Hazel strutted through the forest, still wearing her homemade acorn crown. She tilted her chin up, hands on her hips. "Behold! Hazel, Queen of Nutwood, Conqueror of Berries, Friend of Squirrels!"
Mina groaned. "Please take that off. People are going to think we escaped from a children's play."
"Nope." Hazel smirked. "This is official now. I have been recognized by the squirrel court. Which makes me royalty."
Liora, walking calmly beside them, raised an eyebrow. "Royalty usually comes with responsibility."
Hazel froze mid-strut. "…Responsi-what?"
Before Mina could mock her further, the forest itself seemed to hush. A breeze swept through the trees, and the crown of acorns on Hazel's head glowed faintly.
The girls stopped.
Then, a voice whispered through the leaves, soft and eerie:
"The crown has chosen… the ones of fur reborn. Seek the lost Orchard of Whimsy, where chaos stirs and laughter saves the world."
The crown flickered once more, then went dark.
The silence was so heavy, even the crickets seemed stunned.
Finally, Mina broke it. "…Oh no. It's a prophecy."
Hazel's eyes sparkled. "A prophecy?! Did you hear that? We're chosen ones!"
"You mean you're chosen," Mina muttered. "Because you stuck garbage on your head."
Liora tilted her head, thoughtful. "If the forest itself speaks, perhaps this is real. We may have… a quest."
Mina flailed her arms. "No, no, no, no! I didn't sign up for a quest! I wanted grass, naps, maybe some hay. Not destiny!"
Hazel grinned and patted her on the back. "Relax, Mina. How bad could an 'Orchard of Whimsy' be? It sounds like candy and balloons."
At that exact moment, the ground beneath them rumbled. In the distance, a tree cracked open like a door, and something waddled out.
It was a goose.
A goose in armor.
With a sword strapped to its side.
The goose honked loudly, wings flaring, and shouted in a deep voice:
"BY ORDER OF THE ORCHARD, HAND OVER THE CROWN!"
The girls screamed in unison.
Hazel clutched her crown tighter. "Over my dead body!"
Mina shrieked, "It's a goose with a weapon! WE'RE DOOMED!"
Liora calmly rolled up her sleeves. "Then it seems… the adventure has truly begun."