The Big Book of Sense

Rating: PG

- Lessons taught in violent manners

- Intense Family Conflict

For the knight quest: Snow Man's Land
1,047 words (excluding headlines)

Rude awakening

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"... I thought my father told you to return to that land of nightmares you belong to!" broke into Nathaniel's rest.

The voice sounded familiar, but dazed Nathaniel couldn't quite make out where it had come from. Argumentative noise started getting louder and louder until words were becoming clear enough to understand.

"You can't tell me you've missed sight of a half blue half cyan gigantic pouflon in the middle of a farm field!" a different voice shouted.

Nathaniel's ears perked up to hear this entire statement blasting out from behind the cabin wall.

"At this rate, we're going to have you sent to a new knight academy where they can train you some basic life skills such as following orders!"

Nathaniel wondered which of his fellow knights decided to bring their family drama to the cabin that day and give everyone a bad time. Nathaniel buried his head under a big pillow to attempt to drown out the ruckus. He was curious if that description was referring to him, but his body demanded more sleep.

"Oh no, you're the one that needs some growing up! Acting clueless like you're a new born bloom-- get back to your real age and find this knight or else!"

Clearly that pillow was not helping, and a very aggravated Nathaniel rose from the covers. From the sound of it, some young knight dared disrespected whoever was shouting at them, and Nathaniel wouldn't stand for disrespecting a superior, especially if such disrespect disturbed the peace. Anger-powered limbs started dragging a heavy muscular body to the hallway. A loud crash and a thump sped up those legs and sent Nathaniel running to see what all the commotion was. On the floor, a fellow knight in training of his was unconscious, and the weapon that sent that knight to the floor was right beside the victim.

The Big Book of Vespires

A guide to learning all the rarities of a beautiful race of creature for little ones.

"... My goodness..."

Bad jokes

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"Mmm, these days are just out of control. I tell you, it had to have been a vespire that did it. They were trying to knock some change of feelings into that boy, maybe we can see if it worked?" a fluffy light blue big pouflon crackled.

"Now! This is no time to joke, one of our fellow comrades were badly hurt!" Nathaniel cried.

It was barely a week since they were posted in Snowhurst, and already violence was thrown at Nathaniel's patrol. They were to make sure road travelers were safe, yet they couldn't keep one another from danger! The whole incident brought the high spirits of eager knights down, and at this rate, the cold would wear them out before real threats provoked them. Nathaniel himself was anything but spritey. Nevertheless he kept more will to keep these roads safe than the cowards stuck in their cabins. At the very least he could get this joker out on the field with him, but not without some bribery of root beer.

A tiny growl interrupted the guards' conversation, and out from the bushes did a loupine run up to block their path. The creature had on a flashy wreath around its neck, almost as if someone was trying to get creative with a collar. Whether tamed or wildly fashionable, this loupine hunched and crawled its way to the pair of alerted knights. All this drama was concluded with the loupine sniffing Nathaniel's hoof, staring up into the woods, then wandering off as if Nathaniel wasn't worth its fangs' time.

Apart from festive danger proved false, the conversation went on. "Ahh, you have to have yourself some humor, won't you? Once we get on the battlefield, we need all the laughter one can get... next thing you know, vespires will be using books as weapons against us!" into boisterous laughter, taking a big chug of root beer float.

This sort of talk about vespires made Nathaniel very uncomfortable. He didn't want to imagine what fleets were being sent out against them with attitudes like this. Needless violence is led by terrible humor no doubt. Nathaniel kept quiet about his opinions on warring with these people. His stepfather had ingrained so much of a different world in Nathaniel's mind, it was a shame younger generations were far behind in ideals Nathaniel thought of as old. These thoughts were conflicting with how his nephew's uncle made him feel, but one person shouldn't determine how an entire species might be, right?

During these troubling thoughts, a thought so much worse almost caused Nathaniel to slip off the icy path. What... what if... That vespire with the book... Nathaniel knew someone had to have described him earlier that morning. Surely that knight wasn't unconscious because of him, was he?! Nathaniel was right there, and had he run in any sooner... It was a selfish thought, but perhaps that victim took an attack meant for him.

Three weeks

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The yanking of his belly was slowing Nathaniel down, but a pastel pink child appearing in his path had brought him to a halt. There was something quite strange about this bloom, other than the fact that he was all alone and staring up at Nathaniel.

"Ah, it is you. Right here. This is undeniable proof that everything must be done with one's own hooves," the child blurted out. "Or should I say smaller things are more efficient than big supposedly dominate intelligent species?"

Nathaniel didn't know who this kid was, or what he was going on about, however that dazzling blinding sequin suit this bloom was wearing left Nathaniel speechless.

That suit couldn't shut his fellow patrol up on the other hand, "WOO! Would you have a gander at the sun falling from the sky! Kid, you trying to melt the snow with the light coming off your suit, there? My eyes are screaming, HAHAHA!"

These statements seemed to mean nothing to the bloom as he once again addressed Nathaniel, "You have three weeks left. I bid you farewell." The child promptly turned and climbed down the path while headed to the nearby village.

As the child walked off, Nathaniel thought he saw a little note on the back of the child's braid that said "Jocelyn". Where had he heard that name before?