The wind was playful, stirring up the fallen leaves in the forest and making them dance along the treetops. Through the swishing of the trees a high giggling was heard, the noise fluctuating as though the flying leaves themselves were in hysterics. The sunlight shone down and danced along the surface of a stream in a small clearing, throwing flashes up into the tree tops. It was a beautiful day deep in the Draconi Forest.
The wind died down and a swirl of leaves came to rest on the forest floor. One of them made a loud giggly thump as it landed. The leaf fluttered, and was revealed to be the peach-coloured wings of Gump, a small Froogle. He shook his large head free of the fallen foliage around him and stretched out his arms. Wearing a look of solid determination he began running around and around the clearing, making wooshing noises and flapping his small wings and arms, trying to become airborne again.
Eventually he stumbled and flopped to the ground, panting. The wind had died, there would be no more flying for awhile. He sat up and picked at the grass dejectedly, wishing to be up in the air again. Froogles were light bodied creatures, and though they had wings, they were not powerful enough for them to fly without the wind's aid.
Gump was ready for a sulk when a flashing caught his eye. The surface of the stream was so bright and bubbly, and Gump could never resist shiny things. He raced over to the stream and at the bank threw himself down on his chubby belly, resting his chin on his hands and he watched the water race by. Occasionally a small fish would dart up to the surface of the water, only to flick it's tail at the Froogle and dissapear into the churning current again.
The sparkling water kept Gump occupied for a time, but he grew restless. He had been exploring the surrounding areas of the forest for days, but had yet to meet another traveller. As Froogles were known to be incredibly social within their own communities, Gump was growing more and more fidgetty. In short, he was lonely.
He rolled over with his hands behind his head, a stick of grass poking thoughtfully from the corner of his mouth. He was hidden in the long grass at the stream's edge, and any passers by would have mistaken him for a small pile of dried leaves. After a few moments of lying in the warm sunshine, Gump yawned loudly and his eyes drooped closed.
