Mr. Pig drove his pumpkin carriage slowly toward the school.
The bed of the carriage was lined with a blue floral cloth with white flowers, repurposed from one of Mrs. Pig's old aprons; the fabric was a bit faded from washing, but it exuded the warmth of home.
The Three Little Pigs sat on the cloth, pushing and shoving each other playfully, wrinkling the fabric.
"Brother, don't touch my schoolbag!"
Pig Second Brother's yellow schoolbag was pulled askew by Pig Eldest Brother, causing the wooden pencil case inside to clatter as if a pencil had rolled out.
He immediately lunged to grab it, his little hooves clattering "da-da" against the floorboards of the carriage bed, his ears standing straight up in anger.
"Mom just sewed that for me!"
Pig Eldest Brother, taking advantage of being half a head taller, held the bag over his head, his tail curling up like a little flagpole as he laughed.
"I'll touch it if I want! Who told you to tattle on me yesterday for sneaking into the honey jar?"
"I didn't!"
Pig Second Brother stomped his feet in frustration, his front hooves scrambling up Pig Eldest Brother's arm.
"You knocked the jar over yourself and blamed me!"
"You did too!"
Pig Eldest Brother stiffened his neck and deliberately swung the bag back and forth.
The two of them tangled together, rolling around on the floral cloth and pulling its corners out of shape.
Pig Third Brother, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, held his pink schoolbag; the little pig pattern embroidered on it had been rubbed shiny by his hands.
He had intended to be a mere spectator, but when Pig Eldest Brother rolled over, he snatched Pig Third Brother's bag and waved it around, saying, "Third Brother, come play too!"
Pig Third Brother grew frantic, his little face flushing bright red as he lunged forward. Suddenly, The Three Little Pigs were a tangled mess, hooves and tails flying everywhere, grunting incessantly like three little wild boars fresh out of the pen.
Mr. Pig sat in the driver's seat at the front, gripping a smooth, polished peach-wood steering wheel wrapped in non-slip hemp rope.
He was in high spirits, his ears twitching gently with the bumps of the pumpkin carriage.
He could hear the ruckus behind him clearly but didn't bother to intervene—once they reached school, the teacher would rap their little heads with a ruler, which was more effective than anything he could say.
His mind was currently occupied with orders—he had just taken a large one yesterday for five hundred pounds of mixed feed. If he could finish the purchase smoothly today, he'd have the rest of his time completely free.
"Maybe I can go fishing at the seaside."
He thought happily, his tail wagging gently behind him and brushing against the coarse cloth cushion of the seat.
"I heard the sea bass are fat lately. I'll catch a few for the wife to make soup with some goji berries to nourish the kids..."
Not far from Animal Kingdom was a vast blue sea; it hadn't been developed much before, with only a few crooked willow trees along the shore.
Some time ago, the Wolf King ordered it to be refurbished, planting groves of coconut trees with straight trunks and leaves like giant fans that rustled in the wind.
The beach was a warm golden-brown, soft enough to sink half a hoof into.
He had taken the children there recently; Pig Third Brother had found a shell larger than his head—pale pink with circular patterns. He treasured it so much he insisted on sleeping with it, so Mrs. Pig eventually hid it away for fear he would crush it.
Just then, a noisy outcry erupted ahead, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a stir.
"Look! Look over there!"
It was Uncle Squirrel's voice, as sharp as if he'd been pricked by a needle.
"What is that?!"
"It's humans! It's humans!"
This was followed by Auntie Rabbit's scream, laced with terror and disbelief.
Even the vehicles on the road slowed down; the driver of a Tortoise Brand Truck craned his neck, and a Rabbit Brand Sedan stopped in the middle of the road. Drivers were all looking up at the sky, and the once orderly traffic instantly became a mess.
Then, a shrill siren wailed—"Wu-wa—wu-wa—"—from a Forest Police Station patrol car. The sound, like a drawn-out wolf howl, was urgent and loud, shattering the morning peace and making everyone's heart tighten.
Mr. Pig's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly applied the pumpkin carriage's brake—a thick hemp rope tied to the axle on one end and secured next to the driver's seat on the other; one pull did the trick.
The wheels screeched to a halt with a "zhi-ya" sound, the rubber rubbing against the ground with a piercing noise. Unprepared, The Three Little Pigs in the back tumbled together with a "gu-dong."
"Ouch!" Pig Second Brother rubbed his elbow, but just as he was about to complain, he was drawn by Mr. Pig's actions.
Mr. Pig leaned most of his body out, looking in the direction of the crowd's outcries, squinting his eyes as he tried to make out the commotion in the distance.
At first, he couldn't see clearly, only spotting several dark shadows streaking across the distant sky, accompanied by a "weng—weng—" sound that grew louder as they approached.
Several airplanes roared into view. They were made of lightweight sycamore wood, their fuselages painted silver-white, with the Forest Kingdom emblem—a towering tree with a thick trunk and lush foliage, symbolizing life—painted on the wings.
The propellers were fashioned from polished hardwood with smooth edges, spinning like the rapidly fluttering wings of a beetle, creating a "hu-hu" wind.
They were clearly patrol planes from the Royal Guard; usually, at most two would fly together, so seeing such a large formation was a first.
"What happened?"
Pig Second Brother forgot about his aching arm and peered over the edge of the carriage bed, his little head poking out like a long-necked goose, his ears standing straight up.
Mr. Pig squinted, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening into furrows as he tried to focus in the morning light.
He followed the circling path of the wooden planes, his gaze piercing through the gathering clouds to land on the Square in the center of the kingdom.
Standing there was the Wolf King The Statue, a sight familiar to every animal.
The Statue of Big Brother Wolf was majestic, its front claws gripping a rock, its mane flowing, and its green stone eyes seemingly scanning the entire kingdom;
Beside him was The Statue of Gwof; though smaller in stature, his gaze was resolute, and his wolf ears were slightly pricked as if he could hear a call from afar at any moment.
This time, he saw clearly.
On the shoulders of The Statue stood several figures.
They weren't any familiar creatures from Animal Kingdom—not fur-clad wolves, nor long-eared rabbits. They were actual humans, dressed in various clothes; one was wrapped in a black robe with a hat pulled low;
There was a young girl in a pink dress, looking like a flower;
And another person carried a bundle taller than themselves, bulging and looking somewhat comical in silhouette.
They simply stood there quietly on The Statue, their silhouettes exceptionally clear in the morning light, completely out of place among the surrounding animals, the gabled wooden buildings, and even the wooden planes circling in the sky—like a picture that had been forcibly pasted in the wrong spot, exuding an indescribable strangeness.
"It really is humans..."
Mr. Pig murmured, his hooves unconsciously tightening around the peach-wood steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. His heart hammered "dong-dong" as if it were about to burst out, nearly drowning out the sound of the siren.
How could humans suddenly appear on top of The Statue?
The outcries in the Square grew louder. Some timid animals began to retreat; Grandma Hedgehog picked up her little grandson and ducked into an alley.
The patrol planes circled low above The Statue, emitting a warning roar, the wind from their propellers tossing the leaves of the surrounding trees.
In the back of the pumpkin carriage, The Three Little Pigs fell silent; their earlier playfulness seemed like a dream.
Pig Third Brother buried his face in his schoolbag, his ears trembling incessantly; Pig Second Brother gripped the carriage railing tightly, his eyes wide and round;
Only Pig Eldest Brother kept his eyes fixed on the figures standing on the Wolf King The Statue, asking in a low voice, "Dad, what are they here for?"
Mr. Pig didn't answer; he didn't know either.