Chapter Ten ~ Sleepless aria jealousy

"An invader in the forest is very Bad." Suzumebachi buzzed a quarter inch away from AWC's ear. They were going on a lovely stroll under the curling branches of the laurel trees, and leaves fell like crumpled red and yellow paper from the creaky old maples, with fresh fall scents alive and speaking through the winds.

"But it's nonetheless a very nice autumny day," AWC added optimistically. "Silver dog or no silver dog, look at the big yellow moon and you can tell that there are good things coming.

"How do you know the big yellow moon's not just trying to swallow you and your pagoda?" Suzumebachi asked, folding her yellow and black striped arms and raising her eyebrows critically.

AWC stopped in midstride. Suzumebachi did too. "Get real." AWC said.

"Alright. Have a rockin good day," Suzumebachi replied, and flew away.

This left AWC by herself in the middle of the heavenly forest. She pinched herself to see if she was dreaming, and discovered she wasn't. "The moon can't swallow me," she said, and sat down on the dusty path, and hugged her knees. The wind was cold and it nipped at her arms and bare feet.

"You need new shoes," said Shadow the angry wolf who thinks he's an owl.

"It's true," AWC said. "Obvious, but true. It's a nice day, though. Fall is good."

"It's true," Shadow said. "Obvious, but true."

"Omigosh guys. Guys? GUYS!" Jack the theif swung into the clearing on a vine hanging from one of the trees, and no one could figure out how he managed. "I just got this totally amazing idea!"

"What?" AWC asked.

"Oh brother." Shadow whacked his head with his thick paw (which he thought was a set of talons). "Not another idea. This forest has too many ideas in it. Soon the real estate values will drop, there will be way more higher levels of organized crime, the whole forest is going to go to shambles. Ruin. Oh, good love himself, all will go to ruin."

"I can't imagine that the rabid silver dog running around will do anything good to property values either," AWC commented. "But continue, Jack?"

"We will all live underground!" Jack grinned. "Good idea, right? Right?"

"Well it sounds like a nice idea," AWC said, "but why?"

"Uh, duh. It's fall. Which means soon it will be winter. AWC, your house doesn't even have a door." Jack pointed out.

"Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that." AWC frowned. "It will get awfully cold."

"And instead of freezing, we'll be extremely safe and warm underground, with that nice tribe of mole people."

"Okay, hold it," Shadow said. "One, I'm not leaving my home, because of aforementioned real estate value. Two, underground, there are the MINES. Big brother's agents will put us to work and that'll be the end of it. Three, why doesn't AWC just BUY a DOOR?"

There was silence. "The best laid plans," AWC said with a sigh.

"Always get punctured by grumpy wolves." Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'm going to go and steal some stuff. But I will come up with an even better plan. You guys both know we won't survive the winter the way we are now." With that, he swung away.

"I'm not so sure about that," Shadow said. "You know, with global warming and all."

"Maybe, I don't know." AWC shrugged. "I'm going to go home and measure my doorframe."

"Oh you have so much fun with that." Shadow growled. "I'm going to go look for more ways to apply my logic. This forest needs more logic."

"I thought you cared about property values," AWC said.