Penny-Dog
Tiny and Penny-dog have been smitten since the moment they met,
and were destined to be friends forever. They behave as all sisters might when they bicker, tease and giggle; but they are also gentle and kind, listening when one needs to talk, holding tightly when the other needs comfort. When Penny-dog trembles in the howling wind, Tiny steps ahead to shield her from the squall. And when Tiny’s little legs begin to ache on their morning forest walks, Penny-dog invites Tiny to clamber upon her back. It’s a friendship both deep and true; a love that makes life just a little sweeter.
Dr. Faith Constanza
Dr. Faith Constanza is one of Treetop’s most brilliant doctors. She recently accepted a position with the Safe Hands Now Medical Facility, and has become a bit of a local celebrity due to her exuberant bedside manner and voracious appetite for cake-baking.
In her spare time, Dr. Constanza is a member of the Treetops Community Theater, where she played alongside Tiny in the spring performance of Bugsy Malone. She is fierce and sassy, and loves to spend Sunday mornings in bed reading the New Pork Times with her grumpy old kitty McCavity, and a cheeky chocolate fudge sundae. Look out for Dr. Constanza’s cameo appearance in Tiny’s upcoming chapbook, ‘Seven Days of Monsters’.
Celestine
Her name is Celestine and she is the wise and beautiful Prophet Owl. As one of the last of the Celestial Elders, she is the most powerful and highly respected of her clan. This extraordinary bird is seen as an enigma, living by herself in the Lonely Tree, and traveling only by night. She is as gentle and enchanting as the day she first arrived, although when that truly was, no one can say.
Please try not to worry if Tiny hasn’t come home at night, she will be under Celestine’s protection, understanding the mysteries of the Universe, our planet and its inhabitants. She will never speak of her journeys, that is a burden she must carry alone. Tiny loves Celestine with all of her heart; spend a few hours with her exploring the stars, and you will understand why.
Liesel Greenleaf
Liesel Greenleaf is one of Tiny’s dearest companions. They met in the Library at Laurel Heights where Liesel works as head librarian, and runs the ever popular Thursday night Dungeons and Dragons Club. They share a love for reading and for books, which is lucky for Tiny who has VIP access to all the latest titles.
Liesel is a quiet, gentle sort, but don’t be fooled by her soft sleepy eyes, she’s a bit of a card-shark and plays a mean game of Old Maid. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
As an avid long-distance runner, you might catch a glimpse of her as she flies through town, or even sharing a carrot juice with Tiny at the Clementine Cafe discussing their favorite books, no doubt.
The Lonely Tree
If you’ve ever traveled through the village of Treetops, it’s likely that you’ve seen the Lonely Tree which marks the entrance to Celestine’s Temple. Legend has it that Sweet Briar herself planted the first seed, and countless birds and animals have since nursed from her sap and found sanctuary in her loving arms.
But this isn’t the end of the story. Come a little closer, what do you see? That’s right, a door. A door hidden deep in the trunk of Lonely Tree. It’s been said that many a curious human has clambered through that opening, never to return. Where do they go, fellow Traveler? It’s a question few can answer. Perhaps it’s an entrance to the underworld, or a portal to the other dimension? Be sure to ask Tiny next time you see her.
If it’s adventure you’re seeking, return when the moon is full and Lonely Tree’s magic is at it’s most potent. And don’t forget to say goodbye to your loved ones, we wouldn’t want them to worry.
Nigel & Mustafa: Circus Collective
Mustafa and Nigel live in a charming little yurt close to the western boundary of Misty Ripple Meadow. It’s a rustic life, but a happy one, and a far cry from the tyranny of Reggie’s Smoke and Mirror Circus, where they lived for many years under what was later described as “simply dreadful conditions”. It was Tiny that finally helped them escape, and find a new home in Treetops with a second chance at happiness.
