Born to be Wild Chapter 4

The next morning at 9:45, Craig, Kelsey, JP, Mortimer, Wildernessa, and Cheesesticks were waiting outside the Cave of the Elders with their offerings. Craig knocked on the door, and was surprised to see only Mark there.

"Where are David and Barry?" He asked.

"They won't come until noon." Replied Mark. "Did you bring the offerings?"

"Did we ever!" Said JP.

"Very well." Said Mark. "You may come in." The kids and Mortimer went inside the cave, though Cheesesticks couldn't come in because he was too big.

'This is so geeky.' Wildernessa thought to herself while Craig, Kelsey, JP, and Mark sat down on the Dungeons & Dragons table, and Mortimer sat on Kelsey's head.

"Show me the piece offerings!" Said Mark. JP reluctantly handed over his Dino-grabby to the teen.

"Goodbye, Grabadon." Said JP. Kelsey handed over her fake butterfly wings from last year's Halloween costume.

"These were my warrior wings from when we were attacked by cicadas!" She declared. And lastly, Craig reached into his sack and pulled out his Bring Out Your Beast cards.

"Let's see what Beasts you've brought me today." Said Mark, and he was surprised to see his Ick-Arus back.

"You gave back my Ick-Arus?" Asked Mark in awe. "For all these weeks, I was stuck with Aqua Mantis! And a Bushallo? Even though there are better Grass-Type Beasts out there, Bushallo is useful in certain situations. Anyway, thank you so much for returning Ick-Arus! You may now get ready to leave, because there are many animals to release."

"Is it okay if I stop by the Trading Tree to get something for my brother?" Asked Craig.

"Yes, you may." Said Mark. "But make it snappy." Craig ran out of the cave so he could make it to the Trading Tree on time.

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After 7 minutes of running, Craig made it to the Trading Tree. Kit was wondering why Craig was in such a hurry.

"Good morning, Craig!" Said Kit. "What happened to you? You looked like you were running away from a man-eating lion!"

"It's private business, Kit." Craig replied panting. "Do you have any packs of Bring Out Your Beast trading cards?"

"You're in luck!" Said Kit, bending down to retrieve something. "I have the last pack in the entire Creek! But I won't give them out for free."

"I became prepared!" Said Craig, opening his sack. "Here are some turtle toys, a comic book, and a toy robot." Craig pulled out the said items and gave them to Kit one by one.

"The turtle toys aren't worth much," Said Kit. "But any kid on the Creek would want a robot or a comic book! Here's your pack of cards!" Kit gave Craig the card pack, and the African American boy was happy. Cheesesticks then came over to pick up Craig.
"Who's dog is that?" Asked Kit.

"That's Cheesesticks." Said Craig, getting on top of the Mastiff. "He belongs to the Creek's savior of animals. Bye, Kit! I'll see you again in a couple of days!" Cheesesticks then sprinted back to the cave with Craig on his back.

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The kids, Mortimer, Cheesesticks, and Mark were now in Mark's front yard. Thankfully, his parents weren't home, so he was able to take their extra car. Mark and JP sat in the front seat, Craig, Kelsey, Mortimer, and Wildernessa sat in the back seat, and Cheesesticks was in the way-back.

"If a police officer drives by, JP," Kelsey told JP. "Tell him that you have to sit in the front seat or else you'll get carsick."

"But I don't get carsick in the backseat." Said JP.

"It's just a little white lie." Said Craig. "I lied to my dad once by saying I was a vegetarian. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Alright." Said JP, and Mark started driving. The car got out of the driveway and left Herkleston. After 15 minutes, a police officer drove by on a motorcycle. Craig and Kelsey hid under the seats so the officer wouldn't notice them, while Wildernessa simply ducked.

"Excuse me, young gentlemen." Said the officer. "Where are your parents?"

"They're at work." Lied Mark. "Me and my brother, uh, George, were gonna drop our dog off at the groomer's."

"Then how come the dog is in the way-back?" Asked the officer.

"Because he won't fit in the backseat." Lied Mark.

"Then why isn't George in the backseat?" Asked the officer.

"Because I get carsick." Lied JP.

"May I see your driver's permit, please?" The officer asked Mark.

"Yes, you may." Said Mark, handing the officer his permit.

"It says your name is Mark Clements." The officer read. "You're sixteen years old, 5'2", and you're from Herkleston, Maryland. You're free to go." He handed the permit back to Mark and drove off. As soon as Craig and Kelsey got out from under the seat, Mark continued driving. Suddenly, Kelsey's cell phone started ringing. Kelsey answered it and heard a familiar voice.

