Chapter one:
It started out as an ordinary day in the Jungle of Nool. The sky was bright blue and the jungle was full of life and color. Under the shadow of a large truffula with a plume of orange fluff on top stood the Bird Girls. The Bird Girls were a flamboyant group of extraordinarily colorful birds who seemed never think for themselves. This group consisted of Amber, Jane, Lola, and Chloe. They constantly fallowed around Mayzie la Bird. Mayzie la Bird had the biggest tail in all of Nool and made sure that EVERYONE knew it. Mayzie always seemed to either be bragging about her tail or off with some new man. She had long pink and orange feathers that reached her feet while the Bird Girl group had a larger rainbow of colored feathers that only reached their knees.
Gertrude McFuzz walked into the opening where the pools and most of the animals in the jungle were. The pools were relatively large and deep and got their water supply from the small streams connecting the pools to the river Walloo. The Bird girls were still chatting and gossiping near the tree line with Mayzie. To the left stood the Wickersham brothers in a group. The Wickershams were a gang of monkeys that when separated were tiny and vulnerable, but when together they could do almost anything. Gertrude had bright teal feathers and (much to Gertrude's disappointment) a one feathered tail. She had delicate green and blue feathers detailing her eyes and facial features. Her petite feathers were no match for Mayzie's large colorful ones.
Horton the elephant meandered into the clearing. He had always been silent and slightly shy. Horton was Gertrude's next door neighbor and had never really spoken to her except an occasional "hello!" or a few "Hey, Gertrude's" here and there. Gertrude sat under the shade of a blue truffula tree and relaxed in its cool shadows. Horton slipped into one of the pools to cool off in the sweltering heat. He, like Gertrude, also had no group to belong to. They were social outcasts. It didn't bother Gertrude, it gave her more time to think and ponder things.
Horton tried to casually glance over at Gertrude but, like always, he ended up staring for a minute or two. She looked so peaceful deep in thought. He let out a long sigh and sank deeper into the crystal clear waters. He had always been too nervous to confront her. In the jungle of Nool it was frowned upon to have cross species relationships. So he kept his secret crush on her to himself. He knew he wasn't the only one who had broken this "rule". A few of the Wickersham brothers were in love with Mayzie and the other Bird Girls. If only she'd notice me.