Just as the sun reached the highest peak, Pooh and his friends finally arrived at Owl's house. They took a special elevator that Rabbit and Owl made for Lumpy when he came for a visit. Tigger entered with Lumpy since he was still holding the egg in his trunk and couldn't operate the pulley by himself. He began pulling on the ropes in order to move the elevator upward. Everyone else was climbing up the ladder to Owl's house. Once they had reached the platform, Lumpy was handed the egg back to Pooh. "Thank you for letting me hold it," he said. "Do you think it might become our friend once it hatches?"

Pooh thought for a moment. He remembered how everyone at the Hundred Acer Wood had first met Lumpy. They were afraid and unsure about him, but they got over it once they got to know him. However, the mother might be more of the current concern than the egg. "Maybe," He answered. "If its mama would be nice to us." He knocked on the door. Owl opened the door, his head popping out of the doorway. The smell of cakes, cookies and honey filled Pooh's nose, making his tummy rumble.

"Hooo!" Owl hooted. "Pooh bear, what a pleasant surprise!" He backed away so everyone would come inside. "Come in! Come in! How wonderful it is for you to join us." He walked back to the long, wooden table where he sat on one end. On his left was Rabbit and Kanga while Eeyore and Kessy sat on his right. They all looked in Pooh's direction and smiled at the addition of friends at the table, except Eeyore. "We were just going over some stories that I've picked up from some beavers and raccoons. Quite a group they are!" He chuckled.

Rabbit was the first to notice Pooh holding something in his arms. "Uh… Pooh?" He said. "What do you have in that scarf?"

"An egg," Pooh answered back without hesitation. He removed the scarf and placed it on the table. It didn't take long for him to hear the shocked gasps from everyone that was sitting at the table. He could feel eyes filled with awe as they gazed at the warm coloring of the shell. "I found it floating down the river this morning."

Rabbit looked at him, crossing his arms. A scowl written on his face. "You didn't swim in that freezing water to get it, did you?"

Pooh shook his head. "No. Just pulled it out with a tree branch."

"Good!" Rabbit pointed a finger at him. "Last time you did that, you had a cold and a fever for nine days. Your coughing kept me up eight nights in a row and don't get me started on your nightmares!"He placed his gaze back on the egg. His hand rubbed along the smooth shell. "Hmm…Surprisingly warm for an egg that's been in the river for who knows how long."

"Oh, the poor thing," Kanga said. "Its mother must be worried sick."

"If it hatches, it's gonna get upset and start gobbling us up", Eeyore said. He placed his head on the table and kept gazing at the egg. "Maybe it would find me a tasty snack or not."

Piglet walked close to Pooh's side, his eyes never taking off the egg. "W-we came here to see if Owl or Rabbit might know something."

Rabbit rubbed his chin, observing the egg with interest. "Well, I've never seen an egg this big. Let alone any large bird around these parts." He sighed. "Aside from Owl and some blasted crows I had to fight off yesterday."

Owl got up from his chair and cleared his throat. "However, you are correct in believing birds lay eggs. But they aren't the only creatures that can." He walked over to the bookshelf and looked at the titles of each book he pulled out. "Let's see here… seashells-No." He muttered. "Kettle corn recipes…Confound it! Where is it!?" He started grabbing books only to toss them about. It only took him a while until he found two books he was looking for. "Ah! Here we are. The Encyclopedia of Eggs and The Creatures of Beyond." Satisfied with his find, he made his way back to the table and opened the encyclopedia first.

As everyone was settling down and began having tea, honey and cookies, Owl flipped through the pages of his book. He would glance at the egg every once in a while to see if it would give any clues to what it is or where it came from. Finally, he closed the encyclopedia and sighed. "Well, I can't seem to find anything that matches Pooh's egg. Too large. Too brightly colored." He knocked on the egg, causing it to move and give a small squeak. He flinched but continued. "The shell is hard so it doesn't belong to fish, arachnids, insects or amphibians. However, it doesn't belong to any ordinary bird or reptile."

"What about that other book you brought down?" Pooh asked before he put a pawful of honey in his mouth.

