The Land of the Pines (Loodor Tales)

CHAPTER ONE

THE PINE FAMILY

Mrs. Pine watched as her family held hands and swayed back and forth. She could hear the younger trees whispering to each other.

Do you see it? Look at those long legs.

The stripes make it look like a tiger, and those blue eyes . . . they’re the color of the sky.

What should we call it?

Mrs. Pine laughed to herself. She loved the saplings’ energy. She’d watched many trees grow up to become steady, strong members of the Pine family. Mrs. Pine took great pride in being their mother. She stood as the tallest and oldest tree in the family, as well as on the mountain. Her husband, Mr. Pine, was exactly three minutes younger and three inches shorter than she. He’d stood next to her from day one, albeit shorter. She often liked to remind him of that.

As she heard her family debate different names for the newborn in the valley below, Mrs. Pine wrote its birth announcement for The Buzzy Bark, the official news source on the farm. The Pine family loved sharing the news on the farm each week, so they created The Buzzy Bark. Mrs. Pine made sure that her reporters always published the truth. The farm animals appreciated and trusted her honesty. She shared stories and events as soon as they happened on the farm, and she felt it was her duty to remain fair on all things.

Let it be known that today is a special day, with the flowers in bloom, the butterflies aflutter, and the robins singing their celebratory tune. Today, a beautiful kitten was born in the Jam Barn of Black Mountain Farm, Mrs. Pine read aloud. She wanted to hear how her words sounded in case she needed to edit them.

Wait, said Mr. Pine. We need to give this cat a proper name. It is more than just ‘a beautiful kitten.’ We have the chance to set it on the right path. We need to give it an identity.

Mrs. Pine agreed that the cat needed an actual name. She thought about it. She wanted to give the kitten a name that fit. The name Grey seemed powerful. The kitten’s gray fur, with its black- and sand-colored stripes, was spectacular. It would likely become known for these special stripes and markings. Mrs. Pine could play off the kitten’s bright white feet, but the name Socks just didn’t seem to fit this cat.

We’ll call the kitten Grey, Mrs. Pine declared. It’s a strong name that will open any door. This name will guarantee that other animals will take this cat seriously. The other trees swayed in agreement. Now, that covers the name. We can’t confirm anything else. One’s identity is defined by their character.

Mrs. Pine shared the official news about Grey with the Beehive News Distribution Team. She gave the bees clear instructions: Spread the story to the farm community as quickly as possible. Mrs. Pine knew the news about the vulnerable kitten would move all over the mountain. She needed the strongest blue jay to protect Grey.

Mrs. Pine called Laura, Special Reporter for The Buzzy Bark. She said, Make sure Miss Jay the Bird is the first one to know about Grey. Tell her that she will need to step up as Grey’s guardian. We believe that this is a special cat, but it will need help finding its voice. Knowing Miss Jay, it’s bound to become a singing voice. That’s all we can share at this time.

That really was all I could share, Mrs. Pine thought to herself once Laura had left. She had to keep Grey’s destiny close to the vest for now. Timing was everything.

Mrs. Pine watched Laura and the other bees take off. Rain or shine, the bees never missed a delivery. They made sure to prioritize important stories. With the directives in place by the pines and powers that be, the farm was abuzz with the breaking news about a new, special kitten.

One’s identity is defined by their character.

CHAPTER TWO

EASY ON THE GROWL

Grey knew she and her siblings were born minutes apart in the same barn. They had the same mom. There was no way around the fact that they were related. She just wasn’t sure how that was possible. Bob, her brother, was all boy. He was born without a tail, but what he lacked in a tail he made up for with a fiery temperament. It was like their mom knew that a tail would just weigh him down. Bob was fearless, but he played rough: way too rough for Grey. They had a sister named Shi. Shi only talked to Bob, never to Grey. Bob always acted so different around Shi. He was calm and protective. Grey couldn’t understand why he always shielded Shi, and Grey never knew why the three of them could never play together. Two was company, and three was a crowd.