Partway through the summer season, Nigel and Mustafa’s fate was sealed. The Finley-Family Flea-Circus was exiting the stage after a mediocre performance of Swan Lake, just as Mustafa the Flying Llama was taking his position at the center-stage trapeze. Their eyes met, the stars aligned, and they’ve been inseparable every since.
Nigel and Mustafa are currently rehearsing for a new show; an exciting blend of storytelling, performance and puppetry that aims to educate the public about tolerance and interspecies relationships. With Tiny’s help, it’s sure to be a big hit. Look for local show dates in the Treetops Tribune.
Rocio de la Rosa
Rocio is one busy butterfly; not only is she a member of the Insecta royal family, but she one of Paloma Airway’s most senior pilots, and devoted wife and mother to husband Thiago and twins, Beatrix and Valentina.
Rocio is always on the move; you might find her jet-setting across the country, taking her family on their favourite long-haul trip from Mexico to North America, or tirelessly campaigning for the Protection of Pollinators.
When Thiago isn’t caring for their twin girls, he’s managing the Milkweed Roadhouse, a hip little jazz cafe in the Monarch Quarter of Upper Treetops. It’s terribly swish and Tiny is lucky enough to be on the guest list. Sometimes baby-butterfly sitting can have its perks. . .
Dana Bear
If you’re looking for an experience that could change your life forever, look no further than Pinker than Tin—Dana Bear’s global food-truck—open evenings and weekends throughout the summer. You might be asking, ‘What makes it so special?’
You see fellow Traveler, it’s not just the mouthwatering dishes that are prepared with locally, hand-picked ingredients and the finest spices from around the world, or the awe-inspiring recipes that Dana Bear lovingly crafts each morning. It’s not the mind-blowing musical sets, or the magical ambiance with the canopy festooned with fairy-lights and fragrant honeysuckle vines. It’s not even the laughter, or the love, or the friendship, or the fortune cookies, or the stories, or the sustenance, or the sense that you belong. It’s everything together, in one delicious bite. It’s the very essence of being alive.
Ready to step out of your comfort zone? Try the Magnificent Curl, a dish so exquisite, words cannot do it justice. It’s one of Tiny’s favorites, and this week’s special. Try it for yourself and see. Bon appétit!
Woodmint
It is a truth regionally acknowledged that Woodmint is the finest, most upstanding badger in the valley of Treetops. He was kind and considerate as a cub, and had grown into a responsible and charming young mammal. When he’s not snuffling in his sizable and impressive vegetable garden, you might find him studying in the library, or volunteering for his favourite charity, Holes for Moles.
Woodmint first met Tiny during a particularly tense Dungeons and Dragons evening at the Library on Lemon Tree Lane. They quickly discovered they shared a passion for party-planning, and have since successfully organized the Feast of Midwinter celebration for three years running. It’s fair to say they make a winning team!
Woodmint has a passion for early childhood education, and hopes to run his own school one day, which he dreams of naming the Marsupial Montessori. In the meantime, he’s recently been promoted to manager of Sprouts Day Nursery (Four Legs Division), an accomplishment he’s extremely proud of.
Miss Mary Margaret Maguire
Mary Margaret Maguire has been head Mouse-Keeper at the Smythe-Stevens residence for almost all her days. The position has been in the family for generations; Mary Margaret followed in the (very small) footsteps of her mother Marjorie Mabel, her mother before, Madeleine Minwin, and going right back to the infamous Maggie Mae (well it was the 1980’s).
In return for her service--and discretion--Mary Margaret receives bed and board, and a modest allowance. Access to the cheese cellar is an added benefit, although Mary Margaret suspects she may have developed a lactose intolerance; next week’s visit to Dr.Faith will help to clear up any concerns.
Mary Margaret has been a regular at Tiny’s Sunday Storytime Club, and hopes to one day read from her short story collection, ‘Ordinary Mouse, Extraordinary Dreams’ which she writes in the few stolen moments before work each morning.
Some say the Maguire women are quite mad to work in the old farmhouse, what with the rumors of the hauntings and strange goings on; but the truth is, Mary Margaret enjoys the occasional bout of the heebie-jeebies. It adds a little spice to an otherwise unremarkable day.
