Save the Mishypishy

Finding the keystones is just the first half of any mission for Bree, Sophie and Shiloh. Once they do get their hands on it, a spell is activated which summons the rogue Shepherd himself, Faelan, in an elemental form. After a cryptic message to the humans attempting to free the captured creatures, the fake Faelan makes a final effort to stop the rescue. In this scene, Sophie and the Farasi Bahari run into a stone Faelan as they try to release the Mishipeshu.

* * * * * * *

"You sure you don’t need help?" asked Sophie. She held the keystone tightly in her hands as she watched her brother and best friend hold on to the thrashing lake creatures.

"Nem Rola! We have this! Save the Mishypishy!" shouted Bree. She had a tight grasp on the aquatic animal’s back as it tried to buck her off.

"It’s the Mishipeshu!" screamed a panicking Shiloh. "Just hurry up, Sophie!"

"Alright. Let’s go, Farasi." With a light kick of her feet, Sophie nudged the emerald horse forward, but he didn’t budge. Instead, Farasi reared back in surprise as the ground underneath their feet began to tremble. "Steady, boy!"

From the rocky lake bottom, a human-like form emerged, quickly taking the familiar shape of Faelan. In a gravelly voice, the stone figure said, "Well done, humans. You have taken the keystone. But understand this." The fake Faelan turned around and kneeled to the ground. "Some creatures won’t be so happy to see humans." In a flash, two palms struck the ground and a burst of magical energy surged forward, forcing a huge, algae covered rock to quickly appear.

"The Mishipeshu! We found it, Farasi!" Sophie’s joy was short-lived, though, as she took a good look at the stone. The algae was growing at an alarming rate, covering the entire surface. There was no telling now where the keystone would fit.

Faelan

The kids wouldn’t be on this great adventure if not for the actions of the rogue Shepherd, Faelan. Though the man himself is imprisoned by the Shepherds he once worked with, his trials are still in place, leaving many mythical creatures patiently waiting for humans to free them.

Faelan is member of the tall, elf-like Sidhe just like Callum; in fact, the two had a kind of student-mentor relationship with Faelan teaching the younger Shepherd all he knew. He is a highly competent mage, capable of performing many types of magic like controlling earth and plants, creating magical barriers, and much more. In his days as a Shepherd, Faelan was considered one of the best, not just in his ability, but also in his devotion to protecting the magical animals of Meurum.

Yet something tragic happened to Faelan’s first animal partner, something caused directly by humans. With a growing sense of anger and distrust towards the people of Earth, Faelan’s actions became more and more severe, eventually drawing the attention of one temperamental Cait Sith that chose the now bitter Faelan as his partner. Even now, his resentment continues to grow as he is very much aware at how long it has taken to find any humans capable of passing his trials. Whether Sophie, Bree and Shiloh will prove any different remains to be seen, but in their defense, their summer has just started.

Crab Bowling

Throughout their summer, Sophie, Bree and Shiloh will be going on all sorts of missions to rescue the captured mythical creatures. They’ll have many dangers ahead of them, but they’re determined to find the necessary keystones to free each and every animal in need of help. In this scene, the kids come face to face with a small army of creatures known as basket monsters. Even with the help of their animal helpers, can they get the keystones away from these crab-like creatures?

* * * * * * *

"You sure those...crab things have the keystone?" asked Shiloh.

"Keystones. I saw two of them," said Bree, holding up two fingers like a peace sign. "All Callum said was look for colorful, roundish stones and that’s what I saw."

"But how do we get the stones away from them?" Sophie leaned down, carefully reaching a finger out to touch one of the creatures. In a flash, a pincer shot out and almost latched on to one of her fingers. "I kind of like my fingers the way they are: on my hand."

"I can have Arrow, um, blast them?" The dragon was too busy eyeing the crab creatures. "Pretty sure he doesn’t like them."

"No! We don’t want to hurt them," said Sophie sharply. "Maybe we can just knock them over until we find the keystones."

"Knock them over?" Bree tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. Her face brightening up, she shouted, "Got it! Crab bowling!" She put a hand on the large, scaly creature next to her. "Veo, ball time, okay?" The animal gave a low hiss and obediently rolled up into a giant ball.

"Did she just say ‘crab bowling’?" asked Shiloh. He folded his arms in disbelief. "I bet she’s smiling, too."

"Don’t hurt them!" yelled Sophie.

"Ótimo!" With an exaggerated effort, Bree started pushing the Veo forward, knocking the clawed creatures over as she passed. She was smiling.

It Actually Did Look Tame. Kind Of.

Whenever a mission is about to start, Ghost the White Hart appears through his magical mist to escort Sophie, Bree, and Shiloh back to his partner, Callum. It doesn’t matter if they’re at home, the park or even the mall; Ghost will show up to perform this essential task. This is the first meeting the kids have with this mythical creature.

