Nearly invisible amidst the dense green foliage of the bushes, a lone stallion stood stiffly
with dark eyes glaring,
watching the intruders in his domain. His family legacy had been plundered because of the
infringement of these ponies-- oh, maybe not
these particular individuals, but more of their kind, probably from the town. He silently watched
as they passed his concealed position;
then he melted into the underbrush with the stealth and furtiveness of a panther.
Chapter One
Anyone watching the aqua blue stallion coming down the forest path might have
mistaken him for the Pied Piper as he
was followed by a group of no less than six rambunctious young ponies of various ages. They all
seemed to be having a grand time by
the amount of laughter that echoed off the tall, stately trunks of the assorted maples, elms, cedar,
and oak trees that decorated this
region.
"Uncle Hood, are you sure that sprites live in these woods?" spoke up a petite
rose-colored foal, her head turned up to
catch the eye of her adult companion, causing her magenta mane to drag in the path.
"Well, Blush, I've never actually seen a sprite around here," admitted Hood, "but I've
found signs of the little creatures
often enough."
"What signs?" asked a little orange colt disbelievingly. Although there was no outward
appearance to attest to the fact,
he was Blush's twin brother.
Hood stopped, and surveyed the trees along the path before replying. Seeming to find
his answer in their leafy canopy,
he spoke. "Their caps, Crush. Their own midget caps."
Crush kicked at the blanket of twigs and leaves on the path and scowled. Uncle Hood
had gotten the best of him more
than once; he wanted to make sure there were no obvious loopholes now.
Laser, the oldest colt in the group surrounding Hood, grinned knowingly, remembering
the day his uncle had baited him
with this same piece of information. He kept his mouth shut, however. Let Uncle Hood weave
his spell of magic for Blush and Crush and
the others.
"Could you find one today, Uncle Hood?" pleaded Blush as she bounced excitedly.
"Please?"
Seeing his big sister so enthusiastic, Puzzle-- a mint green toddler following close on
Hood's heels-- began begging,
too. "Sprite cap! Sprite cap!"
Lacewing, Laser's tomboy younger sister, demanded attention. "There are no such
things as sprites." She frowned at
her uncle. "You are just teasing."
At this news, Crush found verification of his doubts. "I knew it!" he cried. "You're
making this all up!"
Smiling mysteriously, Hood quietly asked, "Would you believe me if I found one? A
cap, I mean," he clarified.
"I believe you already," firmly stated Dewdrop, the only foal in the group not related by
bloodlines. She was a delicate
cream-colored beauty with a cascade of curly sky-blue mane. She gazed trustingly at Hood.
"Thank you, Dewdrop," Hood said formally. "You come up to the head of the
group."
Turning to the rest, he directed, "Follow us. But watch your step. You don't want to
squash a sprite!" To Dewdrop, he
confided, "Think sprite-ish thoughts. That will help us to find a cap."
The now silent group moved cautiously down the path. Each of the young ponies
peered intently at the ground, while
Hood seemed more engrossed in the leaves overhead. After several minutes, he muttered under
his breath, "Finally! An oak tree."
Leading the still-entranced ponies past the trunk of the oak, but remaining under the spreading
branches, Hood suddenly stopped and
raised a hoof. Without a word being spoken, every motion ceased, and all eyes were on
Hood.
"What is it, Uncle Hood?" Blush asked cautiously.
Hood's hoof went to his lips as he whispered, "Be quiet. I sense that a sprite has been
close by."
Even Crush was drawn into the suspense; and Puzzle, young as he was, sensed the
wonder in the air.
Slowly, Hood knelt in the decaying oak leaves scattered about and held out his hoof
over them, moving it back and forth,
as if honing in on some invisible signal. When all seemed right, he lowered his hoof and moved
several oak leaves aside. Then,
reverently, he picked-up a small, brown cap from the rich dark soil. Holding the cap in his hoof,
he cast his glance on each pony
one-by-one. Then, in a deep and sonorous voice, he said, "This, children, is the cap of a
sprite."
Laser felt his skin crawl just like the first time he'd heard his uncle intone those words.
He shook himself to shed the
eerie feeling.
