"Hurry up, Ish!" Momma said,  "Your bus will be here soon"
Ish (whose real name was Ishkibbibblez Monsterz)  looked down at his Honey Pancakes and sighed. Honey Pancakes were his very favorite meal, but this morning, however, he was too worried to take a single bite.
He usually loved school, but not today, for today was the day that Hairy Troll ( The meanest creature in his fourth grade class, at Enchanted Forest Elementary) was going to get Ish for not letting him sneak a peek at his test paper.
He already knew that today he was toast after school, because Hairy had called ,to tell him so!
Of all the Creatures at Enchanted Forest, Hairy was the meanest, strongest and biggest bully to stagger the halls.
He was 6 feet tall, and bigger than every other Creature, except Willow Tree, who was 7'10.
He bullied everyone smaller than him, especially and including the Sprite Twins,  who every Creature knows, are teensy, because they are fairies.
In fact, the only creatures he didn't bully (except Willow, who was very shy) were his band of fellow troublemakers: Mangled Mamba, Sly Fox, and Leapin Frog.
They stole from younger Creatures, they hogged the swings at the playground.

Word had it that they even smoked berries that the high school skunk, Stinky sold!

He had a vicious snarl and seldom smiled, well, unless he was making another Creature cry.
Mostly, Ish stayed out of his way.

Yesterday though, he got him super annoyed three times...and now, NOW he was TOAST!
The first thing Ish did was to pick up for Isabella Sprite.
Hairy was being horrid as usual, and had taken Bella's tiara, for the sole reason of watching her try to take it back.
That was not right!

Even IF She was a girl Creature, and they weren't friends.
Even if sometimes he found himself thinking about how little and cute she was.
His Mommy and Daddy had always taught him to always stick up for Little Creatures.
After all, he DID have two sisters, one older and one younger.
IF any Creature had dared to treat either of them badly, well Ish didn't know WHAT he might do.
Even though Ishkibbiblez wasn't a tough Creature, he had been studying the art of Cah Ray Zee, and had earned his Nightwalker Belt degree, making him a Lethal Creature, he believed Cah Ray Zee was for defense only!
He never used his it against any Creature.
For all of his strength and training, he was very caring, sensitive and hated to see anyone upset.

His tummy growled and twisted around.
His heart was beating faster, and he felt sorta like the time he knew he was going to fall out of his tree house!

He knew he was gonna get something broken, something more than his embarrassment of being clumsy.
This time it would be blood, bones maybe even teeth.

He heard his bus pull up, and with his last bit of courage, forced himself out the door.

As he boarded the bus and found his seat, he noticed every Creature was staring at him.
He sighed and slipped on his Ear Pops. Maybe his favorite band, The Slippery Eels, would get him in a better frame of mind. After hearing their hit "Slither" he turned off his Pawpoddy.
It was no use, he couldn't stop thinking of his imminent doom.
Maybe he could fake sick and get the school nurse, Mrs Narwahl, call Mamma.
Maybe he was worried for nothing! maybe Hairy would be absent! 
Maybe he'd forgotten all about the bruising he'd threatened...

The bus stopped, and Hairy lumbered on, spotted Ish, and gave him a sinister grin filled with loathing.

Eh, maybe not.

Ish refused to cower from his scathing glare and then returned his own growling grimace.
It wouldn't do to let Hairy know he was shaking in his paws!
For Bears sake, not at all!

All of a sudden, Bella flitted in front of him, and said "Hey, can we talk?" in her little teeny voice.
He held out his paw and she fluttered down and sat gracefully.
"Just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for me the other day! Me and the other Creatures all think that was mighty brave."
Then, she floated up to him and KISSED HIM!
Fairy kisses are magical you know!

A wonderous thing occurred then,then, that was he wasnt scared at all anymore, in fact, after today he was never going to be scared of Hairy ever again.
When every Creature got off the bus he walked up to Hairy and said, "Thats it, do yur worst! I'm not scared. Its enough!! I'll never let YOU bully ME or anyone here!"
He got into a defensive stance and prepared himself inside, steeling his shaking like a leaf nerves, but outwardly appearing unmoved.

That's when came a tiny but mighty voice...

Me Too, HAIRY HORRIBLE TROLL!
Hairy spun around and looked eyeball to Bella's entite Fairy frame..

"Yoooouuu stay out of this!" He bellowed! "GO AWAAAY", and blowing out a heaving breath, he blew her backwards, and then laughed, his minions snickering at his antics.

Ish had had enough! He looked up at Hairy and said..."you know, it's never okay to be a bully! And its definitely NOT OK to pick on girls!! You can beat me up and break my bones but I'm tired of you!"
Hairy picked up a mighty paw, and balled it into a fist!

All of a sudden Willow spoke with a great rustling of his leaves!
STOP Hairy...take yourself on to class NOW
All the Creatures, one by one, looked at HAIRY and saw how scared HE looked...
And seeing him like that, made them not afraid any longer!

Hairy ran away shrieking, "Imma tell my Momma on you Willow Tree, you just see if I DONT!
His cohorts, having no leader, slunk off muttering under their collective breaths.

Calm and peace returned to the Enchanted Forest once more ....and all of its Creatures within never forgot the day that Ish stood up to a bully!

There are other Creatures who have their own tails to tell....but those are yet to be told!

The End