The morning after their camping adventure, the RV Guardians woke to the smell of fresh mountain air.

Birds chirped.

The pine trees swayed gently.

The campsite was peaceful once again.

Chad stretched.

“Best camping trip ever.”

Agaricus smiled.

“And today is Day Two!”

Echo yawned.

“I slept great.”

Che-Ni-Mon looked much more rested than yesterday.

“I think my blankets scared away all the scary things.”

Lily stepped out of her tent

One bright morning, Dragon Claw arrived beside the RV with a huge smile.

His wings stretched wide.

His tail swished happily.

And the whole RV shook gently when he landed.

“Who’s ready for a camping trip?”

Chad and Agaricus Bisporus immediately exploded with excitement.

“US!”

Echo popped her head up.

“Camping?”

Che-Ni-Mon peeked from under her blanket.

“…Is camping dangerous?”

Lily stretched from her nap.

“Is there a quiet place?”

Mom smiled.

“We’re going to Cloudcroft.”

The RV was unusually loud.

Not because Chad was pretending to be a pirate.

Not because Echo had the zoomies.

Not because Dragon Claw had accidentally shaken the RV with one of his landings.

Today…

Everyone was watching the World Cup Final.

Mexico.

Versus.

England.

The score was tied late in the match…

Until England scored.

England 3… Mexico 2.

Only ten minutes remained.

The Mexican coach paced nervously.

“We need a miracle…”

he whispered.

The sun was beginning to set.

The sky glowed orange and pink.

The air smelled like summer.

And all around the RV…

Families were setting up fireworks.

Chad bounced excitedly.

“Today’s the day!”

Agaricus smiled.

“The Fourth of July!”

Echo was already outside.

Running circles around Dragon Claw.

Che-Ni-Mon peeked from behind the RV.

“…Are they loud?”

Mom laughed.

“A little.”

“A little?”

“A lot.”

Che-Ni-Mon gulped.

“Oh.”

One bright afternoon, Chad burst onto the couch wearing his pirate hat.

“I’ve got it!”

he shouted.

Agaricus Bisporus looked up from her map.

“What now?”

“We’re going to Sky Island!”

Echo immediately stood up.

“Is there fighting?”

“Definitely.”

Che-Ni-Mon looked nervous.

“…Is there falling?”

“…Probably.”

One quiet morning, something felt different in the RV.

Mom didn’t get up early.

Mom didn’t sing in the kitchen.

Mom didn’t open the blinds and say, “Good morning, babies.”

Instead, Mom stayed curled up in bed.

Her face was warm.

Her body was tired.

Her stomach felt awful.

And all she could whisper was,

“I don’t feel good today.”

One peaceful morning, Che-Ni-Mon woke up with a smile.

Today was going to be relaxing.

Very relaxing.

She stretched.

Yawned.

Reached for her favorite blanket.

…

It wasn’t there.

Che-Ni-Mon blinked.

“My blanket?”

She checked the couch.

Nothing.

Under the pillow.

Nothing.

Behind the chair.

Nothing.

“My blanket?!”

The kittens overheard her.

“We’ll help!”

said Chad.

“We’ll find it!”

said Agaricus.

Che-Ni-Mon smiled.

“Thank you…”

The kittens immediately ran off.

One cozy afternoon, Chad and Agaricus were watching videos on Mom’s little tablet.

One video caught everyone’s attention.

White mountains.

Soft falling flakes.

Children laughing.

Snowball fights.

Snow angels.

Snowmen.

The kittens stared with wide eyes.

“It’s white!”

said Chad.

“It looks fluffy.”

said Agaricus.

Echo tilted her head.

“What’s it taste like?”

Che-Ni-Mon looked concerned.

“…Is it cold?”

Mom smiled.

“Very.”

The kittens all looked at one another.

“We have to see it.”

One rainy evening, the RV Guardians couldn’t go outside.

The rain tapped gently against the roof.

The wind whistled outside.

And everyone was just a little bit bored.

Chad sighed dramatically.

“We’ve played pirates.”

“We’ve built forts.”

“We’ve wrestled.”

“What do we do now?”

Mom smiled.

She reached into a cabinet and pulled out a colorful box.

“How about…”

“…Monopoly?”

The cats gathered around the table.

Even Dragon Claw leaned in from outside the RV.

For several days, the RV Guardians had been excited.

Dragon Claw had flown home to visit the other dragons.

Every evening the cats would look toward the horizon.

“I wonder what he’s doing,” said Chad.

“I bet he’s learning huge fire attacks,” said Agaricus.

“I bet he’s eating dragon-sized snacks,” said Echo.

“I hope he’s okay,” said Che-Ni-Mon.

“I hope he brings the quiet back,” mumbled Lily.

