Part 10

Exhausted from their search, AMPerkins and VIA headed back home vowing to start searching again in a few hours after they could get a little rest. AMPerkins called Heatherperk's mother and she hurried over to pick up Hannah and watch her until they could find her daughter and Rabadaba. She was heartbroken at the idea of losing her daughter so soon after her husband had passed away but she put on a brave face so she wouldn't scare Hannah and promised they would have great fun together. They thanked Liv for coming to watch Hannah and  Heatherperk's mother walked Liv back home to her mother, acrogodess's den while taking Hannah home with her. 

 VIA jumped out of his travel fish bowl and stayed the night in the pond next to the den so he would be ready to go back out on the search whenever AMPerkins needed him to.  AMPerkins shuffled into his den feeling like a failure at his inability to save his beloved wife. A tear ran down his furry cheek as he gazed at a photo hanging on the wall of Heatherperk when she was pregnant with their cub Hannah. She had been so proud to finally become a mama bear and that pride shone through in her smile. 

He laid down on their bed which seemed too empty without her next to him. He pulled her pillow over to him and hugged it close to his chest while breathing in deeply. The pillow smelled faintly of her shampoo and the scent was soothing to him. He drifted into a fitful sleep hoping he would find her the next day. 

...

Meanwhile Rabadaba and Heatherperk huddled together in the dark. Suddenly a flickering light from a fire shown through some bars next to them. The soft light illuminated around them enough for them to realize they were in some sort of makeshift cage made from branches and vines. Peering out through the bars, they noticed a group of strange looking green creatures dancing around a fire in the distance. "Who are they?" Rabadaba softly whispered, hoping the creatures couldn't hear him from that distance. 

As quietly as she could Heatherperk quickly explained "I've heard of these creatures. They are aliens from another planet called I.F. They stories I've heard have not been pleasant. They invade other planets and take over due to their large armies. Once they have taken over a planet, they turn it into a dark, hateful place where the inhabitants are overwhelmed with offensive, discriminatory material."

"Why would they have captured us," Rabadaba pondered. Heatherperk thought for a while, then formulated her theory. "We must have stumbled onto the area they were camping to prepare for their invasion. They probably worried that we would discover them and have a chance to warn the others and ruin the surprise attack. We have to find a way to get a message to the others so they can prepare!" 

For a while Rabadaba and Heatherperk quietly tested the cage attempting to find a weakness that would allow them to escape to warn their friends. Unfortunately the aliens proved to be excellent at building cages and they could find any way to get out. Heatherperk looked up in despair worried that it was a lost cause. That's when she noticed a small red light hovering up yo them. 

Nudging Rabadaba she pointed out the light as it neared them. In a faint whisper she told him "that must be 2br02b's drone. She must be using it to look for us. We can use the drone to get a message back to her if only we can figure out how. I don't think the camera on there has a microphone." Digging in his pockets, Rabadaba pulled out a pencil and some paper and handed them to Heatherperk. 

Smiling at him, she quickly scribbled a nite that read "Captured by aliens from I.F. Must be planning an attack. Be prepared. R & H". When the drone hovered close enough, she held the note up in from of the camera hoping 2br02b could read it well enough in the dim light. The drone hovered in place for a bit in front of the note until suddenly it moved up and down almost as if it was nodding. Heatherperk hugged Rabadaba and whispered "I think she got the message! We're saved!"

...

Meanwhile huddled over a small screen, 2br02b the squirel was controlling her drone searching the forest for her missing friends. Suddenly she saw them and almost jumped for joy until she noticed they were trapped in some sort of cage. She noticed Heatherperk holding a small note up to the camera and quickly read it. She maneuvered the drone to    Indicate that she had received their message. Then she set it to autopilot to fly home. Her friends were in trouble and she had a lot to do. 

Grabbing a scarf because it was  getting cold outside, she leaped through the hole she used as a door and scurried down the side of the tree. Her friends were in trouble and they needed her. The forest was gravely quiet as all the other animals slept but her. She hurried along the forest floor as fast as she could. She didn't have much time, but she needed to raise and army to save her friends and their beloved planet from the invasion. 

