King Rufus

Previously

…As Rufus continued his increasingly absurd quest, his eyes scanning the floor with the intensity of a bloodhound, he almost tripped over a small, brown shape. He looked down, ready to unleash another torrent of panic, but stopped. It was Squeaky, the squirrel. The squirrel was sitting there, calmly nibbling on an acorn, his bright eyes fixed on Rufus. And next to Squeaky, half-hidden beneath a fallen leaf, was a single, unmistakable, shiny gold coin. Rufus stared at it. Then he looked at Squeaky. Then back at the coin. A dawning, almost terrifying, realization began to creep into his mind.