River

River leaped from the trees and hit the hard floor. She had been observing the unusual men who had barged into her forest. In the beginning, she hadn’t known why they had come. Now, it was obvious. They had come to annihilate her home. She had heard their scratchy voices talking about a city they were going to build, right on top of the only spot every creature from centaur to rat folk could live.

River stared at the destruction they had caused, trees on the ground, stones in piles. She rushed towards the inner part of the forest, where the mayor of their mystical town worked. She would tell him about the problem. He would surely help. The lumberjacks and businessmen made her face red and her knuckles white. She wanted nothing more than to keep them out of her home.

“Lumberjacks! Businessmen! They’ve come to destroy the forest!” River sprinted into the mayor’s office with bright eyes and breathing deeply.

“I know, I’ve had other reports of them. They are in the south side of the forest, correct?” He sat in his chair. River was astonished that he wasn’t doing anything, he took normal breaths. Other than the fact that he seemed slightly flustered, he seemed to be acting normally.

“Yes! We must do something! We have to keep them out of our home!”

“River, I’m just as upset as you, believe me. I’ve thought about it long and hard, but the sad truth is, we don’t have anyone to fight. I’m afraid everyone is either unskilled or has too many other things to worry about. There is nothing I can do.”

River couldn’t believe what she had heard. Her mouth was still as she left the mayor’s office. She knew that we were a generally peaceful community, but she also knew that the humans didn’t know they existed and were cruel. They would destroy the entire forest if they didn’t fight. She had to form her own battalion in order to save the home she knew like the back of her hand.

With the help of her rat folk friend, Jackie, River put up flyers all over town, asking for anyone who was willing to fight for their forest and for their community. Plenty of people read the flyers intently, and River’s spirits lifted.

The next day, she sat at a table with Jackie, full of anxiety. People from all over the forest had come wearing their most suitable clothing. River was looking for the most fit and capable. The last thing she wanted was to choose anyone who couldn’t keep up and then they injured themselves.

Looking at the crowd of people, River took a deep sigh and slightly shook her head. They looked weak, old, tired, and some of them were even kids. Jackie opened the doors to the waiting room, leaving only one that would be judged privately.

One by one, the crowd of people was assessed, and the best were picked out from the rest. It was clear River wasn’t going to do what she had planned to. The battalion she had created were not the strong warriors in River’s mind. She assembled a group of seven, including Jackie and herself.

The group consisted of their friend, Rosy, who was a fierce rabbit folk. She knew how to carry any weapon and could use them properly. She also carried a flower everywhere she went. Jackie’s brother was also in the group, because Jackie’s mom believed in inclusion. He was shy and timid and was in no condition to be fighting, yet he was anyway. Their group also had Paisley. River tried not to look at Paisley, her breathing was heavier when she did. Despite River’s problems with Paisley, Jackie knew she was strong and would prove herself to be a valuable asset.

They spent their night fighting with each other to prepare for the next morning. They were planning on raiding the site the lumberjacks were working on and demolishing the plan the businessmen had. They had to win against the lumberjacks however they could, then they were going to break the equipment they were using. They wanted to cause as much chaos as possible.

The morning came, and the group set out on their journey. When they arrived, the lumberjacks were busy and paid no attention to the odd noises coming from the bushes and trees. River climbed up into the trees just as she had done earlier, the others doing the same.

Once the team was all perched up in their trees, they held their breath until the perfect moment to attack arrived. With the sound of a horn, the team jumped down. Before anything else, the team stole the saws and other weapons the lumberjacks had with them. They also took the keys from vehicles. With the lumberjacks nearly helpless, the group could move on to step two of their genius plan.

The lumberjacks couldn’t move. Not only had they never seen such creatures to emerge from nowhere, but they also had never seen someone so determined to get in their way. For a slight second, they were about to retreat before the battle started, but then they remembered their bosses would have their heads.

The fighting lasted all day. It was brutal and fatiguing. River was still fighting powerfully, but she saw her team wobbling and falling. Even though they were still fighting, she kicked herself for trying in the first place.

Just as she was about to give up, she heard a booming noise that popped her ears. The entire forest people had come with whatever they had. Some had sticks, while others had real weapons. It made River smile for the first time in days. The whole town together easily overruled the group of quavering lumberjacks. At long last, victory was theirs. River could go home, knowing the forest wouldn’t be harmed.