Once Upon A Time…
"Aw, c'mon Banjo, wake up! You promised!" whined Tooty, the pretty young blonde bear.
"Please Tooty, in a few minutes, I'm tired right now. Let me get some rest," said her older brother Banjo, digging his face into his pillow. It was Saturday morning, he'd spent all the last night playing video games with Kazooie, and he was in no mood to get up until noon.
"You promised Banjo! Come play with me!"
"I'll tell ya what, honey, this afternoon, I'll take you hikin' into the mountains. How do you like that?"
"Yay! We can go on an adventure! Can we go up to the Witch's Liar?"
"I dun told ya that Spiral Mountain ain't no Witch's Liar, no matter what any of your friends tell ya. And we can't go there, it dangerous. That bridge's been broked for years. Now can you let me sleep?"
"Ok, ok. Bye-bye big bro!" she said skipping out of Banjo's room.
--
Banjo and Tooty Grizzly lived in a small cabin in Spiral Mountain. It used to be a fairly busy farming community, but the last few years had changed everything. Banjo was sixteen, going-on-seventeen, he had to raise his 9 year old sister all alone, after their parents died in a car crash a year and half ago. The lost devastated both of them for quite a while, but Tooty was young and had such a strong-spirit, she was able to go on happily and carefree. For Banjo it still hurts, but his love for his sister keeps him going, and he'd anything to make sure she's happy, cause he knows his folks would of wanted that.
But they were all alone in Spiral Mountain. The last decade or so, the crops had been failing, and nobody quite knew why. It seemed all the families moved away, to the big city to try and get a better live. The Grizzlies were the only family left when the car crash happened. They had a small piece of land, it didn't bring much income, but it was enough to keep them fed, and they grew enough to keep full. Banjo works the farm now, but it isn't easy without any help.
Banjo would of probably lost his mind, supporting a family at sixteen, no friends around, and no time to go visit them in the city anymore. When six ago, something happened that Banjo always thought of as a gift from God, though he didn't say so out loud. It was a regular day; he was working the field getting some carrots for supper, when straight out of the sky fell a bird, and landed smack down into the ground in front of him.
--
"Good Lord, are you'se alright! Gosh darn, that was a mighty big fall you had there," said Banjo, rushing over to the majestic red bird.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," the bird answered, and Banjo was surprised by the voice to see that it was a female. "I'll be fine…" The bird tried to lift itself up, but only collapsing again in pain.
"Let me help ya there ma'am," Banjo said lifting the bird up.
"Keep your damn paws off me, bear! Looking for your next snack?"
"Hey there! I'll have you know I'm a herbivore so is my entire family."
"Relax, I know you're species. You wouldn't have the guts to eat me. Not that you could anyway."
"Ya do look awful hurt. It looks like one off your wing's broke, and I think both your legs are too. I don't think you're gonna be able to move for a while. How'd ya get fall like that anyway."
"It was a one of those stupid hunters. I was flying over that forest when I spotted him, I tried to get away but he got me in the wing anyway!"
"Ya got all the way from the forest to here on a shot wing! You must be pretty tough!"
"I've been told that," said the bird. "Frankly right now I look pathetic. Now if you don't mind, put me down so I can get on my way."
"You can't even walk! If I left you here you'd probably run into a bear that was so picky 'bout eating meat! You should go to a doctor."
"I don't have any money for a doctor, and I won't take any if you think of offering."
"Well, I don't really have any to offer. At least let me take ya in to look over ya, see've I can help."
"Alright I suppose. These country hicks…" the bird started. "Say, you got any cigarettes?"
"Nah, I quite a while back. Figured I was setting a bad example to my lil' sis." The bear said, "My name's Banjo by the way. Banjo Grizzly."
"My name's Kazooie. Thanks, I guess…"
--
Well, Banjo brought Kazooie back to his house; he couldn't help her injuries though. And since she couldn't walk much less fly, she figured she'd stay here for a while, after all, the bear was offering. While she stayed there, Banjo learned all about the bird. Her breed didn't raise their own young. After she was hatched she was left alone to fend for herself. That's how she spent the first 17 years of her life (she was 18.) She had lived in the city a while, but eventually got bored. For years she lived in solitude in the wild, hunting what she needed to survive, months on end without meeting anyone to talk to.
But somehow these kind mammals warmed over her heart. For months she laid bed-ridden. She talked with the Banjo, and met his small sister. They were unlike anyone she had ever met. They were truly unselfish; allowing her to live under their roofs, eat their food, without getting anything in return. Eventually she become completely bored of being indoors all day, she tried getting out whenever she could, but Banjo did not like seeing her out and about and her healing leg. So Kazooie came up with any idea, to let Banjo carry her in his backpack. He always carried the bag everywhere; it was because his mother gave him the bag the very day she died. It his reminder of her, and his reminder of his father was his necklace, which carried a baby tooth of his father. So whenever Banjo would leave the house for whatever reason Kazooie would beg to tag along.
And as the months passed she and Banjo became closer and closer, having nobody else around their own age, became the best of friends. And in time Kazooie began to get better, and at the time this story talks she could walk around fairly well until getting tired, and her wing was almost completely better.
--
"Hi Kazzie! Wake up please!" said Tooty whined to the bird tucked away on the coat rack tin Banjo's bag. She'd became quite use to this backpack, and was starting to prefer it to a bed since it reminded her of her nest.
"Huh?" Kazooie said slowly opening her eyes.
"Kazooie! Come play with me! Please!"
"Wha…Tooty, let me sleep…"
"Oh, sleep, sleep, sleep! That's all you guys ever do! What fun is sleepin'!"