Lacewing stepped forward, breaking the spell. "Are you sure about this, Uncle Hood?"
she asked suspiciously. "I've
seen..."
But before Lacewing could finish, Laser clamped his hoof over her mouth, and wagged
his head to keep her silent.
Puzzle, meanwhile, stood in open-mouthed amazement.
"Can I touch it?" Blush asked.
"Yes, but gently," instructed Hood.
The foal bent close to the cap, and touched it quickly, then jumped back. "It feels wet,"
she worried.
"Of course it's wet on the forest floor," chided Crush. "No sunshine ever gets down
there."
Dewdrop approached the diminutive cap and gazed on it quietly before asking
permission to hold it. Hood placed it on
her extended hoof where she cradled it tentatively.
Blush had been thinking things through, and asked curiously, "Why did the sprite
leave his hat here, anyway?"
"Yeah," Crush added. "He'll be in big trouble with his mom for losing it!" This
statement was made with the assurance
of a colt who had been there, done that.
Solemnly, Hood enlightened his captive audience. "The sprites sleep under the leaves at
night; oak leaves are their
favorite blankets."
"Blankie," cooed Puzzle, who still shared a special attachment to a silky soft blue
blanket that had comforted him since
birth.
Hood smiled at his nephew. "Yes, Puzzle, these leaves mean as much to the sprites
as your blue blanket does to
you."
"So where are the sprites now?" queried Dewdrop.
"That's the sad part," declared Hood. "When they are asleep under the leaves, and
ponies come along the path, the
sprites run to escape being trampled, and lose their caps in the process."
"Oh, that's horrible!" sniffed Dewdrop.
"Poor sprites!" agreed Blush.
"How come I've never seen one?" demanded Crush.
"You're too noisy," said Blush. "They'd here you from miles away."
"Good point," smiled Hood. "Now, remember that your parents asked each of you to
stop going into the forest
alone?"
"That really stinks!" complained Crush, who loved to play pretend games in the cool
confines of the shaded and magical
forest. He had spent many a happy hour fighting dragons, finding unknown species of animals,
and stalking villainous bad guys in this
haven.
Hood patted the upset colt on his head. "The reason for that is to protect the sprites,"
Hood explained. "If you stay off
the paths, the sprites will get their rest and feel better. As it is, they are getting cranky from lack
of sleep."
Crush scoffed. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" But Puzzle yawned deeply,
which gave Hood the chance to
direct his troupe homeward.
Everyone was pensive as they continued on their way. Soon they left the forest behind
for a meadow with only a
scattering of new growth trees interrupting the expanse of grass and wildflowers. Queen Anne's
Lace, Chicory, Spotted Knapweed, and
Black-eyed Susan created a vibrant palette of color and a pleasing fragrance.
Beyond the meadow sat the village of Woodland where the ponies had their homes. As
they neared the first house, the
tired and hungry youngsters revved-up their trot. It would soon be lunchtime and Crush goaded
his playmates to top speed. "Last one
home's a rotten egg!" Puzzle squealed in dismay as the older foals ran on ahead, while his little
hooves raced frantically to keep
pace.
Laser, on the other hoof, held back to keep stride with his uncle. When the others had
gained enough distance ahead
so as not to overhear his conversation, Laser spoke. "The sprite cap story was as good as ever,
Uncle Hood."
"And thanks to you shushing Lacewing, the littlest ones don't need to know for several
years yet that those brown caps
are nothing but the tops of the acorn seeds off the oak tree."
"But why did you add that part about us pestering the sprites so much that we have to
stay out of the forest?" pondered
Laser.
Hood didn't answer immediately. He sized up his nephew besides him and considered
what amount of the truth to
share with this serious-minded colt. When Hood finally responded, his words were spoken more
seriously than Laser had ever heard him
speak before. "There is a danger lurking in the forest, Laser, a danger that we don't yet
understand. And until we do, the forest is
off-limits to you and your friends. Do you understand?"
Laser looked up at his uncle with wide, round eyes. He intuitively knew this was a
grave moment and that Uncle Hood
was counting on him. "Yes, Uncle Hood. I understand."