The bond between her siblings didn’t bother Grey because she had made a friend. Her new friend took care of her. Bob and Shi thought her friend was funny. Or weird. Maybe they thought the friendship itself was weird. Grey didn’t really know what she had done to deserve this new friend, but she knew that life sure was better when you had someone to talk to.

Their mom returned to the woods a few weeks after they were born. She’d explained that some animals just weren’t meant to live in barns, and she was one of them. Within a few days, Bob and Shi announced that they planned to join her someday. They started acting strange. They would stand on ledges in the barn and growl with rough, deep voices. Grey didn’t get it, but she had a feeling it meant they were leaving soon. Maybe they were trying to send their mom a message.

Grey wondered if Bob and Shi would judge her if she didn’t follow them to the woods. She had started to feel a strange, new desire. Grey didn’t want them to judge her; she wanted them to like her. Even if they did judge her, though, Grey knew she wanted to stay here. It almost felt like she had to stay here . . . wherever here was.

CHAPTER THREE

BLACK MOUNTAIN FARM

Mr. Joe and Miss B owned Black Mountain Farm, or BMF. BMF was made of two parts: the farm and the mountain. Both sections offered totally different experiences. In contrast to the clean and organized farm below, the elevated mountain was covered in wild shrubs and fields of flowers that miraculously grew in the red ore dirt. Many believed the bright soil had special powers because of all that grew there. Mr. Joe and Miss B created walking trails on and around the mountain. They worked hard to maintain the trails so they could enjoy the wildlife of the area.

Mr. Joe had personally mapped out each walking trail. He had thought about the direction of the sun and where it would shine throughout the day. Mr. Joe’s long hikes in the morning always began in the east. He greeted the pine trees with a nod of gratitude for their many years of service. Some days, he was almost sure that he could hear them respond.

Mr. Joe then made his way to the lake. As a gift to Miss B, he had placed park benches by the water so they could have picnics on pretty days. Those little moments were very important to Miss B, and she was always touched when Mr. Joe made the extra effort. On his solo walks, Mr. Joe enjoyed sitting on a bench and feeding the fish in the lake. They always jumped out of the water and splashed around to welcome him.

The west side of the mountain provided an entirely different view. On some days, Mr. Joe could hike to the highest elevation on the mountain. He enjoyed a view of untouched trees that extended for miles and miles. This was the perfect spot for watching sunsets, which he loved to do with Miss B. They watched in awe as the sky shifted from shades of electric pink to orange.

At the bottom of the mountain, the husband and wife worked together as a team. They each completed different tasks on the farm. They lived in a white 1850s farmhouse that they had worked hard to update. Their favorite addition was a screened-in porch that wrapped around the house. This porch was the perfect spot to sit under the fans, drink iced tea, and watch the birds.

Over the years, Miss B had transformed BMF into a farm-to-table tourist attraction. Guests from the city could rent one of the BMF log cabins on their weekend trips or take a cooking class with Miss B. Miss B also took care of the farm’s fruit orchards, from which she made delicious jams. Everyone wanted Miss B’s treasured jams when she sold them each spring.

Mr. Joe kept a watchful eye on his prized vegetable gardens, where he grew tomatoes, peppers, and squash. He also maintained the farm’s beautiful landscape. Mr. Joe was an early riser; he was always up with the chickens. He could be found working on odd jobs after the sun went down. Mr. Joe worked harder than anyone he knew, and he was very proud of his attention to detail. At dinnertime, Miss B would often walk out onto the porch and yell, Get it while it’s hot! with a smile, knowing that Mr. Joe would be late to the table again. Both Mr. Joe and Miss B found great joy in a long day’s work.

Have you seen the new gray kitten in the Jam Barn? an excited Miss B asked over dinner. It’s precious. It let me pick it right up. It just laid there in my arms, purring. It has the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen.

Mr. Joe knew where this was going, and he would have none of it. Don’t think for one second that you’re bringing that cat into this house, he barked. "These farm cats are meant to live into the barn and help with the mice. That’s their only role: they’re working cats. This one might be as cute as can be, but it’s still staying in the barn. It’ll just be happy to have a safe spot to sleep. After all, there’s a natural order to things. It’s important that everyone has a place. To be clear, that cat’s