Wolf Kingdom

While we take a break from the Lore of ZooKazoo, it is my great pleasure to begin to share the first and second chapters of a story being written by one of you! Congratulations to "Alexandra" for being our first contributing novelist! I hope you all enjoy the beginning of "Wolf Kingdom."

Chapter One..

My ears twitched backwards to better catch the sound of the rustling leaves in the bush behind me. A low growl built in my throat. At that precise moment the creature soared out of the bushes. I whirled around letting out a feral snarl. I lunged at the creature, my jaws wide open and dangerous. I saw the glint of it's eyes as I lunged. Suddenly they were no longer glints. They were bright lights that blinded me and I swerved off course landing in a pile of dead pine needles. What was that? But I had no time to ponder, the creature was still there. I sucked in a breath preparing to call the rest of the pack when I heard a low familiar voice in my ear. "Getting a little tense there Tecumshi?" she teased. 

"Huh?" I mumbled. I stupidly turned around to see my best friend Deaidre. If wolves could blush, I would look like a ripe strawberry right now, I thought. She laughed lightly at my expression. "What was that?" I asked remembering the bright lights that threw me off in the first place. 

"What?" she asked confused.

"That thing with your eyes," I explained.

"Oh," she looked uncomfortable. "That was a...um... Oh, I've got to go right now. I've got a message for Tom," she said quickly maneuvering out of the question. She still looked uncomfortable.

"OK, but I'm not going to forget this," I said warningly. 

"OK," she said hurriedly and darted into the trees.

I shook my head. "She is something different," I mumbled to myself. Then I slunk back to the den.

"Where were you? I sent four of your brothers to find you an hour ago," the male Alfa wolf, Daniel, demanded as soon as he saw my grey hide through the trees. 

"Sorry, I met Deaidre on the way home and stopped to talk," I said.

"Do you like Deaidre?" he asked teasingly but with unconcealed curiosity in his voice. 

"Erm... sort of ... I guess," I said sheepishly and ducking my head, embarrassed.

"Aha!" he howled with laughter. 

"What?" I asked confused by his answer.

"I finally embarrassed you," he said still chortling. 

"Yay. You finally embarrassed Tecumshi, what a great accomplishment," I said rolling my eyes.

The female Alfa wolf, Tanya, growled at the biting sarcasm in my words. "It's ok Tanya," Danile said to calm her.

I threw him a grateful glance before shooting out of the cave opening to hunt.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 16

Day 16 -- Our band of champions has set off to stop the destruction of Jungaloo by the evil Elf, Silvercurst. It is a strange band, indeed: A Kazoobian Princess with suction cups on the ends of her fingers and toes, an enormous tiger that can change in an instant to a harmless kitten, an apple core with amazing powers, a true warrior monkey who is one of the King's fighting favorites, and the very mysterious Daywalker -- invisible by day and winged goddess by night. Does Silercurst even stand a chance?

Today, the group has moved as quickly as they can through a very dense jungle and climbed steadily upward on a path that takes the above the lake, higher and higher, out of the jungle, through a woods, and finally on a bald trail that approaches the great gate at the ancient and very old bridge that stretches over a very deep chasm. Below the bridge and far, far down, the Evan River flows out of the lake in a treacherous rapids.

The great gate is closed, but our merry band can hear hundreds, if not thousands of feet crossing the old bridge and approaching the gate from the other side.

Your job, dear readers, is to tell me who that pack of people are on the other side of the gate and what happens when the gate flies open. It's time for action, what do you imagine? If it's trouble, how do our heroes escape and go onto complete their quest? If it's an army of the evil Silvercurst's minions, what are they like? You have already met his swarms of Dragoon Flies. They were, seriously, bad, bad, bad -- poisoned darts and all.

Just click the "Comment" button and tell me what you think. Remember to only type about 4 lines of text in one comment. But you can send as many comments as you want. I would like to give you credit for your contributions to the "Lore of Zookazoo," so don't forget to sign your Zelf's name on your comments!

One of you wanted to send us your own story. Please, Please Do! I'd love to read it and maybe publish it in ZooKazoo. You can send a whole story to us by email at Story@ZooKazoo.com.

Thanks, gang. I can hardly wait to see what you come up with!

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 15

Hi, readers of The Lore of ZooKazoo. I apologize for taking so long to get to Day 15. It was raining and gray this week and sometimes that makes it hard for me to work on the story. But here we go. After Day 15, I'm really going to need your help and advice, so please come back and be sure to see what I leave for Day 16 on Tuesday. Here we go. . . 

Day 15

"The thing was smiling!" grimaced Growler. "It was grinning its evil smirk at me! All I could feel was the terror and blistering heat of the flames that Silvercurst was spreading through the jungle. Nothing was stopping him and," Growler choked and caught himself holding back tears of dread, "and, and all I could do was run. Run? How am I ever going to stop Silvercurst?" He was embarrassed showing his fear and weakness to the others this way, but he could not hold back his emotions.

"This is always the way my dream ends. It begins with the beautiful tigress and I feel so happy to see her, but then I end up terrified when Silvercurst appears. I know I have to stop this from happening, but this dream is confusing. I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from it." Growler, the fiercest member of the party, sat shivering among his new friends, embarrassed, but truly terrified.

The smallest member of the party almost seemed the most calm. "Growler," Seeds said as he stepped forward, "we will all share this burden with you. Together, we will defeat him. We all had dreams of warning last night. If what you said about Daywalker is true, I think she was trying to tell all of us in our dreams that we faced great danger and have to be careful. We know we must stop Silvercrest, and we know it will take us all fighting him together to do it."

Kazooba shifted to see and remove whatever the uncomfortable thing was that she was sitting on. "Funny," she thought, "I would never have lied down on this to sleep last night. Where did it come from?" She picked up what looked like an old gnarled branch or small tree trunk. There was a knob on one end that honestly, she thought, "looks just like the head of an owl. But at the same time, it also looks like a beautiful woman with amazing and strange eyes."

She set the stout stick aside and then stood and emptied her pack. She reached for the old bottle, but changed her mind and picked up her dagger instead. "Today," she guessed, "it would be better to have this at my waist where I can draw it quickly." She then picked up the bottle and carefully removed the map. "My dream made it very clear where we are to go and what we are to do when we get there," she said to the rest. She spread the map on the dewy grass and smoothed its creases. 

"Here," she pointed at the map. "The Evan River flows from the great lake through the deep chasm. We must somehow cross the old bridge to get over it. While the map warns us to stay off it, my dream made it very clear that I was to attempt to walk on it alone. None of the rest of you are to put even one toe on it!" Kazooba was very serious and no one questioned her statement. "If that is the case, I am unclear how we are all going to get across the chasm and stay together, but I sense that we must stay together because that is how we are strong."