Millicent Hogwin
Millicent Hogwin lives on the banks of the River Biddy-Bee, in the idyllic village of Raven Hills. Millicent and Tiny met first as pen-pals, and after numerous cards and care-packages, their friendship has blossomed.
Tiny keeps her precious letters in an old biscuit tin, but Millicent is less sentimental, and uses Tiny’s notes to line the little cots of her incoming hoglets. Millicent proudly runs Hoglet Haven, the largest Orphan Hoglet Farm in the North country.
She currently has twelve wee beasties under her care, with whom she is firm, yet fair, and never short on love. Millicent knows the challenges that lie ahead for these dear creatures, having been orphaned herself at a tender age, and forced to make her way through a cruel and chaotic world.
The day that Lady Luck smiled on Millicent was her greatest blessing. Winning the jackpot at the Raven Hills County Fair allowed her to fulfill her childhood dream, and Hoglet Haven finally opened it’s hedgerows.
There’s another dream that Millicent rarely speak of, and that’s of having afternoon tea with the Queen. She knows it’s complete fantasy, but she’s just an old romantic at heart.
Elektra Hinton-Lovejoy
Elektra Hinton-Lovejoy is unlike any princess you’re ever likely to meet. Elektra believes she stems from royalty, and a direct descendent of the miniature ponies that once roamed the Greek Island of Skyros. In truth, she has been living on Sweet Fern’s Flower Farm since she was foal.
When she’s not visiting hospice patients with Fern at the Safe Hands Now Medical Facility, she’s munching on meadow-grass and daydreaming in the sun. She does however, have one connection with royalty—at the tender age of three, she managed to photo-bomb the Royal Tour of the City of Mighty Oaks. It was a proud moment.
Tiny and Elektra became friends after Treetops’ inaugural Flower Festival. While Elektra was generously donating free pony-rides to the dear residents of THUMP*, Tiny was acting-president the Flower-Crown Committee. How Elektra became the first Flower-Crown winner, only Tiny can say, but Elektra has been wearing that dusty old tiara ever since. When you see her, please be sure to give her a curtsy or a bow, you’ll be making an old girl very happy.
*THUMP is the Treetops Home for Undervalued and Misunderstood Pets
Gwend’lynn
Gwend’lynn lives a solitary life. It’s not that he’s unsociable—on the contrary—he’s always been a popular peacock, and was quite the party-bird in his youth. Legend has it that he started Treetops’ only speakeasy, the Serpent and the Peacock. But we’ll leave it at that fellow Traveler, as the stories would make you hair curl!
Gwend’lynn has been in the spotlight since he was a peachick, having spent his formative years both backstage and on countless photo-shoots. With aspiring actors for parents, striking looks, and a handsome plume, it’s no surprise that he followed in the family claw-steps, and became the world’s most successful avian-supermodel.
Have you noticed that Gwend’lynn goes only by his first name? If you were to ask him, he’d likely tell you that peacocks of his ilk don’t have surnames; think Prince, or Cher, or Dave.
You might recognize him from the pages of International House & Garden, where he preened and strutted through stately homes across the land, until one day, he’d simply had enough.
“Surely there has to be more to life?” He confided to Tiny after their Sunday Storytelling Slam. And so Gwend’lynn embarked on a voyage of self-discovery, which ended under a lean-to in the Wild Briar Wood, and with it a sense of peace that he had never before known.
Just Iris
Just Iris lives in a cozy holt on the banks of the Swallowtail River. She has a full and happy life—fishing and floating, cavorting and cuddling—and caring for her beloved pup, Pinkie. Before the birth of her daughter, Just Iris was an accomplished synchronized-swimmer, and even qualified for the Otter Olympics. Now with Pinkie in tow, she has stepped out of the starlight, preferring to teach at Treetops’ only outdoor swimming venue, the Pool under the Moon. Her most popular swim-class continues to be the moonlit paddle. It has a small but dedicated following, and it’s fair to say that Tiny has never missed a class.
