It was a calm summer day in the forest. A cool breeze blew through the tall Redwoods, making the light that peeked through the leaves dance. The songs of birds echoed around the forest, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

A little brown rabbit darted through the bushes, weaving in and out between trees and fallen branches. The sound of footsteps following behind willed the rabbit to run faster. It ran and ran until it came to a rocky stream. It hopped onto a rock and stopped.

It sat for a moment to catch its breath and get a drink of water. It was startled by two hands grabbing it and lifting it up into the air. It was brought up to the chest of a young woman with firey, untamable hair and mismatched eyes. "Gotcha. I win." She said with a giggle.

The little rabbit huffed before allowing itself to be pet by the woman. The woman smiled and kissed the rabbit on top of its head before setting it down on the rock. The woman watched as the rabbit bounded across the stream and into the woods.

"I caught him again! Did you see it?!" She called out to the woods behind her with childlike excitement. Through the tall trees, a large green and furry dragon poked his head out. His ears perked up and he smiled at the woman. "Did you see Elliot?" She called up to him.

"I did Twig! You're getting faster every day! Pretty soon, you'll be faster than me!" Elliot called back to her. Even after 15 years, she still had the same enthusiasm from when he first saved her.

Not long after he saved her, Elliot discovered that she could understand him and the other animals in the forest. He had also given her the nickname Twig because of her ability to make things grow. And her unfortunate habit of getting twigs tangled in her unruly hair.

"Race you to the cliff!" She said before darting off. "Hey! No fair!" Elliot called as he bounded after her. The two ran through the trees, laughing as they weaved between the trees and leaped over logs. Nearing the cliff, the two ran faster before leaping off of it.

Twig maneuvered herself and grabbed onto Elliott's fur, adjusting herself onto his back just as he spread his wings, shooting the two into the air. As they leveled out into a glide, Twig raised her arms out like she was flying and let out a howl of cheer.

~~~~~~

After a few hours of flying around and playing, the two went back to their cozy den. Twig munched on some berries that she grew as she rested against Elliot. "Today was a good day." She said. Elliot nodded his head in agreement but stopped as his ears perked up.

Twig stood up and looked at her friend. "What is it? Did someone get lost again?" She asked. Elliot furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. His expression turned angry. "No. This is worse. I hear children screaming in pain." He said standing up.

Twig grabbed her makeshift spear that leaned on the wall and some berries from a nearby bush. She crushed the berries in her hand and smeared it across her face, leaving four red streaks across her face.

She continued to mark her arms and legs. She mashed more berries with some mud and began to paint Elliot as well. When her work was done, she grabbed her spear and climbed onto Elliott's back. "Let's save those kids." She said before they took off into the sky.