Precilla spoke next. "Perhaps the 'how' will become clear when we get there. We must hurry. My grandfather was very clear about that when he spoke to me in my dream last night. And, Kazooba, he was the maker of the map, so I know we can trust it. The old bridge is guarded on this side of the river by a large gate. We must get there, get through that gate, and then deal with the bridge." Pricilla held back another thought that made her very sad. As she looked closely at the map, she realized how old it must be and was puzzled because the dream she had of her grandfather made it seem like he might have just thrown the bottle into the  river outside his prison yesterday. "But then the parchment wouldn't be so yellow and fragile." The thought stuck hard, "Grandfather has been in prison a very long time." Her realization just made the urgency of their mission even more clear.

As she pushed the thought aside, Pricilla was already moving in the direction of the jungle trail and was buckling on her armor as she went. The others got a glimpse of the magnificent sword she carried in a scabbard strapped to her back. Its hilt was covered with deep red rubies. They matched the large one that sat atop her helmet. "Seeds, are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to climb up into my pack?" She reached down as she passed him and almost flung him into her bag. "Come on everyone, let's move!"

Growler had recovered, spurred on by Pricilla's strength and urgency. He leaped and passed her and took point: his eyes, ears, nose, and whiskers alert for the slightest sign of an enemy.

Kazooba turned to head down the trail, but at the last second, ran back to where the gnarly old staff lay and snatched it up, not knowing why exactly. She ran back to take up her place behind Growler. The staff was just the right size for a walking stick and fit her hand nicely. "Hmmm, lucky," she thought. Strength like she had never felt flowed into her arms and throughout her body.

Pricilla, with Seeds hanging on in her pack and peering over her shoulder, moved to follow and keep a sharp eye on Kazooba. From long practice, Pricilla also kept an eye on the trees above. the sun glinted off one of the rubies on the hilt of her sword and cast a red glow onto Seeds. He'd never looked so handsome. But then how handsome can an old apple core look? But he looked, yes, he looked handsome indeed.

While none seemed aware, small footprints from leather boots appeared one before the other in the dust, following them all closely down the trail. Daywalker, silent and invisible brought up and guarded the rear -- and sent off one last dream message as she went.

A light breeze danced through the windows of the tree palace and into the room where King Mo and Queen Marcy sat in despair. Several days had passed and there was no news of their daughter. As the breeze swirled around them and tickled their necks, both the king and queen seemed to share the same day dream. They both heard a very faint melody. Both of them sat up at the same time smiling. They somehow knew with certainty that their daughter was fine and with friends who would protect her. They were confused about how they knew this, but they were certain. 

"Kazooba's safe for now." they concluded. And then like parents everywhere, they began immediately worrying about the next thing: "If she's safe now, what is she doing? Who are these people she is traveling with? When will she get back home?" They both slumped back into their chairs and resumed their hapless stare.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 14

Welcome back. Remember, you can now send your own stories to Story@ZooKazoo.com. We'd love to see what you can dream up. And we still hope you will keep sending us ideas for this story about Kazooba and the Lore of ZooKazoo. Here's Day 14. . . 

Kazooba walked out of the jungle into a mist-filled clearing. A shape moved towards her, but she was unafraid, strangely strong and confident. As the form came nearer, Kazooba began to recognize her long lost and very best friend. Tears of joy trickled down her cheeks. But her friend remained in the mist, always just beyond reach as Kazooba ran to her. "A dream, I must be dreaming," thought Kazooba.

Her friend raised her hand to wave, her voice like music came to Kazooba's ears, "You must be very careful but take your new friends to the old bridge that crosses the canyon over the Evan River. You will be the only one to cross. Do not allow your friends to step onto the span. You must hurry. Silvercurst is on the move once again. With another wave, her friend melted back into the mist and Kazooba began to wake.

At the same time, Pricilla felt herself frolicking in trees that were heavy with fruit. She wore no armor, just a light tunic. She could feel the air and smell the flowers all around her. Suddenly, she was aware of a very old ape catching up to her from behind -- old, but not frail -- her grandfather, Greyback. "Grandfather, where have you been? We have all been so worried as we've not heard from you for so long."

"I am a captive of Silvercurst. I know that you are on your way to me, but you must be extremely careful. I was able to make a map and put it in a bottle and fling it into the river that runs by my prison. I dreamed that Kazooba found the bottle and has the map. I know that she must be with you. You must think of her safety first and protect her against all odds. Think second of Jungaloo, it needs your protection so badly. Think of me only when all else is safe." As his image faded and Pricilla began to wake, she heard, as if a whisper, "Grandchild, I am so proud of you. I love you." Pricilla woke with tears in her eyes and a longing for her grandfather in her heart.

Seeds laughed as he dangled from a branch on a tree. Still green but plumping up nicely, he swung in the breeze among all of his tree friends. Bees buzzed merrily in and out of the branches. It was a glorious day. A butterfly of exceptional beauty landed on the curve of his cheek. She spoke in music, but her meaning was somehow clear: "This is your time Seeds. You will be a very special apple core. All that you have seen and learned from these branches and all of the memories and lessons that come to you from your tree friends will be needed to save Jungaloo. Trust your new circle of friends. You will all need each other in the months ahead. Make Growler aware of your wisdom and be sure that he considers you in the decisions he will have to make. Goodbye, Seeds." Seeds woke with a start as the final part of his dream saw him falling from his home tree and bouncing several times on the ground before his young self came to rest. Now, wide awake, he remembered the butterfly's message clearly. Few knew or understood the secret of the Apple Corps -- the reason that they made such very good spies. While he needed to protect that secret, the dream messenger had clearly told him to share it with Growler. And she had said "months," not days or weeks, but "months." Seeds felt very small and very worried at the moment.

Growler smiled and purred as the she-tiger stepped out of the shadows and onto the trail before him. He knew at once he was dreaming again. He had seen her before like this. No matter how fast he approached her, she always remained the same distance away. He longed to rub chins with her and stretch in the sun together. But way before he was ready for her to disappear, he heard a crackling sound rushing toward him like wind. He could feel waves of heat and smell smoke so thick he choked in his dream. He could almost feel his fur singe and his paws blister. He had to get away, but which direction? "Remember me, Growler," he could hear a voice like music above the sound of the onrushing flames. When the time comes, look and listen for me so that I can show you the way." Above the smoke, he could swear he saw an enormous bird with an owl-like face, still strangely beautiful, circle higher and higher above the flames. But as sweat began to roll into his eyes and he again choked on the smoke, his head turned back toward the direction from which he had come. In a panic he saw that fearsome wraith still in pursuit. Everything that touched the wraith burst into flame. Growler startled awake, still roaring his defiance at Silvercurst. All of the others were sitting up staring at him in alarm.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 13

We are about to begin Day 13 and learn more about Daywalker. But I wanted to mention that several of you are asking whether there is a way to completely write your own stories and publish them on ZooKazoo. 

