Pam1264's Story

            Juniper smiled happily as she bounded around the Township. As she walked into the heart of the town, she stopped. Her gaze locked on one of her buddies, talking to a few other jammers. She thought it would be rude to interrupt, but her curiosity got the best of her. She slowly shuffled over, unsure if she should speak.

            “I can’t figure out how to get in” Her buddy, Duke, sighed.

            “Neither can I, I really want to explore it” Said another jammer.

            “Wait, what if they sell betas there?” A blue artic wolf gasped.

            Juniper bravely walked forward, entering the conversation. She shyly asked what they were talking about.

“Oh, some jammer’s claim to have found a hidden land, and we want to find it, but it’s not on the map” Duke said sighing.

Juniper nodded, and quickly said goodbye. Juniper set her mind to finding this new land, were ever it might be. She dashed out of the bright Township and into Mt. Shiveer.

            The frosty air nipped at her face, making her ears numb. She looked around the snowy landscape, her eyes landing on something past the frozen pond. She carefully slid over the ice, and walked over to a small sign. She frowned, only seeing a question mark on it. She saw a small arrow in the corner, and followed it to a small bridge. She had been to this land many times, but never had she noticed this. She slowly crossed the snow covered bridge, over a frozen creek. She griped onto the small rails as she went across. Suddenly she fell, her eyes quickly shutting closed.

            Juniper opened her eyes, the warm light stinging them. She groaned as she stood up, but froze when she saw what was in front of her. Her paw flew to her mouth, as her eyes wondered over the land before her. Great Plains of green rolled across the land scape. Bright yellow flowers were peppered around a small stream. The stream wove around large cattails that reached for the turquoise sky. Giant mountains were planted in the soil, the tops covered by pure white clouds. In the middle of the land, tall grass rose out of the earth. The light wind swayed and pulled at the lush grass.

            Juniper slowly took a few steps forward, her eyes wide. She soon broke into a run, her laugh heard throughout the great land. Suddenly, she fell, her ankle throbbing. She sat up, wincing in pain, her ankle bent at an odd angle. She gritted her teeth trying to see what had tripped her. Her gaze landed on holes that seemed to sink into the earth. She crawled over to them, noticing how they were just big enough for her to fit in. She sighed, unsure of what to do. Across the streams near Juniper, a lone coyote scampered along the bakes, looking for something to prey on. It paid Juniper no attention, and quickly dashed away.  She looked up to the sky, watching enormous navy blue storm clouds role in. A large hawk soared across the sky, as if it was leading the storm. Juniper sighed, her eyes landing on the holes. The thunder roared, and the lighting split across the sky. Fear filled Juniper’s eyes, she was faced with only one option. She limped into the deep hole, into the dark.

            Once she was in the hole, it wasn’t so bad. Long tunnels lead to another, until they reached a room. She explored the never ending cave, until she heard distant charting. She slowly crept forward, until her eyes landed on the animal.  Small baby prairie dogs shuffled around their nest, each one struggling to find a comfortable spot.  She smiled lightly at them, and turned around, careful not to disturb them. She kept wondering around, occasionally finding more prairie dogs. They seemed not to mind her, so she kept going. As she turned a corner, her jaw dropped. The small pups she had seen earlier were being attacked! A large Prairie Rattle Snake was hissing, getting ready to strike. Suddenly, 5 adult prairie dogs dashed in, taking down the snake. Juniper stood still, watching the fight. The prairie dogs won, and the pups were safe. Later on, she found a shallow body of water. Small drops landed in the glassy surface. Juniper rested her hurt ankle in it, the cold water revealing her of the pain. Once the thunder above the den stopped, she found her way out, climbing out of the den.

            Before her, the land was over flowing with color. The rain had made everything bright and vibrant. In the distance, a small heard of Buffalo wondered across the grassy land.  A small spotted Ground Owl leapt around, searching for a worm or mouse. Juniper let out a sigh of relief. She yawned, tired from her day of exploring. She made her way to the way she came in. In her path, laid a bucket of white paint and a sign. A small not said, “You’re the first to find this land, name it and save it” She didn’t understand what it meant, but she let her mind ponder for a name. Finally it hit her. She slowly pained the name on the sign. She drove it into the soft earth, standing back to read it. “The Vast.” It was perfect.

            She left the great land. But every day she would visit. After a while, the rumors died down. But truth be told, this is what they say,

            “The land, the explorer seem to be one, we don’t know her name, but we know a story, a story of a land so great, so wide, and so full of life, that it might just be a myth. But it’s true, I can promise you, that someday, we will find the land of The Vast.” Juniper went down in history, but it seemed that only her, and a few others could enter the land. The only way you can enter is if your Kind, Respectful to the land, and most of all, have Courage to go places that no one has ever stepped foot on…