"Hi, Kelsey!" It was Stacks. "Could you put the phone on speaker, please?" Kelsey clicked on the megaphone icon on her screen.

"Hi, Stacks!" Said Wildernessa. "Ready to give an overview of our plan?"

"Way ahead of you, girl!" Replied Stacks. "Craig! JP! Are you there, too?"

"Yes, we are!" Said the two boys in unison.

"Great!" Said Stacks. "First thing's first, the only way to get inside the exhibits without being too obvious is by getting the keys. Mortimer, since you're the only one of us here who can fly, you will get the keys. Got it?" Mortimer chirped in agreement.

"Good." Said Stacks. "The first place you need to go to is the Creature Encounters building. There's an African Grey Parrot there named Echo. What do you guys know about parrots?"

"Uh, they can talk like us?" Guessed JP.

"Close." Said Stacks. "Parrots can imitate whatever you say. If you enter the building unsupervised, the parrot will start sounding an alarm. If you want to free animals from the Creature Encounters building, shut the parrot up, but don't kill him. He's an endangered species."

"Got it!" Said Craig.

"Good." Said Stacks. "Once you have the keys, you can free all the animals you want. However, don't free the animals that are critically endangered. If you do, you might end up wiping out an entire species. These following animals are critically endangered: Bog turtle, chinchilla, Addra's gazelle, Chinese alligator, red ruffed lemur, Egyptian tortoise, African slender-snouted crocodile, Waldtrapp ibis, and Panamanian golden frog." As Stacks listed the names, Craig typed the names out on his cellphone.

"Also," Stacks continued. "Release as few predators back in the wild. It's been scientifically proven that captive predators adapt poorly to the wild. However, captive snakes, lizards, and amphibians released in the wild seem to thrive quite well. And finally, try not to encounter elephants, rhinos, porcupines, skunks, or rattlesnakes. An elephant or a rhino would squish you like a bug, rattlesnakes are poisonous, porcupines have painful quills, and skunks obviously emit a powerful odor that is very hard to remove. That's all I have to say. Good luck on your mission!" Stacks then ended her call and hung up.

'Next time these kids want to do something this crazy,' Mark thought to himself. 'They'll have to pay using real money.'
Authors' Notes:
The Trading Tree, shown above, is a location in Craig of the Creek in which kids can trade items for snacks, medical supplies, and toys. It is run by Kit, who looks a bit like Connie Masewaren from Steven Universe.

Since Mark doesn't have an official last name yet, I decided to give him one: Clements, who is of course named after Disney veteran Ron Clements.
Aqua Mantis is not a real BOYB Beast; It is one that I thought of for the sake of my story. Aqua Mantis is named after Aquamentis from The Legend of Zelda.

Born to be Wild Chapter 3

After 15 minutes of walking, JP and Kelsey made it to the Cave of the Elders, while Mortimer, being a bird, simply flew over. Craig and Wildernessa came shortly after riding on Cheesesticks, and Mortimer landed on Kelsey's head. After fixing his hair from the bumpy ride, Craig walked to the front of the cave and knocked. After a few seconds, Mark, one of the Elders, opened the door.

"What is it this time?" He asked.

"We plan on going to the Maryland Zoo to free some of the animals and release them back in their natural habitats." Answered Craig. "However, none of us can drive yet, and we don't want our parents to find out, so we were wondering if one of you could drive us there."

"You're lucky we have our driver's permits." Replied Mark. "I'll drive you to the Maryland Zoo and back to Herkleston. We'll drop the animals off at the Baltimore Inner Harbor and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where they will be shipped out to faraway countries. As for the payment, you have to give me a prized possession from you, Kelsey, and JP. We will head out tomorrow at 10 AM."

"I will give you two Bring Out Your Beast trading cards." Said Craig.

"I will give you my warrior wings." Said Kelsey.

"And I will give you a Dino-grabby." Said JP.

"Are you crazy, JP?!" Asked Kelsey. "You only have one left, and the previous one sank in the overpass!"

"It's fine." Said JP. "I can win another one when the carnival comes back to town, or get another at the Trading Tree."

"Wait!" Said Craig. "How come you're helping us? I thought you don't like working with kids."

