Ozette's Destiny (10 page)

“We came to give you moral support,” Annika said.

A few minutes later, they heard Mateo and Oliver call out.

“News sure travels fast in the Farlandia News Network,” Ozette said, sighing.

Ozette was touched that friends wanted to join her, but a little wary, too. What if this was a disaster, and she had to hide out for weeks, months even, until her fur grew back to normal?

As if she could read her mind, the ever-cheerful Annika grabbed Ozette’s paw and said, “Keep a positive attitude, dear friend.”

The entourage arrived at Princess Abrianna’s garden in record time. Ozette was so nervous she almost hoped the princess wouldn’t be home. But there she was, outside by her gazebo, stirring a large black pot.

“Hi there! I’m calling this my Super-Duper Pelt-Melt Tincture,” she said as she stirred the mixture vigorously.

Pelt-melt? Ozette didn’t like the sound of that one bit, and she backed away quickly.

The princess smiled and said, “It won’t melt away your fur, Ozette, just the pink color.” She gave her a wink, “At least, that’s my hope.”

Ozette looked into the pot and sniffed. It smelled herby, but not unpleasant.

The princess tossed a large amethyst and two smaller pink crystals into the pot. Ozette looked at her curiously.

“Not to worry, Ozette. The vibrations of this mixture should help lift that pink right off your coat.

“Now, hop into the tub,” she ordered.

Ozette gingerly entered the tub. The mixture was pleasantly warm and relaxing. She held her breath and ducked under the water, using her paws to scrub her head.

“Maybe this stuff will even remove the gray splotch on your head and that little gray stripe down your back,” Ariel said.

Ozette bristled. “Those are an essential part of who I am,” she said crossly.

Ariel patted Ozette on the head. “I’m just teasing. Lighten up!” she said.

“Yes, that’s what we’re hoping for, Ariel,” the princess said with a laugh as she added two more pink crystals to the tub.

Minutes later, Ariel shouted, “It’s working, Ozette!” The pink color was slowly lightening.

The last step was washing Ozette’s fur with a special conditioner made from unicorn milk. The princess massaged the pearly mixture into Ozette’s fur then gave her a final rinse.

Finally, Princess Abrianna helped the wet squirrel out of the tub and stood back while she shook herself dry.

“Look at you! Wow!” Ariel said.

Everyone stared at Ozette. Her fur was shiny and beautiful. Best of all, she was white again.

“This calls for a celebration!” the princess said with a grin. “Zoe, Baby Fiona, come help me, please.”

A few minutes later, they returned carrying a pitcher of minty lemonade, a platter of cookies and a large white cake.

“Oliver and Ozette,” the princess called as the trio set the treats on a bench in the garden. “As our two adventurers, come serve yourselves first.”

Ozette and Oliver walked over to the spread and started laughing. The cake was in the shape of an albino skunk, while the cookies were pink-frosted squirrels.

Oliver started to cut a piece of cake while she munched on a cookie, but Ozette steered his hand with her paw. “No, Oliver. The tail end is for you,” she said, winking.

The next morning, Ozette headed down her tree as the dazzling sun began its daily journey across Farlandia. She had just finished planting more nuts when her squirrel-girl friends Daphne, Chloe and Zoe stopped by.

“Princess Abrianna is baking honeyhunkettes for the coronation party and has invited us to help. Come with us!”

As Ozette and her friends jumped from treetop to treetop, they saw Nissa and Luna and invited them to come along.

“There you are, my squirrelly friends,” Princess Abrianna greeted them. She pointed at Ozette and said, “There are flowered aprons in a drawer in the kitchen. They should fit and will keep everyone’s fur clean.”

While the rest of the group went outside to help the princess bring in pots of honey and baskets of pecans, Ozette opened drawer after drawer looking for aprons. Finally, she found a stack of plain pastel aprons.

“Ohhhh,” she said, touching a paw to her mouth as she realized these plain aprons weren’t the ones the princess had described. Then her eyes lit up. There on the counter was a canister labeled “flour.” She opened the lid, carefully filled her paws with flour and meticulously dusted each apron.

“Here are the floured aprons,” she called proudly, as the squirrels entered the kitchen followed by the princess.

Princess Abrianna didn’t want to hurt Ozette’s feelings, so she pretended to have a coughing fit to hide the laughter welling up inside.

“This could be a long day,” she whispered, smiling as she gathered ingredients for honeyhunkettes.

Nissa and Luna shelled pecans for the delicacy, while the other squirrels measured, mixed and rolled the other ingredients. They cut the dough into animal shapes, chattering nonstop. Cassady provided cleanup, catching scraps in midair. Princess Abrianna caught Ozette dropping bits of the dough, just so Cassady could have a snack. Ozette grinned sheepishly, when the princess raised one eyebrow at her.

The rest of the baking session went without incident, except when an impatient Zoe chomped on a honeyhunkette before it was cool. But the princess applied an aloe and lavender oil salve to Zoe’s sore mouth and she soon felt better.

Ozette curiously peeked into the large pantry while Princess Abrianna rummaged through shelves that were neatly lined with bottles filled with dried herbs, tinctures and salves. Ozette thought it might be helpful, as queen, to know more about healing plants and vowed to ask Princess Abrianna to teach her once the Spring Fling was over.

When they had finished, they sat on the princess’s large shady porch in rocking chairs. The chamomile tea, coupled with the rocking motion, was making Ozette sleepy.

Princess Abrianna looked at the group of squirrels in their flour-covered aprons and smiled. “They are dear, innocent creatures,” she murmured.

“Well, Ozette, how are the party plans coming? Have you thought about food and invitations?” she asked.

