Not based off a book. Original story.

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"Hey mum?! Are you almost ready to go?" The young girl yelled out to her mother while she finished putting her favorite puppy blanket into the van, her shoulder length hair swaying in the soft breeze. It was a cool day out and not a cloud in the sky, the perfect day for a picnic. She had just turned six years old and to celebrate her mother had suggested they have a picnic at the local park. Marie had loved the sound of it!

"Almost ready dear, I just had to pack the last of the sandwiches." Marie's mother said as she walked outside with a picnic basket in hand.

Marie's face lit up and she crawled into the passenger seat of the van. She was also very excited since this would be the first time she for to sit up front with her mother. She always hated sitting in the back, she felt like luggage back there. After Marie's mother put the basket in the backseat along with the blankets she sat down in the driver's seat and looked at her daughter with that motherly look.

"Seat belts!" Marie chirped, bringing down the strap and buckling herself in.

"Very good!" Marie's mother stated proudly and buckled herself in. She started the engine and put the car in drive. The wheels slowly rolled down the driveway as they started their trip.

"Hey mum?" Marie asked looking from the passenger side window to her mother.

"Yes dear?"

"Do you think maybe I could get a puppy?" Marie asked with the big pleading blue eyes, her hands folded together in the lap of her pink dress.

Marie's mother looked at Marie and caved the second she saw her daughter. "Alright, we'll go look at the puppies in the pound before school starts next month alright?"

Marie squealed in delight at the sound of her mother accepting the idea, but at the same time groaned at the sound of her starting First Grade. The kids weren't very nice to her in Kindergarten and she didn't image things to go any differently this year.

The van pulled into the parking lot of the park and Marie jumped out, excited to grab the blankets from the back, but her mother grabbed everything before she could unbuckle, get out of the front seat, and open the door to the backseat to grab them. Marie pouted at the fact that she couldn't help so her mother handed her favorite puppy blanket and told her to find a place in the park to sit.

Marie ran off to a big tree that was by some bushes for a spot to sit. She always loved this tree when her mother and her walked the park and today was no different. She laid out her blanket on the soft green grass. The park was at its best since it was summer. Marie's mother followed shortly behind and laid out her own blanket and laid down the blanket.

Marie's mother opened up the wooden basket and pulled out a ham sandwich wrapped in plastic for her daughter, who had been playing on the monkey bars for the past ten minutes. Her mother called to her and Marie came running barefoot through the soft grass, taking the sandwich when she reached her mother. Marie was about to take a bite when she heard a soft noise, like a light growl mixed with a cueing.

"Did you hear that?" Marie asked her mother.

"Hear what?" Her mother asked, shopping what she was doing to listen.

Marie heard the soft growl again and bolted to her bare feet and went past the large tree to where the dense bushes lay. She heard her mother call out to her but she was more interested in finding out what the sound was that she heard. She moved some of the small branches to the side and gasped at what she saw. It was a small creature, no more than a foot tall. It had silver white leather skin, with strange reddish pink striped markings on its heal, thigh, back, neck, tail, and what looked to Marie like a head crest that was short and pointed. It only had two claws on the end of its arms with tiny claws on the end of the fingers. The feet had two sets of knees, similar as if Marie were to stand on her toes, but with a long foot part, and two big toes at the bottom, with small claws at the end of the toes as well. The fingers and toes were dipped dark gray, and the belly was white as a cloud. The creature lifted up its head and turned to her, its head tilting to the side, as if questioning her as much as she questioned it.

It made the light growling noise again at Marie and wobbled to it's feet to try to stand like Marie, but its legs were not strong enough to support it so it fell down on its stomach. Marie chuckled at the small creatures attempt to stand, which made the creature growl a little at her.

"Well I'm sorry, but it was funny!" Marie tried to defend herself. "Where is your mother?" Marie asked but it just tilted its head to the side again.

Marie's mother ran up to her daughter and knelt down at Marie's eye level.

"Honey, don't run off like that!" Marie's mother scowled.

"But I found this baby and she has no mother; we can't just leave her here!" Marie stated, not wanting to leave the small creature here alone.

"Her?" Marie's mother asked her.

Marie pointed at the small reptilian creature currently content at trying to bite the ants which were walking in a line in front of her.

"She is all alone and it's getting dark out; may I please keep her? I don't want a puppy anymore!" Marie had her mind set.

Marie's mother sighed in defeat. "If I let you keep her you don't get a puppy and you have to pick up after her and take care of her, alright?" She tried to make Marie understand that having a pet meant lots of responsibilities and that they would all be Marie's.

"And I can teach her to sing?!" Marie asked excitedly making her mother chuckle.

"And you can even teach her to sing." She confirmed. "But it will be getting dark soon so we better get going."

Marie nodded and turned back to the small creature, who was just watching her back. Marie picked her up under her arms and carried her against Marie's body, one hand across the creatures back and the other hand supporting her rear; Marie had to make sure to watch out for the creature's stubby, but sharp, claws. Marie walked to the car, unable to help her mother carry any of the blankets or basket back, and managed to get the vans side door open. She gently lifted the creature in before crawling in herself. Her mother got in the driver's seat and noticed her daughter was not beside her.

"Aren't you going to sit up here like a big girl?"

"I want to sit next to my new friend!"

Marie's mother chuckled and said excitedly, "Seat belts!"