I want to encourage anyone who wishes to send their own original story to ZooKazoo to do so by emailing it to Story@zookazoo.com. We'll happily read submissions, make comments, and find a way to publish them for the other players in ZooKazoo. I'm excited that creating stories seems like a fun thing to do. That's why I can't wait to bring you Day 13, I'm having fun, too. 

Remember on Day 12, our gang was a bit mystified by Growler's announcement. So let's begin Day 13 . . .

"Daywalker?" asked Growler, "how about a demonstration or two to convince our friends that you are very much alive and very much in our midst?"

Growler suddenly vanished into thin air! His friends gasped, but they were drowned out by Growler's belly laughs. First his paws reappeared. Then slowly, as if a curtain were being raised, his legs, then torso, and then all of him came back in sight. For a moment, the tip of his tail seemed to float in space, but then it too looked firmly connected to the rest of Growler.

Seeds kept it to himself, but just before Growler had disappeared, he'd caught a surprising sight. From his vantage point low to the ground, he'd caught just the briefest glimpse of what must have been Daywalker's feet and lower legs, or rather, the tightly fitting laced boots that he or she wore. Seeds uttered a guess: "Daywalker is wearing a large cape. It makes her invisible, and for a second, she must have held it over you, too, Growler."

With a laugh, Growler just said, "Good guess, Seeds. That same cape will hide you and all of us from our enemies."

The company sat around in good humor, sharing stories, eating more breadfruit, and just as Growler had promised, with Daywalker among them, they all felt safer and calmer than they had since this whole thing had begun. Daywalker, of course, was nowhere to be seen and silent as a stone. As the sun slipped below the horizon and night came on, the original four began to feel sleepy, very sleepy. Huddled together, warm, safe, yawning — they all fell into a deep and restful sleep. Growler had forgotten to mention that Daywalker could also carry you off to la-la land in a blink of a tired eye.

Now in the darkness, Daywalker had changed form. Her magic cape had turned to wondrous, snow-white, long-feathered wings with which she covered her new friends and kept them hidden from prying eyes. The graceful curves of her wings joined together over powerful shoulders. Her straight and strong back rose to a short neck on which sat her tightly feathered and noble head. Her eyes were huge, like an owls. But the soft buff and white feathers that surrounded her face and small upturned nose, plump lips, angular cheeks, and somewhat pointy chin melded together into a face that was, well, simply beautiful. 

It was sad that no one was left who could see her this way. She walked the world in the day on two feet and wrapped in her great cape, invisible. At night she transformed into her magnificent self and soared the heavens, calling her strange, melancholy song. No one could see or hear her in this form either. Kazoobians who knew the very old Jungaloo myths told their children of a mysterious and mostly invisible force for good who walked the world during the day and flew the skies at night. But little Kazoobians knew that if they watched carefully on nights with a full moon, they might catch just a glimpse her silhouette if she happened to fly across the moon's brightly lit face.

Alone or not, Daywalker, was content. A very low and gentle cooo bubbled from her throat. Her friends were safe, protected beneath her wings. To any spies afoot, all they would see if they stumbled into this meadow was a field of lush grass. No one would have guessed that four individuals who were incredibly important to the future of Jungaloo slept here, beginning to dream -- beginning to dream Daywalker's dream.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 12

Soulja Girl. Please read today's chapter and let me know if I got "Daywalker" about right. I added somethings to your character and there will be more on Day 13. Daywalker is really going to add a lot to the story. Thanks again! And now, the coming of Daywalker -- Day 12 . . . 

"Did we enjoy the breadfruit? Sure it was the best I ever ate." They all said just about the same thing at the same time.

Growler's mischievous smile only got wider. "Well, then, we should say thanks to whomever brought it."

They looked from one to the other and Seeds spoke up first: "None of us brought it, did you?"

"No. But don't worry about it. Gee, have another piece." The woven-leaf tray, again loaded with fruit, appeared to float up from the ground and passed among Seeds, Pricilla, and the Princess. This time, they focused on the strange sight and each took a giant step back from the basket as it hung in the air. "Uh, no thank you," they said again in chorus.

Pricilla was first to catch on. "Growler, you said a new member of our party had just arrived," as she looked all around the meadow. "Does that levitating basket have something to do with the new member of our group?"

"Judging by where the basket is hanging in the air, I'd say or latest arrival is standing about three feet in front of you." Growler was enjoying the looks on his friends' faces -- confusion, surprise, disbelief. They'd look first at the basket then at him and then back at the basket. "Too much fun," he thought.

"Friends, I would like you to meet and welcome Daywalker. Daywalker will take some getting use to, but believe me, in the end you will be very happy Daywalker joined us. In fact, it was Daywalker who brought us all together. I'm not even sure if Daywalker is a he or a she. You can't talk directly to him -- or her. You can't see him or her, unless in a dream. And if you do see Daywalker in a dream, he or she will appear differently to everyone, never the same, always a person or animal that is special to the person who is dreaming.

The group began to relax and were now simply curious. Could they believe Growler? This was his most preposterous story yet. "In my dreams," Growler continued, "Daywalker joins me as the most beautiful lady tiger I have ever seen." He began to purr, then stopped, looking a bit embarrassed. Was Growler blushing?

"Daywalker is beyond language. She will always hear and understand us, but you will only hear her or him in your dreams. But she has promised to always stay with us, watching, guarding, feeding us when we're hungry, healing us if we are injured, and adding to our strength at the most important times."

"Daywalker was old when I was just a cub. Where she comes from, or exactly what or who she is, I've never known. I just know that when she is with me, I feel calm, and safe, and never alone. I can see that you are all still troubled and not quite believing me."

----There is more to come about Daywalker on Day 13!

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 11

I've wanted to add one more main character to our brave little Jungaloo band of four. But I've had a hard time figuring out who or what that character should be. Yesterday, Soulja Girl wrote to me with a really great idea for a new character. I'm so excited about the idea, that today's story will begin to set the stage for the new member of the team. As Growler fills us in on "What's up?" watch for something that doesn't quite make sense. It just might be the first clue about the nature of their new partner. You'll meet that new character on Day 12.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. In today's chapter, our characters look into the eyes of Growler. Have you ever visited a zoo and gotten close to one of the big cats and had a chance to stare directly into its eyes? If you have, you'll understand a bit more about today's chapter. Here's day 11 . . . 

"Well Growler?" a very demanding and impatient Pricilla asked again.

Growler didn't look bothered in the least. He'd been leaning back, and now, slowly sat up to look directly at Seeds, Pricilla, and the Princess. Each of them had turned to face him and as Growler gathered his thoughts, they each sat as if expecting a long tale. Growler flicked out a long curved claw on his right front paw and tapped it on one of his rather large and scary fangs. The sound it made was much like a note from a musical chime. Growler made the gesture often when he was deep in thought.