* * * * * * *

"It doesn’t look like it’s from around here," said Shiloh nervously.

"What? There aren’t any deer in Colorado?" asked Bree. She was already giving the white deer a vigorous back scratch.

"Not that color. It’s probably wild, don’t you think?"

Sophie joined Bree and reached out to pet the animal. "Come on, Shiloh. He looks friendly enough. Not like he has rabies or something."

"It’s possible," said the boy. He was still a good ten feet away from the others, but he looked ready to jump back at a moment’s notice.

Sophie let out a small laugh. "I think he just rolled his eyes at you."

"Just pet him, Loh. He’s super fuzzy!" Bree buried her face in the deer’s side. "Stop being such a kid."

Shiloh eyed the deer carefully. It actually did look tame. Kind of. "Fine. Better not get ticks from him." Slowly, he approached the animal, hand outstretched carefully. "Goooood boy. Good boy."

"See? He’s not biting," said Sophie. "If you can befriend a dragon, a deer should be no problem." Sophie noticed the strange mist spreading around their feet. "Um...why is it getting foggy all of a sudden?"

Shiloh and Arrow

In Mythic Summer, magical animals from the world of Meurum have the ability to form a bond with humans (or human-like beings) which can last a lifetime. When chosen, the animal's mark will appear on their partner’s hand, a sign of their pact. Every Shepherd has bonded with some kind of mythical creature and because of this, has sworn to protect them. It is true that most of these bonds are with those from Meurum, but it has been noted that humans from the world of Earth have bonded with these mythical creatures from time to time (though none have been considered Shepherds). Such is the case with our young friend, Shiloh, who makes a powerful connection with a juvenile dragon he names Arrow.

Arrow would be considered a European style dragon, complete with spikes, wings and fire breath. As he is still very young, this dark red dragon has quite a lot of growing to do, but for now, he is roughly the size of a large Great Dane. Aside from his natural talent for breathing fire, Arrow has already proven to be an excellent flier and his keen eyesight certainly does come in handy on missions. Arrow is a very playful dragon and loves to interact with those around him. As with many dragons, he is especially attracted to shiny things, a habit his partner is trying hard to break. He has shown to be very protective of Shiloh and tends to get nervous when he’s not with him.

Farasi Bahari and Haetae

Fantastic animals are a key element of Mythic Summer and there are plenty to talk about. Callum has spent a lot of time traveling the world of Meurum in search of mythical creatures willing to help the kids on their quest. Two of the first to appear are the Farasi Bahari and the Haetae.

Said to have roamed the Indian Ocean, the Farasi Bahari could best be described as an aquatic horse. They have emerald green skin and since they have no need for lungs to breathe, they have incredible endurance. Living underwater, these horses are just as capable and graceful in water as they are on land. In Mythic Summer, the Farasi Bahari the kids work with is a very proud horse and loves to show off, especially for Sophie. He does tend to get jealous, but he can usually be appeased with some seaweed, his favorite treat.

From many Korean legends, the Haetae is a sturdy creature with incredibly thick skin. These creatures had the uncanny ability to devour flames and served as protectors against this dangerous element. Even though the Haetae was considered a dog, they had a somewhat lion-like look to them. Sophie, Bree and Shiloh realize pretty quickly how much work it is keeping this playful creature in check, especially when she forgets just how heavy she is. She likes to follow Arrow the Dragon around just in case the firebreather has one of his outbursts.

Ohmanohmanohmanohman...

When the girls watch a young dragon disguised as a Great Dane, the unimaginable happens and the magical creature goes wild. Unfortunately for them, Sophie’s younger brother, Shiloh, is watching the whole thing unfold. Will this mishap prove too much for the shy Shiloh?

* * * * * * *

"Get the fire, not the dog!" shouted Sophie.

"But he’s the one making the fire!" Bree kept the extinguisher pointed at the dog, but stopped spraying the large animal.

"It’s not working, is..." Sophie stopped and looked over at her brother. "Shiloh, back up! The–the dog is out of control!"

Shiloh stared openly at the scene in front of him. He mumbled, "He’s just scared...like I was. Leave him alone."

"We’ll handle it, Loh," said Bree. She was aiming her spray at the fire spreading on the grass. "We’re the pet sitters, after all."

"You’re making it worse. He just needs..." In a flash, Shiloh grabbed the tablecloth from the picnic table, sending the plates and silverware to the ground. "Ohmanohmanohmanohman..."

Sophie let out a surprised yelp. "Don’t, Shiloh! It’s dangerous!"

"I don’t care! He’s scared! I know it!" With tablecloth in hand, Shiloh sprinted for the dog and half tackled, half hugged him. As he tried to cover the animal up, he said, "Calm down, you stupid dog!"

"Sério?" said Bree. She pointed the nozzle at the pair and gave them both a quick burst of foam. "I thought I was the crazy one."