"Yeah," Tigger agreed. "What are creatures of 'Beyond'?" It wasn't until everyone else murmured in agreement and all eyes were on Owl.

Owl, who loves a good audience, cleared his throat. "Do many of you remember some of the stories Christopher Robin and Madilyn used to tell us?" His heart sank as everyone grew quiet. Blinking away his own tears, he grabbed a napkin before he could continue. "The world is very big you see. My Great Uncle Hooford was an explorer and made this book from his travels." Unlike his large, blue encyclopedia, the other booked appeared to be far older with two flat pieces of brown leather between a large volume of yellow paper. When Owl opened it, a cloud of dust erupted which caused everyone to cough and sneeze. Lumpy's sneeze created a gust of wind that flipped through several pages until it settled on an image of four strange, horse-like creatures. One white horse with wings, one white horse with a horn on its head, a black horse with fire for its mane and tail and a black horse with a stringy mane.

"These creatures are found in several different locations," Owl said. "They don't lay eggs though." He delicately flipped through the pages as best as he could to prevent the papers from falling apart. "The only creatures that can are griffins, firebirds and dragons."

"D-d-d-d-d-d-d-dragons!" Piglet gulped. "As in the fire-breathing monsters that gobble up towns, take princesses and steal treasure?" He looked at the egg again. He began to imagine a large, fearsome lizard appearing before them in a veil of flame before eating them. "Oh d-d-d-d-d-d-d-DEAR!" He quickly hid under the table.

Everyone else gathered around Owl to have a better look at the page that focused on dragons. The dragon in the book was similar to the ones in Christopher Robin's fairytales. Horns, bat-like wings and a long tail that filled up most of the page. It was on its hind legs and roaring at the words that stood next to it. "Dragons come in every color imaginable," Owl read aloud. "Their eggs resemble large gemstones and are protective of their young."

"I knew it." Eeyore spoke. "We're done for."

Owl glared at the donkey before continuing. "Despite the common belief that they breathe fire, dragons can also control ice, water, earth, wind, lightning and even light itself. Also, most dragons can breathe underwater for long periods of time, making them effective swimmers."

"You forgot to add loud and obnoxious."

Everyone looked up from Owl's book to see two strangers blocking the doorway. One had a goat-shaped head with long lizard-like forelegs and lion paws at the rear. The body had cheetah spots dotting from one place to another. Bat wings tucked tightly against his side, but he bore any resemblance to a dragon. His red eyes gleamed dangerously at the other creature on his right. His crocodile tail lifted high, ready to swing at his companion.

The other creature had a face that resembled faintly of a squirrel, but had some rhino skin and horn slightly above its nose. The ears were much longer than rabbits with small spikes at the tip. Eagle talons that made the front legs grasped each other nervously while hind raptor legs tapped a certain rhythm on the floor. His monkey tail quickly wrapped around himself as if it would keep him safe. "Well…When they get mad, that is."

Owl cleared his throat. One eyebrow arched. "Excuse me, but uh… Who are you?"

Suddenly, Pooh felt dizzy. His very little brain felt like flying out of his head. His vision swimming in a burst of color. Did I eat a bad pot of honey? He thought. Suddenly, pain rushed into his body as if a swarm of bees were stinging him. He touched his head and began hearing gurgling sounds. He closed his eyes tightly. Once everything faded away, he opened them again. He soon found himself in a dark place.

A strange light stood before him. Orange, red and yellow swirled around as a flame started to take on a shape. It swirled and flew toward Pooh.

Pooh walked backward. He felt his feet drag against what would be considered the ground. He tried to cry out to his friends, but his voice was stuck. The words refusing to come out of his mouth. The heat from the light rose. Pooh felt his heart pounding, the sound vibrating in the darkness. He closed his eyes, expecting the worst from the living fire. Suddenly, he felt weight against his body. He opened his eyes again. To his surprise, he felt no burns of any sort. Instead, he was being hugged by the weird fire creature. It's bright head nestled against Pooh bear's neck. He noticed golden orbs that resembled eyes were focused on him. It gave of a low, frightened whimper. Red and orange rippled its body as if a stone went right through it.