While the rest waited, each was struck by Growler's eyes. They were huge. Their shiny black centers were made to look even darker by the yellow irises that surrounded them. But there was something about looking straight into the center of his eyes, a feeling that you were looking down into a well with no bottom. That depth was a clue to the life Growler had led. It must have been very long and filled with experiences beyond each of their wildest dreams.

As if a curtain had been pulled across those windows into Growler's soul, the opportunity for insight was suddenly gone. Growler was ready to begin and said, "Why don't you each help yourself to a couple of these lovely bread fruits?" None of them turned their gaze from Growler, but each took a piece of the wondrous fruit as it was passed among them on a tray made from a very large and shiny green jungle leaf.

"I have to tell you all that I am much older than I appear," Growler began. "The princess knows that I can look almost any age when I wish to change. I have been wandering the trails and roads of Jungaloo from the time when our beautiful trees first began to grow -- a time when Jungaloo extended much further than it does today. We can climb trees or trek to the top of hills to know that Jungaloo stretches as far as we can see in any direction. But our view is actually blocked by the thick mist to the south and by the the mountains that border the east, north, and west.

"Until recently, you could climb to the top of those mountains or walk for days into the mists and still see oceans of green and lush jungle extending out before you -- seemingly never ending. But that's not true today. Particularly from the mountains in the east, you can see a terrible cancer at work on our forests. There is an area that stretches off to the very horizon in the east that is entirely blackened. Dead trees. Dead plants. No birds or butterflies. No animals of any kind. No sounds!"

"Like a wave of death, that area is spreading to the north and coming our direction too. Year by year, we are losing more and more of our beloved Jungaloo to this plague. This past year and for the first time, like the flicking tongue of a monstrous snake, the first signs of the cancer can be seen creeping out around the feet of the eastern mountains. The eastern rivers that once flowed blue and clear are beginning to turn murky and carry a foul smell. It is definitely coming our way."

"Pricilla, this is 'what's up,' this is why we have been brought together. You have each been chosen. I was not only waiting for the Princess that first day, but for you Pricilla, and for you, Seeds. My mission to lead you in this quest came to me in a dream that turned to nightmare. This is our destiny and our time is now. There can be no thought of any of you returning to the palace and just going on with your lives. There is not a moment to lose."

Growler took a long, deep breath, exhaled, and said, "We were waiting for one more member of our band to join us. But he or she -- it's difficult to know -- has arrived."

Then with one of his most devilishly smiles, Growler chuckled and said, "Did you enjoy the bread fruit?"

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 10

How about those creepy Dragoon Flies? We want to thank one of you for that great idea -- an entire flying army of Dragoon Flies based on dragonflies. Ugly little devils. You'll hear and see more of them before this tale is over. And now, Day 10 . . .

When Seeds suggested that everyone leave the battle scene fast, no one argued. The new foursome -- Princess Kazooba, Growler, Pricilla, and Seeds -- took off down the jungle path as fast as they could go. So fast, that Seeds' short legs would never keep up. Pricilla lifted him and put him back in her pack at a dead run. "Oh, no," thought Seeds. "Here we go again." He was determined not to get sick again as he was bounced around in the bottom of Pricilla's pack. He climbed up and got a good grip on the top edge of the pack, then pulled himself up until he could see out. "Better," he thought, "I just need to be able to see out and get big breaths of fresh air."

They made good time down the trail. Growler seemed tireless as he loped along. Princess Kazooba was keeping up after two hours, but was beginning to breathe hard. Pricilla had, miles ago, taken to the trees and was swinging along above the rest. She, too, was very well trained and conditioned and could have done this for days without stopping. Seeds was, of course, breathing easily, but his hands were firmly clenched over his eyes. The view from his perch at the top of the pack was, well, he said it best, "Gulp!"

Princess Kazooba gritted her teeth as she jogged: "I'm not going to be the first to call for a halt," she insisted to herself. She doubled her effort and made sure she kept right up with Growler.

Growler could hear the sound of Kazooba's feet as she caught up with him. He knew they had been moving very fast for two hours. He guessed Kazooba had to be wearing down, but he also bet that her pride would keep her from calling for a rest. He was proud of her determination, but the last thing he needed was a worn-out or injured member of the group. He wisely held up his hand and said firmly, "Halt. Let's take a breather here. Just a short one."

He had stopped at a place with a thick carpet of soft grass. The opening in the jungle allowed a cool, fresh breeze to blow across them. Pricilla reached back over her shoulder and neatly grabbed Seeds and set him down carefully. He wobbled a bit, as he walked back and forth trying to regain his balance. Pricilla remained standing, watching and listening. Princess Kazooba stretched her arms above her head, bent backwards, and then gracefully swung forward to touch her toes. She sat on the soft grass and again reached for her toes, stretching her leg muscles to prevent cramping. She knew they'd be moving on further before stopping for the day.

Growler sat, totally relaxed. The warm sun glinted off his shiny coat. A puff of breeze fluffed the fur around his neck. He sat back with his weight on his arms, looking from member to member of this strange little band. "A Kazoobian Princess, a walking, talking apple core, and a royal member of the famed Monkey Troop -- a woman warrior monkey at that."

"Kazooba, Princess of the Realm, was still stretching. He was impressed with her feistiness. She certainly had a lot to learn, but she had a good and strong heart. That was a good place from which to start turning into an adult."

"Seeds was by far the smallest, but he had proven his grit and surprising abilities. He had saved them all from the Dragoon Flies. Seeds knew about those dangerous creatures. Clearly he had had experience with them before. Growler thought he probably had even more to learn from the little guy."

"Pricilla was amazing, too. He knew that she would never allow anything to happen to the Princess -- not on her watch -- even at the price of her own life. Pricilla had even faced off with him, he thought, with the stance of a true warrior. He was glad the Princess had stopped the silly fight that was about to begin because he and Pricilla would have probably injured each other in the struggle. Neither, he knew, would have allowed the other to win. Pricilla would be a good person to have by his side if they got into more trouble, and he knew they would. There were things ahead that would be dangerous. There was simply no way to escape their fate."

His thoughts continued to swirl. "He had a lot to learn about each of his new friends, but they had a lot to learn about him too. He smiled outwardly, knowing he had more tricks than stripes."

Pricilla was the first to speak. They'd all been quiet with their own thoughts while they rested. "So, Princess, what is going on here? I need to get you back to the palace. Your parents are worried sick, and I have the distinct impression that you are going to argue with me about returning home."

