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- Age
- 33
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- she / they
Today was the day!
Pippi had been preparing for weeks, with some help from her family, to take her little cousins on their first epic adventure. Though only twelve, she'd been on plenty of adventures in the Dalelands. Their forest home was never short on excitement, and she was determined to show Lilli and Kipper how thrilling it could be.
She buzzed with anticipation as she gathered her gear. Not only was this her cousins' first adventure, it was her first time exploring solo. She'd walked the route nearly every day with her grandfather leading up to today, getting familiar with the terrain and thinking up ideas for the trip. If anything, she felt overprepared.
"Mama, Papa, Pappy!" she called from the kitchen, rolling up a tanned deerskin with a homemade map drawn on it. One by one, her family filed in to find her small, packed-up self. She wore a large backpack, a pouch and spyglass hanging from her belt, and held the rolled map in her hand.
"Heading out, Pipsqueak?" her father asked, all three smiling, her mother stifling a laugh at how much Pippi seemed to be carrying.
"Mhm!" she replied, grabbing her backpack straps.
"You'll remember everything we went through?" her grandfather asked, hands on hips.
Pippi nodded seriously, meeting his gaze so he knew she meant it.
"Please be careful, dear," her mother said, now more concerned than amused, pulling her into a hug. "Mooom," Pippi whined, but then smiled and hugged back anyway. Her mother kissed her head before stepping back. "Watch out for your little cousins," she added.
Before anyone could give more advice, Pippi made a beeline for the front door.
"Okay, I'll be home later!" she called excitedly, and once the door closed behind her, she exhaled a breath, both relieved and ready.
"Alright, let's do this. Big adventure," she said to herself, determination carrying her feet across the forest floor. First, she would pick up Lilli, since her aunt Poppy and uncle Pog lived closer. Pippi walked with purpose to their house, knocking on the door set into a mound of dirt before entering without waiting for a reply.
"Aunt Poppy!" she called, winding through the burrowed home. At another door, she knocked again and waited. After a moment, it swung open and Lilli appeared.
"Pippi!" Lilli exclaimed, wrapping her small arms around her cousin, who returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. "Mama's in the kitchen," Lilli told her before rushing off to gather her things.
Pippi laughed, making her way to the kitchen where Aunt Poppy stirred something bubbling on the stove.
"Oh, Pip! Is it that time already?" she asked, distracted but smiling.
"Yep! I'm here to get Lilli for our adventure!" Pippi said.
"Okay, hon, have fun and be careful," Aunt Poppy replied, flashing a warm smile.
"We will!" Pippi promised as she headed back to Lilli's room.
As an only child close to her family, her little cousins felt like siblings, and Pippi took her role seriously. She tried to teach them to be respectful but also how to have fun.
"Almost ready, Lil?" Pippi asked, watching Lilli sling a bag over one shoulder and stumble, causing them both to giggle.
"Ready! Are we going to get Kippy now?"
"Mhm! And then it's time to explore!" Pippi said, striking a heroic pose. "It's gonna be so much fun," she assured her. "Let's go!" she declared, marching out.
"Bye, Mama!" Lilli called without slowing down as they left the burrow for fresh air.
Next, they headed to the home of their aunts, Symma and Enida, where Kipper was waiting.
Kipper, only four, hadn't learned patience like the others. So as they arrived at the tree-built home, the door swung open before they could knock. Kipper stood there, wide-eyed and freckle-faced, ready for the day with an oversized bag on his back — ironically, looking a lot like Pippi, who was none the wiser as she giggled down at his appearance.
"What took you so long? Do you have everything? Are we leaving now?" he rattled off.
Behind him, both moms appeared, laughing exasperatedly; surely they were relieved for a child-free afternoon.
"Behave, Kip," Enida reminded him, ruffling his curly blonde hair. Symma kissed the top of his head. "We know you'll look after him, Pip," she said warmly.
"Mhm!" Pippi agreed, her cheeks full in a proud smile.
"We've gotta get going!" she said, keeping on schedule. They said goodbyes and waved as they walked down the pathway.
Finally, they were free!
"Stay close!" Pippi told her cousins, leading them to the village edge and a narrow footpath into the forest. She paused, unrolling her map for the kids.
