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."

Horses Don't Do That

This scene is the girls’ first confusing encounter with the animals Callum has them watching. After hearing some strange noises late at night, they go down to the pool to investigate. What they discovered was beyond what they could have expected to find.

* * * * * * *

"I’m telling you, it’s Farasi," said Bree, racing towards the gate to the pool.

"No way. I put him to stable myself." Sophie was close behind her friend.

"You heard the splash, didn’t you, So-So? That horse loves the water." She stopped at the gate and faced her friend. "That’s what Callum said."

"Maybe it’s–" She looked past Bree towards the pool and stared openly. "It’s the...horse!"

"Ha! Told you." The two girls walked closer to the pool and peered into the water.

"What’s he doing?" Sophie was leaning over, hands resting on her knees.

"Hmmm...let’s see." Bree crouched down to the edge and dunked her head into the water. The horse raised his head and looked up at Bree before laying back down. She noticed a strange, shimmery gleam to his coat. "Heebss bleeebinng!"

"What?"

Bree pulled her head out of the water. "I said he’s sleeping!"

"In the water?" asked Sophie, a worried look on her face.

"Looks like it."

"But...but..." Sophie struggled to get the words out. "Horses don’t do that!"

Bree stood next to her friend and looked down at Farasi. "Not normal horses, anyway."

Callum and Ghost

Guiding the kids on their summer adventure is Callum, the Shepherd who has taken on the task of finding humans to help rescue all those captured mythical creatures. He is a member of the Sidhe, magical beings from the area of Ireland that are comparable to elves or fairies. Callum is capable of using many types of magic such as communicating with animals and casting illusions. He has set up a temporary base at the Wales Animal Care Facility, but he isn’t all that fond of staying on Earth, preferring to go back to Meurum whenever possible. One thing he does love about Earth is red licorice, making sure to have a jar filled with it at all times. The kids turned out to be a welcome surprise for Callum. He is very pleased at how quickly the kids have taken to the animals and how well they all work together. In his eyes, he is finally seeing an end to this task.

At Callum’s side is his partner, the White Hart named Ghost. From British folklore, this magical creature was said to be a sign that a quest was about to start. He looks like a large deer with the exception of his all white coat. Ghost possesses the unique ability to travel to anywhere in the world through a strange mist, taking anyone along with him that he chooses. The White Hart chose Callum as his partner simply because he enjoyed how well the Sidhe played the flute. Callum would readily admit that he spoils Ghost, even going so far as to dress all in white most of the time to please the animal’s sense of aesthetics. Ghost’s role is to transport the kids to the various trials, usually popping in wherever the kids are at the time (regardless of how inconvenient it is for them). He does have a tendency to lose his patience if they aren’t quick enough and isn’t afraid to use his antlers to prod the kids along if need be.