Stuffie Quest (Chapters)

Alanna watched her Little, Briana, as she fell into a deep sleep. She smiled fondly, the dark brown embroidery of her lips curling. It had been strange at first to be called as the stuffie to an adult baby girl. Mere days into her life with Briana, Alanna realized that her Little had as great a heart and clever an imagination as any stuffie could want. Briana’s love had even elevated Alanna to the status of Knight Captain of Cloudland, though the lioness had only been a Stuffie Primary for less than a year.

She shook out the felt strips of her mane and walked over to Briana, putting a sturdily-stitched paw on the girl’s chest. Alanna’s Little was breathing slowly and evenly. Her heart was at peace, and her dreams were pleasant. Alanna looked around the bedroom. To the eyes of a mere toy or a big, they would have been ordinary for a bedroom-turned-nursery. In the sight of a Stuffie Primary, they were as solid as the strongest stone fortress. Reinforced by unconditional love for Briana, the walls could withstand even the most dangerous denizens of The Gloom. There were no cracks in the protection tonight, no worries or anxieties in her Little that might allow a nightmare in.

Satisfied that her Little was protected, Alanna lept to the top of Briana’s crib, then to the window in a graceful flowing motion. High in the sky were whisps of cloud. Thin coverage, but enough to make the journey. She put her will upon a shaft of moonlight and it became a glimmering stair rising to the clouds.

In a flash of tawny yellow, Alanna bounded up the moonlight stair, letting out a roar of exhilaration. Higher and higher into the sky she climbed, until the lights of the town of Ardenthill twinkled like fireflies below her.

A great many of those lights had a magical corona surrounding them. Ardenthill was an impressive bastion of Littles. So much so, that it had become famous among stuffies the world over. Alanna had to visit Cloudland nearly every night now, simply to keep up with the flow of messages and emissaries.

Her paws left the stair and trod upon silvery cloud. The moon beamed full and bright above her, bathing all the clouds in soft light. It was always a full moon in Cloudland at night, always a blazing sun in the day. At the top of the clouds, it was a realm of light, where no Gloom creature could ever tread.

Alanna’s squire was waiting for her with her equipment ready. A deep chocolate-brown bear, he had a fat tummy and longer than average stuffie-fur. Beartholomew helped Alanna into her red tabard and buckled on her shield. Taking a two-legged stance, Alanna looked down at her shield and smiled. Her arms were gules, a lioness rampant, or. With her sword buckled on, Alanna felt ready for the mantle of Knight Captain again.

“Thank you Beartholomew.” Alanna said. She pitched her voice soft, but there was still a leonine grumble in it that made it carry. It made it a bit harder to have private conversations, but it was handy for her position of authority.

“My pleasure, Sir.” Beartholomew said. “Things are quiet so far tonight. Tommy is requesting a seat at the Round Table again.”

“He’s always welcome in Cloudland, especially as a Stuffie Primary to a friend of Briana’s.” Alanna said. “But he can’t join the Round Table unless one of the Littles knights him.”

“I know that Sir. Tommy should know it by now too. He’s asking again anyway.” Beartholomew said.

“In other words, you would like me to talk to him.” Alanna said, with a rumbling chuckle in her chest. “Where is he?”

“He’s at the pond, trying to win Periwinkle over.” Beartholomew said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, I can handle this. It’s a quiet night, I don’t think I’ll need a squire.” Alanna said. “If you like, you can take the stair down and snuggle Briana tonight.”

“Thank you!” Beartholomew said eagerly. He bent over to grab his toes and rolled down the stairs like a fuzzy brown ball.

Alanna laughed at her silly squire. Briana would be well-snuggled now. Both those things made it easier to face the stubborn Tyrannosaur. Setting out across the clouds, she passed the silvery palace of sweets and the fancifully tree-shaped music hall. Just past the hall’s Lego-bark-clad trunk was Cloudland’s pond.

It was a new addition, and very pretty. Cloud swirled around in a bowl until it merged into silvery and rainbow water. Periwinkle, a blue-yarn-haired mermaid, was doing circles on her back in the water while Arthur’s great red Tyrannosaur loomed over her.

“It’s just that as a Stuffie Primary I think I should automatically be a knight.” Tommy said in his high, squeaky voice. “And I’m sure that Briana meant to knight me the last time I was over at her house. She was JUST about to, when Veronica came in for a diaper-check.”

“Mmm hmm!” Periwinkle nodded enthusiastically. From Alanna’s vantage, the mermaid had a pilfered pair of Briana’s earbuds in. The poor Little had been looking for those for a week.

“Tommy, it’s good to see you again.” Alanna said, letting out the full sonorous volume of her voice.

“Captain Alanna!” Tommy hopped excitedly around the pond on his massive paws. His tiny nub-arms were spread out as far as they could go, which is to say that they didn’t even clear the width of his body. “But surely you meant Sir Tommy, right?”

“No, I spoke truly.” Alanna said. “Only Littles or the Queen of Cloudland can knight a stuffie.”

“Where IS the Queen anyway?” Tommy whined. “You’ve told me that twenty times, but no one can tell me when she’ll be back!”