"Alright, we follow this map to the treasure," she said, pointing at the red X. "I've been on this path before, and there are dangers," she warned in a serious tone. "We have to stick together and think carefully, okay?" She looked between Lilli and Kipper, who both nodded, bursting with anticipation.
"Onward, then!" she proclaimed, arm outstretched as she stepped onto the footpath, with Lilli and Kipper close behind. The telescope at her hip jangled along with the items in their bags, making a lively clatter.
After some walking, with Kipper filling the silence with questions, they reached a flowing river. Pippi stopped, prompting the others to do the same. She pulled out the map, pointing to the river's lines.
"This is the River of Memories," she said, rolling the map back up. "The water holds memories… but it takes them too," she added, her gaze mysterious.
Lilli gasped. "I know," Pippi said seriously. "So we have to cross carefully. Even a little splash and we could even forget Pilwicken Pie!" This time, Kipper gasped. "I know!" Pippi responded again.
"See the stepping stones?" she pointed to rocks poking above the water. "We need to hop across. Ready?"
They practiced jumps on the grass to build strength, then approached the riverbank nervously. "You've got this, I'm right behind you," Pippi encouraged.
Lilli went first, jumping from rock to rock, then to shore with a triumphant grin. "I did it!"
"C'mon, Kippy, it was easy!" Lilli called.
Kipper looked to Pippi nervously, who nodded reassuringly. He squatted, launched forward, and landed on the first stone. He sighed, smiled, and hopped carefully to the last rock, nearly losing balance but steadying himself. Pippi exhaled relief as he joined Lilli, both looking victorious.
Pippi smiled from across the river before skillfully hopping across to the other side herself.
"Wow, you're really good at that," Lilli complimented her.
"Yeah!" Kipper agreed cheerfully.
"Thanks," she said with a smug grin. "It just takes practice," she told them with a bit of a shrug.
"Alright, we made it across the river! Let's keep going!" Pippi marched forward, still walking the footpath through the trees, the other two following in suit.
"What do you think the treasure is?" Kipper asked curiously.
"Something shiny, I bet," Lilli guessed, "treasure is always shiny."
"Oh yeah! I hope so," he replied.
Pippi smiled to herself, already knowing what the treasure was, having put it there herself. "Well, whatever it is, treasure always feels more deserved after a daring adventure!" she said, stopping once again in her tracks.
She turned to face them now, crouching down slightly to their eye level. "Shh!" she said quickly, putting a finger to her lips. "I almost missed my landmark," she told them in a hushed tone, nodding her head toward a pair of stacked boulders. "Do you see the stack of big rocks?" she asked them. They nodded. "Pappy tried to tell me they're just boulders," she said with a slight scoff. "But I know something about those boulders that he doesn't.... They're actually a sleeping stone giant."
Lilli and Kipper's eyes widened.
"Woah, wha-" Kipper began, but Pippi cut him off with another "shh!" and he quickly squeezed his lips shut.
"Quietly, Kip. We can't wake him," she told him gently.
"How do we get past?" he asked, now whispering.
"We'll need to be sneaky by tip-toeing down the path, and watch out for anything you might step on like branches. We don't want to wake him, I don't know what would happen."
"Okay," he whispered back in understanding, Lilli nodding beside him.
Pippi turned, crouched low, and waved them forward. Padding on her toes down the path, she jumped over branches and twigs, her cousins following single file and copying her every move.
As they walked directly across from the boulders, Pippi peeked back over her shoulder and brought her finger back to her lips, reminding them to stay silent. She kept her eyes on the boulders, watching them. She turned slowly as they passed by, now walking cautiously in reverse. As she did, she hopped backwards over a twig. Lilli's hand swung up to her mouth to quiet her surprise, and Pippi winked at her playfully. Once they were in the clear, Pippi stood tall once again and checked their surroundings before turning her attention back to the kids.
"Great job," she told them both with a smile, unraveling the trusty map once again.
"Pippi, how did you know that stick was there?" Lilli asked, still in amazement.
"I know this trail like the back of my hand," she replied with casual confidence.
"I can't wait to be an explorer like you," she said back.
"Me too!" Kipper added.
