Continuation

Feeling a little better Fleur went further into the dense undergrowth, until she found a hollow in an old log the undergrowth had swallowed up and grown around. She warily looked and smelled the hollow, just in case someone else was in residence, but no she was in luck, it was empty and did not appear to have been used by anyone for a long time. Looking around her, she saw some dry leaves, and also as luck would have it, she found some soft thistle down that had got caught up in the tangle undergrowth. First she gathered some dry leaves and spread them in the hollow, she then went back for the thistle down which she spread over the dry leaves. When she was satisfied, she went out again and to her immense delight spotted just what she was looking for, a large furry green leaf, broken off of a dock plant, she pulled this back to the hollow, she went in before it, and settled herself in her nest then pulled the leaf over her. Perfect she thought, no one will guess I am here, they will just see the dock leaf. She settled down, with her long tail wrapped around her, and closed her little eyes, very very soon she was fast asleep. Tomorrow her adventure would begin to find a home for herself.

Dawn arrived and with it the wonderful chorus of birdsong. Fleur woke and stretched, suddenly remembering all that had happened the previous day. She wondered about her family, did they know what had happened to her? Would she ever see any of them again?

She knew she could look after herself as her parents had taught all their children, the skill Pocket Mice needed for when thy left home to set up their own homes, but never as far away as Fleur found herself. She wondered to herself if their were any other pocket mice in this area, still time would tell. After she had eaten some seeds she looked for more berries, she then straightened up the hollow, just in case she would need it again. When she was satisfied with it, she went scurrying off through the undergrowth, into a much less dense area until she found herself in a very pleasant hedge. Soon she came upon a leaf holding the morning dew, she carefully tilted it and drank her fill of the sweet, cool dew, feeling refreshed she set off.

The sun was rising and the day promised to be dry and warm. Fleur looked about her, which way should she go? Eventually she decided on the right, the hedge thinned more until she came to a small meadow, it was full of wild flowers, Fleur sighed, this would be lovely, if she could just find a place to call home.

As she wondered around the meadow, she found all sorts of interesting things, some very pretty feathers, which she put in a pile with a pebble on top to weigh them down and keep them in one place. Next she found a small tower, it was made of something she had never encountered before, she pushed it, and to her delight it moved, it was not at all heavy as she had imagined it would be, she looked at it again, and in her minds eye she saw it turned over, with the solid bit on top, and she knew it would make a wonderful table, if she just had a home to put it in. She rolled it over beside the feathers.

Just then out of the corner of her eye she spotted what looked like a large piece of terracotta sticking out of the earth, hurriedly she made her way over to it. She stood and looked, she just gazed and gazed, knowing she had indeed found her home, for it was not just a piece of terracotta, it was an entire large terracotta flower pot.

She looked in it, it was currently filled with cobwebs, but Fleur could see beyond that, she could see it cleaned out and made comfortably into her very own home. It was perfectly situated, somewhat sheltered from predators, but looking out on all the beautiful meadow flowers, Oh how Fleur loved them. There was just something about their beauty that moved her deeply and drew her to them.