The Princess looked at Growler, then dropped her eyes to her hands as she fidgeted with them nervously. She did not know exactly what to say. As Pricilla waited, all there was to hear was the gentle sound of the afternoon breeze and the equally soft bwok, bwok, bwok of the suction pads on the ends of the Princess's fingers. Finally, "I did something very stupid, very immature," Kazooba began. "I thought I could teach my dad a lesson, that I was growing up and could do things on my own, things that are important. He keeps treating me like I'm just a kid. I thought I'd leave the palace in the dead of night, have an adventure, and then return with everything ok. I didn't think about how he or my mom would worry. I should have known he'd send his best troops and spies out to find me and now, I've put you two in danger too."

"But maybe I was meant to leave the palace on that very night," she continued, "because at the very next sunrise, in the very first rays of dawn, I was in the right place at the right time to see this bottle with the map inside tumble down the Great Waterfall and make its way right to my fingers. I just don't think that was by chance. And then, this tiger, Growler, showed up disguised as a tiger cub -- you wouldn't believe how tiny and cute he can appear. And he knew my name! How did he know that I would be there, picking up that bottle that very morning? Maybe we should all ask him what is going on."

"Very clever," mused Growler. "The young Princess had neatly turned all the attention right on him." He almost winced as Pricilla turned her stern gaze at him.

"Well, Growler? If that is your name. The Princess raises a very interesting question. Tell me what is going on and don't leave anything out!"

If Seeds had ears, they would have been standing straight up. He did not want to miss a word of this!

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 9

Hi guys. Here's one way the story could go. It was contributed by Kagoma, one of you who is becoming an awesome writer. Remember that Day 8 ended with a serious standoff between Growler the tiger and Pricilla, one of the King's best royal soldiers. Kagoma sent in this idea: "The first one to strike was the tiger. When the tiger swung, the ape flew at him with all her weight. In doing so, she pulled the tiger down and got a bad cut -- but not serious." 

A fight to the finish? Let's see what happens. Welcome to Day 9 . . . 

Princess Kazooba stepped between her new friend, Growler, and Pricilla, who she knew was here risking her life to protect her princess. Kazooba really did not want a fight to break out, but Growler and Pricilla were circling and deadly serious. "Guys! Stop!" she said, "Things don't have to be this way."

Seeds lay in the bottom of Pricilla's pack, trying to overcome his queasy stomach. He could tell from the sound of things, that his friend, Pricilla, was about to get into a serious fight with someone named Growler. But he also heard something else that no one was paying attention to. Almost beyond hearing, Seeds was aware of a high-pitched buzzing that was getting closer every second. "I can't just lay here," he thought. "This is really bad."

Seeds leaped from Pricilla's pack, screaming in a surprisingly loud voice for an apple core, "Everybody down! Now! Down! Do it!"

Trained to react to commands, Pricilla was the first to follow the order. A split second later, Kazooba followed Pricilla and lay flat on the ground. Growler was still standing, trying to get over his surprise: "An old apple core that talks? Gives commands? What the. . . ?"

The buzzing was no longer difficult to hear and no longer far off. Suddenly, the sound was hideously loud and all around them. Growler took one swing at the cloud that circled his head and then dropped, like a bag of books. He took cover where he could. The surprises just kept coming.

While everyone else hugged the ground and wished they could get lower, Seeds was standing in their midst, totally focused on the swirling cloud. Without a moment to spare, he began to spin faster and faster--faster than the eye could really follow. He began to spit little brown seeds from deep in his core--thousands of them. From a funny-looking apple core with suspenders, Seeds had become a deadly weapon, at least to the swarm that attacked him and his friends. His torrent of seeds put up an impenetrable wall of fire. The maddening members of the swarm began to fall like crumbs from a smashed cookie. They collapsed in the air and bounced once or twice as they hit the ground. In seconds, the luckier members of the swarm flew off. The unlucky ones were on their backs with their barbed legs stuck up in the air.

Pricilla and Growler were the first to recover and jump up. This time they were back to back, Growler with his claws extended and Pricilla holding a menacing sword at the ready. Their argument was forgotten. All each thought about was protecting the princess.

The danger had passed. Seeds had saved the group from a very unpleasant end. Kazooba rose last and slapped her leggings, brushing dust and leaves from them. They all looked at one another with a sense of wonder that no one was hurt. Princess Kazooba was the first to speak, "What was that?"

"The minions of Silvercurst, the Dark Elf," shuttered Seeds. "Take a closer look and remember what you see the next time you hear that sound."

The ground was littered with bodies about four inches long. Each had six, jointed and barbed legs and a long tail. Four wings on each casualty lay still. Dragoon Flies. Each had a horrible face with huge eyes and gapping mouths filled with needle sharp teeth. They each wore a dull black helmet and carried a quiver of darts.

"Be careful of the darts," said Seeds, "They are tipped with poison for which there is no cure. Watch where you step. We should leave this place as fast as we can."

Far away, the green-scaled face of Silvercurst stared into his magic waters. His fists were trembling with fury. "Next time. Next time," he said, "You won't escape so easily."

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 8

Wow, some of you are beginning to submit very good and very long passages for the story. In fact, they are so long that I'm not getting all of your writing. The comment box only allows you to write about 6 lines. Anything more just gets lost. So if you have a long passage for me, break it up into separate comments that are no longer than 6 lines. Don't forget to sign your masterpieces with your Zelf's name! Thanks and now, back to the jungle . . . 

Day 8

Growler's paws and face were stained purple with Tikiberry juice. He rolled his eyes up to the sky, distended his stomach out as far as he could, opened his enormous jaws, and let loose with a truly stupendous belch: "Buuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppp. Ahhhhhhhhh. Those berries were definitely delicious."

"Gross, you are so gross, Growler. Remember, you are in the presence of royalty," Princess Kazooba said with a bit of a devious smirk. Then like the steady building of rolling thunder, she let loose with her own, "Brp, brpbrp, brpbrpbrp, brrrrrrrrrroooooooooooppppppppppp, brrrrrrrmmmmmmpppppp!" that rose in pitch as she drew it to full effect.

Growler stood staring, amazed at the sound coming from this small Kazoobian girl, and then he just broke up, laughing and laughing. "This partnership is getting better and better. This girl is no dainty prude. We're going to do great things together," he thought as he studied her with renewed interest from head to toe.

Dropping her comedic pose, Kazooba turned serious once again. "Growler, let's take a look at the map. I've been thinking about it and I  hate to say it, but we have to use the old rugged bridge that we were warned about. You can see on the map that we are going to have to cross the Evan River that pours into the lake, here. The old rugged bridge is a shortcut. If we don't cross it, we have to follow the river miles and miles south before there is another place to cross. And then, we have to come all the way back north again. That's days of hiking."

Growler pondered her point, when his ears picked up a distant noise that was rapidly getting closer. His nose twitched as he sampled the air. In an instant he leaped at Kazooba, knocking her down and rolling with her beneath some thick green shrubs. Kazooba started to complain, "Growler! What's gotten into you?"

"Shhhhhhhhhh! Be quite. Someone or some - ones are coming and they are moving fast."