Part 9

As the sun started setting, Hannah awoke from her nap crying. VIA, the fish, realized he had been so focused on his painting that he had lost track of time. He realized Heatherperk and Rabadaba had been gone for hours and he had not heard from them. While Hannah fussed for her mother, VIA began to get worried. It didn't seem like Heatherperk to be gone that long without checking in to see how her cub was doing. 

He checked his phone to see if he had missed any messages from her but there was nothing. He tried calling but her phone the phone rang and rang with no answer. AMPerkins, Heatherperk's husband came home from work. Hannah went toddling towards him with a big grin on her face saying "mine dada!" Noticing the concerned look on VIA's face, he gave her a cookie and sat her down in the grass to play. 

While the baby bear munched on her cookie,  AMPerkins hunched down next to the pond bank to talk to VIA. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Where's Heatherperk? She usually lets me know if she is going to be gone when I get home." VIA quickly explained how Rabadaba, the rabbit, had stopped by earlier. He told AMPerkins how the two had set out in an attempt to discover where Q, the owl, lived. "That was hours ago." VIA continued. "I assumed I would have heard from them by now. I'm starting to get concerned. I tried calling but her phone just kept ringing." 

AMPerkins got really concerned. "We need to find them!" He rushed inside the den to call Heatherperk's friend Acrogodess. He explained what was going on and asked if she could come over to watch Hannah while he searched for Heatherperk and Rabadaba. The wolf apologized that she was headed to work but promised that Her daughter LIv would come over. The cub was nearly grown already and was perfectly capable of taking care of Hannah for a bit. 

While they waited for Liv to arrive, AMPerkins and VIA prepared to go searching. AMPerkins grabbed a flashlight as the night was creeping in on them and VIA jumped from the water into his travel bowl. Just as the finished preparing, Liv walked up the path and took Hannah inside to feed her some dinner. 

AMPerkins set off into the woods carrying VIA in his travel bowl in one paw while holding a flashlight up with his other paw. For hours, the pair combed through the woods calling out "Heatherperk! Rabadaba!" But their calls went unanswered except for the occasional echo in the distance. They search far and wide but couldn't find a single trace of the bear or the rabbit, no footprints, no tuft of hair left on a branch. It was as though they had disappeared into thin air. 

The woods seemed oddly quiet. The crisp night air stood still, no rustle of wind or chatter of animals to break the utter silence around them. It was as though the woods were silently mourning the absence of Heatherperk and Rabadaba. As they stood in the speckled moonlight shining through the leaves above them, AMPerkins and VIA felt lost. They had searched everywhere without finding a trace of the others and had no idea what to do next. 

.....

Meanwhile Rabadaba and Heatherperk awoke with throbbing heads. They had no clue where they were and it was pitch black around them. The last thing either of them could remember was being hit on the back of the head by something so hard and heavy that it had knocked them both out. They had no idea how long they had been out or where they were now.

 Heatherperk blinked over and over again hoping that her eyes would adjust to the dark, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see anything. It was darker than anything she had ever experienced before. Fumbling around in the dark she found Rabadaba's paw and clutched it in her own. "I'm scared." She whispered in a voice so shaky that Rabadaba Could barely hear her. "I know" he replied quietly "I am too" 

Part 8

Rabadaba the rabbit awoke one morning and decided he would go check on Heatherperk and her family. The last time he had seen her, she was very sad having just lost her mother in law who was one of her best friends. He thought for a while and decided to stop by the Creativepeople cafe to pick up something to take with him. 

When he walked in, he saw Ladyisreal, the butterfly who ran the cafe, flitting around a beautiful cake putting the finishing touches on the frosting. As Rabadaba approached the counter where the cake was sitting he saw the delicate roses Ladyisreal had crafted out of frosting that looked almost real. He gasped in admiration as Ladyisreal smiled at the finished product then asked him "what can I do for you Rabadaba?"