"That's a lie!" Said Mark. "I can tolerate children, just not 30 at once. Besides, this journey reminds me of an anime movie from last year: Stacy and the Magic Rose. Anyway, it's settled. Tomorrow at 10 AM, I will give you a round trip to the Maryland Zoo in favor of your offerings." Craig, JP, and Kelsey went back to their houses to find their items to trade in, while Wildernessa walked home with Craig to explain the plan to him.

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When Craig came back to his house, he searched his room for Bernard's BOYB trading card collection book.
"Aha!" Said Craig, pulling the book from the book shelf. "Let's see what Beasts I could trade in. Definitely not Beast Snare or Squeakers the Infected. Well, Mark did say he had a slime snake. I guess I'll give that back to him." Craig pulled Ick-Arus (pronounced Icarus), the snake card, out of its pocket and placed it in his sack. "Which other one should I pull out? Muscle Clops? Firebird? Groblin?" Craig then heard the door open. It was Bernard.
"Craig," He said. "It's your turn to wash the dishes. I told mom and dad that I was going to go on a lunch date with Alexis in 15 minutes, and I don't want to be late! What are you doing with those Bring Out Your Beast cards?"
"If I tell you, can you please promise to keep it a secret?" Pleaded Craig.
"Alright, Craig." Said Bernard, closing the door. "I don't want to get upset before my date, after all."
"Okay." Said Craig. "There's this girl who lives in the woods named Wildernessa. Her job is to help animals in distress. She wants me, Kelsey, and JP to help her free some animals at the Maryland Zoo."
"Have you lost your marbles, Craig?!" Said Bernard. "You know that animals are better off in captivity!"
"I know," Said Craig. "But Wildernessa, the girl I'm helping, spoke this over with Stacks at the library for four weeks, and they concocted a plan to release them in protected wildlife reserves across the globe. However, I don't want mom or dad to know about it because they'd be worried sick. Instead, Mark, one of the Elders of the Creek, will drive me and my friends to the zoo, but I need to give him a piece offering. I told him I'd give him two BOYB cards, but you said you were saving them to sell them for college money. I was afraid you'd get mad at me again."
"It's alright, Craig." Said Bernard. "You can give him two cards, but you need to find two replacement cards of any kind. Deal?"
"Deal." Said Craig, and the two brothers shook hands. "Besides, I already found one card that actually belonged to him. Now the problem is I don't know what other card to give him." Bernard then took the book and started flipping through it.
"How about one of my Bushallo?" Offered Bernard. "I have more than one, and they're pretty cheap." Bernard then pulled out a Bushallo card and gave it to Craig.
"Thank you, Bernard." Said Craig. "I never saw this side of you before."
"We're taking social skills classes at high school." Said Bernard.
"One more thing." Said Craig. "If anyone asks where I've gone, tell mom, dad, and Jessica that our class is taking a field trip to Washington, DC."
"Got it!" Said Bernard. "Now if you excuse me, I have a lunch to attend to." Bernard then started whistling a familiar tune, exited Craig's room, and closed the door. Craig then walked over to his drawer and placed his card book back inside.
"Where could I find replacement cards?" Craig asked himself. "Perhaps Kit has a pack at the Trading Tree! But she won't give it away for free. Maybe one of my treasures will change her mind!" Craig opened his closet and retrieved a comic book, a toy robot, and those turtle toys from when he and his friends first encountered Wildernessa. While digging through his 'treasures', Craig couldn't help but notice the empty bug tank on top of his shelf. After putting his collected 'treasures' in his sack, Craig walked over to the tank and prayed.
"I miss you, 88 Legs." He whispered. Craig decided that he might need the tank in case they run out of cages to put the animals in, so he put the tank in his sack. He then exited his room, locked his door, and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes and then have lunch.
Author's Notes: The song Bernard is whistling in this chapter happens to be 'Almost Like Being in Love', a novelty song from the late 1940s. It plays during the credits of Groundhog Day, as well as an improvised version in Antz. It sounds something like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0gyX0psbFI
The Dino Grabby that JP mentions in this chapter are the ones he got at the Trading Tree in the episode 'Under the Overpass.'

The 'warrior wings' Kelsey mentions in this chapter were from the episode 'The Brood', in which Craig, Kelsey, JP, and Mortimer get trapped in their stump during a cicada swarm. However, they were just leftovers from her Halloween costume from last year.