"Well, you're both well on your way with this one," she said, grinning.
"Now, let's see..." She looked at the map, moving to show Lilli and Kipper too. "We've gone across the River of Memories, past the sleeping stone giant..." Her finger traveled along the path on the map. "And we're right here," she finished, tapping a point that showed them not far off from the treasure.
"Before we continue, we should prepare," she told them, slinging her backpack off of her back and onto the ground. "The next and final obstacle is the Squirrel King," she told them as she knelt down and unzipped her bag, keeping her eyes on them. "He's chubby, he's demanding, and he rules this part of the forest," she continued, turning her attention back to her bag before rummaging around inside. After a moment, she pulled out a perfect acorn.
"Aha!" She stood again, holding it out for show. "This is my offering," she said, tucking the acorn into the pouch on her belt for safe keeping. "Now you two - find something that you can offer to the King, or he won't let us pass his clearing," she warned. Immediately they scrambled to look through their belongings, and Pippi took the opportunity to look through her spyglass. She detached it from her belt and extended it bringing it to her eye and looking around for the squirrel, seeing movement out in the field.
"How's this?" asked Lilli, and Pippi swung around to look, spyglass still to her eye. She lowered it only when she realized Lilli was too close. Lilli held out a pinecone, and Pippi inspected it. A few of the scales were chipped, but it would work. She nodded in approval. "That'll do. What about you, Kip?" she asked the smaller gnome, who reluctantly unwrapped half of a crumbling cookie. "It's Nanny's pumpkin cookie," he said hesitantly.
Pippi gasped. "That's perfect! You could even split it," she told him. He thought for a moment, then nodded, broke it in half, and saved the rest.
"Alright, let's get our gear back on. I've spotted the Squirrel King up ahead."
All of them gathered their belongings and continued forward into a clearing, where a chubby squirrel indeed waited. As they approached, he stood on his hind legs, examining them, his nose twitching.
Pippi stopped about five feet away from him and knelt, the other two copied.
"Squirrel King, we bring offerings," she said, cupping her hands forward in the gesture she'd practiced. Her grandfather had been teaching her how to communicate with small beasts through hand movements and sounds. The squirrel waddled closer as she did so.
Pippi reached into her pouch and pulled out the acorn and placed it before him. He picked it up, nibbled it, then stored it in his cheek. She stood and moved to the side, gesturing now to Lilli and Kipper who were knelt behind her. "Go ahead," she told them, and they laid their offerings out. After a sniff and a shuffle, he took both and dashed off.
"Success!" Pippi exclaimed. "We can pass through the kingdom now!"
They cheered.
"Let's go get that treasure!" she called out joyfully before taking off across the clearing.
Lilli and Kipper both squealed and screeched excitedly, all three of them running as fast as their little legs would carry them.
"It's up ahead!" Pippi called out, slowing down to let them catch up and to catch her own breath. When they reached her, she turned to look up ahead again, pointing. "It's there behind that big oak tree. Come on!" She took off again, though this time not nearly as fast.
As she rounded the corner around the tree, Pippi lit up with a gasp. Before her was not only the X made of sticks marking her own buried treasure, but a whole picnic! "Wow, come look!" she ushered her cousins who rushed over. Oohs and aahs were abundant as they all laid their eyes on the feast.
"First treasure, then lunch!" she proclaimed, her stomach growling as if on cue.
Pippi unloaded her bag off her back and grabbed the small shovel she brought, Kipper and Lilli bringing out their own forms of shovel, too. They all dug under the X and soon found a small wooden box. Pippi pulled it out, but let the other two do the honors of opening it.
Inside were three each of smooth river stones, small stone-carved golems, and gold-plated acorns. They split the loot evenly before sitting down to treat themselves to the picnic. Pippi guessed her parents might have snuck up on a different route and set it up as a surprise, which made Pippi feel extra special. Inside the basket were sandwiches, fresh fruits and veggies, and even more of their Nanny's fresh-baked pumpkin cookies, to which Kipper was especially pleased.
Eager to show off their treasure haul and bellies now full, the three little gnomes headed back to the village the same way they came - still granted passage through the Squirrel King's clearing, quietly past the stone giant, and swiftly over the river, then safely back home after one big adventure.