Kazooba got the point, but she made a mental note to tell Growler that they could have hidden without him leaping at her and scaring her to death. Then she heard the on-rushing noise, high in the trees. First, she could just make out snapping branches and shaking treetops. But as the commotion grew nearer, she could see a very large ape moving at incredible speed through the jungle canopy. Instantly, she recognized the Royal Monkey Troop vest and insignia. 

Her parents did care and they had sent out the Troop to find her. It would be so easy to jump out and signal the soldier and end up back in her comfortable palace room. But what about her Destiny? What about the important thing that Growler had said she had to do? With Growler, she squirmed back further into the deep shadows of the overhanging shrubs.

The pack-wearing monkey flew right over them, not seeing the Princess or her companion below. And then, Seeds . . . . Seeds really blew!

Trying hard to hold it in, hands pressed firmly against his mouth, Seeds' stomach finally had had enough of the swaying, bouncing, upsetting form of travel. Seeds' stomach made one gigantic reverse push up Seeds' throat and he spewed a ghastly, smelly, green slime in a long gooey arch. "Bombs away!" he gagged, glad he'd been able to vomit away from Pricilla instead of all over her neck and back. But then another unexpected thing happened.

Below and in the rapidly receding distance, a great tiger rolled from under some shrubs and stood up roaring, "You disgusting, tree-swinging, fur-ball! You puked all over me! Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Come back here and apologize or you're going to end up a pile of monkey meat!

Pricilla heard the offensive call. No one shouts at a King's guard like that. One muscular hand gripped the next branch and she arched her back and swung her weight up. Her momentum lifted her up and around in a perfect flip, hurling her back towards the still roaring tiger. Seeds was pushed down into the pack by the force of the turn and just groaned, "Oh, my stomach."

Pricilla was back over the tiger in seconds and dropped down in a crouch before him. Dust flew up from her landing. Monkey soldier and magnificent tiger glared at one another, their postures daring the other to make the next move.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 7

LOL. You guys! About 30 of you tried to take credit for the paragraph about the berries. All I can do is say thanks to the actual anonymous author and ask you to please keep sending me such great ideas. Today's chapter contains yet another anonymous paragraph, so thanks to that person too!

OK, let's catch up. Princess Kazooba had an argument with her dad, King Mo. She left home to show everyone that she was really grown-up and could do great things on her own. She found a bottle with a map inside and some scary warnings about things she should and should not do.

She ran into a tiny tiger kitten, but when she reached down to pet it, there was a flash. The kitten bacame a huge tiger who startled her when he said, "Kazooba, I've been waiting for you for a long time. My name is Growler, and you have an important destiny to fulfill." Wow! Who was Growler and how had he known Kazooba's name?

Meanwhile, a really wicked elf, Silvercrest, watched their progress in a magic pool of water. He wondered if Kazooba was the young woman he was warned to watch out for. He began to plan ways to keep her from finding him. Silvercrest is a pretty scary guy with red eyes, green scales, and very pointy ears.

Princess Kazooba's mom and dad, the Queen and King, were worried sick. Where was their daughter? King Mo felt guilty because he knew that an argument with his daughter was probably the reason she left the tree palace and entered the jungle. King Mo called for his best spies (a Corps of Apple Cores) and his best soldiers (the Monkey Troop) to spread out through the kingdom and find and bring his daughter home.

And now, Day 7. . . 

Twenty-four hours had passed since King Mo sent out his Corps and Troop. They were his very best, but none had found hide, nor hair, nor single word about his daughter. As he slumped in his throne, his frown just deepened, and his fear for Kazooba's safety increased. The Queen sat across from him, reading his dark mood. She knew that no news was not good news. She'd put her index finger to the side of her head and was now trying to remove it without anyone noticing. "These suction cups," she thought, "can be so embarrassing."

Seeds, a rather lucky member of the Apple Corps, had taken up a position in a corner of Zookajuice, a favorite meeting and eating establishment in Jungaloo. No one noticed him as he watched everyone chatter, straining to hear any mention of the Princess. No one cared about an old apple core. He had not had time to eat and his stomach rumbled a protest, but he was determined to complete his ever-so-hard mission. "Where would the Princess be and why had she disappeared?" he thought.

Just then, one of the royal monkeys from the famed Monkey Troop dragged herself into Zookajuice and collapsed over a table near Seeds. She looked around and spotted Seeds and winked. Seeds rolled over to her and said, "Any luck?"

Precilla looked back at him and said, "Do I look like I had any luck?" She was soaked with sweat, dirty, even scratched up from sharp branches that had scraped her as she'd raced for miles through jungle trees. Waving to a waitress to get her attention, she ordered a bug-burger, yam fries, and a tall, cool greatfruit drink. Greatfruit, as everyone knows, is sooooo sour that it could stand your hair on end. That's what she needed to wake herself up and get fully alert again.

"Seeds, I'm not getting anywhere. No one else is either. I covered miles and miles today, crisscrossing the jungle south of the lake. The only thing I saw that showed any signs of life was a huge Tikiberry tree that had been stripped of all of its fruit by a bunch of squirrels or birds or something."

"Tikiberry tree?" asked Seeds as he sat up with growing interest. "The princess loves Tikiberries."

Pricella reached down to lift Seeds off the floor and said, "It's time to team up. I'll give you a ride you won't forget." Over her shoulder, she carefully placed Seeds in her pack. She stuffed a hand full of fries in her vest pocket, took one enormous bite of bug-burger, and gulped the greatfruit drink. Her eyes popped open and her hair frizzed like a storm was coming.

"Wow, I needed that!" Dropping a fist full of kazoobits on the table, she was out of the door and headed back to the jungle in great loping strides. She reached the edge of the jungle and without slowing one bit, flung herself up into the largest near tree, then another and another, gaining speed and height as she went.

Seeds sucked in a deep gulp of air and wondered if there were a barf-bag anywhere. "I can do this, I can do this," he repeated as he turned a pale shade of green apple.

The Lore of ZooKazoo: Day 6

Today, congratulations are in order for a great writer who forgot to sign his or her work with a Zelf name. If you recognize your paragraph in today's chapter, send a comment and let me know you wrote it. Ok, Day 6. We return to the story. . .

The sun had barely risen when King Mo climbed down from his Palace Tree to survey the troops he had called for. Honestly, they were a pretty weird looking crew. Rows and rows of apple cores made up the King's highly trusted Apple Corps. (A corps of cores? LOL. Hmmmmm.) They were his best spies. Nobody pays any attention to old apple cores, so they made very good spies. They'd just lie around unnoticed, listening and watching. The only danger was occasionally getting tossed into a garbage can or being grabbed and eaten by a squirrel. Occupational hazards. But they watched out for each other and were rarely nabbed by clean-niks or rodents. 