The Dino Grabby and Warrior Wings will appear again in Chapter 4.
Bring Out Your Beast is a card game in Craig of the Creek, spoofing popular trading card games like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! In the episode 'Bring Out Your Beast', Craig borrows Bernard's BOYB cards so he can play the game at the Splintery Butt. Here are some of the cards that were featured in the episode that also appear in my story.

Bushallo
Ick-Arus
Squeakers the Infected

Beast Snare
Firebird, Groblin, and Muscle Clops are unofficial names that I gave these following three cards.

You know how in Craig of the Creek, Craig has a bug tank with a red lid on a shelf in his bedroom?

Well, ever since I noticed it, I wondered what kind of animal was in that tank. I even tried emailing one of the people who works on the show, but I couldn't get any answers. Until then, I guess it is safe to guess what animal is/was in there. What I think was in the tank will be revealed in Chapter 5.
The comic book and robot were one of Craig's MANY treasures in the Craig of the Creek episode 'Too Many Treasures'.

The robot is the blue one in the closet pile behind a comic book to the right of the blue ribbon.

The turtle toys Craig finds in his closet are the turtle toys from 'Wildernessa'.

The movie that Mark mentions, Stacy and the Magic Rose, is a spoof of the anime film 'Mary and the Witch's Flower'. In the movie, protagonist Mary Smith discovers a magic flower. This leads to a series of events that ends her up in Endor College For Witches. Head Mistress Madam Mumblechook and chemistry teacher Doctor Dee secretly want the flower so Dee can concoct a spell that can turn people into witches. They have previously tried testing the spell without the flower on exotic animals, but instead turns them into Pokémon rejects.

Thankfully, these animals get turned back to normal with the help of Mary and a boy named Peter.

I'll give Mary and the Witch's Flower a full review sometime this fall.

Born to be Wild Chapter 2

Wildernessa and Cheesesticks were walking in the streets of Herkleston, looking for animals in distress. She spotted some exotic fish in a tank in a window of the local library. She went inside, but was immediately kicked out because dogs aren’t allowed.

“Sorry, Cheesesticks.” Wildernessa told the large dog. “It’ll only be a few minutes.” She went inside and walked over to where the fish tank was. She was about to lift the lid off the tank, but then Wildernessa heard a voice.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Said the voice. It was a seven-year-old girl with black hair, fair skin, a blue shirt, red pants, yellow shoes, and pink socks with a flashlight strapped to her forehead. She was in a bean bag chair reading 'Nigel Planter and the Drinking Glass of Brimstone'.

“What would you know?” Asked Wildernessa. “You’re an evil human.”

“Slow down, girl.” Said the younger girl. “Aren’t you aware that you’re a human, yourself?”

“I’M NOT A HUMAN!” Shouted Wildernessa.

“Inside voice, please.” Said Stacks, the younger girl. “I’ll give you proof that you’re human. Place your hands on mine, please.” Wildernessa did as instructed, and they matched. Wildernessa was, in fact, human.

“Guess I am a human.” Said Wildernessa. “By the way, my name’s Wildernessa.”

"Oh, yeah!" Said Stacks. "Kelsey told me about you! You told her that animals should be free, so she freed many of the dogs on this side of Herkleston. However, you blamed Craig for this mess and claimed that Kelsey was brainwashed by mankind, even though you're a human yourself." Wildernessa felt the guilt sink in: She probably should have been more specific when she told Kelsey that all animals should be free. Wildernessa then started to cry.

"I really am a horrible person!" She wailed. "I never should have met Kelsey in the Creek! I should've just took the turtle and left! Because of my misguidance, I almost let the ecosystem go out of whack!" Wildernessa took the teddy bear mask off her face and blew hard.

"It's okay, Wildernessa." Said Stacks, comforting the older girl. "We all make mistakes. You shouldn't beat yourself up like that. Instead of just being angry at your own kind, why don't you do something that benefits the environment? There's lots of things you can do: You can recycle plastic bottles and metal cans, turn off lights when you don't need them, take shorter showers, and don't use pesticide on your flowers."

"Then what do you do about the animals whose homes are destroyed?" Asked Wildernessa.

"Animals like rhinos, gorillas, pandas, and tigers are endangered." Said Stacks. "That means that they're in danger of going extinct, like the dinosaurs. What we do to help them is to protect their homelands and place endangered species in zoos. The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, which is just 37 minutes away from Herkleston, is dedicated to helping endangered species.” An imaginary light bulb then appeared above Wildernessa’s head.

