The moment the eagle-headed animal landed, Pooh rushed over to have a look at the egg's condition. He soon crashed into a veil of white bird feathers. The white horse that had stopped Hurricane earlier stared at him with hard, silver eyes. "Please!" Pooh nearly shouted, his eyes were on the verge of tears. "Let me see the egg! I want to know if Honey Maple is all right!"

"Honey Maple?" Rabbit, Owl and Tigger asked in unison. Everyone, except for Gopher who was on the ground still confused by the whole situation, gathered at the front of Owl's door. Kessy returned not too long ago with the hawk that helped drive Whirlwind out of Owl's home. Kanga was tending to Lumpy's trunk, the bandages woven tightly to give the young heffalump comfort. Owl and Tigger were already covered head to toe in bandages as well as groaning from the pain of being tossed around inside the house.

"Let him see the child, Frost." The dark green dragon glanced down at the winged horse. His wings had swirls of turquoise mixed with the emerald color. Underneath, the turquoise spreads from the neck to the end of his tail. His yellow eyes appeared frightening but his gaze showed observation and respect for the little bear. A creature of little brain, but with a heart larger than most creatures would carry in their lifetime, the dragon thought. Perhaps the king might like to meet him.

On command, Frost reluctantly withdrew his winds and backed away. He watched as Pooh ran toward the eagle-headed creature, which Owl had confirmed as a griffin. He didn't understand why a small creature like this bear would become so fond of the little dragon that was cradled inside the egg in the short amount of time.

Pooh pulled away the blanket. He let out a sigh of relief, wiping his eyes when after a few tears ran down his cheeks. The egg had returned to its former color. The shell warm to the touch. "It's okay, Honey Maple," Pooh spoke, his voice soft as Kanga's blanket. "I'm right here." He stroked the egg gently, almost feeling the baby dragon's head against his paw. He then turned to face the large dragon before him. Despite his discomfort of seeing the large creature, his curiosity of these strangers grew stronger. "Um…Excuse me, Mr.….Uh…"

"Oh." The large dragon bowed to him, his wings spread out in a graceful manner. "Apologizes. I guess introductions are in order since you've taken such good care of the Dragon King's child. He straightened himself, his wings tucked neatly behind him. "My name is Echowing. I'm the head general of the armed forces of Rainbow Forest, our kingdom. I'm the Dragon King's most trusted advisor." With a claw, he pointed to each of his companions starting with the griffin. "The griffin holding the egg is Gypsy." Then the hawk. "Tobias is my scout." The red bird. "Rubella is another trusted general and a talent for magic in the firebird guild." Finally, he pointed at the Pegasus. "You've already met General Frost."

"Hi," Gypsy chirped. Her yellow beak turned upward with a smile.

"Greetings," Tobias bowed to Kessy. "Sorry if I didn't introduce myself. Especially to a magnificent blue bird like you." He smiled as Kessy blushed slightly.

"Hello." Frost spoke, his voice flat with emotion. "Can we move this along? We best hurry back. Do any of you recall the state the queen is in? This is no time to be chatting with these small creatures."

"Frost!" Gypsy and Tobias snapped.

"Forgive him," Rubella said, perching on Echowing's horns. "His normally not like this."

"He's a close friend to the queen," Echowing explained. He frowned deeply. "She's extremely sick which was why she wasn't able to protect her egg. The chimeras, the ones called Hurricane and Whirlwind, stole it somehow without anyone noticing. Frost has a hard time with it."

General Frost looked away. Pooh turned his head to him and felt sorry for the winged horse. He knew what it was like to see your friend in a terrible state and you don't know what to do. "Um…If you're worried about your queen, I can introduce you to my friends quickly." He pointed to each of his friends with his paw. "This is Piglet. That's Owl, Eeyore, Rabbit, Tigger, Kessy, Kanga, Roo and Gopher."

"Hi," Everyone said in unision.

"Would sssshomeone tell me what all thissshh hullabaloo haf'ta do with the egg," Gopher whistled.

