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It was a normal early spring morning in the forest. The nighttime animals were settling in to sleep and the daytime animals were beginning to stir as the sun was peaking over the mountains.
A wolf pup named Joey was playing with his brothers and sisters while their parents were out hunting for breakfast, when suddenly the usual peace and quiet was interrupted by a strange noise somewhere in the distance.
The pups watched nervously as many of the forest animals, even those that normally slept during the day came running past as if chased by some terrible monster.
Joey?s mother and father came running also, barking as they ran towards the pups, ?Hurry children, come with us!?
?What is it Mama?? asked Joey worriedly.
?No time to explain now.? She said. ?Just follow us as quickly as you can!?
Joey and his siblings were frightened, so they ran after their parents as fast as their little paws would allow.
It seemed as if they had been running for hours when they finally arrived at a cave.
?We should be safe in here.? Said Joey?s father.
They were not the only animals here. The cave was full of deer, rabbits, squirrels, bears, foxes, nearly every kind of animal you can imagine and they seemed to be having a meeting of some sort.
?Calm down, calm down.? hooted a very wise looking old owl from the center of the group. He seemed to be in charge. ?Above all else, we must remain calm.?
?What are we going to do?? snorted a huge buck. ?If we don?t stop them, the forest will be destroyed along with all of our homes and food.?
?What are they talking about mama?? asked Joey. ?What?s destroying the forest??
?An animal called man is in the forest darling.? Replied Joey?s mother. ? and they have huge machines with which they tear down trees.?
?Why would they want to do a thing like that mama?? asked Joey.
?I don?t really know for sure baby.? She answered. ?I suppose they need the trees for their homes and food also, the way we do.?
?Why are they taking ours?? Asked Joey. ?Don?t they have their own trees??
?We don?t know very much about them Joey.? Said his mother. ?We thought we were far enough away that we need not worry about them, but it seems as if they?ve come deeper into the woods than ever before.?
Meanwhile, more animals were coming into the cave and joining in the meeting. A very large bear wanted to take matters into his own hands.
?Let me get my paws on these men.? growled the bear. ?I?m not afraid of them.?
?Now let?s not get excited.? hooted the Owl. ?Violence is not the answer.?
?Then what can we do?? asked a raccoon. ?Do we just let them destroy everything we have??
?That?s right!? yelped a fox. ?My family has lived in this forest for hundreds of years and I want my children to grow up here too. I don?t want to have to move deeper into the mountains.?
?There?s only one thing I know of that can help us.? said the owl.
?What is it?? asked the animals in unison.
The owl paused, then said, ?The Qpets.?
A chorus of laughter echoed through the cavern.
?The Qpets?? laughed the bear. ?Everyone knows that they are only a fairytale.?
The animals continued to laugh at the owl as Joey asked his mother, ?Mommy, are the Qpets really only a fairytale? Aren?t all those stories you told me at bedtime real??
?Well,? said Joey?s mother, ?I only told you the stories my mother told me and her mother told her.?
?Listen to me!? yelled the owl above the noise and laughter. ?The Qpets are real. I know. I?ve seen them myself.?
?What are you talking about?? everyone asked.
?When I was a baby,? the owl explained, ?my mother went out hunting one night and never returned and I would have died if not for the Qpets. They found me alone in my nest and brought me food until I was old enough to hunt on my own. In fact, they even taught me how to fly and speak their language.?
?How can this be?? asked Joey?s father. ?Why is it none of us has ever seen one of these creatures??
?The Qpets are very shy,? said the owl, ?and as you all know by the stories you have all heard, if you have ever come into physical contact with one, you immediately loose all memory of seeing it if they so choose.?
?So you mean to tell us that all the stories are true?? asked a fox.
?Yes!? said the owl. ?The Qpets are small fuzzy creatures that embody love. That is why love gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. They are the bearers of love and friendship. They have wings to bring love swiftly, large feet so that their love can stand firm, large ears so that your heart can hear the whisper of love?s song. You cannot see their eyes, which is why we say love is blind. They can take hold of you with their strong hands and their tails so that love cannot escape. With one touch of their nose, you will be overwhelmed with love and kindness.?
?Well, what are we waiting for then?? asked the bear. ?Let?s go get them.?
?Yes!? said all the animals excitedly, ?let?s go find them.? They all turned to leave the cave when the owl yelled out. ?Wait! It?s not as simple as that. They won?t let you find them. They must find you.?
?And just how do we do that?? asked the buck.
The owl explained, ?They will only come to someone that needs help, someone that is as helpless and innocent as a child lost in the woods.?