"I think I’ll do a jailbreak." Said Wildernessa.

"Are you insane?!" Asked Stacks. "You'll get in tons of trouble for letting non-indigenous animals free in the US!"

"That's why you're gonna help me." Said Wildernessa. "Using available books in this building, you will teach me everything about the Maryland Zoo animals, including their habitats, diets, and what countries to release them in."

"Okay." Said Stacks with an unsure tone. "I just hope it won't be like the dog incident Kelsey told me about."

"It won't," Ensured Wildernessa. "Because I'm going to recruit some familiar faces: The same three kids who saved the Creek after the fossil rush."
'At least there will be one more person to talk about books with.' Stacks thought to herself.

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After four long weeks, Wildernessa learned all about the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. She even kept Stacks' cell phone number to keep in touch with her. She threw away her teddy bear mask because it was a dark reminder of her past. Right now, she was riding over to the Creek on Cheesesticks. Meanwhile, Craig, Kelsey, Mortimer, and JP were in their stump hideaway. Craig was writing down which places in the Creek they have and have not visited yet.
"Let's see." Craig thought out loud. "We climbed Mt. Sycamore, we made it through the poison ivy grove, we found Big Pinchy's hideaway. What haven't we explored yet?"
"The Rock That Looks Like a Turtle?" Asked JP.
"The Couch of Teenage Mysteries?" Asked Kelsey.
"Good suggestions." Said Craig. "But the couch sounds a bit scary. How about King of the Hill Hill?" Their conversation was interrupted by a knock. Craig checked the periscope to see who it was, and he was shocked when he found out who it was.
"Is Kelsey down there?" The voice asked. It was Wildernessa, the self-proclaimed guardian of nature, except she wasn't wearing her teddy bear mask.
"It's Wildernessa." Craig said in bewilderment.
"Wildernessa?!" Said Kelsey. She climbed up the ladder, with Mortimer in her hair, and opened the door on top of the stump. "What are you doing here?"
"I want to say sorry for saying that mankind brainwashed you." She said, while Kelsey got out of the stump. "I also want to apologize to Craig for saying he knew nothing about animals and blaming him for almost letting a dog get run over by a car." Craig then crawled out of the stump.
"You really mean that?" Asked Craig. "Weren’t you the one who punched Jason and made him cry like a baby?"
"Yes, I do mean it, Craig." Said Wildernessa. "And yes, I’m the one who punched, bit, and scratched Jason. He also has to help kindergarten kids as a punishment, along with his flunkies." JP then crawled out of the stump.
"Where's your mask?" He asked.
"I ditched it because it was a reminder of my past." Admitted Wildernessa. "However, I no longer hate all humans, but I still dedicate myself to saving animals in distress. That reminds me, Kelsey. Could you help me on a secret mission? I want to free some animals at the Maryland Zoo and release them back in their proper habitats." Kelsey then stared at the sky and started narrating in her head again.
"Today, Wildernessa returned and asked me to join her on a quest to free animals back in their right habitats. Will Kelsey Pokoly be able to do this by only herself, this forest girl, and her faithful falcon Mortimer?" Wildernessa started waving her hand in front of Kelsey's face to get her attention.
"What's happening?" Asked Wildernessa.
"It's nothing." Said Craig. "She's just narrating to herself. She does it all the time." Kelsey then snapped back to reality.
"So, where are we going to go first?" Asked Kelsey.
"Since we can't drive yet," Said Craig. "We'll have to ask one of the Elders of the Creek to drive us there. There's no way our parents would let us."
"Then it's settled!" Declared Kelsey. "To the Cave of the Elders!" Wildernessa then jumped on Cheesesticks' back.
"Would you like to ride my dog, Craig?" She asked. "I've been told you couldn't last time because you were taking the place of the Timekeeper, right?"
"Correct." Said Craig. "And I'd love to ride your dog, even though I haven't riden a horse yet, unless you count one of the Horse Girls."
"Then hop on, Craig!" She said. Wildernessa and Craig jumped on Cheesesticks and headed to the Cave of the Elders, with Kelsey and JP following from behind by foot.
Author's Notes: Stacks is a character on Craig of the Creek who loves to read books, and she is also more than welcome to do book reports for other kids. So far, she only appeared in two episodes: 'The Final Book' and 'Secret Book Club'.

The Poison Ivy Grove, Big Pinchy's Hideaway, Mt. Sycamore, The Couch of Teenage Mysteries, King of the Hill Hill, and The Rock That Looks Like a Turtle are all one of the many locations in the Creek in Craig of the Creek.