"Perhaps we can discuss this at our king's banquet and show you our kingdom." Echowing smiled gently at them as if they had already become lifelong friends. With a claw, he fiddled with the scales on his neck until he touched a soft, leathery pouch. There was a soft "chink" as he moved the pouch around.

Frost gaped at his friend in shock. His were wide with shock. "You can't be serious, Echo! The queen is sick! She can't waste her time with guests in her condition!" He stood still, head held high while listening to the protests of the others.

"They have the right to know, Frost. If it weren't for them, the egg would've been used as a magic tool for the Dark Dream King." He lowered himself to the ground and opened the pouch. Delicately, Echowing pulled out a large diamond. The stone was white, but thousands of colors sparkled when a beam of sunlight touched its surface. Before long, it was dropped into the paws of a very curious bear. "In our kingdom, gemstones symbolize who we are inside and, when given by royal authority, have also been known to be a form of invitation."

"We do the invitations with daisies and yellow roses," Gypsy added. While cradling the egg, the griffin reached into a green satchel and took to the air. She began tossing flowers to everyone below. Yellow and white petals dancing in the wind.

Pooh's friends looked up in awe. They reached out, Tigger and Owl having the most difficulty lifting their arms, each one catching a flower in the process. Their eyes grew wider as Echowing handed each of them a gemstone. Each stone glittering with a unique light in the sun's rays. "Wooowza!"Roo yelled, jumping with joy. "We get to go to a party!"

"I wonder if they have some gardening techniques I can try." Rabbit thought to himself out loud.

"Excuse me sir," Lumpy said. He flinched slightly as his trunk ached from cradling his treasures. "Is it alright if I ask my mum if I could come?" He placed his daisy and emerald down to keep his trunk from hurting. "These are lovely invitations, but I don't want her to worry."

Echowing nodded in approval of the heffalump's modesty. "That can be understandable." He returned his pouch back into his scales. "How about this." Spreading his wings wide as he could so as to avoid knocking down Owl's house, said. "Let's meet back here once you've packed your things that you wish to take with you." Once he flew into the air, Tobias and Frost followed.

Pooh looked up to see Gypsy fly away with the egg. He couldn't help but wanting to have the egg back in his arms again and feel the warmth of the shell all over his body. For some odd reason, it reminded him so much of his friend, Christopher Robin. It was a hard to believe that the fire creature that he had seen earlier would actually hatch out of that egg. Would be the same color as the egg it hatched from? Would it be yellow? Would Honey Maple fly?

"Hey," Gypsy spoke, breaking his train of thoughts. "Don't worry. You'll see the egg again soon enough." The griffin smiled at him. Her green eyes glowed with excitement. "I'm curious though," she said, tilting her head to the left. "What made you give the hatchling name Honey Maple?"

Pooh cast his gaze on the ground. He began to remember when Christopher Robin had said that the parents would normally give the names to their children when they were born. They weren't named by others unless they were orphaned or given permission by the parents. The egg had a mother and father, he knew that now and he named it without their permission. "W-well", He stammered. "I…the egg's color reminded me of a large Maple leaf that flew into my face this morning and…um…" He felt his cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. He wasn't sure if the Dragon King and Queen would be offended by this reason. "When it was in the river, I…accidently thought it was a honey pot someone lost." He heard Gypsy chuckle, but not in a mean way.

"I'm sorry." The griffin apologized. "It's just that it was one of the names our queen was thinking of if the hatchling was a girl. Maple was one of them." She looked down at the egg. "She thought that having a friendly sounding name might make their child become a very loving ruler instead of a scary one."

"Gypsy! Let's go!" Rubella called out in a surprising sing song voice. Her red wings glittered as the sun's rays touched them. "We need Ester to take a look at the egg."

"Okay." Gypsy responded. She looked at Pooh and wrapped a wing around him. "Don't worry. You can hold the egg when we get back to the kingdom. There's no doubt in my mind that the king's going to love you." She soon took flight and followed her friends back to their intended destination.

