Sylvanas

I was just finishing up my tea when one of the angel fuzzies brought me a message from The Boss. It was very early in the morning, but I had already been up for awhile. It seems I was greeting a very special girl named Sylvanas this morning. How I wish that there was a morning I did not have to meet a fuzzy at the Bridge, but there is a world of fuzzies down where the Hoomins live, and The Boss doesn't make mistakes.

I took my last sip of luke-warm tea and headed down to the Bridge. It was getting a bit cooler and the leaves were changing color and falling. It was not too cold, however - just cool enough for the fuzzies to be comfortable.

I was almost to the Bridge when I spotted Sylvanas. She was a sweet looking little sable girl who had the brightest eyes I had seen in awhile. I called out her name, and she turned to look at me.

"Hello Sylvanas. My name is Sandee, and I'm a fuzzy just like you, although I'm a bit older," I said, trying not to look *too* old, "Do you know where you're at?"

"I'm not sure about anything, about what happened, or how I got here, or where I'm at, or..."

I could see that she was a bit panicked, so I went over to her and wrapped my paws around her to comfort her.

"Don't you worry, sweetie," I said, "You're at the Bridge, where everything is peaceful, and nothing from the Hoomin World can hurt you anymore. The Boss has made your body healthy and whole, and the only thing you have to do here is play and be happy."

Sylvanas seems to be a bit less upset, and she took a look around. The leaves were swirling, and the creek under the Bridge glistened with the sun. I could see that things were not quite right with Sylvanas, however.

"Oh, this seems like a wonderful place to play, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to be here. I had my brother Uther, and my hoomin Alexandra, and all my other mates, and they need me... and I need them. I can't be here! I lost my brother once already and I need to be with him..."

"Aye, dear, I know you miss him, but he's where he should be, in the Hoomin World keeping Alexandra's heart safe. She misses you horribly, and it is only because of Uther that her heart is not completely broken."

I paused for a second, hoping to see something in her soft eyes that understood what I was saying. The things I was saying to her were difficult to understand, but here at the Bridge, understanding meant everything. Sylvanas looked troubled.

"I don't understand The Boss' way all the time - why he lets brothers and sisters become separated, or why he brings one or the other to the Bridge when it's time. Only He knows why things are done the way they are. We just have to try and understand..."

"But I don't want to understand, Sandee," she sobbed, "I just want to be with my family like it used to be when we were all together. I don't want to be alone again..."

I held Sylvanas as she cried a bit, and felt my fur getting wet from her tears. Such a sensitive and loving soul she had, and I so wanted to comfort her.

"Aye, Sylvanas, you're going to have to dry your eyes a bit and listen to me, my sweetie."

She stopped sobbing, took a deep breath and let out a soft sigh...

"Remember when you and Uther were separated? How you came to live with Alexandra and Uther went to live with someone else? That wasn't such a nice thing, was it?"

I could feel Sylvanas shaking her head on my shoulder, and I continued.

"But even after being separated from your brother, The Boss saw to it somehow that you and he got together, isn't that right? Didn't Uther finally come home to you?"

I felt her nod, and she breathed just a bit more calmly as I spoke.

"Well, sweetie, The Boss saw fit to find a way to get you and your brother together, didn't he? Why would he do that, just to take the both of you away from each other again? Everyone who's loved another in the Hoomin World meets up here, you best believe that, dear. Imagine if The Boss had you and Uther come to the Bridge at the same time.. wouldn't it have broken Alexandra's heart to lose the both of you at once? You wouldn't want her heart broken like that now, sweetie, would you?"

"Why.... why, no.. I would not want that... I hadn't thought of that, Sandee. I just miss everyone, that's all. I don't want anyone to feel bad."

"Aye, but we all have to leave the Hoomin World sometime, Sylvanas. I wish I knew why, but I don't. I do know that The Boss always has a reason for what He does, whether we know what it is, or not. If we never had to leave our lives in the Hoomin World, they would not be so precious to us, I think."

Sylvanas took a deep breath and lifted her head from my shoulder. My fur was soaked with her tears, but it still felt warm.

"Think about it, my sweet one, if The Boss brought you and Uther together once, don't you trust that he'll do it again eventually? It doesn't always happen when you want it to, but it *will* happen, don't you think?"

Sylvanas spoke in a low voice, and whispered in my ear, "Yes, Sandee, I think maybe it will... maybe..."

"Besides, it is not like you're alone here at the Bridge. Alexandra had other fuzzies you can be mates with up here, did you know that, sweetie? In a bit I will take you to meet up with Mischief, Figaro and Tinkerbelle. Won't that be grand? You are certainly not here by yourself, my dear one. There's a whole Bridge of fuzzies up here for you to play with..."

"Really, there are?" Sylvanas said as she pulled from my paws, "I would really like to be with my mates. I have so many questions, so many things I would like to know."

Sylvanas seemed to cheer up upon hearing that she would have mates to talk to. She started prancing, and broke into a polite wardance - such an excited fuzzy she was.

"Well, then," I exclaimed, "Why don't we got and meet up with them now? I will show you to your hidey-hole, get you something good to eat, and then you and your mates can play together. Wouldn't that be...?"

Before I could get all the words out, Sylvanas had wrapped her paws around me and bit my ear! It stung a bit, but it make me laugh out loud, just a little. Immediately, she started to apologize..

"Oh, I'm so sorry Sandee, I'm just so relieved and excited, I didn't mean to bite you like that..."

"Aye, little one, I kind of expected that - The Boss had warned me that you liked ears, and it really didn't hurt at all," I said smiling with a bit of a grimace, "I am just happy to see you feeling better."

Sylvanas and I warhopped together to her new hidey-hole, and on the way I showed her where some of the other fuzzies lived. She pranced, trotted, and wardanced like a happy fuzzy, her mind somewhat at ease now. She wore me out, warhopping all over the place with her new and healthy body.

All this wardancing had left me thirsty, so I left her with her mates and went back to my own hidey-hole and made myself a pot of tea. Later on that afternoon, I heard Sylvanas' voice laughing and giggling, along with the voices of other fuzzies, but it sounded like it was coming from overhead. I got up, went outside and looked, and who do you think got her wings?.. :)

-Sandee Ferrit