One of Craig's many revisions of the Creek Map.

'Nigel Planter and the Drinking Glass of Brimstone', the book that Stacks was reading, is a spoof off of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Nigel Planter, a parody of Harry Potter, was a character on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy who would appear from time to time.

Billy, Mandy, Grim, and Nigel (the one with the glasses) encountering Lord Moldy-Butt (a parody of Voldermort).

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 2015

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 2015

Note: Walt Disney Animation Studios did not release a single film this year.

In January, George Lucas decided to take another shot at making an animated movie with the ill-received Strange Magic, based on William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream. Despite being one of the newer animated films in the market, Strange Magic wasn't released on Blu-Ray.

In February, SpongeBob SquarePants returned to the big screen with The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Rotten Tomatoes stated that "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water won't win over many viewers who aren't fans of the show, but for the converted, it's another colorful burst of manic fun." Despite being marketed as a CG film, Sponge Out of Water is actually primarily 2D animated with mixed mediums. There’s even a stop-motion dolphin voiced by Matt Berry!

In March, DreamWorks released their only animated movie for 2015, Home. While it was successful at the box-office, the film got mixed to negative reviews.

In June, Pixar made their triumphant comeback to quality filmmaking with Inside Out. The film got excellent reviews, grossed over 857 million dollars worldwide at the box-office, and rightfully won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

In July, the insanely popular banana-loving Twinkies made their feature-film debut with Minions. The film was rather disappointing to many, but managed to gross over a BILLION dollars worldwide!

In August, Aardman released their sixth feature film Shaun the Sheep, based on the TV series of the same name. The film got really good reviews and even got the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. However, it did very poorly at the American box-office.

Also released in August was the internationally produced animated film The Prophet, based on the book by Kahlil Gibran. It was directed by Roger Allers, who was also the co-director of The Lion King.

There were two animated movies released in September. The first was the adult-oriented stop-motion film Anomalisa, in which it was shown at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. The film also got the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Inside Out. Anomalisa would have a wide release in December that year.

Also released in September was a return to the haunted hotel in Hotel Transylvania 2. The film got slightly better reviews than Hotel Transylvania 1, and somehow managed to win the KCA for Best Animated Feature over Inside Out and The Peanuts Movie. Perhaps it was because of the introduction of Kakie, a parody of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street, that kids got intrigued in. There’s also a vampire that bears a strong resemblance to Ned Flanders from The Simpsons.

On November 6th, after 35 long years, the beloved comic strip characters of Charles Schulz returned to the big screen in Blue Sky's 10th animated film, The Peanuts Movie. It became Blue Sky Studios' best-reviewed movie to date, with an impressive rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

And finally, on November 25th, Pixar released their 16th feature film The Good Dinosaur. Unfortunately, it would be a box-office flop; The film had to compete against Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 at the box-office. 'Good Dinosaur' also got weaker reviews than previous Pixar films, and one critic even went as far as calling it one of Pixar's least original films. That's all I have to say for this week's Animated Movies Throughout the Years! Tune
in next week when we talk about animated movies from 2016, in which Disney released two different but still amazing animated films, Pixar went back to the big blue with Finding Dory, Laika took stop-motion animation to new heights with Kubo and the Two Strings, and DreamWorks released the overshadowed Kung Fu Panda 3.