"I was going to go visit Heatherperk." He explained. "I thought it might be nice for me to bring her something to eat while I was going." "Perfect!" Ladyisreal exclaimed! "Tickledpink actually ordered this cake for Heatherperk. I was just about to ask 2br02b if I could borrow her drone to deliver it, but if you are already going there, would you mind taking it for me?" "I would love to!" Rabadaba replied. 

Very carefully, Rabadaba lifted the cake and placed it in the box Ladyisreal held open next to it on the counter. He then gingerly picked it up and carried it out the door and along the path. While he was walking, he happened past the blue police box next to the path. He thought back to the day he had met Tayloramzng, the eccentric raccoon who lived there and he decided he would have to stop by soon to see if he could get to know her better. 

After a while, he came up to the clearing where Heatherperk's den was and noticed the bear and her cub lying on their stomachs in the grass near the pond. He quietly edged towards them not wanting to disturb them. That's when he noticed the canvas propped up near the water's edge. He realized why they were laying near the pond. VIA must be visiting. As he neared the group he saw that Hannah had actually fallen asleep on her coloring book. Heatherperk was coloring in a coloring book herself while VIA was busy painting a part of a waterfall. 

"Sorry to interrupt," Rabadaba mumbled. "I just wanted to drop by this cake Tickledpink had ordered for you and see how you were doing." "Oh you're not interrupting anything," Heatherperk responded. "I was just coloring a picture of an owl for Q. I find the coloring helps me relieve stress and that mysterious owl is always dropping huge tips in my mail box. I wanted to do something nice for him. 

"I want to find out who Q is so bad!" Rabadaba exclaimed! "He's like this mysterious fairy god father, always helping everyone out and never asking for anything in return. Maybe we should try to catch him without his mask on, but when?"

"That's a great idea!" Heatherperk replied. "We just need to figure out which tree nests in and lie in wait until he wakes up. I doubt he sleeps with his mask on. Maybe we can catch a glimpse before he realizes we are there." VIA offered to watch Hannah while she napped and Heatherperk and Rabadaba ventured off into the woods. They would search every tree in the forest if they had to. They were determined to find where the mysterious Q lived. 

Part 7

It had been a few weeks since Rabadaba had crash landed on the planet and he was really starting to feel at home there. One morning he woke up and decided to go to the Creativepeople cafe for breakfast. The cafe was pretty empty so he sat at the counter, chatting with Ladyisreal, the butterfly that ran the cafe, while he ate his pancakes.

The door opened softly and in walked a beautiful angel. Rabadaba stared at her in awe as the cafe filled with the soft glow and warm love she was emitting. "That's couponrlover," Ladyisreal explained. "She's our guardian angel around here. She's always looking out for all the animals around. I know she's helped me out so much in the past. I wonder who needs help now." The angel gracefully glided towards the counter where Ladyisreal and Rabadaba sat.

When she opened her mouth to speak, Rabadaba was mesmerized by her soft melodic voice. "Heatherperk and her family need us." Couponrlover explained. "Her husband's mother just passed away and the family is taking it pretty hard. Please spread the word to as many animals as you can."

Rabadaba and Ladyisreal acted quickly. Ladyisreal started calling all the animals she could to ask for prayers for the family and to let them know what was going on. Rabadaba hopped off into the forest in search for some of Heatherperk's friends that he knew he could find there. He travelled out to the shimmering pool of water he had visited with Heatherperk the last time he had seen her. 

There in the clearing he saw a squirrel sitting by the edge of the water sharing a piece of cake with a sleek silver fish popping out of the water. He knew immediately that it was 2br02b and VIA. Those were just the animals he was looking for. As Rabadaba hopped closer, the pair stopped laughing. They could tell from the serious look on his face that something was wrong. Rabadaba hurried to explain between gasps for air. He had hurried there so fast that he was quite out of breath. 