Pooh felt something pinching his back. He looked behind and noticed that some of the light had a distinct resemblance to bat-like wings. He turned his gaze back to have a closer look. The face resembled a lizard with tiny frills for ears. "Excuse me," He said. "Are you ok?"

A vast rumble filled the air. Bright red eyes glared at the two of them. "There you are." Large claws reached out for the two. A burst of light erupted as Pooh hugged the light creature tightly.

"Pooh? Pooh?!" Piglet's voice broke through the light. His head appeared right above him. "Are you O.K.? C-can you get up?"

Pooh soon realized that he was on the floor with almost everyone except Owl, who was talking to their mysterious guests, looking over him. "I...Think so…" He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

"You had a dazed look on your face and then fell," Rabbit explained. He grabbed Pooh's paw to help him up.

"Then the egg got all glowy and turned into a different color." Tigger pointed to the egg, which still sat on the center of the table. However, it no longer had a bright orange color, but an orange-gray.

Filled with concern, Pooh got to his feet and ran over to it. He placed his trembling, sticky paws on the shell. "Oh no!" He yelled. "It's cold! Someone get a blanket!"

Kanga searched her pouch while Owl walked up to them with the strangers in tow. "Whoo," Owl hooted. "Pooh bear, are you sick? You took a hard fall there dear fellow." He felt a claw tap his shoulder. He glanced back and then cleared his throat. "Ahem! Pooh, I would like you to meet Whirlwind and Hurricane."

The squirrel creature waved and grinned. "The name's Whirlwind. Nice to meet ya."

The goat horns went up as Hurricane shook his head. "Listen, we need that egg brought with us. It's...very important and we don't need any trouble. Please give it to us and we'll be on our way."

"How can you ask such a thing at a time like this?!" Kanga glared as she pulled out a blanket out of her pouch and gingerly wrapped the egg around it.

"Yeah!" Kessy chirped. "I may be no expert, but eggs don't change color or get cold that quickly."

"Now, Now…" Owl spoke. "Let's not get upset. These nice guests were planning to have their master help find the mother."

"Oh really." Rabbit glared hard at the guests. "Owl, you can be too trusting! How do we know these thugs aren't here to steal the egg and make an omelette out of it?"

"Hey," Whirlwind snapped. "If we did that, the Dark Dream King would get mad that we ate the future dragon heir and destroyed the chance at having its magic!"

"Quiet, you ninny!" Hurricane shouted at his companion. "It's your fault we're in this mess in the first place!"

"Well, I was the one who actually got it away from the mother!" Whirlwind smacked his eagle talons to his mouth. "OOPS!"

In that moment, everyone grew silent. Pooh's heart had practically stopped beating. The vision of the glaring red eyes popped in his head. Piglet trembling, immediately understanding the danger that surrounded the egg. Tigger puffed out his chest, readying his fists in what is about to come. Kanga found herself wrapping the egg tighter in her blanket. Roo, Lumpy and Kessy glared at the two egg thieves.

Poor Owl looked around, feeling a complete loss at words. "Um...Perhaps we should all start to-"

"Save it, feather brain!" Hurricane headbutted Owl causing him to collide with the bookshelves. "Give us the egg. Now! Hurricane's mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth and two large fangs that appeared out of nowhere! He lunged toward Kanga with fury burning in his eyes.

Kanga clung the egg tightly to her chest. Roo and Tigger leaped in front of the large, black monster and grabbed his mighty horns. Hurricane bucked and tossed his head furiously like a wild bull at a rodeo.

"Yee-haw!" Roo cried.

"Ride'em cowboy!" Tigger yelled.

Whirlwind tried to go after the egg as well, but was soon stopped by Lumpy. The heffalump's trunk wrapped around his raptor legs. "Why you little-" He growled. He began to claw and bite Lumpy. Try as he might, Lumpy refused to let go. Before he could try to attack Lumpy's eyes, Kessy pecked at his head and pulled his long ears. He cried out in pain. Rabbit joined her by grabbing a large pillow and hitting him with it.