Pippi had been preparing for weeks, with some help from her family, to take her little cousins on their first epic adventure. Though only twelve, she'd been on plenty of adventures in the Dalelands. Their forest home was never short on excitement, and she was determined to show Lilli and Kipper how thrilling it could be.
She buzzed with anticipation as she gathered her gear. Not only was this her cousins' first adventure, it was her first time exploring solo. She'd walked the route nearly every day with her grandfather leading up to today, getting familiar with the terrain and thinking up ideas for the trip. If anything, she felt overprepared.
"Mama, Papa, Pappy!" she called from the kitchen, rolling up a tanned deerskin with a homemade map drawn on it. One by one, her family filed in to find her small, packed-up self. She wore a large backpack, a pouch and spyglass hanging from her belt, and held the rolled map in her hand.
"Heading out, Pipsqueak?" her father asked, all three smiling, her mother stifling a laugh at how much Pippi seemed to be carrying.
"Mhm!" she replied, grabbing her backpack straps.
"You'll remember everything we went through?" her grandfather asked, hands on hips.
Pippi nodded seriously, meeting his gaze so he knew she meant it.
"Please be careful, dear," her mother said, now more concerned than amused, pulling her into a hug. "Mooom," Pippi whined, but then smiled and hugged back anyway. Her mother kissed her head before stepping back. "Watch out for your little cousins," she added.
Before anyone could give more advice, Pippi made a beeline for the front door.
"Okay, I'll be home later!" she called excitedly, and once the door closed behind her, she exhaled a breath, both relieved and ready.
"Alright, let's do this. Big adventure," she said to herself, determination carrying her feet across the forest floor. First, she would pick up Lilli, since her aunt Poppy and uncle Pog lived closer. Pippi walked with purpose to their house, knocking on the door set into a mound of dirt before entering without waiting for a reply.
"Aunt Poppy!" she called, winding through the burrowed home. At another door, she knocked again and waited. After a moment, it swung open and Lilli appeared.
"Pippi!" Lilli exclaimed, wrapping her small arms around her cousin, who returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. "Mama's in the kitchen," Lilli told her before rushing off to gather her things.
Pippi laughed, making her way to the kitchen where Aunt Poppy stirred something bubbling on the stove.
"Oh, Pip! Is it that time already?" she asked, distracted but smiling.
"Yep! I'm here to get Lilli for our adventure!" Pippi said.
"Okay, hon, have fun and be careful," Aunt Poppy replied, flashing a warm smile.
"We will!" Pippi promised as she headed back to Lilli's room.
As an only child close to her family, her little cousins felt like siblings, and Pippi took her role seriously. She tried to teach them to be respectful but also how to have fun.
"Almost ready, Lil?" Pippi asked, watching Lilli sling a bag over one shoulder and stumble, causing them both to giggle.
"Ready! Are we going to get Kippy now?"
"Mhm! And then it's time to explore!" Pippi said, striking a heroic pose. "It's gonna be so much fun," she assured her. "Let's go!" she declared, marching out.
"Bye, Mama!" Lilli called without slowing down as they left the burrow for fresh air.
Next, they headed to the home of their aunts, Symma and Enida, where Kipper was waiting.
Kipper, only four, hadn't learned patience like the others. So as they arrived at the tree-built home, the door swung open before they could knock. Kipper stood there, wide-eyed and freckle-faced, ready for the day with an oversized bag on his back — ironically, looking a lot like Pippi, who was none the wiser as she giggled down at his appearance.
"What took you so long? Do you have everything? Are we leaving now?" he rattled off.
Behind him, both moms appeared, laughing exasperatedly; surely they were relieved for a child-free afternoon.
"Behave, Kip," Enida reminded him, ruffling his curly blonde hair. Symma kissed the top of his head. "We know you'll look after him, Pip," she said warmly.
"Mhm!" Pippi agreed, her cheeks full in a proud smile.
"We've gotta get going!" she said, keeping on schedule. They said goodbyes and waved as they walked down the pathway.
Finally, they were free!
"Stay close!" Pippi told her cousins, leading them to the village edge and a narrow footpath into the forest. She paused, unrolling her map for the kids.