?Won?t they see that we need their help now?? asked a cougar, ?Shouldn?t they be on their way here now??
?No answered the owl. ? This early in spring they are mostly in the deepest part of the forest. They usually don?t travel for from their homes until later in the spring. That is when they go throughout the forest making all the animals fall in-love.?
?Then what can we do?? asked the raccoon.
?We need a volunteer.? Said the owl. ?A child that is willing to spend the night alone in the forest. I know where to leave them where they have the best chance of being found by the Qpets.?
The animals became silent s they looked at each other. Some of the mothers tried to hide their children behind them.
Joey?s voice broke the silence. ?I?ll do it.?
All eyes turned to him.
?Joey!? said his mother in surprise. ?I don?t think I want you all alone at night in some place you?ve never been before.?
?But I?m not afraid mama.? Said Joey. ?Haven?t you always told me to be brave and to help anyone I can whenever I have the chance??
?You?re right sweetheart.? Said Joey?s mother. ?If you?re sure about this, it?s alright with me.? She looked to Joey?s father for assurance.
?It?s alright with me too.? Said Joey?s father. ?You make me proud son.?
? Thanks dad.? Said Joey.
?Then I guess we have our volunteer.? Said his mother proudly.
All the animals yelled hooray as they applauded and cheered.
?Very well then.? Said the owl. ?We?d better get started right away then. There?s no time to loose.?
?You be careful son.? Said his mother as she nuzzled him.
?I will mama. Don?t worry, I?ll be alright.? Said Joey.
The owl explained to Joey and his parents. ?I will carry him to the place I know and leave him there. The Qpets won?t come if I stay too near, so I must return here. I?ll return in the morning to see if he made contact with the Qpets.?
As the owl lifted off with Joey carefully grasped in his talons, Joey?s mother yelled ?Good-bye?. ?Good-bye? all the animals yelled together as Joey and the owl flew away.
At first Joey?s eyes were closed. It was his first time to fly after all, but as he relaxed he slowly opened them and looked at the forest far below. Joey was thrilled. The trees and streams were so beautiful from up here. He began to wish that he had wings of his own.
It took most of the day to reach their destination, but as the sun was just beginning to set, Joey noticed that they were descending into a small clearing.
As much as he enjoyed flying, Joey was glad to have his paws back on the ground.
?Now Joey,? said the owl, ?I want you to sit here next to this hollow log. You can even crawl just inside of it if you like.?
?Ok?, replied Joey quietly. ?Do you think I?ll have to wait very long??
?I don?t know Joey.? Said the owl. ?I know the Qpets live very near by, but I don?t know how long it will take them to notice you?re here.?
?Where do they live?? asked Joey. ?Why are they so hard to find??
?They live underground.? Answered the owl. ?Every hollow tree you see is a potential doorway into their secret world. That is how they are able to move around the forest unseen so easily. They don?t mind flying about at night though. Most of us usually just mistake them for a bat or something then.?
?So I just wait here until they come, huh?? asked Joey.
?That?s right.? Said the owl. ?They will probably come to see if you are alone. You won?t be able to understand them, but they will understand you, so just tell them about all that is happening, and ask if they are willing to help us. Are you sure you can do this??
Joey hesitated for a moment then replied. ?Yeah, I?ll be fine. You better be going now. The sooner you leave, the sooner they?ll come.?
?You are a very smart and brave young wolf Joey.? Said the owl. ?Your parents have much to be proud of.?
As the owl flew away, Joey noticed that it was already growing dark and a little bit colder also. He crawled inside the log to keep warm.
It seemed as if Joey had been in the log for hour, and just as he thought it could get no darker, he noticed a soft glow all around him. He crawled out of the log and looked behind him. A full moon was slowly climbing into the sky from behind the trees. Instinctively Joey let out a long mournful howl.
Suddenly there was a noise from a bush nearby. Joey ran quickly back inside the log and buried his head in his paws. A few minutes passed and nothing else was heard. Joey slowly peeked one eye from behind a paw.
A strange little ball of fuzz with a nose and two pointy ears on the end of it seemed to be staring at him from the top of the log.
?H-h-hello.? Stuttered Joey.
?Squeak squeak.? was all he got in reply.
The creature hopped down to the ground directly in front of Joey and motioned to him with his tail to come out of the log.
Slowly and shaking, Joey stepped out into the moonlight. It was plain to see by from all the stories his mother had told him that this was unmistakably a Qpet. Then before Joey knew what was happening, the Qpet flew quick as lightning straight at Joey until he was nose to nose with him. As the Qpet gently rubbed his nose on Joey?s nose, all fear was gone, yet not his memory of seeing the Qpet and a warm fuzzy feeling took its place.
