Meeting Friends

Whip landed gently into the snow. She had to admit it had a weird feeling. Of course it snowed in the Sky Kingdom, but it never stayed on the ground and piled up. Now Whip was far away from the Sky Kingdom. She'd had to fly slowly, and packing so she'd know what was what had been interesting. But she'd done it.

She sighed, both because she was tired and because she could relax now. So . . . now what? She wondered. She'd have to get some help, she didn't know where any-thing was in Far Far Away. She calmed down and listened for someone who might be able to help. She heard someone with hooves talking. Well, let's ask him. She wandered toward the hoofed creature. As she got closer she could hear what he and his friend were saying. "Puss look! It's a Christmas shop. Let's go."

"Donkey please, it's cold out. Let's just get what we came for and leave."

Whip gave a little gasp. "You guys are Donkey and Puss in Boots?"

"Well yeah." Donkey said it in a way that made it seem like everyone should know that. And she supposed they should. It would be hard to mistake them for anyone else.

"I'm Whip." She extended her talon. Donkey shook it with his hoof. "Um . . . I hate to ask, but I'm new around here, could you show me around."

"We're a little busy-" Puss started. Donkey cut him off.

"Sure! Come on." Donkey started off. Puss said something in Spanish then followed him. Whip walked after them with some difficulty in the deep snow. "See that's Farbucks. Great place to get coffee. I get it there all the time. And that's the bootery. But Puss is the only one who'll need to go there. That's the magic shop, don't know who runs it anymore. Let's go find out."

"Donkey, knowing how things have gone in the past, if we go in there someone will probably try to kill us." Puss cut in.

"Oh yeah right."

Whip wondered about this but not much. She had just thought of something. "Donkey, is there any place empty? You know, where a new store could be started?"

"Well sure. Come on." Donkey was off again. He began to sign. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere I go."

Whip joined in. And Puss did to despite how upset he'd seemed earlier. They sang Christmas songs all the way to the building Donkey brought them to. These guys are great. Whip decided. "Well this is the place." Donkey said, stopping.

Whip jumped up the stairs leading to it and pushed the door open with her wing. "Hello?" she called out.

"It'd be kind of freaky if someone answered." Said Donkey as he and Puss entered.

That wasn't the reason Whip had called out though. Sound bounced, if she wanted to know where something was in a room all she had to do was make noise and listen for where it bounced. She walked further into the room. It must have once been a bar, there was a bar table at one end. There was also a large fire place and some hooks on the wall. "This will be perfect."

"For what?" Donkey asked.

"I'm a black smith." She emptied one of the bags for her work. "This place will be perfect for me."

"Wow! Is that a dragon statue?" Donkey wanted to know.

Whip smiled. She must have opened the back with her figurines. They were too small to be statues. "Well yes."

"Could you make some Dronkey statues for my babies?"

Whip had heard about the dronkeys. She wondered how long her work would last with them around. "Sure." She said. "Could you tell me a little about what they look like?"

"Well, they look a lot like donkeys."

"Only fatter." Puss remarked.

"Hey now. We're talking about my babies, I say what they look like." Whip tried not to laugh. "Anyway, they also have these little wings, and red puffy fur on their backs. Oo, in fact one of them is all red. That enough?"

Whip thought a little. "Yes it should be."

Once Donkey and Puss left Whip got to work unpacking.