The forest was peaceful. Soft sunlight filtered down through an emerald canopy, illuminating the quiet life below. Fungi clinging to the trunks of trees and logs blanketed with moss seemed to glow. Birds chirruped from their high perches. A stream gurgled happily nearby. Small insects roved over the forest floor-ants following one another in a twisting line, caterpillars inching their way up trees and plants for food, and a single spider lounging in its web. Through the rising dawn, the thin fibers appeared to be spun silver gilded with diamonds from the morning dew. All was serene, and quiet.

There was a flash of fur, the whirling of leaves, and the triumphant shout of an exhilarated youth. Birds squawked and took to the air, startled by the sudden appearance of a gloved hand swiping at their tail feathers.

Brown eyes twinkled with energy and amusement as laughter rang through the treetops. Two tall tufted ears twitched and the eyes turned. They brightened considerably and were accompanied with a large grin.

And, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. The only evidence of its visit was the apparent absence of birds, and the echo of excited giggling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Emerald Tree Elementary School was the best school to send your children to. Its facilities were modern and safe for students, and the education provided exceeded that of the most advanced if boarding schools; at least, that's what the brochure said, a supposed learners paradise.

For one student, this lie was among the blackest of its kind. It wasn't paradise. It was a place of persecution.

"Look out everyone! Creep-Chi is coming!"

In the crowded school hallway, a raccoon flinched, drawing her books up against her chest and hunching her shoulders to look small and unnoticeable. Unfortunately, she was always noticed.

The sea of classmates parted around her as fish would a hungry shark. Like a deer in an open field, she was exposed it the verbal abuse that had plagued her since the very first day she attended Emerald Tree. She closed her eyes and waited for the vultures to strike.

They didn't disappoint.

"Watch it, her weirdness is contagious!"

"Yeah, if she touches you, youll have to join her freaky cult!"

"Why are you still here Creep-Chi? Haven't contacted the Mother Ship yet?"

"Are you going to visit your imaginary friend at recess or did you finally realize there's nothing there?"

"Don't talk to her girls; she'll put a gothic witch spell on you."

"You can tell she's evil by the black around her eyes."

"Or maybe that's make-up? She's way freaky."

Merciless insults, taunts, and jeers fell like rain, forcing the raccoon's already low ears to press flat against her skull.

Why did they hate her so much? She didn't cause trouble; in fact, she didn't do anything at all! So what was it about her that would cause them to treat her with such disdain and malice?

Her name was Chi, Chi Davenport-a sky blue raccoon with black accents around her eyes, ears, tail, and three black dots below her left eye. Her eyes were a sparkling jade green, however they always held uncertainty, almost fear

She wore what everyone else wore, the Emerald Tree uniform; a white shirt sporting a green E above a pine tree, a navy blue skirt, black shoes and white socks.(Many students accused her of wearing witch talismans underneath her clothing. This was never proved.)

She was in the second grade. She got high scores on her quizzes. She did her homework. She stayed out of fights. She did as she was told. She kept her opinions to herself.

She was a good .

So why did they detest her? Why?

Chi continued down the hallway. She didn't run. She didn't cry. She didn't give them the satisfaction of showing them just how much it hurt.

She bore their insults and teasing in silence, not once answering, or reporting to a teacher. She knew that it would make things even worse.

The raccoon walked quickly to her locker. It was dark blue with a padlock she'd brought from home. Ever since day one, it was a must. An assembly of books, binders, and pencils on the roof of the school bore witness to this fact.

Chi opened her locker and rapidly put her things away, stuffing in her books and slamming it shut. She stood there for a moment, her hand resting on the lockers surface. "5..4..3..2..1.."

BRRRIIINNNGGG!!!

A rare smile spread across Chis face. "Yay! Its recess!"

A rumble was Chis only warning before a stampede of multicolored yelling kids sped past a split second after the bell. She pressed herself the wall to avoid being trampled. Her grin still remained.

When the stream of students ebbed, Chi jogged down the hall, her breath elevated in excitement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nobody noticed the blue raccoon as she burst through the double doors that led out to the playground-which was one of the reasons why Chi loved recess so much. The rest of the student body was to busy having swinging contests on the swings, or having a speed relay on the slide.

Skirting around the playground, Chi made her way toward a small soccer field lined with a fence and partially surrounded by trees. The few figures there were heavily engaged in a game of hackey-sack; a game that required enormous amounts of concentration.

The raccoon quietly crept up to the fence in the shadow of a leaning oak. She looked around to make sure no one could see her, before lifting a section of fence that had been carefully cut to resemble a door. Chi slipped out the fields perimeter and closed the secret gate; sliding the split ends in place so it created the illusion of a whole barrier.

Turning, Chi pushed past a few bushes and walked down a weathered path. It twisted around tree trunks and rocks, twigs and leaves crunching underfoot. The farther Chi went, the wilder her surroundings became. Everything turned darker as the trees became larger, the leaves blocking out the light. Moss was thicker and covered everything. The ground became soft and loamy and the ferns grew in size with every step the girl took.

After several minutes, the path widened into a small clearing. Flowers of different sizes, shapes, and colors pushed up through the earth alongside tall grass. Brilliant beams of sunlight shafted down through gaps in the dense canopy above.

And in the center of the meadow was a hollow tree. It was enormous with a thick twisting trunk that ended abruptly after 40 or so feet, the openings edges jagged. Many parts of it's amber bark were blackened, a testament to a great storm in the distant past.

But despite these intriguing qualities, the most noticeable thing was the ropes. They hung down from every single limb at different lengths, some reaching to other branches, other to various spots on the trunk. At the end of each cord, a hard burly stick hung. A rope ladder and several suspended platforms snaked around the tree.

Almost giddy with excitement, Chi ran towards the tree, giggling as the grass tickled her chin. When she reached the base of the tree, her smile grew even larger. She grasped the stick hanging in front of her nose and swung it against the trunk with all of her might.

Brrrrruuuuuummmmmmm.

A deep resonating note powerful enough to feel vibrating within your chest echoed throughout the forest, causing birds to take flight. It was still reverberating as Chi scrambled up the ladder, whacking the tree with the sticks as she went.

Brimmmmm, Brommmmmmm, Brooooooommmmm.

Different notes emanated from the trees top. Running along a platform, Chi tapped branches and other sections of the tree. The echoing song rose and fell.

She paused, panting, her ears perked up as high as they would go, waiting...

And then, he burst out of the treetops.

Authors Note: I am sorry this took a while, but I hope you enjoyed it. I'm really pushing myself in this story in phrasing, vocabulary, and the feel of the story. I want to write a serious yet engaging story, which is new for me. Heh.

I devote this story to the wonderful-inspiring music of Enya: A Day Without Rain.

R&R please.