Hugo Soares and Maxine Devereux

"Love your life" is the motto of Hugo Soares and Maxine Devereux, parents of the ever energetic Bree. These two documentary film makers are true to those words, traveling the world to make their popular nature series, Big World, and loving every minute of it. They met in Brazil when Maxine was trying to get footage for her very first film and needed the help of the outgoing forest guide, Hugo. Their mutual love of animals and adventure has helped make some incredibly popular documentaries and the two have been together ever since.

Bree used to go with her parents, but after what can only be called the "Elephant Incident" they decided she needed a more stable living arrangement. Luckily, Maxine’s best friend, Cassidy Talbot and family were willing to share their home to not just Bree, but the parents as well. Now with a home base in Wales, Colorado, Maxine and Hugo have a place to return to after their months of filming and with the construction of a small film editing building in the backyard, they can comfortably put the finishing touches on their projects.

Upon hearing about Bree’s summer job, they were both extremely excited. While they were proud to see their daughter wanting to work with animals like they do, they were more pleased with the idea of Bree taking on more responsibility, hopefully a sign that she is finally starting to control that enthusiasm of hers. Until they’re done filming their current documentary, Hugo and Maxine remain content to hear Bree’s constant updates about her own animal adventures...at least the ones Bree can tell them about.

Samson and Cassidy Talbot

Meet Samson and Cassidy Talbot, the parents of Sophie and Shiloh. They run what has become known as the Talbot Compound, a place where people and horses alike can be taught the fine art of horse riding. Samson has been around horses all his life and couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do than train them and the people who ride them. Cassidy runs the onsite veterinary clinic and isn’t afraid to stare down any horse foolish enough to test her patience.

Cassidy is best friends with Bree’s mom, Maxine, from their days in college. When Bree’s parents asked if she could stay with them while they filmed their documentaries, she went a step further and asked if the whole family would like to move in with them. Samson took some convincing on his part, but when he realized it meant they could afford a much bigger compound, he soon changed his mind.

When the girls asked about getting a summer job taking care of animals, Samson was all for it, making the case that he had a job of his own when he was their age. Cassidy was a little more reluctant, but she agreed as long as she be allowed to take over in case of an emergency. Of course, they both still expect the kids to help out around the compound, especially when Samson has a difficult horse that only Sophie’s special way with animals can handle. They’ve been quite impressed with how well they’ve been dealing with their new responsibilities, even more so when they noticed their son, Shiloh, helping out, too.  Then again, they might be more worried than impressed if they fully understood all of the kids' responsibilities this summer.

Just a Bunch of Feathers

For the kids, part of their job is to learn how to work with these amazing mythical creatures and no one has it harder than Shiloh. Being a partner to a young dragon like Arrow certainly has its’ drawbacks. Whether it’s cleaning up after him, keeping him fed, or trying to break him of his peculiar dragon habits, Shiloh has a busy summer ahead of him.

* * * * * * *

"Arrow, don’t do it," whispered Shiloh. He slowly crept up to the young dragon and reached out to touch him. With a hand on Arrow’s wing, Shiloh did his best to keep his voice calm. "It’s just a bunch of feathers. Only feathers."

The dragon paid no attention to Shiloh, instead focusing on the yellow and black bird in front of him. A low, happy growl rumbled in his throat and his eyes shone excitedly.

"Leave her alone, Arrow. You can’t have her feathers." Shiloh stood in front of the dragon, trying to block the Ercinee from Arrow’s view. The dragon kept craning his neck over Shiloh, pushing against the boy insistently. As Shiloh wedged his body up against Arrow to hold him back, he looked at the Ercinee and said, "Stop glowing already. It drives him crazy."

As if surprised, the Ercinee flapped her wings and squawked shrilly, her feathers glowing even brighter. Arrow immediately took notice and quickly knocked Shiloh to the side to pursue his object of obsession. In an instant, the bird took flight and the young dragon was off after her.

"Arrow! Get back here!" Shiloh started to run, but stopped and shouted behind him. "A little help would be nice!"

"Can’t, ‘Loh! Staring contest with Jaculus!" Bree was on the ground, facing the winged snake.

"And I’m the judge," added Sophie.

"And Sophie’s the judge! Deal with it!"

"Ugh..." Shiloh glared for a moment, but turned back to join the chase. "Don’t make me get the squirt bottle!"

Ercinee and Veo

Here are two more animals that will certainly prove useful to the kids on their various missions this summer. Hopefully, Sophie, Bree and Shiloh will take the time get to know these mythical creatures and all their quirks.

The crane-like Ercinee was rumored to live in the Hercynian Forest, located in the area of Germany. This bird had the ability to glow extremely bright due to the magical nature of her feathers. With her light yellow and black feathers and strong legs and beak, this bird was an impressive sight. A vain bird, the Ercinee is always seeking attention and compliments, especially when it comes to her feathers. Unfortunately for her, those feathers also draw the unwanted attention of a young dragon who just loves shiny things.

With sightings in Indonesia, the Veo is a large creature very similar to a pangolin, complete with thick scales and a lengthy tail. While his long tongue and thick claws are useful, it’s his unique ability to roll up into a giant ball that proves most helpful to the kids. The Veo is a nocturnal creature and needs some coaxing to get going during daylight hours. He generally likes to stick to himself, but seems to get along with the Haetae. Is generally annoyed with Bree’s constant attempts to ride him like a horse.

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.