“And good morning to you,” Bear bowed to the image in the mirror who, having the same set of fine manners, bowed back. The image had a striking similarity to our bear. It was about three inches tall with well-combed short brown fur, two black eyes that sparkled ever so often when Bear smiled, four strong paws, and two softly soft ears. Speaking of smiles, the image had the same warm, toothy smile our bear had.

He dipped his paws in the water in the sink and rubbed it into his face, all around his neck and ears, and now he was fully awake.

Autumn was in full bloom and the days were getting shorter and mornings darker. A little bit more and the winter will come and the snow will light up the night, but until then there was still plenty to do. Raindrops were tapping at the window and so Bear knew that it was raining without even looking.

Bear switched the lights off and in almost full darkness walked down the stairs. If there was a reason for having such good eyesight, then it must have been for occasions just like these.

With a tiny roar and adding a bit more oomph to his pull, Bear got the big heavy doors open on the second attempt. He threw a strained gaze for the Owl and Rabbit to file in before the door pushes shut, and quickly jumped in himself right after them.

Reflecting the warm yellow light from the crystal chandeliers, marble tiles in black and white decorated the floor of the bank’s lobby in a chequered pattern. In gold-plated frames, paintings of badgers in stately poses greeted them from the walls and made it easy to forget that the room had not a single window except for the glass dome in the center. There were animals dispersed throughout the room, some standing in queues and others leaning back on sofas, sipping drinks.

Bear was the mastermind of every operation the friends set out to do, and he was rather good at it. So it took him just two hours to plan the trip and pack all the necessary bits. Fully stuffed, his backpack looked more like a bookshelf – being about Bear’s height and maybe twice as wide. He pushed it through the door of their home and, once out, lifted it effortlessly onto his back. If there was a reason why one would have so much strength, then it must be for exactly such occasions.

Next day the camp was already bustling when Marten woke up.

“Hello, sleepy head!” A dripping wet creature greeted him, having approached from nowhere, and ran away.

Marten nodded the greeting back, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and wondered why there was someone in his house, what time it was, and where the roof had gone — in that very order.

Sitting in the pilot’s seat, Marten watched the white streaks of the zooming by stars, serenity slowly filling his mind. The little two-seater trembled every now and then, swaying in the solar winds like a seabird flying over the ocean on a breezy, moonless night. The soft, low hum of the protoengine filled his fuzzy ears with a gentle buzz.