Naptime Pact

Tiggy bounced on his paws, his tail giving a little twitch of excitement. He’d had the most wonderful playtime with his friends! They had tumbled and chased, roared pretend roars, and even practiced pouncing on fallen leaves. But now, as the sun began to dip lower, casting long, sleepy shadows across the jungle floor, Tiggy felt a familiar tug. A yawn, big and wide, stretched his jaw. He shook his head. No, no, no! He didn’t want to nap. He wanted to play!

He spotted Monkey Friend swinging from a low-hanging vine, his usually chattering mouth closed, his eyes squeezed shut. "Monkey Friend!" Tiggy called, trotting over. "Let's play hide-and-seek!" Monkey Friend stirred, a soft grunt escaping him. He opened one eye, then the other, and blinked slowly. "Tiggy," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep, "it's… naptime." He yawned again, a huge, jaw-cracking yawn, and let go of the vine, curling himself into a fuzzy ball on a mossy branch.

Tiggy’s ears drooped a little. "But… but I don’t want to nap!" he protested. Monkey Friend just snuggled deeper into his leafy bed. Tiggy sighed and padded away.