My goodness!" the doe exclaimed, putting one paw to her face in a gesture of surprise. "I thought you were my Tribemate! What's a little one like you doing out here all by yourself?"

Hawkbit could barely speak at first, but Clover had always taught her pups to be polite and answer when spoken to.

"I... I got lost. My family were going through a big field, and I thought they were there, and then I looked back and suddenly they weren't there, and I waited a very long time and they still didn't come and then it got dark and-"

"Steady on, dear." the doe interrupted, clearly a little overwhelmed by how rapidly the pup had talked. Gently flattening her ears, she ducked her head to climb into the burrow, sitting down neatly on the opposite side from him. Save for a few little grey spots around her eyes and across her shoulders, she was entirely pure white from nose to tail, and Hawkbit could tell she was trying to stay as clean as she could.

"You really have been through a lot, haven't you? Could you maybe repeat that, but a little slower?"

Hawkbit took another breath, and retold the events of the previous day- the running through the field, the disappearance of his family, even the awful nightmare he'd had. The whole time, the doe nodded and listened intently until he had finished.

"Well, if they are somewhere nearby, they're sure to be found by me or my Tribemate, Sparrow. This is our territory, and nothing goes unnoticed by us."

"Tribemate?"

The doe perked her ears in surprise, then smiled sweetly.

"A Tribemate is another mouse in the same Tribe as you- and a Tribe, if you didn't know, is a group of mice that live together and help each other."

Hawkbit began to recognise this concept; all the mice that he and his family had passed by on their travels. Friendly, smiling faces. Plenty of food, and never a moment of loneliness.

"Like... a family?"

"Yeah! Like a very big family! Except... right now, it's only me and Sparrow. We're a very new Tribe, you see. Still looking for others to join us." There was a pause after she said this, and it felt like she wished to add something else, but decided not to.

"Well. I need to get my food back to camp, and I'd hate to leave you out here all alone." she explained at last. "Would you like to come with me? We'll help search for your family, and there's more than enough food and shelter to keep you safe."

A glimmer of hope sparked in Hawkbit's eyes, and without a moment's pause he sprang to his feet.

"Yes, please."

The doe beamed with delight at this eager response, and stood up as tall as she could without hitting her head on the ceiling.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go, little-"

She paused, and then exclaimed "How rude of me, I didn't even ask your name!"

Hawkbit gave a short giggle, darting past her to leap out of the burrow.

"I'm Hawkbit."

"Well, Hawkbit, I am Feather." Feather replied, following him outside. Propped up on a tree root was a woven grass basket about two-thirds her size, and Hawkbit watched as she found and picked out two loose pieces of grass and put one over each of her arms, pulling the container tightly to her back.

"Follow me, the camp's not too far off. We'll find your family soon, don't you worry."

And with that, she sprang away towards the bushes. Hawkbit was close behind, and as they ran he smiled, mostly to himself.

He'd be alright.

=================================

In the days that followed, Hawkbit made himself quite at home in the camp of the Singing Shadows. He met Sparrow the morning he'd arrived, and although she was not at all what he'd expected her to be like, she had been thrilled when Feather had told her about his attempts to sing. Sparrow had explained that the singing was a musical secret code between Tribemates, and although he was not truly one of them she was more than happy to teach him. Life was good here, but all the same Hawkbit hoped to find his family, and Feather and Sparrow did not give up their searches either.

At last, on the sixth day, Sparrow came back with news for Hawkbit. She had met a party of mice along the territory border, and they had been sent there by a family of mice who had recently joined their Tribe. They had been travelling through a field when a snake chased them, driving them away and separating them from a pup in the process. Sparrow had explained about Hawkbit's discovery, and after much discussion and organisation it was decided that the party would take the pup with them and reunite him with his family.

Sparrow and Feather were happy for Hawkbit, but it felt a little like they were losing a Tribemate. And Hawkbit felt the same, he didn't have the heart to leave the two does who had been so kind to him. As much as he loved his real family, he had begun to see the Shadows as family too.

After a little more discussion, the neighbouring Tribe party left without Hawkbit, instead carrying home the message that he was alive and safe. Mother Clover was surprised at first, and so were her pups, but she understood quickly. As long as Hawkbit was happy, she would be happy.

And Hawkbit would be happy for a very long time to come.

[Neon sparks]

this is now closed, sorry for the delay!
ill get to reading these asap

[knickknacks]

Ah, good luck everyone! Your stories and art and stuff were all amazing! <3

I typed this at the bottom of my own entry, but I'm saying it again: Whoever wins can certainly expect/ask for some art from me! c:

[NinjaGerbil]

Good luck everyone!! I love everyone else's entries, especially the artwork