?Squeak, squeak,? said the Qpet once more.
?Listen,? said Joey, ?I know what you are and I need your help.? Joey then explained their desperate situation about the men and their machines destroying the forest. With a squeak, the Qpet was gone. Joey didn?t know what to think. Wouldn?t the Qpets going to help? Then as fast as it had disappeared the Qpet returned and not just him but hundreds more. The clearing was completely full of them, all different sizes and colors. Before he knew what was happening, several of them had picked up Joey and were quickly flying him in the direction of the cave. As they flew, they made the most beautiful noise you have ever heard. Although it was a squeaking noise, it could only be described as a song. The sweetest song ever sang.
The flight home didn?t take nearly as long as it took the owl to fly him to the clearing. Without a word from Joey, the Qpets knew exactly where to go. They set him softly down at the entrance of the cave and gently nudged him towards his mother. All the animals wee sound asleep and it didn?t take long for Joey?s eyes to close tightly once he snuggled next to his mother.
The next morning Joey awoke to a great commotion in the cave. All the animals were standing around him asking him questions.
?How?d you get back here?? asked the fox.
?Did you see any Qpets?? asked the bear.
?Where are they now?? asked the buck.
?Did you tell them everything?? asked the raccoon.
?Quiet, quiet!? demanded the owl. ?Let the boy speak.?
?Huh?? asked Joey. ?Aren?t they here. Where?d they go??
?So they did find you?? asked the owl.
?Yeah, there were hundreds of them.? Answered Joey. ?They brought me back in the middle of the night and then I fell asleep as soon as we got here.?
?Did you explain to them everything?? asked the bear.
?Yes,? said Joey, ? I told them all about the men tearing down the trees.?
?Did they say they would help?? asked the buck.
?Well,? said Joey, ?I don?t know really. All they did was squeak and sing.?
Everyone looked at each other in silence. Silence? For the first time they began to realize that there were no sounds of the men?s machines tearing down trees in the distance.
First the owl flew out of the cave, followed by the buck, then the bear. Soon the cave was empty as the animals rushed through the woods to where the men had been the day before. As the came near the place where they thought the men should be, they heard a strange noise. It wasn?t the loud clanking sound of the terrible machines that had been there the previous day, but a nice soft melody. The animals gathered behind a huge tree that had been cut down. As they peered over, they could not believe their eyes and ears. The men had not left at all. There were probably about a hundred of them all around the destroyed area, singing and planting trees!
?What?s going on here?? the bear asked the owl.
?This can only be the work of the Qpets.? Said the owl. ?Just look at them! Their hearts have truly been changed.?
The animals just stared in amazement for the longest time, when all of the sudden a soft squeaking noise was heard from somewhere above them. They all looked up into the tall pine towering above them where they could all see a single tiny Qpet near the top.
?I?ll go up and speak with him.? Said the owl. ?I know their language since they raised me as a baby.?
The others watched s the owl flew away. He spoke with the Qpet for a few minutes. Then fast as lightning, the Qpet sped away beyond their sight. The owl rejoined the others and told them of his conversation with the Qpet.
?I can?t believe it.? He told them.
?What? What is it?? they all asked.
The owl explained. ?The Qpets have decided that it?s time for drastic measures. They said that that although these men?s hearts were changed, more will come to finish the destruction that they began.?
?So what are they going to do?? asked Joey?s father.
?They are sending word to Qpets around the world.? The owl continued. ?They are sending thousands, or millions of Qpets into the man?s world. They say that they must change the hearts of all men everywhere if they are to stop this madness. They must create a love for nature in all creatures or else the entire planet could be destroyed.?
?The whole planet?? asked the buck. ?I can see how chopping down these trees affect us, but how can it affect the whole planet??
The owl went on. ?The Qpets say that even the trees are alive and breathe and they help us to breathe. If too many are destroyed, everything will die.?
?Can they do anything to stop it?? asked the fox.
?I don?t know.? Said the owl. ?But they said we all have to do our part.?
?How can we help?? asked Joey.
?He said that we must all take care of nature and to spread love by loving each other.? Said the owl.
The animals stood silently looking at one another.
The owl spoke again. ?Well, it?s time we should all be getting back to our homes to see how much damage has been done. I suggest we all meet back here tomorrow morning and see who all needs help and what we each can do to help.?
Each animal left in the direction of it's own home. Joey was glad to see that their den was still there undamaged. The entire pack spent the rest of the day playing happily together.
As Joey cuddled with his mother that night to sleep, he said, ?I love you Mama.?
?I love you too.? She said. And they quietly drifted off to sleep.
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