Buddy

Lore

Buddy has a title so long that he can leave the room before anyone finishes announcing him. His nose has usually found something more useful than the announcement.

The beagle prince follows Auraterra’s Ribbonwood paths beneath his green cape. Here, roots shift, branches trade places, and a perfectly reliable shortcut can develop leaves overnight. Buddy reads the damp earth anyway. A frightened traveler leaves a trail. So does a sandwich. Experience has taught him to check which one he is following.

Maca watches the gates while Fausto keeps an eye on the bridges above. Buddy searches the woods between them. When the Ribbon Gate opens toward Andy’s home on Planet Clown, he counts the arriving footsteps. If one set is missing, the welcome can wait a moment. He has work to do.

At dusk, the trees make their own ceiling of stars and fireflies. Buddy pauses beneath it with whoever he has found. A forest contains millions of living things. Tonight, one of them is less lost. His tail records the result.