The pair immediately jumped into action. 2br02b grabbed a fish bowl sitting next to a nearby Rock and scooped water from the pond into it. Rabadaba looked at her puzzled so she explained "the streams don't run near Heatherperk's den, so VIA uses this fish bowl to travel there." As she was talking, VIA jumped up out of the water and landed with a plop in the bowl. The three went running through the Forest with 2br02b leading the way while Rabadaba followed carrying the fish bowl. When they arrived at the den, they could see Acrogodess and her two nearly grown wolf Cubs were already there, hugging Heatherperk and Hannahperk to comfort them. Heatherperk's husband was away with his family making funeral arrangements. 

Shortly after Rabadaba, 2br02b, and VIA arrived, animals started pouring in from all corners of the planet. Ladyisreal and couponrlover had done an excellent job of spreading the word and nearly every animal around showed up to help comfort their friend in need. Many were bringing food, flowers, or cards filled with kind words of support. 

The group was so large that they couldn't possibly fill Heatherperk's modest little sense they spilled out in the clearing around the opening to the den. VIA jumped out of the fish bowl and into a pool near the opening that Heatherperk had installed just so he could come visit. The group set up a giant picnic with all the offerings of food that everyone had brought. 

Her big bear eyes were puffy and red from crying but Heatherperk smiled as she moved throughout the group hugging the others. She was missing her Mother in law so badly but the large group of all her friends gathering around her den warmed her heart. She knew all of those who has shown up were more than just friends, they were more like family. 

The whole group gathered round with plates of food while Heatherperk smiled and started sharing some of her favorite stories about her mother in law. Despite her sadness at losing one of her best friends,Heatherperk was happy to have so many wonderful memories with her. 

Q the mysterious masked owl landed in one of the low branches of a nearby tree to listen in on Heatherperk's stories that she was telling. Rabadaba heard him hooting softly "strength is when you have so much to cry for but you prefer to smile instead." Rabadaba smiled, everything he had heard about Q was right. He did seem to have the perfect quote for any moment. 

Part 6

Rabadaba awoke to the sound of robins chirping nearby. The early morning light shone through the window of his hut illuminating his small living quarters. He hopped out of bed wondering what new adventures the day might bring. As he was thinking about how he had nothing to fix for breakfast, he heard a muffled knock on the door. It was a knock he recognized. He jumped up from his bed and hurried to the door to answer it. 

As he pulled open the door, the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafted into his hut. There by the door stood the mama bear, Heatherperk holding a heaping plate of cookies. "Good morning, Rabadaba!" She said while gesturing at the cookies in her paws,"would you like some cookies?" Excitedly Rabadaba wolfed down s couple of cookies. Cheeks stuffed full of cookies, he realized he had forgotten his manners "thank you," he mumbled the best he could around the cookies in his mouth.

"You're very welcome," she replied, beaming at Rabadaba. "I was just going to take some cookies to my good friend VIA. Would you like to join me?" Rabadaba nodded his head while trying to swallow the cookies that he had attempted to eat too quickly. They headed out the door together. Rabadaba started towards the cafe since that was where they had seen VIA before, but Heatherperk quickly pointed him in the opposite direction. 

"VIA's not at the cafe today. We're going to go visit him at his home. I think I may have upset him earlier by tipping his artwork even though he didn't want me to. Now he's disappeared from the Cafe,  so I wanted to bring him cookies as an apology." The two headed up the path in a direction Rabadaba had not explored yet. 

He found himself wondering where VIA the fish actually lived and how he travelled around to get to the cafe. That's when he notices a small shimmering stream running along side the path. Apparently he had been so busy exploring with his new friends that he hadn't bothered to look down at the ground. He pointed the stream out to Heatherperk. "Oh yeah, the streams." She explained, "you'll see those all over. VIA has a very large family and of course they all need a way to travel around so there are streams that run alongside the paths. They're so quiet that most of us even forget that the streams are there." Rabadaba felt relieved that he wasn't the only one who didn't always notice the streams. 

They followed the path for a distance until they come to a spot where the stream drifted away from the path. Then they ventured into the woods following the stream until the came out into a beautiful clearing. On the other side of the clearing, a small waterfall splashed into a clear shimmering pool of water. Rabadaba stopped in his tracks mesmerized by the beauty in front of him. 

