Chapter 10
Squeaky's Secret Stash
Captain Zoomie, ever vigilant, suddenly barks and points his nose upwards. High in the branches of the big oak tree, a flash of color catches their eye. It's Squeaky, the notoriously busy squirrel, darting in and out of a large, messy nest. She's carrying bits of brightly colored paper, stuffing them into her hoard. Russo squints, his magnifying glass trained on the nest. 'Wait a minute,' he mutters, 'those look like... Valentine cards!'
The air in the Russo Baby Bears’ cozy den always held a faint, sweet scent of honey and warm fur, but as January’s crisp breath began to soften, a new aroma mingled with it: the papery, slightly metallic tang of craft supplies. Valentine’s Day was approaching, a joyous season of red and pink, glitter and glue. Little paws, usually busy with building magnificent pillow forts or excavating forgotten cookie crumbs, were now carefully cutting out hearts, folding paper into intricate cards, and assembling a magnificent, overflowing box meant to hold all the town’s heartfelt greetings.
But as the final touches were being added to a particularly sparkly card depicting a bear giving a bouquet of candy hearts, a hush fell over the den. A collective gasp, a tiny flutter of confusion. The box. The grand, decorated box, meant to be the heart of their Valentine’s Day collection, stood empty. Utterly, bafflingly, empty.
“Where… where did they all go?” whispered Rosie, her usually bright eyes wide with bewilderment.
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