An Expedition--with a Kangaroo.

Underground

The tunnel opened to a lush green warren, and we all ungracefully tumbled atop one another.

"That had to be the bumpiest tunnel in the history of the world," I sighed as I rubbed my aching back. "North's sleigh isn't any better," quipped Bunny as he dusted himself off.

This warren was quite a sight to behold: the area was covered with a large blanket of grass. Pink and purple trees shot out of the ground and surrounded the warren majestically. This felt more like a garden than a warren, and I silently envied Bunny for being able to call this beautiful place home.

"Gruff?" As soon as we were up on our feet, the fairies flew around the warren, scouting for any signs of their beloved friend. "Gruffy!" I joined in frantically and began to run around on the endless plain of grass. "Mr. NeverBeast!" Bunny also shouted, and he ran off too. Heather was nowhere to be found.

"Gruff? Heather!" I shouted over and over again. I didn't even notice that I was subconsciously following the purple river that flowed through the entire warren, nor did I even stop to catch my breath. I acknowledged that the situation was dire, so I had nothing else on my mind but to find the missing NeverBeast and my sister.

At this point, my stomach couldn't take it anymore, and I stumbled over a rock simultaneously. "Ouch!" I screamed. As I angrily kicked the rock away, it bounced off to a cave opposite the small river. I curiously followed the small stone to the shelter.

As I stepped forward, albeit a bit warily—the cave was dimly lit—I started to worry. "Gruff? Heather? Where are you?" I whispered. To my utter shock, a groan came back from the depths of the cave—it was Gruff. I knew going further was a risky move without light, but I had to do this. For Gruff, for Heather.

I almost tripped over the rock that had made me fall in the first place, then I came face to face in front of Gruff, the NeverBeast.

I thought he would be frightening, really, but Gruff didn't seem at all malevolent. In fact, I think he was more frightened than intimidating at this point in time. I reached out a hand to touch his nose—"I come in peace," I comforted Gruff. "Please, tell me what's going on. What's happening to the world's Belief? The fairies said you had answers. I'm willing to do anything it takes to bring Spring back."

Gruff simply groaned. His bright green eyes showed no sign of understanding or guidance. I looked at him, head tilted to one side. "Is there something that you want to say?" I whispered.

I watched as the fluttering of wings accompanied a flickering light. Fawn landed on Gruff's nose. "Thanks for finding him," the animal talent smiled at me. "Let's move. He knows what's best for him, and right now, Gruffy needs rest in this cave."

The comment made no sense to me, so I asked Fawn the burning question I had. "What happened? Why isn't Spring here?" The fairy in question shushed me, then looked into Gruff's emerald eyes.

"What's wrong?" Fawn murmured. "Seems like it's time,"

The NeverBeast's green eyes became seemingly blank for a moment, then he gave Fawn a slow, lazy smile. The fairy seemed to nod in agreement or understanding. She contemplated for a few minutes, absentmindedly patting Gruff's fur.

"You'll be the first to hear this, then," Fawn turned to me with her decision. "I'm not a storytelling talent, but I'll do my best to relay the information Gruffy has provided us.

"As you know, Winter still resides in the Mainland, what with the snowstorm in Pixie Hollow and the subsequent lack of preparation. Snowstorms don't often happen in magical lands like ours, only when something upsetting happens. This caused Gruff here to wake up, too."

Fawn's wings twitched. "The snowstorm wasn't caused by a machine or Gruff, or even naturally—it had to be something affiliated with Neverland and Pixie Hollow for such a large-scale storm to happen. Judging by Tink and Peri's shimmering wings back in the Hollow, we deduced that it had to be a conflict related to Believers. This usually causes the balance of magical worlds to be upset, momentarily, or at least until the Believers solve their conflict."

Fawn elaborated on the crisis, "Believers are the core reason why us fairies exist, and they can also cause chain reactions. It's like when you lose one of your core memories, your brain struggles to find it back before making sure it stays. If a Believer loses their Belief, many others around the world who also put their trust in us might lose their light on the map, so to speak."

The fairy gestured to the NeverBeast, and I knew she would say something about him. "Gruffy came to the Easter Bunny's warren for a place to rest and regain his energy. He also predicts that everything will be resolved here, in the warren. The last bit I didn't really get. Still, he seemed to say something about reconciling worlds...or it could be a revelation of ideas—it was a bit hard to decipher."

Fawn shrugged. "I hope that helped. If you have anything else, talk with our favorite NeverBeast," she patted his fur and flitted off. "Don't forget—Heather's still in the warren somewhere,"

I gasped. Heather! She was probably what was causing all this. I faintly remembered her early years, when she was acting more like her age than—whatever age she was acting like right now. All the Belief must have drained away this year, which might have upset the balance of Believers, causing the snowstorm in Pixie Hollow and the everlasting Winter in the Mainland.

I patted Gruff on the head twice, then stumbled out of the cave back into the bright warren. I searched high and low, "Heather! Where are you?"

I had to set things right.