Then he came back to reality as he heard Heatherperk calling out "VIA! I know you're around here somewhere. I brought you cookies! Please don't be upset with me anymore." VIA, the silver fish, popped up from under some nearby water lilies. "How could I stay upset with you?" He sighed. "You know my weakness for baked goods." And with that, he smiled as he ate a few of the cookies Heatherperk had set down on a water lily pad near him. 

"Oh hi Rabadaba!" VIA exclaimed. "I didn't notice you there before. Welcome to my home! What can I do for you?" "Well," Rabadaba the Rabbit replied shyly. "I have been wondering if you finished the painting I saw you working on  the other day. I was curious what kind of picture you were creating." 

"Oh that," VIA laughed. "I was just painting our mystery man Q." With that he gestured over to the side of the stone cliff near the waterfall. There hanging on the wall were 9 canvases hung in a square. An owl wearing a mask was depicted soaring through the air with wings spread wide across all the canvases. "I was hoping maybe if I drew him, I would be able to figure out his true identity."

"It's wonderful!" Rabadaba exclaimed. "I've been trying to figure out that mystery myself but unfortunately there are still so many other animals that I haven't met yet so I have a feeling I haven't met his alter ego yet." Heatherperk and Rabadaba sat down on the pond bank near where VIA was floating. The three spent the morning enjoying the freshly baked cookies while they speculated about Q's true identity.

 In the distance an owl sat perched in his tree grinning. He had overheard their conversation and knew they would never be able to guess his true identity. He was simply too clever at never leaving any clues behind.

Part 5

After a long day helping pack all those boxes for operation Christmas child with cbaile18 and all the others, Rabadaba and Millerkirk1984 decided it was time to head out. Millerkirk1984 had to get home to his  Cubs but Rabadaba assured him that he could get home on his own just fine so the tiger and the rabbit said their goodbyes and started out in opposite directions on the path. 

As he headed towards home, Rabadaba decided to stop in at the Creativepeople cafe to see if he could find any of the animals he had met so far. He hoped that maybe he would run into VIA the fish there again because he was hoping to find out what VIA was working on painting the first time Rabadaba had encountered him. 

When he walked through the door, he noticed that the cafe was pretty empty. He had just missed the dinner rush and most of the other animals had already headed home. He noticed a squirrel that he recognized sitting in a corner booth by herself playing on her phone. Although he was feeling shy, Rabadaba decided to approach her.

"I'm sorry to bug you, but I haven't met anyone else here yet. "Rabadaba muttered, "you're 2br02b right? I recognize you from when I first arrived. I don't want to bother you if you're busy but I was just wondering if you minded it I ate dinner here with you tonight."

"Oh you're not bothering me." She replied. "I was just sketching with this app Heatherperk Told me about. It's quite addicting and I've found myself spending a lot of time just making random sketches with it to share with my friends."

Beaming, Rabadaba sat down at the table with her. "So I thought you were just a photographer, but you draw too? You're so talented. I wish I could be more like you."

The squirrel blushed several shades of red from utter embarrassment before replying "thank you. I really don't deserve all this praise though. I'm just a normal everyday animal just like you. I just enjoy drawing it's a fun way to pass the time."

When she looked away in an attempt to hide her blushing red cheeks, Rabadaba sneaked a peak at the screen of her phone to see what she was drawing. He was, after all, a very curious little rabbit. He gasped in awe when he saw the beautiful sketch she was working on. "You're too humble!" He exclaimed. "Your artwork is amazing! I love all the different textures you are working with. I could never in my wildest dreams do a drawing like that!" 

2br02b hadn't thought it was possible to feel more embarrassed but Rabadaba made it possible. She turned beet red and quickly tried to hide her drawing from view. Rabadaba realized he was making her feel uncomfortable and immediately felt bad for saying anything. "I'm so sorry." He apologized. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I just thought you should know how talented you are."