Pooh watched for a moment before he ducked under the table along with Eeyore, Piglet and Kanga. Despite being a bear of very little brain, he knew that the egg was in trouble and the only way to save it was to get it away. He looked at Kanga. "Kanga, give me the egg."

Kanga and Piglet looked at him in surprise. "Pooh," Piglet said. "That's d-d-dangerous!" He flinched as a stool went flying past the area where he had been standing not too long ago. "W-we have to get r-rid of it."

"Not that anyone cares, but I agree with Piglet." Eeyore said. On his left, Owl joined him and held two books to his chest. "If that's what they want, we should just give it to them."

"But they're thieves," Kanga pointed out. "No mother should be separated from her child." She turned and handed the thickly bound egg. "Go ahead, Pooh. Roo needs me."

Pooh grabbed the egg and nodded. He lowered himself slightly to the floor and began crawling to the nearby door. Crash! Thump! Rattle! Noises of broken plates and china erupted in Pooh's ears. He didn't like the fact that his friends were fighting, but he knew it couldn't be helped. These awful strangers were after his new found friend. Whatever they wanted from the egg, he didn't know but it may not be good. Once he was only a foot closer to the doorway he jumped and tried to run straight for the ladder.

Hurricane saw this and tossed Roo and Tigger off his back with one firm shake. Tigger was flung to a small table, smashing it into splinters while Roo tossed into Kanga's arms. The monster ran toward Pooh and grasped him by his red shirt. He glared hard at Pooh. "Give me the egg and I won't rip you apart."

"No!" Pooh yelled. "You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you!" He suddenly noticed claws digging into the tightened his grip as best as he could despite how each shake of Hurricane's strength would make him feel as if his arms were about to pop off his shoulders.

"That's because you don't know what it is like to survive and eat what you can get." Hurricane once again bared his fangs. He flew higher above Owl's house. "I need to please my king to stay alive. I just have to get rid of you then." He narrowed his eyes. "Farewell, little bear." Hurricane arched his neck, about to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, a large shape appeared, ramming into them. Pooh soon found himself and the egg falling for what felt like forever until he felt something firm clasp his shoulders. He looked up and saw a large bird. It was red perhaps redder than any of the leaves or apples that Pooh had ever seen. Plumbs of golden feathers with purple flecks graced its tail and head. Emerald eyes looked down at him. Pooh stared in wonder upon seeing this marvelous bird, then immediately turned his attention back to the egg.

It wasn't anywhere on the ground. Instead, it was held in the eagle talons of another creature. Unlike Whirlwind, it had a bird head and a slender lion body. "The egg is secure, General Rubella."

"YEEEEOOOUUUUCHHH!" Cried a voice. Pooh turned his gaze to Owl's house. Lumpy was cradling his trunk but it wasn't him who made that noise. A loud crash rang throughout the house. Whirlwind soon rushed out of a window with Kessy and a hawk trailing behind him. Further up in the sky, Hurricane was fighting a horse with large bird wings. The two butted heads and sometimes kicked hard. "Surrender Hurricane!" The horse creature demanded.

"Never! The nightmares and chimeras shall rise again!" Hurricane shouted. He glanced to Pooh, then a large shadow cast over them. The creature briefly looked up before he opened his mouth and black smoke started to flow out like drapes of a curtain. It rose higher and higher, causing everyone to cough and close their eyes.

Woosh! Wind rang in Pooh's ears. He opened his eyes to find that Hurricane and Whirlwind were gone. Vanished into thin air. Pooh felt his heart racing. Where did they go? He remembered stories that when monsters vanished, it can mean trouble can come again. Grass tickled his feet as he was lowered to the ground. A soft thump caught his attention. He looked up to find himself face to face with a very big, very stern dragon.

"Carnshh-arnate Pooh bear!" Whistled a familiar voice. A small shape popped out from between two pairs of horns. "These fellers here started to show up outta nowhere, buggn' me all mornin' to find this egg of thiers and now I found y'all tusselin' around like a bunch of crows!" As the dragon of emerald scales lowered himself, the dark shape slid down his neck. It was none other than Pooh's friend, Gopher. "So, what was I missin'?"