Born to be Wild Chapter 1

Craig of the Creek © Cartoon Network
Netflix © Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph.
It was a typical day in the Creek. Craig, Kelsey, JP, and Mortimer were exploring the Creek, The Horse Girls were galloping in the tall grass, Kit was bartering with the other kids, and the 10 Speeds were burning rubber. Jason and his flunkies Tony and Boris were patrolling the Creek until they saw a girl wearing a teddy bear for a mask with a Tibetan Mastiff by her side. She was helping a squirrel climb up a tree back to his hole in the tree.
“Move it or lose it!” Commanded Jason, holding his squirt gun.
“Why don’t you move it?!” The girl snapped back. “I am Wildernessa, Guardian of the animals! Every year, thousands of innocent animals like turtles, tigers, deer, and wolves lose their homes because you humans build unnecessary houses, hotels, freeways, and restaurants for your selfish needs. My job is to rescue wild animals in peril until all humans die and nature wins back the land that rightfully belongs to the animals!" When Wildernessa finished her introduction, the three boys started laughing hysterically.
"Last time I checked," Said Jason. "Tigers lived in Asia. You won't find any of them here except in zoos."
"Aren't you aware that you're human, yourself?" Asked Boris, still recovering from laughing.
"I'M NOT A HUMAN!" Shouted Wildernessa. "I hate humans! Except for one." Wildernessa then looked at Jason. Kelsey told her about this kid before. “Wait a minute. You’re the one who started that fossil escapade that dried up the Creek! You almost ruined the food chain and killed off fish and tadpoles!”
“What fossil escapade?” Jason asked nervously.
“The one when JP found a trilobite fossil, only to find out it was a fake.” Said Tony. Wildernessa’s eyes turned red with rage.
"You and your big mouth." Jason told Tony.
“YOU NEARLY DESTROYED THE ECOSYSTEM FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH NEEDS!” She shouted, getting ready to pulverize Jason.
“But that was the old Jason!” The Forest Scout said nervously. “I’m a changed boy!” Regardless of what Jason was saying, Wildernessa jumped on Jason and beat him up badly.
“What is wrong with you?” Asked Jason, as he started crying. Tony and Boris got really mad.
“You’re in big trouble, young lady.” Said Tony. He grabbed some rope from his backpack and tied up Wildernessa and Cheesesticks. Boris grabbed both of them and took them to the Elders of the Creek.
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A couple hours later, after speaking with the Elders of the Creek, Tony and Boris put Wildernessa on trial at Dibs Court. Her arms and legs were tied together in case she tried to escape. Cheesesticks was in a large raccoon trap with a muzzle on his snout. Jason wasn't there because he was at the hospital. David, one of the Elders, was on the top of a rock.
"Presenting, Judge Mark!" He said, and Mark, another Elder, appeared wearing a powdered wig and carried a large gavel.
"Order! Order!" He said, banging the large hammer. "We are here today because this girl, who calls herself Wildernessa, is accused of beating up Forest Scout Jason. What does the defendant say?"
"He deserved to be pulverized!" Said Wildernessa. "He dried up the Creek just so he could dig up a fossil that wasn't even real! Not only that, many fish, tadpoles, and crawfish would've died!"
"Is that true, Tony and Boris?" Mark asked.
"I hate to admit it," Said Tony. "But yes. He even stated that he didn't want to be a Forest Scout, anymore. He was so determined to dig up a fossil just so people could respect him more."
"I heard the same thing." Said Boris.
"So, Wildernessa." Said Mark. "You beat up Jason because he was killing the creatures of the Creek?"
"Correct!" Said Wildernessa.
"Wildernessa!" Said Mark. "By order of Dibs Court, I declare you innocent! As for Jason, when he recovers from the hospital, he will be stripped of his Junior Forest Scout membership and sentenced to one year of community service. He will volunteer for watching over the little kids at Herkleston Kindergarten!" Tony and Boris started laughing.
"Not so fast, you two!" Said David. "You will also be helping Jason for a year. As for you, Wildernessa, since you bit, scratched, and punched someone, you are banished from the Creek for four weeks. However, you can still ride your dog. Just not in the Creek." Barry, another Elder, walked over to Wildernessa and untied her, while David walked over and freed Cheesesticks and removed his muzzle.
"That's okay." Said Wildernessa, hopping onto Cheesesticks. "There's always another section of Herkleston with animals in distress." The two of them then left the Creek to find other animals in distress.
Author's Notes: I am aware that, as of 'The Great Fossil Rush', Jason, the snobby Forest Scout who picks on everyone, is nice now, but this story started as a question. 'What would happen if Jason and Wildernessa encountered each other face to face?' I originally had Jason and his flunkies encounter Wildernessa in a completely different scene. I'll post the alternate opening after I finish the story. By the way, Jason and his flunkies look like this.

Jason (the blond one with the braces), Tony (the one with the hat, orange hair, shades, and book), and Boris (the tall one with more meat on his bones).

The Elders of the Creek are a trio of teenage boys whom Craig, Kelsey, JP, and Mortimer visit from time to time in case they need help or advice.

Mark (the one with the cape and glasses), Barry (the big boned one with the sideburns), and David (the one with the Viking helmet and the sandals).

Mark, the Elder with the cape and glasses, will play a major role later in the story, starting in Chapter 3.
Starting in the next chapter, Wildernessa will not wear her signature teddy bear mask. She will look something like this, drawn by yours truly.