Pooh pulled out a few items and placed them on the bed. A fuzzy green blanket, a compass and his scarf that once cradled the egg. He began walking over to a nearby window and found himself admiring the view. The sky was beginning to turn red and orange as the sun sank into the horizon. The trees and grass turning into a pool of gold beneath the sun. He sighed as it reminded him of his vision the baby dragon that surrounded him with those colorful lights.

Questions began swirling in his head. What would the dragon look like? Will he or she like the name? His friends? But most of all, would the baby like him? Maybe even remember of their brief time in the strange dark space that they were in.

He then turn his gaze away from the window and his eyes rested on a wicker picnic basket that Madilyn gave him as a farewell present. His stung with tears. It was hard to believe that she and Christopher Robin had left the Hundred Acer Wood for a long time.

Christopher Robin was an old man who had a long and happy life with his family and friends. He and Pooh spent time together whenever it was possible. Then, one day, Madilyn came to Pooh's house and asked him to come to their house. Once he arrived, Pooh saw Christopher Robin lying in bed. Christopher Robin's once brown hair now white as snow and extremely short. The wrinkled skin didn't ruin his bright smile. Pooh was soon placed on the bed, where his soft brown eyes glowed with the joy of seeing his friend. Christopher Robin placed a hand on Pooh's head. "Hello Pooh," He said in a slightly gravelly voice. "Was it raining when you came here?"

Pooh shook his head. "No, Christopher Robin." He answered. "Just another sunny day. As it had always been." His smile dimmed as his paw touched Christopher Robin's hand. It was icy cold which was strange since his longtime friend was covered in so many blankets. "Pooh…" He looked back at Christopher Robin.

"Remember when my grandmother passed away and my mother had to explain about how a soul moves on?" Christopher Robin shifted slightly but remained where he was on the bed. He sighed. "It's my time now, Pooh. I'm leaving soon."

"Leaving?!" Pooh gasped. "But Christopher Robin…We just arrived." Pooh looked behind him and saw Piglet, Rabbit and Kessy on his right while Tigger, Roo and Lumby on his left. Owl Kanga and Gopher were at the edge of the bed. Eeyore was held up by Madilyn since he had difficulty climbing the bed to have a look.

"Thank you all for coming. At least I can say goodbye to all of you one last time. With what strength he had left, Christopher Robin had his arms around Pooh's shoulders and brought him closer to his chest. "I know all of you are saddened by this news. We have always been together as long as I can remember. We played Pooh sticks, ran through the leaves and sled through the snow. I included you all when I had Madilyn and her grandchildren, Lucy and Elijah. I want you to know that there was nothing I regret and nothing that I want to take back." He took a slow, deep breath before continuing. "I want you to know that I love you all with my heart and soul. I'll always be among you. In the wind, the moon, the stars and the sun." He smiled and hugged Pooh. "Promise me… that no matter where you go, remember the times we've had together. Remember that you're braver than you believe, stronger than you realize and smarter than you think. If you hold on to them, then I won't be too far." He sighed. "Maybe I'll see you all again…somewhere…some…day…goodbye…everyone…goodbye…Pooh." Christopher Robin closed his eyes and breathed out one last time.

Pooh glanced up. "Christopher Robin?" He slowly sat up only to realize that Christopher Robin's arms slid from his back, limp at his sides. "Christopher?" He spoke again. Only silence filled his ears. He patted Christopher Robin's face. "Christopher Robin?" He began to shake his friend's shoulders. "Christopher! Christopher Robin! Please! Come back! Please!" Pooh called out, his voice wailing out each time.

Before long, the room was filled with tears. Tigger and Rabbit tried to grab Pooh, but they had little strength to pull him away and braced each other instead. Kanga held Roo in her arms. Eeyore glanced down, large tears rolling down his face before Madilyn placed him down. Kessy and Owl looked away with a pained look. Gopher slid off the bed, sniffling as his eyes went bright. Piglet hugged his friend as the two were scooped up in Madilyn's arms. Pooh flailed his arms, begging to be let go. It wasn't until Madilyn explained that Christopher Robin had gone to a better place that he stopped waving his limbs and cried into her arms.