Ozette startled from her dozing. “Well, we’re relying on word-of-mouth for invitations,” she said.

“And word-of-beak,” chimed in Nissa. The princess smiled.

“Oliver invited the eagle that saved us from the creek and his family,” Ozette continued. “And Ariel has been flitting all over Farlandia, issuing invitations most efficiently. All of our friends will be there.

“It’s a potluck party. Everyone wants to bring their favorite main dish. We’re making salads, drinks and desserts,” Ozette said, hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything. “And no gifts. Not a one do I want,” she said firmly.

“It certainly sounds like it’s under control. I’ve lots of vegetables in my garden and will bring salads, honeyhunkettes and root-beer tea,” the princess said, slowly rocking in her chair.

Noticing Ozette looking worried and deep in thought, she reached over and patted her paw. “It will be a wonderful party,” she said.

Before heading home, the squirrels handed their aprons to the princess. She shook out the flour, still smiling to herself.

When Ozette arrived at her nest, Sydney was there to greet her, hovering above her nest. Sydney’s warm smile banished any worries Ozette had about the details of the Spring Fling.

“Oliver has invited us over tomorrow to finish baking for the party and have some lunch,” Sydney said, fluttering about. “By the way, have you come up with any games to play at the celebration?” she asked.

Ozette frowned. She had almost forgotten they needed some type of entertainment besides dancing. She would put on her thinking cap and see what came to her.

The next morning, Ozette, Sydney, Daphne and Ariel gathered in Oliver’s super-duper, industrial-strength kitchen to bake up monster batches of chocolate neener-neeners, marshmallow love handles, pecan yummettes and hazelnut-crusted almond smackeroons.

After they had baked dozens of goodies, Oliver served the famished group one of his hallmark lunches: a garden bouquet salad, pistachio pasta with a side dish of ground-acorn surprise, first-flower-of-spring tea and a strawberry pecan parfait for dessert. Not a morsel was left when they were done.

When they finished cleaning the kitchen, Ozette and her friends left amidst giggles and grins. Oliver shook his head, thinking he would never understand silly girls!

Oliver decided to take a shower in his ultra-modern elf bathroom. Wrapped in a towel, Oliver opened his elfin dresser drawer to get fresh boxer shorts. He gasped. Where were his boxers with the fire-breathing dragon design? The boxers with the macaw print that he so loved? His boxers with red squirrels playing pinochle? The giraffe-print boxers? Gone! All gone! Every last one of his designer shorts was gone.

For the next few days, the inhabitants of Farlandia were in a dither as word got out that Oliver’s designer label boxer shorts were missing.

Fairies and elves were whispering in disbelief. “Who would do such a thing? How can we find them? We can’t check all the elves’ boxer shorts; that just isn’t proper!”

Poor Oliver was distraught over having to wear plain boring white boxer shorts. That just was not his style. But, loyal friend that he was, he still enthusiastically helped with party plans. Oddly, whenever Ozette saw him, she grinned a funny smile. It puzzled Oliver, but he shrugged it off as Ozette just being happy about the coming party.

“I’ll handle the music and dancing, Ozette,” Oliver offered. “Don’t worry your furry little head about that.”

The party would be held in the woods near Ozette’s nest. She consulted Princess Abrianna about the decorations for the surrounding area. Princess Abrianna was touched that the squirrel trusted her to help with this momentous occasion. She suggested that the woods around her nest be filled with flowers and candles that would add a beautiful glow in addition to the thousands of fireflies that would light up the night sky like stars.

When Ozette whispered in her ear the plan for entertainment, the princess burst into laughter!

The day before the coronation found Ozette sitting deep in thought by the special golden acorn she had planted when she first arrived in Farlandia. A strong, green shoot was slowly growing from the spot, reminding Ozette of how much she, too, had grown during this brief time. The enormity of what she was about to undertake had overcome her during the night, and her insecurities overwhelmed her as she thought about all that lay ahead. She heard a noise and turned to find Princess Abrianna striding toward her.

“A walnut for your thoughts,” the princess said, reaching into her skirt pocket and pulling out a freshly shelled walnut. Ozette shook her head.

“I’m not hungry,” she murmured softly.

The princess sat next to Ozette, tucking her sky blue skirt underneath her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Ozette shook her head, and the princess took her paw in her hand. “Don’t tell me nothing is wrong. I can see it in your eyes.”

Ozette stared at the ground. “It’s just that I don’t feel worthy to be queen. Who am I? Just an ordinary squirrel. I know nothing about ruling Farlandia and I have no qualifications. I’m not even very brave. I’ve never slain a dragon, and I wouldn’t even want to.”

The princess sighed and held both of Ozette’s paws in her hands. “A ruler does not have to be fierce or all-knowing. Think of the qualities you have that will make you a wonderful queen. Look at all that’s happened since you found Duchess Zorina. You have proven yourself over and over,” she said. She continued, ticking off Ozette’s qualities on her fingers. “You are loyal to your friends and are generous and humble. You are clever and creative, loving and kind. Your bravery is not in pitching battles but in doing what is right. Your heart is pure, Ozette. And that is the most important quality of all.”

Ozette bit her lip and looked down at the little sprout. She thought of all she had lost, but all she had gained too in her short life, the friendships she had forged and what she had learned from her experiences.

“There’s something you don’t know. Something I’ve not told anyone in Farlandia,” Ozette said. Tripping over her words with emotion, she haltingly told the princess about her flight from Earth World. “Some of the animals blamed me for the destruction of our beloved home because I’m different,” Ozette said, tears springing from her dark eyes. Despite the pain she felt in telling her story, she felt like a great burden had been lifted from her furry shoulders.