Since working from home, Just Iris has turned to new hobbies to fill her time. At first she took a course in rock-juggling, but found that she didn’t have the patience. Then she dabbled in watercolor-painting, but it was a messy business. Her latest obsession is amateur-baking, and she’s even challenged Dr. Faith Constanza to the fiercest of baking battles. She has a slight edge on a strawberry-shortcake, but definitely needs to work on the density of her Victoria sponge.
She spends her afternoons dreaming about qualifying for the Great Beastie Bake-Off, and with her tenacity, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her face lighting up our screens before long.
Stanton & Victor Park
Beaver twins, Stanton and Victor Park, live in a lodge on the Blue Beaver Creek, which swirls between Treetops and the City of Mighty Oaks, As kits, they were known for their mischief—dressing in identical dungarees, and finishing one another’s sentences—much to everyone’s confusion, and their utter delight.
Age and experience have turned Stanton and Victor into quite the enterprising duo. Just last month, they won Treetops’ first ‘Aquatic Entrepreneurs Award for Services to Outdoor Recreation’. It was a source of great pride for the boys, and Tiny was delighted to present their silver fish trophy at the glittering riverside ceremony.
Sensing a gap in the market, they started their own business selling scented artisanal firewood to local campgrounds, suffusing the logs with their unique fragrance blends. The orders for ‘Aromafire’ started pouring in. Each week, the twins sail down the creek in a canoe carved from white cedar, and deliver the bundles to the boat-launch. This week’s most popular scents are ‘Clarity: rose, sunlight, and wild honeysuckle’ and ‘Hygge: birdsong, orange blossom, and cinnamon bark.’ As you can imagine, they’re really quite dreamy. I’d recommend placing your order before they’re all gone!
Skye Blue Feather
Three moons have risen since Skye Blue Feather packed her case and moved from Serendipity Bay to the shores of Mirror Lake. Ask Skye if she ever planned to leave her dream job as beach-lifeguard to help Uncle Henry run the Little Free Library, and she’ll be the first to say, “heron, no!”
During Tiny’s volunteer hours at the Library, Skye will often share tales of her thrilling life: the full-moon fishing parties, karaoke at the Salted Cod, and the hair-raising antics of the local gulls. But it was when she started to yawn during the dawn pelican dives, and snooze through the swim-meets, that she began to wonder if she wasn’t getting too old for this young heron’s game.
Skye found herself dreaming about meeting an eligible egret, and settling by a pond in the country, so when the pigeon-post brought Uncle Henry’s invitation, the timing could not have been better. She swopped her float and whistle for a book on the Bluey Decimal System, and now spends her days turtle-gazing by the lake with Tiny. It’s a quiet life, but Skye wouldn’t change a thing.
Indigo, Camilla & Pip Duckworth -Webb
“Spin and float, and pop and crane!” The Duckworth-Webb sisters take their synchronized swimming lessons very seriously, and with the Mirror Lake Mermaid Cup right around the corner, Camilla, Indigo, and Pip have thought of little else. As three times regional champion, there’s a lot at stake.
The Duckworth-Webbs are unstoppable. At least that’s the phrase Camilla used during her recent interview with the Treetops Tribune, much to the chagrin of middle sibling, Indigo, who has been finding a way to announce her departure from the team.
It’s not that Indigo doesn’t enjoy the grueling hours of water ballet, or spending every waking moment with her bickering sisters. At first it was a hoot, but now it’s all a little too serious. Compared with competitive Camila and easy-to-please Pip, Indigo’s a laid-back duck, with one eye on the next adventure. In truth, She’s been planning a trip with her dear friend Tiny to the infamous Silverbill Bay, where they’ll dine at the Lillypad Lounge, and laze on paddleboards at the new Aquacktics Center. But please keep it under your wing for now, at least until the Mermaid Cup is back on the family mantelpiece.
