It was a late night, and all the guards were sleeping. Cora had been planning the escape for years. She had managed to get the key for the prison and she knew some underground tunnels. She had been trying to escape for years, each time nearly getting caught. Since Geegaw had been captured though, she had just been planning. Now she was ready. She had secured some food and rope, as well as a bag and some water skins. Tonight was a moonless night, and she had waited for a blessing from her ancestors, or at least a sign. Tonight, she saw the sign. The picture of her cousins had lit up as though on fire. She stared at the picture intently until it transformed from a picture of two toddler chipmunks, to a picture of one adventurer chipmunk with a black nose, and a red nosed chipmunk wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with yellow flowers.
"Chipperson and Dalton! They're still alive!"
Cora snuck down to the dungeons and found Geegaw, much to her surprise, awake and waiting at his cell door for her. Geegaw smirked. "Some chipmunk told me you'd show up."
"What? But there aren't many chipmunks in the city save for the royal family!"
"Heh, I know, but that's not the strangest bit."
"What's the strangest bit?"
"He said that I'd be meeting your cousins, seeing my daughter, and to tell you that your parents say hi."
"What?"
"The fellow was a strange chipmunk wearing the royal prince necklace around him but also wearing an explorer's hat, coat, and bag. I think he said his name was Dallas? He had a black nose and spoke sorta high pitched too."
"Uncle Dallas? But he's dead!"
"So I heard. That would also explain why he faded just before you arrived."
Cora shook her head. "We need to get out of here." She inserted the key and unlocked the door carefully. The two of them then snuck out as quiet as they could to the nearest tree. From there the two of them ran across the treetops in the silence of the night. It was the first time that Cora had ever left her home, but she silently vowed that she'd return and reclaim her kingdom. You don't mess with an Acorno and expect to get away with it.
Okay, so I got Geegaw and Cora out of there, but dead chipmunks bringing messages? Oh boy. What next?