"What do you want Toot!"
"Never mind. Go on sleepin'. I'll go outside, I'm gonna play with Mr. Mole!"
"Really? That's great…" said Kazooie smiling in an almost condescending way.
"Yeah. I love Mr. Mole. He comes out of the ground, and he plays with me. He's so cool; he knows everything. He tells me about what's really in the Witch's Liar even though Banjo just call me a liar."
"Well have fun Tooty. Play safe."
And grabbing her small wooden flute, Tooty left playing something she must of imagined was a song.
--
Less than five minutes later, Banjo, unable to fell asleep again got up and walked into the living room. He collapsed into the sofa and sighed. Kazooie too hadn't gotten back asleep, and slowly stuck her head from out of the backpack to see who was there.
"Banjo? You awake at 10:30 on a Saturday? Is the world ending or what?"
"Tooty. Man, oh man."
"I know. She woke me up too."
"And now I have to take her hiking this afternoon…" the bear said chuckling to himself. Then he sighed again, looking worried. He rested his head against his paw, he hadta to her, he thought to himself, sooner or later she needed to know.
It dead silent for a moment, Kazooie looked worryingly at her friend, "What is it BJ?"
"Shh," he signaled to her. They could hear, faintly, the sound of Tooty's flute, still playing outside. It was completely nonsensical.
"Why'd you want to listen to that racket?"
"She always starts like that, but than, oh just listen…" and Tooty's no rhythmical mess slowed, and she started playing a slow, soothing beautiful music.
"What's she playing?"
"Mozart, or so she tells me. I don't really know. The way she was playin' before, dat's how she used to play, when I carved that flute out for her birthday. She don't know anything about playin' the flute…"
"So where'd she learn that?"
"She says that "Mr. Mole" taught her. Oh, I dunno…" said Banjo. He was going off track with this flute business. "Kazooie," he said abruptly and dead serious, "you're an gettin' better, right. I mean your legs are healin', and your movin' your wing again. You'll probly be walkin' in a few weeks, maybe even flyin' soon…"
"What are you getting at?" she asked nervously.
"I…I've been thinking…I'm gonna move Tooty and me into city," he said, relieved that he had got it out.
"What?" shouted Kazooie in shock.
She was mad. He knew she'd be mad. "I know, ok. It ain't easy for me neither. But, I need money Kazooie. I need t'get a real job. The money my folks' left us is down to the last cent. If it weren't for the fact we grew our own food we'd of starved ages ago! I figure, I'll get me and Tooty a little apartment, than I can work that this factory that all my friend's started working at when they moved."
"But…no, you can't! You just can't move!" said Kazooie.
"It ain't your decision, alright!" he said clenching his fist. "What's it to ya if I move?"
"Banjo, you don't understand. You've changed me. I never figured there was anybody like you and Tooty left in the world. You're the only friends I've ever had. The city will change, ok. This is where you belong."
"This is all just so hard!" cried Banjo on the verge of tears. "It's all been hard since they died! I dropped out of school when I was 15. I don't have a future. Tooty does. I want her to live somewhere where she has friends, Actual friends, not imaginary ones. I don't want her to have to walk an hour everyday to get to school when summer's over! Everyone else smartened up and got outta 'ere!"
"And what will I do, go back living alone? Killing anything I see that's smaller than me? I can't go back!"
"Well, uh, maybe, you could move with us? Whatdaya think about dat?"
"I've done the city thing. I'm never go there again." Banjo lowered his head. "Did you tell Tooty yet."
"Well I tried a couple time bringin' it up. But, she always started crying. I hated seeing her like that. I love her so much! But it's for her own good."
"Yeah," said Kazooie in a sarcastic tone.
"I can't stand havin' ya mad at me neither. You're my best friend. I'd of gone crazy here alone if it weren't for you. I want you to come live with us." Kazooie didn't say anything. "Fine than. Is there anything ya want before I go back to bed."
"Put me over by the window," said Kazooie. "I know I'm not going back to sleep now, might as well watch nature or something."
"Alrighty," said the bear, and moved the coat rack Kazooie was hanging on across the room in front of the window. "So long, then," he said and went into his room.
He collapsed on his bed. His head was hurting from all the thinking he was doing. He held his father's necklace in his paws. Pa, am I doing the right thing? He thought to himself, and slowly drifted to sleep.
Outside, Kazooie looked outside, thinking about what had just happened. The nerve of Banjo. Thinking he could just leave her, or that she'd want to move into the grimy city with him. She ought to have kicked him in the head for being so dumb.
But still, his heart was in the right place. She looked out and saw Tooty skipping along, like kids so often do, not really doing anything. She was such a cute cub. She'd miss her too, as much as she'd miss Banjo. They had to stay in Spiral Mountain! They had to!
Just outside, from Kazooie's point of view anyway, Tooty had crouched down with her back facing her, and apparently started talking to herself. If Kazooie had been in another angle, she might of seen that there was a small mole hill where Tooty was crouching, and she was calling her friend Bottles Mole up to come play with her. And evidently he heard her because he popped out of his hole.
"Hi Mr. Mole! So great to see you!"
"Hello Tooty. How are you?"
"I'm great! My big brotha promised he would take me on an adventure today…"
This conversation continued. And at this moment everything was peaceful. Little did any of them know that in a few minutes their lives would change forever. That soon they'd become pawns in a plan of evil. Or that the fate of the world would fall upon these bears, bird, and mole. Because on the rock on top the Spiral Mountain, the cliff shaped in the exact likeness of a face of a witch, with the broken drawbridge and lead to the mouth of what everyone supposed was a cave, everything was about to change…