A few months later, Madilyn's husband was asked to go to work on a big job in New York. It also meant that they would be very far away from the Hundred Acer Wood. Pooh and the others were very heartbroken by this news. Pooh took the worst of it since he would never see Lucy or Elijah again and they were the only people that reminded him of Christopher Robin. He was the only one that was able to have a chance to talk to Madilyn as she was finishing pacing up her things since everyone else was getting ready for a farewell party. They were always the worst sort of parties that Pooh always felt sad in. "Must you go," Pooh asked as Madilyn placed a trunk into a semi-moving truck.

Madilyn let out a sad sigh. "Oh Pooh," she spoke. "We need money in order to keep our family going. All the money we had was placed in father's funeral and repairing the damage to his house after that storm a few days ago." She rubbed her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. She knelt down in front of Pooh. "Father wanted to be sure we had enough to keep our tummies as full as yours." She poked his tummy which earned her a giggle from the bear. "This house will have another family in here, I promise. My father knew it was too big for us to live with just the four of us since mother left."

"Maybe all of us can move in." Pooh offered. "That way we would always be together and we can go down to London to work." He frowned as her lips formed a sad smile and shook her head. His heart plummeted down to his tummy. He didn't want them to leave. He didn't want to say goodbye.

"No, you and your friends belong in the Hundred Acer Wood. I need to help my husband and children get through this." She hugged him. "I know it hurts to say goodbye, but remember that you're not alone. You have a heart of gold and anyone can depend on you when they need to. I know that you'll make some new friends along the way." Suddenly, Madilyn thought of something. "Wait here." She ended her embrace with Pooh and walked into the house. She soon returned with an old picnic basket with white and blue cloth, a dark green backpack and a large, blue leather bound book. "This is a scrapbook from Lucy and Elijah. They wanted you to have it." She handed him the book. "My husband and I thought you might need these for you expeditions. Maybe a picnic or two." She laughed slightly as she placed the basket down.

Pooh smiled back. "Thank you, Madilyn. I'll treasure them always. But, can you promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"If you're not too busy with your adventures in New York, can you write some letters for me and the others? So, that way you'll always be with us a little while longer." He felt his eyes hurting, but he knew he couldn't cry now. He needed to be brave for Madilyn and her family.

Madilyn's eyes fogged with tears. "Of course, Pooh." She answered. "I'll get Lucy and Elijah to do the same." She knelt back down again and hugged him with all her might. It wasn't long until before the two of them cried. The next day, Madilyn left with her family.

Pooh sighed. He soon realized that he was crying for a long time because his cheeks were beginning to feel wet. He rubbed a paw across his face to remove his tears. He glanced down at the scrap book he was holding. "Perhaps, I'll take this book in case anyone feels homesick," he said to himself. He placed it inside the backpack. He turn to gaze at the window. The sun had nearly vanished over the horizon, leaving the sky in a deep shade of purple. It's time to go, he thought.

He went over the items he had stashed in his basket and backpack. The blankets, his nightshirt and cap, the compass that Christopher Robin gave him, the scrapbook and honey pots. "Well, the only thing to do would be to find a gift for the Queen," He said. "It would be rude of me not to give her one." He looked around his house and then notice some pillows on his cushion chair. He suddenly remembered that he and Lucy made them during a rainy day. They made so many they didn't know what to do with them until Pooh decide to bring them to his house. He walked over and chose two pillows. A blue one shaped like a heart and the other pink and red shaped like a flower. He rifled through his backpack to find a spot for the pillows in order to avoid having honey being spilt on them. Once he found what he was looking for, he slid them inside. "I hope the Queen likes them." He slung his backpack over his shoulder, cradled the basket in one arm and opened the door. He took a deep breath as he was about to walk to his greatest adventure of his life.