<style type="text/css">
.MORDECAI-GNOMES b {color:#ffffff; font-weight:bolder;}
.MORDECAI-GNOMES b:before { content:open-quote;}
.MORDECAI-GNOMES b:after { content: close-quote;}
.MORDECAI-GNOMES p {padding:5px 10px; margin:0px; text-indent:30px;}
</style>
Today was the today, the boy thought. He knew it his bones, in his heart that he was going to find a troll this very day! Or a fairy, or a nymph, or…
The mythical possibilities geared Mordecai forward as he bounded through the woods, his dull-red bandanna splattered in mud from the “shortcuts” he plowed through instead of taking the open trails. But, he did not mind the twigs slapping at his face, or the occasional sharp rock that tempted him to slow his pace, for he was too excited for his current goal: meeting a troll, or fairy, or nymph, or anything otherworldly, and befriend it. His paws were made for traveling, exploring, so the smarting stones did not bother the seeker. Instead, the more he stepped on, the more certain he became to find an unimaginable friend. The humans did not like the rocks that naturally littered the forest floor, and removed them; the more the boy came across, the merrier his naïve mind became.
The wolf had left early that morning to start his venture, and was nearing the coast by the time the sun was just beginning to set from the afternoon because of his impatient pace. Through the thoughts of elves and dwarves, he detected the salty scent of the sea. Instead of heading for the water, he continued deeper into the woods, deciding that the fabled folk would be hidden in an enchanted grove. He had stopped to hunt for a moment, a rabbit that happened near his path, and only rested for a moment to keep his pace as vigorous as it was in the early morning. Mordecai could not see reason to pause; why stop, why hesitate, when there were wonderful creatures to find?
He finally began to feel a little worn when he suddenly happened in a small clearing. It was nothing much, nothing looked special. But green eyes lit in an excited fire as they saw what others couldn’t possibly see: potential. Quickly, he began to nose around the area, searching for the scents he did not even know. Nonetheless, he searched, and believed in their existence more than ever.
[/html]