"Alright, we follow this map to the treasure," she said, pointing at the red X. "I've been on this path before, and there are dangers," she warned in a serious tone. "We have to stick together and think carefully, okay?" She looked between Lilli and Kipper, who both nodded, bursting with anticipation.
"Onward, then!" she proclaimed, arm outstretched as she stepped onto the footpath, with Lilli and Kipper close behind. The telescope at her hip jangled along with the items in their bags, making a lively clatter.
After some walking, with Kipper filling the silence with questions, they reached a flowing river. Pippi stopped, prompting the others to do the same. She pulled out the map, pointing to the river's lines.
"This is the River of Memories," she said, rolling the map back up. "The water holds memories… but it takes them too," she added, her gaze mysterious.
Lilli gasped. "I know," Pippi said seriously. "So we have to cross carefully. Even a little splash and we could even forget Pilwicken Pie!" This time, Kipper gasped. "I know!" Pippi responded again.
"See the stepping stones?" she pointed to rocks poking above the water. "We need to hop across. Ready?"
They practiced jumps on the grass to build strength, then approached the riverbank nervously. "You've got this, I'm right behind you," Pippi encouraged.
Lilli went first, jumping from rock to rock, then to shore with a triumphant grin. "I did it!"
"C'mon, Kippy, it was easy!" Lilli called.
Kipper looked to Pippi nervously, who nodded reassuringly. He squatted, launched forward, and landed on the first stone. He sighed, smiled, and hopped carefully to the last rock, nearly losing balance but steadying himself. Pippi exhaled relief as he joined Lilli, both looking victorious.
Pippi smiled from across the river before skillfully hopping across to the other side herself.
"Wow, you're really good at that," Lilli complimented her.
"Yeah!" Kipper agreed cheerfully.
"Thanks," she said with a smug grin. "It just takes practice," she told them with a bit of a shrug.
"Alright, we made it across the river! Let's keep going!" Pippi marched forward, still walking the footpath through the trees, the other two following in suit.
"What do you think the treasure is?" Kipper asked curiously.
"Something shiny, I bet," Lilli guessed, "treasure is always shiny."
"Oh yeah! I hope so," he replied.
Pippi smiled to herself, already knowing what the treasure was, having put it there herself. "Well, whatever it is, treasure always feels more deserved after a daring adventure!" she said, stopping once again in her tracks.
She turned to face them now, crouching down slightly to their eye level. "Shh!" she said quickly, putting a finger to her lips. "I almost missed my landmark," she told them in a hushed tone, nodding her head toward a pair of stacked boulders. "Do you see the stack of big rocks?" she asked them. They nodded. "Pappy tried to tell me they're just boulders," she said with a slight scoff. "But I know something about those boulders that he doesn't.... They're actually a sleeping stone giant."
Lilli and Kipper's eyes widened.
"Woah, wha-" Kipper began, but Pippi cut him off with another "shh!" and he quickly squeezed his lips shut.
"Quietly, Kip. We can't wake him," she told him gently.
"How do we get past?" he asked, now whispering.
"We'll need to be sneaky by tip-toeing down the path, and watch out for anything you might step on like branches. We don't want to wake him, I don't know what would happen."
"Okay," he whispered back in understanding, Lilli nodding beside him.
Pippi turned, crouched low, and waved them forward. Padding on her toes down the path, she jumped over branches and twigs, her cousins following single file and copying her every move.
As they walked directly across from the boulders, Pippi peeked back over her shoulder and brought her finger back to her lips, reminding them to stay silent. She kept her eyes on the boulders, watching them. She turned slowly as they passed by, now walking cautiously in reverse. As she did, she hopped backwards over a twig. Lilli's hand swung up to her mouth to quiet her surprise, and Pippi winked at her playfully. Once they were in the clear, Pippi stood tall once again and checked their surroundings before turning her attention back to the kids.
"Great job," she told them both with a smile, unraveling the trusty map once again.
"Pippi, how did you know that stick was there?" Lilli asked, still in amazement.
"I know this trail like the back of my hand," she replied with casual confidence.
"I can't wait to be an explorer like you," she said back.
"Me too!" Kipper added.
"Well, you're both well on your way with this one," she said, grinning.
