Summary

The clockwork village, where nothing was without a gear. It was hidden deep in the woods at the top of the Nieven Mountains, and it wasn't the easiest village to find, because it was all in the trees.  The village was completely run by technology that would not normally run a village. Pullies to get up to the village, the great clock to tell time rather than the sun, and lamps invented by the villagers themselves ever few tail-lengths apart. It was like a fantasy out of a picture book.

This was Fletcher's home, where he was born to two loving parents that had the same affinity for fixing and inventing as their son. In fact, they were all too excited when one of the first things that Fletcher did after hatching from his cocoon was pick up a tool too heavy for his small body. Most mothkittens and young mothcats didn't follow their parent's footsteps in inventing; they would end up leaving the village when they were old enough to pursue new talents. But they were blessed with a son that wanted to do everything they did.

So for the majority of Fletcher's life, that's all he really learned. He had learned and memorized each tool and its use by the time he began to lose his kitten fur, and he built his first toy when his eyes were able to see the bolts, nuts, and gearwork. It was a toy plane. He still has that to this day, hanging from the ceiling of his workroom. Fletcher became well known around the village as the child that stayed and learned. He was quick to discover new things, and he was always coming up with new ideas. He was sought out often for advice even in his early teen years, 

Despite his wonderful standing in the village though, Fletcher's mind wanted to know what was outside. He, of course, had been out in the mountains before, but he never strayed too far from the village. But as he grew older, he became more inclined to set out on an adventure. After all, who knew what he would find? Maybe he could bring back even more ideas and inventions to the village! With that as his resolve, he said his farewells to the city and set off for his adventure.

His adventure consisted of visiting hundreds of places. Any village or town he ran into, he would go into. He met all types of new friends, from mothcats to buns to sparklenoses. They were all wonderful, and they always offered him new knowledge about the world. Fletcher was excited to bring it all back to the clockwork village, which he was sure to keep quiet about, as it was more of a secret. But he didn't realize he wouldn't return as soon as he thought he would.

On his way back to the village, he was caught in a blizzard on the other side of the mountain tops. With no village in sight, Fletcher feared he would be covered in the snow. But the gods were on his side when a cabin came into view. He, having little thought on curtesy, let himself in, grateful for the warmth. But when he turned away from the door, he was met by the wide eyes of three mothcats. Well, two mothcats and a florabun. They were sat down for dinner, and he was clearly intruding on something.

Before he could leave, the taller of the two mothcats ushered him in, giving him a place to stay. They introduced themselves as Regime. The smaller, more frightened mothcat was his older brother Elijah, and the florabun was Sparrow. They were a family that lived in that cabin. Fletcher felt bad for barging into their home, but Regime insisted on letting him sit out the blizzard. So Fletcher hesitantly agreed before joining them for dinner. 

That dinner led from one night to a week. And then a month. Fletcher slowly gained the trusts of the three--or two, as Sparrow didn't really like him--and it was like he became an honorary member of the family. He loved being there. It was different than living with his parents back at the clockwork village or staying in a temporary home in the other villages and towns.

Then, one night, him and Elijah confessed to liking each other. Regime knew about it for awhile, long before even they did, and was glad to see that Fletcher was an actual family member now. Fletcher, excited about it more than embarrassed, insisted that Elijah and Regime come to meet his family in the clockwork village. Normally, outsiders were a bit taboo, but when it came to being together with Elijah, they couldn't deny him. So, the two agreed, and the three of them set back out for the village, dragging a reluctant florabun behind and leaving the cabin in preparation for return.

Thankfully, Fletcher's parents were ecstatic to know their boy found love. Not as excited about it as all of the information and knowledge that Fletcher brought back though. And they were certainly unhappy when Fletcher announced he would be returning with Elijah and Regime back to their cabin, where he planned to stay. But he promised to come to visit and bring any new gadgets he would find, which, despite their grumbling, his parents agreed to. Fletcher introduced his new family to the rest of the village, who all greeted them warmly, said his goodbyes, and returned with them to the cabin.

Today, Fletcher can still be found with Elijah, Regime, and Sparrow in that cabin. They have expanded the cabin to provide Fletcher his own workspace, where he continues to build and create to his heart's content. His work can often be found in stores, and it ranged from toys to clocks to even more complicated concepts. Fletcher is very happy with where his life led, and he believes it can only get better.