The Shadow King Hears a Rumor...

​​“The King must hear about this,” thought Meen excitedly.  “If Atian didn’t have the best jumping mushrooms around his cottage to jump over, I would have never heard him and Granny.”

​As Meen rushed back to the Shadows' Realm, jumping over mushrooms, logs, and frogs in her hurry to report to the King, she could still hear Granny telling Atian not to yell at her.  “Of course Dragons could talk – doesn’t everything talk?” Meen asked herself.  “If frogs and fish can talk, why not a Dragon?”

​​Shortly Meen was through the edges of the forest and starting into the deeper, darker, parts of the woods. This is where the sun could only come through the tree tops as small beams of light and wisps.  The Shadows lived here and the bright strain of sunlight was never very strong.  “Ah, home!” smiled Meen.  It was nice to play tag with the sun beams as they poked out, but she preferred to stay hidden in the shadows.

​​“Okay, slow down, catch your breath… breathe…” she told herself before entering the Shadows' King's Receiving Hall.  “Oh how I can't wait to tell him everything,” she mumbled to herself.

​“Tell me what Meen?” asked Hunter, the Shadows's King of the Shadows' Realm.  Startled, Meen prostrated herself before her liege.  “Arise Meen.  You know I do not like that!  Get up!”

​“My Liege, I have wondrous news.  Granny Flare and Atian have a baby!”
 
Hunter looked at Meen, raised one eyebrow and tipped his head down to look at her, and waited for Meen to say more.  When Meen just stood there smiling, Hunter asked again  “Let me get this right, you are telling me that Atian and Granny Flare have  a baby?”

​​Meen jumped up and down, clapping her hands together and smiling while nodding her head in the affirmative.  “They were talking really loud about it to each other outside of his cottage.  I was hopping mushrooms when I came up on Snoop who was there listening too.  They were yelling about the baby and who on the council would they tell first.”

​​“I will have to see this! They must be very excited. Thank you Meen.  As he turns to leave he thinks to himself..."  I did not even know they were seeing each other, or is the correct term dating each other, let alone now having a baby!"