The other group of King Mo's soldiers was his trusted Monkey Troop. While he had hundreds of monkeys at his command, those who paraded in front of him were his very best. Truthfully, they looked funny as they marched in review, dragging their knuckles on the ground. He knew, however, that once they entered the jungle and leaped into the trees, they were as graceful as dancers and as fast as the wind.

The parade ended with the troop and corp standing in ranks in front of their king. There was not a sound as they waited for their orders. "The Princess is missing," began Mo. He steadied his voice. "She has not been seen for 24 hours. Your mission is to find her. I want her safely returned to the Palace by nightfall. Spread out through the kingdom and find her. Now, go!"

For just an instant his soldiers seemed frozen in disbelief. How could their beloved princess have disappeared? Their faces hardened with resolve. Proud they had been called to this mission, they rushed to obey the King's orders.

King Mo still looked worried, Queen Marcy noticed as she stared down from her palace window. She took a sip of her morning tea and silently hoped the corps and troop were successful.

At the very same time, steam rose from the sizzling embers of the previous night's fire as Kazooba poured water on them. In Jungaloo, you learned at a very young age to do everything you could to protect the jungle.

Growler was busy trying to smooth down a tuft of his fur that was sticking straight up between his ears. Licking his paw, and rubbing and rubbing it over the wild hairs, they stubbornly kept springing back. He glared at his reflection in the lake: "Ridiculous, I look ridiculous."

"Are you going to keep staring at your mug all day or are we going to explore further around the lake?" said Kazooba. "You know, you are pretty vain for a tiger."

"Never mind," said Growler, a little bit embarrassed at being caught making such a fuss over his coat. "I'm more hungry than vain."

They wound their way down the twisty trail. A birdcall and flapping wings drew Kazooba's attention to the tree tops. "Tiki berries!" she shouted. "My mother told me that the are ever so good."

Growler looked up and saw the delicious fruit. The tree was loaded with berries. "Yum!" he exclaimed, equally excited.

Kazooba looked at him, a bit amazed. "Aren't you a carnivore, Growler?"

"Me? Heavens no! I can't stand the taste of meat. I'm a vegetarian."

Kazooba just shook her head and laughed and Growler joined in.

"I guess I have more surprises than stripes in store for you, Kazooba. Watch this." In a flash, he was once again the tiniest tiger imaginable, just as Kazooba had first met him. Small as a squirrel, he leaped to the trunk of the tiki berry tree, calling back over his shoulder as he climbed, "Spread your blanket over the trail under the tree." He scampered higher and higher. At this size he could jump from branch to branch easily and shake them as he went. Berries fell like rain and soon covered completely Kazooba's blanket.

In another flash, Growler began to grow in size. The branch he was on began to bend lower to the ground. The larger he grew, the more the branch bent until he was able to simply step off safely. Twang! The branch snapped back high over the trail. More berries rained down.

Growler took a deep bow and said, "Enjoy." They feasted on the luscious berries. For awhile, they completely forgot their worries.

A Short Break

We'll take a short break from our story about the Lore of ZooKazoo, today, in order to share a poem that was written and submitted by bubblegumball. We were really blown away and we hope you like it too.

There once was a girl small and stout

Who dreamed of a place she could hang out.

And there, in a half a second, with no doubt

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzza! She had an idea.

She went in the woods and called it her own,

Put down a flag and danced around.

She made houses, dens, and caves galore

And called it ZooKazoo -- but that's not all --

Pretty soon tigers, cheetas, pandas and more

came to this place they loved even more.

She called them Kazoobians and her dream world was done!

----by bubblegumball

Thanks bubblegumball for the great poem. Tomorrow, we'll go back to the story.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 5

Welcome back to the story and thanks for all of your comments. Many of you think this is getting too scary, and several of you are worried that Growler is going to turn out to be a bad guy, too. Send me ideas about the good things that Growler has done in his past so that we can be sure he is going to stay one of the story's heroes. Also, if the story is turning too scary in your opinion, send me ideas about funny ways to lighten it up. 

Many of you have also asked me to stop putting people's names up unless they really are writing things that get added to the story, so I'm going to go with that. To get your name up, you have to send me ideas for the story. Before beginning today's segment, I want to thank the following ZooKazooers who are helping me write the story: "Barack Obama," Spot, me23456, Amber, Diamond Princess, Latina Chick, Fluffy, Batman, stargirl123, and Pollen Dust Pedal. OK, here we go! Day 5....

Kazooba and Growler had walked a long way on a path through the jungle that followed the edge of the lake. Exhausted and hungry and with night falling fast, they pushed their way through a thick green tangle of plants until they broke back out to the edge of the lake. They ate a bit of food from Kazooba's pack. Growler was so hungry his stomach moaned in a low, rumbly way that made Kazooba wonder if that's how he had gotten his name.

They built a fire for the night. Kazooba still sat up with her blanket over her knees. Growler was curled in a ball on the other side of the fire trying to get to sleep. He stirred restlessly and said, "Would you please stop that? I'm trying to get to sleep."

"Stop what?" Kazooba said, looking a bit startled and a little annoyed. "I'm just sitting over here thinking about where we should go tomorrow."

"Thinking is good, Princess," Growler replied in his deep but softest voice. "But what's with that 'bwok, bwok, bwok' sound you keep making?"

Kazooba laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry, that's an old habit that drives my mom crazy, too. When I think, I drum my fingers on my forehead and my little suction cups stick to my forehead. Then they go 'bwok, bwok, bwok, bwok' as I pull them loose. I really don't even know it's happening or where the habit comes from, but I kinda like the way it feels. I'll stop, Growler. Sleep tight."

Kazooba's mom and dad, the King and Queen of Jungaloo, were at that very same moment wishing Kazooba was right there with them. They would not even have complained about her annoying habit. They were worried sick about Kazooba. She had been missing for more than 24 hours.

Queen Marcy scolded her husband, "What kind of king are you, anyway? Your daughter has been missing for more than a day and you have no clue where she is or why she's gone."

King Mo just frowned. He wasn't angry with anyone but him self. He suspected that Kazooba had run away because of the argument they had had the day before. He knew she was upset because he never took her seriously. She was his baby, but he knew she was rapidly growing up. He wished for what could never be — that she could just stay his little girl. "At dawn, tomorrow," he thought, "I'll send my Apple Core and the Chimp Army to the far reaches of the realm to find her." He only hoped that she had found shelter and a good family to keep her fed and safe. 