Otto & Oliver
Best friends Otto and Oliver always dreamt of a life filled with fame, fashion, and fabulous haircuts. As pups they would strut down the imaginary squirrel-walk, and preen into the puddles that littered Orange Blossom Lane, but now they run their own full-service salon in the heart of the Wild Briar Wood. “Where would I find it?” you ask? Just look for the ‘We’re nuts about yOOu!’ sign that stands that proudly in the clearing of Horse-Chestnut Heights, and was lovingly painted by their old friend, Tiny.
In truth, the squirrel boys have much to thank Tiny for. Not only did she build the sign to their exact specifications, “walnut ink shade #422 on the smoothest birch bark”, but she helped with their relocation from Old Man Guthrie’s oak tree, which they were fast outgrowing.
The squirrel boys have built up a loyal following in the forest community, and are best known for their zippity-quick cuts and razor sharp mullets. This season’s most popular styles are the Acorn-Cup and the Hickory Flick. If you’re tempted to get a fresh look, enjoy the latest gossip on the salon chair, and don’t be surprised if you turn a few heads.
Gretchen Josephine Delmare
Each frosty winter morning, Gretchen stands on the bank of Mirror Lake and watches the sun rise silently over Treetops. She taps her foot on the ice three times. It’s part of a ritual she began on entering her first Golden Beak Figure-Skating Grand Prix, and one that she’s kept to this day. After a honk, a stretch, and a tappety-tap, Gretchen leaps onto the frozen lake with the grace of a ballerina, spins into the crisp ice beneath her feet, and twirls towards the welcoming sun. For Gretchen Josephine Delmare, there is no greater freedom.
Through her long and relatively happy life, figure-skating is a passion she has shared with her goslings, her grand-goslings, and even the residents of Treetops including her dear friend Tiny. Eager to try a new sport, Tiny enrolled in the Gosling Gliders program and took to it like a goose to water. Gretchen loves nothing more than to teach the world about figure-skating, but she keeps one pleasure for herself—to slide across the lake at night with Mother-the-Moon as her guide—lost in her thoughts, dreaming about her days in Canada, and feeling the thrill of the wind in her wings.
Mulberry
Mulberry is one of Tiny’s oldest friends. Not as old as Lonely Tree, but so old that his friends often wonder if the old goat has found a secret fountain to eternal youth. When questioned, Mulberry chuckles and puts it down to his deep love for music, and knitting.
If you were to ask about his vocation, he’d probably describe himself as aging rockstar turned super knitter. While his band, the Bullhorns, lived the rock and roll lifestyle, Mulberry preferred to work on his stockinette stitch, and this is exactly how he met Tiny—offering backstage passes to his VIP knitting club.
Where once you would have found him bleating from the stage at the Misty Ripple music festival, now you’ll find him behind the counter of the Wooly Bully Yarn Store which he opened after retiring from the spotlight. Mulberry’s most content when he’s sitting around a firepit weaving old stories (and yarn balls), or singing his number one hits to the neighborhood kids. Quiet and humble, you’d never know he was one of the greatest rockstars Treetops has ever known. Some might say that he’s the greatest of all time.
Constance Goldfinch
Have you seen Constance? Blink and you’ll miss her. She’s officially the fastest finch at the Aerogram, Treetops’ most popular messaging service. The Aerogram has been in the Finch family for generations, which means that Constance has to work with her older brother Cree. Do they get along, you ask? Well, mostly. She is sick with envy at his brilliant plumage and angelic singing voice, and he is dizzy with rage at her supersonic speed and agility. It’s a perfect sibling relationship.
Although you’ll usually find Constance whizzing from burrow to nest delivering the latest news and gossip, she always manages to attend the weekly Pip & Stitch night, where she first met Tiny sewing aviator hats for the neighborhood barn swallows.
In her precious spare time, Constance loves to practice her Broadway Jnr. Showtunes. She can often be heard warbling through the willow grove at the top of her teeny lungs, dreaming of being on the big stage with feathers the color of the sun. Just like her brother, Cree.
