When I entered the shop, I looked around at the familiar sight. The shopkeeper waved at me, smiling warmly, and I waved back, scanning the small building for something new. And I quickly found her.

I recognized the girl from the list of new Warden candidates, with her short blond hair and a cowgirl hat. She was sitting at a table near the back of the shop, her eyes focused on a piece of paper in front of her while occasionally shifting to a book to her left. Her brow was furrowed in a picture of concentration and frustration. I walked up to her right as she groaned and slammed her head on the table.

"Well, shoot." she moaned, her voice carrying a heavy country accent, "This here's tougher than a sack of scorpions."

"What's going on?" I asked, standing beside the girl's chair.

She jumped nearly a foot off the chair, staring at me with wide eyes, but she recovered quickly and smiled.

"Hey there, pard. You working on this Warden homework, too?" she asked me as a greeting.

"Nope, sorry." I answered, thinking to myself, "This must be the written exam Stryker mentioned."

"You ain't? Well, lucky for you." the girl said, sounding disappointed that she didn't have someone to share her frustration with. She remained quiet for a moment before looking up at me with a thoughtful expression. "Listen, this is gonna sound strange, but I'm looking for an expert on dropping fossils."

I arched my eyebrow, giving the girl an odd look. "An expert…on dropping fossils?"

The girl nodded. "Like someone who's excavated at least one of 'em. Someone who does nothing but dig up dropping fossils day and night!" She sighed, "I wonder if that someone even exists…"

"Only one?" I muttered to myself, "Wouldn't an 'expert' who dug up dropping fossils 'day and night' have found more than one?"

The girl then stared at me again, a strange look of recognition on her face as her eyes brightened. "Hey now! You might just be the ticket!"

"Oh yeah?" I asked, crossing my arms and shifting my weight to one foot in an image of casual confidence.

Daisy nodded, cutting straight to the point, "All right, so here's the deal. My homework is to investigate dropping fossils."

"Dropping fossils?" I asked, adding in my head, "Why would part of the Warden Test involve dropping fossils? What do they have to do with being a Warden?"

"Heh." the girl giggled, misinterpreting my expression of confusion as she said, "I guess it is a mite weird to start talking about dropping fossils with a person you just met, huh? My name's Daisy Fields, and I'm studying to become a Warden."

"What a coincidence." I said, feigning surprise, "Considering I'm a Warden myself."

"No fooling?" Daisy cried, perking up considerably, "YOU'RE a Warden? Heck, you ain't that much older than me!"

"Well, I haven't been a Warden long." I admitted, "But with everything that's happened lately, I have plenty of experience."

Daisy looked at me in awe, then sighed and turned back to the book and paper in front of her. "I'm doing everything I can to become a Warden, but…" She trailed off, continuing only when I tilted my head, "I've been busier than a one-legged girl in a jumping contest with this here Warden Test!"

"I understand." I said, glancing at the paper, "They didn't have a written exam when I joined. It's a recent addition."

Daisy nodded again sadly, continuing, "And the worst assignment of all is this essay I have to write about dropping fossils! I thought it was about the foulest thing I ever did hear, so I kept putting it off. But now I gotta finish it or else! Problem is, I can't finish it! It'll take me so long, the rest of the test won't get done! So that's why I'm talking to you."

"Go on…" I said simply, getting slightly impatient.

"You've excavated dropping fossils before, am I right?"

I lurched back, now really taken by surprise. I had encountered dropping fossils before in my career, in my home time as well as here, but, "How'd you know?"

"Aw, shucks." Daisy giggled again, scratching the back of her head sheepishly, "It ain't much of a trick. Just a little tickle I get in the back of my noggin." I perked up in interest as she continued, "Anyway, you mind if I ask you a favor? There's a mule's load of dropping fossils out there, but one kind's more precious than all the rest. Why, you ask? Because they're GOLD! I'm talking about Golden Droppings!"

"Golden…Droppings?" I muttered exasperatedly.

Daisy nodded. "Apparently, you can find the little nuggets in the Cavern Pool section of Goldrush Canyon. Might be able to rustle them up elsewhere, too, but I think Cavern Pool's your best bet." she explained, looking up at me with pleading eyes, "So please, pard. Go out there and excavate a Golden Dropping fossil for me! Oh, and then tell me what you think of it so I can finish my gosh-darn essay already!"

I arched my eyebrow, looking at her skeptically. "You do realize that's cheating, right?"

"It ain't cheating!" Daisy yelled defensively, before shrinking back from my gaze, "Ok, maybe it is. But I don't care! I'm gonna lose my marbles if I don't pass this test!"

"Relax, Daisy." I said, chuckling, "I'll help you. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into."

"Really?" Daisy almost squeaked excitedly, perking up again, "You'll help me chea…Er, I mean, pass the test? Gosh, thanks so much!" She then looked at me slyly. "Or are you just one of them types who can't say no to nothin'?"

I laughed. "Oh, I can say no. I just don't think you should fail the Warden Test just because you couldn't find a dropping fossil."

"Aw, that's right sweet of you." Daisy said happily, "Now I can focus on the rest of my work. I'll be right here with my nose in a big ol' book, so come find me when you're done!"

"Will do!" I replied, heading out of the Fossil Shop.

Back outside, I met up with Nibbles, who was waiting by the mechanical dinosaur.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked me, glancing at the building I'd just exited, "Did you find one of the candidates?"

"Yep." I replied, heading onto the Fossil Center and making my way toward the World Gate, "And she needs my help with something."

"Your help?" Nibbles asked suspiciously, "With what?"

"Passing a rather ridiculous part of the Warden Test." I replied, not missing the disapproving glare I received from Nibbles.

"Isn't that cheating?" he asked. When I nodded, his disapproval deepened. "Why are you helping her cheat? Don't the humans look down on it?"

"I have three reasons." I said as we entered America, "First of all, it's a stupid part of the test, and she shouldn't fail because of it. Also, what she needs is in the Cavern Pool in Goldrush Canyon, which I've been wanting to examine since you found that T-rex Stan Dino Gear there."

Nibble narrowed his eyes at me. "And the last reason?"

I smiled as we entered the Garage, deactivating my human disguise as I growled, "The girl has unusually sharp instincts, nearly on par with mine. We don't want the Wardens to lose that, now do we?"