As he sat unhappy and worried, he drummed his fingers on his forehead, "Bwok, bwok, bwok, bwok." Queen Marcy just rolled her eyes, then stared out the window wondering where her daughter could possibly be. "Bwok, bwok, bwok, bwok" was the only sound to be heard.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 4

OK. Yesterday, over 100 of you shared your comments. Natasha, you said there were too many typos and you were correct. I'll try to keep the suction pads on the end of my fingers from sticking to the keys today. Maddie, you made the biggest plea to put your name up, so there you go, Maddie. A lot of you just said, "Hi," and others just said to keep telling the story. Some of you said, well, uh, I guess you can't please everyone. LOL. But this is your story, you are helping to write it -- like Cortney, who suspects that Growler has more powers than we have seen so far. So keep the ideas coming.

Today we learn about the elf, that's The Elf. Here we go. . . 

As Princess Kazooba gathered her things and added the bottle and map to her pack, Growler too a last slurp of water from the lake. He smiled at the magnificent tiger face that reflected back at him. "Not bad," he thought and splashed the water with his enormous paw.

Elsewhere, a long way away, a very different face peered up from the dark, still waters of a cave pool. Red eyes, ringed with green scales, a mouth without lips, and ears that stood too tall and sharp looked back at the twisted body that leaned over the water -- The Elf -- Silvercurst. His life had taken a very different path than his sun-loving elfin kin of the Jungle. Like the Princess, he, too, had left home at an early age, angry at being the middle child. He was too young to be taken seriously like his older brother but old enough to have to take care of his younger brother. His leaving would show them how much he would be missed. He hoped they grieved. All these years later, however, he had given up on any notion that they might care enough to come after him.

His loneliness turned to disappointment and his disappointment became anger. Years passed and he spent all of his time thinking of his plight and the anger turned to rage and a terrible need to get even. In his part of the Jungle, he had had time to change things. Day changed to night so dark that the sun no longer came at all. No one came to his Jungle without his permission -- and no one left either.

Now, in the semi-darkness of his cave, an errie light reflected on the walls. This was all the home he had, and all the home he needed. He didn't even notice the fowl smell of the sulfur gas that bubbled from the pool, as he focused on the images of his old adversary, Growler, and the new comer, a young Kazoobian who stood a little too straight and moved with too much athletic grace.

Once, long ago, after he had learned the very special way to touch the waters of his pool and mutter the right words, the pool had warned him of a young maid who would appear one day. "Hmmmmm," he scowled, "she's only a brat." He watched Growler and the girl leave the lake's edge and hasten down a path into the jungle. Whether she was the girl in the prophesy or not, she would have a very difficult time finding him and a very bad time if she did.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 3

Wow, 147 of you posted story ideas and opinions yesterday. Here's the list of authors of the best posts: Sara (there, you got to see your name:-)), cupcake, Rebekkah196, vasia, bubblegumball (wrote an entire poem!), Kelly, buttercup, horselover1999, horselover2, Batman, Kassie, Lilian, Cleo, shodow06, Jaylin, and several more who wrote great paragraphs but forgot to put in their zelf's names.

For those of you just catching up with ZooKazoo Lore, here is a recap: Day 1 -- The scene is set in a mysterious jungle. Rays of sunshine sparkled off a bottle that tumbled through a waterfall and glittered like a jewel. When it hit the lake below, it sank but bobbed up to the top. In the bottle was an old piece of parchment.

Day 2 -- A whit hand with suctino cups on its fingers reached for the bottle when it floated near to shore. The hand was that of Princess Kazooba. She opened the bottle and found that the old parchment was a map. At the bottom of the map were three warnings: never go into lion pass without a weapon, always check behind you, and NEVER cross the old rugged bridge.

And now, The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 3

Princess Kazooba sat on the bank of the lake an studied the map. She carefully memorized the three warnings. Even now, she looked over her shoulder to watch behind her. She cupped her hand and dipped it into the lake to take a drink. As she raised her hand to her mouth, a drop of water fell on the map. The spot where the water soaked in began to glow.

Yes, a secret message appeared: "Find the armor within yourself, before you fight to defeat the Elf." What elf? Is this what the map was about -- the way to find the elf? As she thought aobut all of these questions, there was a quiet rustle in the leaves behind her -- so soft, she almost missed it.

She sprang to her feet, spun around, and at the same time pulled her dagger from her pack. And then -- she began to laugh. The tiniest tiger she could ever imagine seeing, looked up at her with its huge eyes. Slowly, the tiny tiger came near to her until he could rub his chin on her shoe. Kazooba laughed again and reached down to pick the little guy up and scratch his ears.

But as she touched him, the tiger changed! It flashed and grew into a huge jungle cat, the king of all predators. In a deep voice, he boomed her name, "Kazooba. I've waited a long time to meet you!"

Kazooba's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. How had this creature known her name?

The tiger spoke again, "You may call me Growler. Don't worry, I am here to help you. You have a destiny to fulfill and a terrible challenge before you."

For tomorrow: what was the terrible challenge? Why could Growler talk? And what's up with the evil elf, anyway?

Thanks to "John Mccain", "Barack Obama", Katey, Zipper, Kitt, Vasia, Shasta, Tigger, Shokey and Batman for your comments. The Lore Wizard has put them together into today's segment.

The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 2

Standing on the shore was a Kazoobian princess. She had fled her palace because she was tired of being treated like a child. She knew she could do great things. She carried on her back a blanket for sleeping, some food, a dagger and some rope.

She had been hiking all night and now, as the sun rose, she saw the bottle tumble down the falls. It landed in the lake, disappeared, but then bobbed up and was floating right to her. She reached out with her hand. The suction cups on the tips of her Kazoobian fingers gripped the bottle and she pulled it from the lake.

She fished out the old, yellow, parchment and unrolled it. It was a MAP. Her excitement grew as she read the warnings below the map. 1. Never enter the lion pass without a weapon. 2. Always check behind you and avoid predators. 3. NEVER cross the old rugged bridge!

For tomorrow--What was on the map? Where did it tell Princess Kazooba to go first? What was she supposed to do when she got there?

The Legend Begins

A long, long time ago, in a far-away place, a tall mountain stood over a vast, green jungle. A waterfall tumbled from its very top, thousands of feet to an unimaginably deep lake below.

Early one morning, something glinted in the water at the top of the falls, catching the first rays of the golden sunrise that touched the mountain's top. The object sparkled like a jewel as it fell. For a moment, the glittering item was lost in the tumbling water of the falls, but it reappeared and then disappeared many times during its long descent. 

At the bottom, the roar of the water as it struck the deep waters of the lake was deafening. Foam and spray splashed everywhere and filled the air with shimmering rainbows. The shiny object was gone, nowhere to be seen. But then, in a quiet ripple that circled out and away from the great thundering falls, it appeared. Bobbing up and down — a bottle, a simple bottle. In it was a yellowed parchment — a note.

What was written on the note? Who was standing at the edge of the lake to see the bottle fall and retrieve it? Why was he, she, or it there? Tell us what happens next. Help us write the story of ZooKazoo.

Kazoobian Folklore

Once upon a time....

Check back soon for another story at the ZooKazoo Story Lodge!!