Trials and Friendships — Jennifer Miller

Sasha and his friends prepare for an upcoming day of fun and festivities. Sasha wants to win in the fishing contest, but needs to learn exactly how to fish first. He finds help in a new friendship; but when sudden illness befalls him, can he manage to overcome the sorrows of his past? With the mean old wolf Rasputin, out seeking revenge on him and his friends for the time he was defeated by them, will Sasha again manage to best his foes and be the victor...the warrior? Will he learn the ways of the bear and truly become all that a bear can be?

CAST of CHARACTERS

Penelope the Duck - Sasha's new friend teaches him how to fish and keeps their secret throughout their long life together: that Sasha, the bear cub, didn't know how.

Mr. Sirus - The crotchety old farmer who shoots at anyone who trespasses on his chicken farm.

Mr. Hare - The squatter on Old Sirus' vegetable garden. Will his secret be found out (stealing all the food he needs to feed his family) or will he go unnoticed and have food aplenty for his family and himself?

Caribou - The healer of the forest inhabitants. Can she save the little cub, Sasha, or will he die from causes unknown?

The Goat Family - who has milk to nurse the wolf pup, Ivanhoe. Will the raccoon be spared from nursing the pup, or will she agree to the command of their healer to feed the whelp?

The Raccoon Family - The mother is called upon to feed the little wolf. She defies the command bitterly, spitting in disgust.

Guinevere the Coyote - Rasputin's Folly. Always fighting Rasputin for her territory - a long past. Will they ever find a solution to their inner battles of attraction for each other?

The Alpha - The leader of a pack that hates the one called Rasputin. Filled with jealousy and rage to destroy him once and for all, to regain his own power and status among the packs, will he succeed in killing his competition or will Rasputin hold the upper paw?

Ivanhoe - Rasputin's latest downfall. Out to seek revenge on the little cub, Sasha, he hunts this night to kill anything that moves on his way to the cub's den. Dragging his catch out into the moonlit night from the brush, he howls in sadness, finding his prize is none other but a baby wolf pup. Will he leave it to die or will he find a way to save his life?

Owls/Foxes/Squirrels & Birds - And all other friends of the forest are part of the family above: playing, mating, and helping one another survive the mean old Rasputin.

This story takes place in the forests of Netherland.