Ozette's Destiny Read Online Free Page B

shook her paw at them, saying, “That Maxwell is such a blabbermouth. There is no Queen Ozette. Just me, plain Ozette,” she chided them.
    Oliver came forward, obviously the self-proclaimed spokes-elf. “Queen Beatrix has deeded the land to itself and made you the caretaker. You’ve been gifted a tiara, a crown. In our book, that makes you a queen!” he parroted Maxwell.
    Ozette put her paws on her hips. “A squirrel can’t be a queen, Oliver,” she said. “Only humans are royalty.”
    “Au contraire, my squirrelly friend,” Oliver countered. “Duchess Zorina is a dog and she’s royalty. A queen is a leader, someone who loves the land and all who dwell on it. That would be you, Ozette.”
    “We would be honored to have a squirrel as our queen,” said Maggie, a sweet-natured unicorn.
    “Being a white squirrel makes you special, and our queen should be special,” added red squirrel twins, Zoe and Chloe, in unison. The other animals nodded in agreement and a raccoon gave Ozette a thumbs up sign.
    Muttering about that “gossiping Maxwell” under her breath, Ozette doled out the treats sent by the cook to all her friends. Then she waved the animals away, saying she would “think about it.” Her nap forgotten, she started planting more nuts.
    Ozette was almost finished when the princess’s golden retriever, Cassady, bounded up to her carrying a basket in her mouth. Behind her was Princess Abrianna, clothed in a long, purple dress with white and yellow daisies pinned in her flowing silver hair.
    Ozette didn’t know many humans, but she liked Princess Abrianna because she was kind and didn’t act superior to non-humans. And, she often brought Ozette special treats.
    Princess Abrianna took the basket from Cassady’s mouth and handed it to Ozette.
    Ozette pulled away the dainty yellow napkin cover to reveal freshly baked pecan-walnut-almond-veggie smackaroons, one of Ozette’s favorite treats.
    “Mmmm,” she said offering some also to Cassady and Abrianna.
    The three friends munched in silence. Suddenly Princess Abrianna spoke.
    “I hear you’ve had quite an adventure.”
    Ozette nodded, not wanting to talk with her mouth full.
    “Queen Beatrix adores that dog like a child, Ozette. You should be honored she has made you caretaker of Farlandia. Ozette, have you any idea what can happen to land and its creatures? Even here, in beautiful Farlandia, our cousin wanted to build a hunting lodge and clear forests for crops. Do you realize what that means? To the old-growth trees that would be cut? To the pristine creeks and rivers that could be polluted? To the animals that would lose their homes and even their lives?”
    Ozette nodded her head anxiously. She was painfully aware of what could happen to the land, but she let the princess have her say.
    Princess Abrianna knelt down and took Ozette’s paw. “There are humans who see nature as something to be exploited. They are greedy and never satisfied. They don’t care about the animals, elves, fairies, plants, streams and trees. It’s a great honor that has been bestowed upon you, as caretaker of Farlandia, and a big responsibility.
    “As queen, you’ll have a certain authority. You’ll be a fine ruler, Ozette, and I am very happy for you and all of us. You care intensely for the land and all who dwell there. This, Ozette, is your destiny,” she said, looking deeply into Ozette’s eyes.
    And with that, she called Cassady and headed home.
    Ozette climbed her nesting tree, stretched out on a branch, scratched her left ear and thought about what the princess had said.
    “Destiny,” she whispered. Why did that sound familiar? Ozette tried not to think about her past, but suddenly the memory that had been evading her came to her in a flash.
    She and The Divine Miss Piddlewinks had been busily planting acorns as the trees wept scarlet and gold leaves and succulent acorns. Suddenly her grandmother had gasped. Ozette hurried over to her and found her rolling a