“Only Briana could say, if even she knows.” Alanna said. “Perhaps we could build you a special jungle home to honor you when you come here. We all know how special you are to Arthur.”

“I don’t want a jungle home!” Tommy cried, jumping up and down. The clouds rolled in waves away from his tantrum, though the softness of them stopped the stomping from making any actual noise. “I want to sit on the Round Table!”

Alanna took a deep breath, puffing out the stuffing of her chest. It was as much to give her time to think as it was to lend authority to her voice. She’d been out of new arguments for Tommy five requests past.

“TOMMY!” Screamed the shrill voice of Mimsey the bat. “YOU HAVE TO GO QUICK!”

“What is it?” Tommy asked, turning to Mimsey in alarm. Or trying to turn to her. She fluttered around him in circles, sending the Tyrannosaur in a dizzying spin.

“I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM YOUR HOUSE!” Mimsey screamed with her full echo-locating shriek. “YOU HAVE TO GO LOOK!”

“Oh no, Arthur!” Tommy shouted, squeakily. He stormed off toward a cloud edge, as fast as he could go.

Alanna rubbed her fuzzy ears. It had been a bit much to have the two squeakiest stuffies shouting. She eyed Mimsey warily. The little bat had taken a perch on the music tree with no sign of the panic she’d shown mere moments ago.

“That was not very nice.” Alanna said. “Tommy’s little lives in a house with a fireplace. That’s the smoke you were talking about, wasn’t it?”

“Maybe.” Mimsey said, in a soft, innocent tone. “It doesn’t matter, I needed to speak to you immediately, Captain.”

“What was so important that you had to lie to an honored guest?” Alanna asked. “If you’re going to ask me for a favor, this is not the way to get it.”

“It’s not what I need.” Mimsey said. “A message came in through Wishnet. It’s serious.”

“Serious how.” Alanna asked, frowning.

“You have to listen to it yourself.” Mimsey said. “Follow me.”

Without waiting for agreement, Mimsey dropped from her perch and flew to the observatory. Alanna’s frown deepened. As prone to pranks as Mimsey was, this didn’t seem like one of them. She waved a quick goodbye to Periwinkle and charged after the bat. As she did, she made a mental note to tell Periwinkle to give the earbuds back, before Briana got in trouble for losing them.

The Observatory was all crystal and glass. Built like a massive, domed gazebo, it boasted smokey-glass stairs that wound up the columns so that any stuffie could reach the dome.  The dome was made of tiny facets of crystals, as countless as the stars. Exactly as countless. There was a facet for every star that a Little might wish on.

Alanna marveled again at the greatness of her Little’s heart as she jogged up the stairs. Most Littles had in their imagination realm a single window, or at most a few of them, to see the stars. Briana wanted every Little’s wishes to come true so badly that the Observatory had appeared to fulfill that desire.

Mimsey was on a platform next to a particularly bright crystal facet. It was electric-purple in color, which meant it was a message from a stuffie, not a wish from a Little. For a message to shine as brightly as a Little’s wish was worrying. Alanna was already mentally forgiving Mimsey for her subterfuge.

“You’ve already listened to it?” Alanna asked.

Mimsey merely nodded, drawing her wings around herself protectively. That was even more concerning. Still, the Knight Captain of all stuffies could not turn away from danger. Alanna gazed into the crystal and opened her heart to the message.

What she heard there nearly sent her reeling off the platform in shock. Her stuffing felt cold and wet inside her. All the happy, fluffy feeling had been driven out of her. She looked into Mimsey’s blue-button eyes with her own black hemispheres and saw that Mimsey was just as afraid. The little bat was bearing it well, she was still brave in the face of what they’d heard.

“I am proud of you, Sir Mimsey.” Alanna said, putting a paw on the bat’s wing. “Your courage in the face of this message is noted. I will not ask you to join me on this quest.”

“Captain!” Mimsey said urgently. “You can’t do this alone! No stuffie could.”

“Indeed.” Alanna said. “For a threat like this, we will need a fellowship of Stuffies Primary.”

“A fellowship? Of Stuffies Primary? How many is that supposed to be?” Mimsey flapped her wings in agitation. “We only have you, and Sir Totoro. Tommy isn’t a knight, or reliable enough.”

“I have received friendly letters from no less than five Stuffies Primary” Alanna said. “They are joined to truehearted Littles from across the world.”

“Do you think they’ll all come?” Mimsey asked nervously. “If they don’t, I could try to go…”

“They will come, Sir Mimsey. They are brave knights all. Every one of them is a Sympathmagus. With their help, I will lead this quest.”

“What if the danger is too much even for six of you?” Mimsey asked.

“It must not be.” Alanna said simply. “You heard the message. There is a Little who’s littleness has been taken from him. We cannot fail.”

She turned away from Mimsey and cast her eyes to the facets above her. One by one, five of them glimmered with her tawny orange glow.

“Come to me. The need is great.” She sent, her heart blazing with concern for the Little who was lost.

One by one, the champions answered.

(To be continued with Reader Stuffies!)