"It's ok," she mumbled. "I'm just not used to showing anyone my artwork in person. I usually post it online and everyone sees it there. But enough about me, tell me about yourself Rabadaba. I don't even know exactly how you got here." 

Rabadaba told her his story about how he had been sent into space feeling like he would be alone forever and how we was so thankful to have crash landed here because of all the wonderful animals here. He told her about how he had been spending his time since he had arrived and how he couldn't believe that this place was already feeling like home to him. 

They chatted for quite some time while they were served their dinner and long after they finished eating. Eventually Rabadaba realized just how late it was and how tired his long day had made him. He and 2br02b both decided it was probably time to head home to bed so they parted ways and Rabadaba headed towards his hut. 

It was well passed midnight and the moonlight peeked through the trees above illuminating the route Rabadaba was walking. He heard a soft hooting above and looked up to see Q, the owl, flying overhead. Once more Rabadaba wondered what Q's secret identity was. He realized he should have asked 2br02b if she had any clues about Q's identity. In his time he had spent with her, he could tell she seemed like a squirrel who noticed a lot more about those around her than most animals would.

When he arrived at his hut, Rabadaba vowed to himself that the next day if he saw 2br02b again, he would ask her. He laid down and drifted to sleep wondering if he had met Q's alter ego yet or if Q's other self was one of the many animals he had yet to meet on this planet. 

Part 4

As they strolled down the path, Rabadaba asked Millerkirk1984 if he had planned anything for them to do. The tiger replied, "I thought we could spend the day helping give back to the community a bit. Cbaile18 has organized for a lot of us to meet at the school gym today to help her pack boxes for operation Christmas child. They need all the help they can get so I figured we could both pitch in." "I would love to help out the others, but what is operation Christmas child?" Rabadaba asked. 

"Operation Christmas child is a charity that packs shoe boxes full of all kinds of Christmas gifts. Then they ship them to children that live on the other side of the planet. For some of these children, their families are very poor and these might be the only Christmas gifts they get." Millerkirk1984 explained. "Cbaile18 has been busy buying a lot of necessities and fun items for these boxes but she needs some help getting them all ready in time to ship."

As they arrived at the school, they were treated by Cbaile18, a beautiful German Shepard who was simply beaming with excitement at what a large group had shown up to help her. She greeted the rabbit and tiger enthusiastically, hugging them both and thanking them for showing up to help with her project. She then led the pair over to a table with a few animals Rabadaba already recognized, a mother wolf and her two nearly grown Cubs. "Aren't you Acrogodess, AJ, and Liv?" Rabadaba asked? 

"Yes we are," the mother wolf replied."it's so nice to see you again Rabadaba and you too Millerkirk1984. I'm so glad there was such a great turn out to help Cbaile18 pack the Christmas boxes. She's so sweet! Did you know she uses all of her earnings to pay for the boxes? She doesn't keep anything for herself. We think it's a great cause so we've been donating whenever we can. I'm currently saving to use my earnings to get Liv, some camera equipment but we believe it's very important to always help others as well so we also donate frequently to operation Christmas child"

"Wow!" Rabadaba exclaimed. "Everyone here seems so genuine and generous! In my short time here I've seen so many animals helping out in any way that they can. I'm so excited that I can help out as well! I want to give back to the community the way all of you do every day." 

The group spent the afternoon laughing and chatting while they worked in an assembly line fashion to pack several boxes and get them all prepares to ship. While he worked Rabadaba beamed thinking about how the boxes he was packing would be able to brighten so many children's days. He imagined how ecstatic they would be to open up their box and find all these wonderful goodies cbaile18 had gathered up for them. It warmed his heart as he thought about how he was helping to bring joy to so many children on this new planet he called home. 

Rabadaba could not know what might lay ahead in his life but he did know one thing, he belonged here. He belonged with these other animals.  The people he had met already seemed more like family than any of his biological family ever could. He wanted to help out his new family in any way that he could and operation Christmas child seemed like the perfect way to do just that. In that moment he made a silent vow to himself to never forget about those less fortunate than himself and to always use a portion of his earnings to help do good in the world.