"Oh come now, who will save the princess from the castle?" Hera called out in her squeaky, high-pitched voice. "Aren't all princesses supposed to have a prince?" She giggled again and smothered the sound into her forepaws.
"No, no, you can't be the prince. Why? Cos you're just a snail. A princess can't have a snail for a mate!"
She bobbed the poor, defenceless bug with a paw and it curled up into it's shell, hanging precariously from the large leaf that dangled just above Hera's head. For a moment her tail waved furiously and then she got up onto her paws, shook her brilliant spot-less fur and stepped out from cover.
"Mama?" She called, but to her dismay she got no reply. She had been away for a long time. She knew she'd get in trouble now. She pouted and her ears drooped and in the stillness she spoke again, trying to keep her mind from her sudden bout of loneliness.
"Oh well. I guess this princess will have to go home all by herself since no Prince is going to show up anyhow." She tipped her nose up into the air and headed off in the direction she thought was right. It was clear she would be a dreamer right from the start.