"Now, let's see..." She looked at the map, moving to show Lilli and Kipper too. "We've gone across the River of Memories, past the sleeping stone giant..." Her finger traveled along the path on the map. "And we're right here," she finished, tapping a point that showed them not far off from the treasure.
"Before we continue, we should prepare," she told them, slinging her backpack off of her back and onto the ground. "The next and final obstacle is the Squirrel King," she told them as she knelt down and unzipped her bag, keeping her eyes on them. "He's chubby, he's demanding, and he rules this part of the forest," she continued, turning her attention back to her bag before rummaging around inside. After a moment, she pulled out a perfect acorn.
"Aha!" She stood again, holding it out for show. "This is my offering," she said, tucking the acorn into the pouch on her belt for safe keeping. "Now you two - find something that you can offer to the King, or he won't let us pass his clearing," she warned. Immediately they scrambled to look through their belongings, and Pippi took the opportunity to look through her spyglass. She detached it from her belt and extended it bringing it to her eye and looking around for the squirrel, seeing movement out in the field.
"How's this?" asked Lilli, and Pippi swung around to look, spyglass still to her eye. She lowered it only when she realized Lilli was too close. Lilli held out a pinecone, and Pippi inspected it. A few of the scales were chipped, but it would work. She nodded in approval. "That'll do. What about you, Kip?" she asked the smaller gnome, who reluctantly unwrapped half of a crumbling cookie. "It's Nanny's pumpkin cookie," he said hesitantly.
Pippi gasped. "That's perfect! You could even split it," she told him. He thought for a moment, then nodded, broke it in half, and saved the rest.
"Alright, let's get our gear back on. I've spotted the Squirrel King up ahead."
All of them gathered their belongings and continued forward into a clearing, where a chubby squirrel indeed waited. As they approached, he stood on his hind legs, examining them, his nose twitching.
Pippi stopped about five feet away from him and knelt, the other two copied.
"Squirrel King, we bring offerings," she said, cupping her hands forward in the gesture she'd practiced. Her grandfather had been teaching her how to communicate with small beasts through hand movements and sounds. The squirrel waddled closer as she did so.
Pippi reached into her pouch and pulled out the acorn and placed it before him. He picked it up, nibbled it, then stored it in his cheek. She stood and moved to the side, gesturing now to Lilli and Kipper who were knelt behind her. "Go ahead," she told them, and they laid their offerings out. After a sniff and a shuffle, he took both and dashed off.
"Success!" Pippi exclaimed. "We can pass through the kingdom now!"
They cheered.
"Let's go get that treasure!" she called out joyfully before taking off across the clearing.
Lilli and Kipper both squealed and screeched excitedly, all three of them running as fast as their little legs would carry them.
"It's up ahead!" Pippi called out, slowing down to let them catch up and to catch her own breath. When they reached her, she turned to look up ahead again, pointing. "It's there behind that big oak tree. Come on!" She took off again, though this time not nearly as fast.
As she rounded the corner around the tree, Pippi lit up with a gasp. Before her was not only the X made of sticks marking her own buried treasure, but a whole picnic! "Wow, come look!" she ushered her cousins who rushed over. Oohs and aahs were abundant as they all laid their eyes on the feast.
"First treasure, then lunch!" she proclaimed, her stomach growling as if on cue.
Pippi unloaded her bag off her back and grabbed the small shovel she brought, Kipper and Lilli bringing out their own forms of shovel, too. They all dug under the X and soon found a small wooden box. Pippi pulled it out, but let the other two do the honors of opening it.
Inside were three each of smooth river stones, small stone-carved golems, and gold-plated acorns. They split the loot evenly before sitting down to treat themselves to the picnic. Pippi guessed her parents might have snuck up on a different route and set it up as a surprise, which made Pippi feel extra special. Inside the basket were sandwiches, fresh fruits and veggies, and even more of their Nanny's fresh-baked pumpkin cookies, to which Kipper was especially pleased.
Eager to show off their treasure haul and bellies now full, the three little gnomes headed back to the village the same way they came - still granted passage through the Squirrel King's clearing, quietly past the stone giant, and swiftly over the river, then safely back home after one big adventure.