Even Lily smiled a little.

She had missed their giant friend.

Finally…

On the fourth evening…

The cats heard something familiar.

FWOOSH… FWOOSH…

It was a quiet night inside the RV.

Mom was fast asleep.

Echo was asleep.

Che-Ni-Mon was asleep.

Lily was asleep.

The moonlight poured softly through the windows.

Everything was peaceful.

Chad slowly opened one eye.

Then Agaricus opened one eye.

The two kittens looked at each other.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

whispered Chad.

“This is probably a bad idea.”

whispered Agaricus.

“…so yes?”

“…yes.”

The kittens quietly unlocked the little window.

Just enough.

One tiny whistle.

Psssst.

From the darkness…

One kitten climbed in.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another.

Then one last tiny kitten

The Grand Meow Line was quiet.

Too quiet.

Captain Chad stood on top of the RV Guardian, pirate hat tilted sideways.

“I smell danger.”

Agaricus Bisporus looked up from her map.

“You smell tuna.”

“That too.”

Echo was asleep near the sail, one claw hanging out dramatically.

Che-Ni-Mon was checking the emergency snack supply.

Lily was napping.

Which meant everything was normal.

Then pink feathers drifted through the sky.

One feather.

Then another.

Then hundreds.

Agaricus frowned.

“That’s not weather.”

A shadow appeared above them.

One evening, the RV Guardians returned home after a long day of adventures.

The sun had set.

The stars were beginning to appear.

And as the RV pulled into its usual spot...

A loud bark echoed through the night.

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

A giant black dog bounded through the neighboring garden.

He jumped.

He barked.

His tail wagged like a helicopter.

The kittens immediately pressed themselves against the window.

Chad's eyes widened.

"WHO IS THAT?!"

Agaricus stood beside him.

"He's huge."

Echo jumped onto the couch for a better view.

Che-Ni-Mon immediately hid behind the couch.

"Why is he so big?!"

Outside, the dog continued bouncing around the garden.

WOOF!

WOOF!

One evening, after everyone had fallen asleep, the RV was perfectly quiet.

Echo was asleep.

Che-Ni-Mon was asleep.

Lily was asleep.

Mom was asleep.

Only Chad and Agaricus Bisporus were still awake.

Then Chad found something.

The RV keys.

Chad slowly held them up.

“Agaricus.”

Agaricus looked over.

“No.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Long before the RV was filled with purring and chaos, there lived a tiny spider named Webster.

Webster had the perfect life.

His home was beneath the bed.

It was dark.

Quiet.

Safe.

And most importantly…

Nobody bothered him.

Webster spent his days maintaining his web, catching the occasional bug, and enjoying the peaceful rhythm of RV life.

Then one day…

The door opened.

“I AM THE BRIDGE TROLL!”

“AND I’M GOING TO EAT ANY CAT WHO TRIES TO CROSS!”

The kittens jumped backward.

Che-Ni-Mon jumped backward the farthest.

“We should leave.”

“We should absolutely not leave,” said Chad.

“We have a picnic to reach.”

The troll crossed his arms.

“Only the biggest and strongest cat is worth eating.”

The cats huddled together.

Agaricus thought for a moment.

Then smiled.

One evening, the RV Guardians were parked on a quiet hill far from town.

The sky was gray.

The wind was growing stronger.

And Lily didn't like it one bit.

"We should all stay inside tonight," she said.

Echo peeked out the window.

"Looks like a storm."

Agaricus Bisporus looked up from her book.

"A big one."

Chad grinned.

"Awesome."

Che-Ni-Mon immediately froze.

One peaceful afternoon, the RV was unusually quiet.

Echo was taking a nap.

Che-Ni-Mon was taking a nap.

Lily was taking a nap.

Mom was relaxing nearby.

Everything was calm.

Everything was peaceful.

Everything was perfect.

Then—

CRASH!

A cardboard box exploded across the floor.

On a quiet night, long after everyone in the RV had gone to sleep, two little kittens were still awake.

Chad sat by the window.

Agaricus Bisporus sat beside him.

Outside stretched an endless field beneath a sky full of stars.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Chad.

“We’re absolutely not supposed to leave the RV.”

“So that’s a yes?”

Agaricus sighed.

“That’s a yes.”

A RV Guardians Bedtime Story

One quiet night, the RV was parked in the desert beneath a sky so clear that every star seemed close enough to touch.

Dragon Claw lay beside the RV, snoring softly.

Lily was asleep.

Che-Ni-Mon was asleep.

Echo was pretending to be asleep.

Agaricus Bisporus was asleep on top of a pillow.r

Only Chad was awake.

He stared at the stars.

And the stars stared back.

At least…

He thought they did.