Episode 2: Dance Party Under the Moonlight

The wide grassy area around the moonlit lakeside was filled with the intense heat emitted by thousands of nocturnal animals. When the full moon floated in the middle of the silver lake and illuminated the ripples like sparkling silver scales, on the rocky stage in the forest, the virtuosos of the Grassworm Orchestra finished tuning and began playing a cheerful swing jazz-style rhythm. The sharp and rhythmic sound of the Kiturami String Quartet, the rapid-fire log beats of the Woodpecker Drummer, and the heavy bass of the Bullfrog bassist, who boasts a thick voice, all combined to instantly transform the silence in the forest into a crucible of a joyful festival.

Chikichikki chacha! Floating, perfect! Round, round, round! “Wow! Ollie, come quickly! The first round of the dance battle has already started!” Squirrel Benny tugged at Ollie's wing feathers, jingling the acorn bag on his shoulder. All kinds of stylish animals from the forest were gathering on the lawn, each showing off their colorful costumes and feathers. The White Rabbit Family, with a wreath of fireflies on their heads, did a light turn on tiptoe like a ballerina, while the gentleman raccoon wearing a tuxedo twitched his heavy buttocks from side to side and got into the groove.

The three hedgehog brothers, whose thorn tips were covered in fluorescent mushroom powder and sparkling like disco balls, were also bouncing and heating up the stage. On one side of the grass, mole b-boys wearing sunglasses spun a flashy windmill while kicking up dust, while a duo of sleek striped weasels spun their tails like tops and performed fantastic head spins, eliciting cheers from the audience.

“It’s amazing… there are so many friends in the forest who dance so well! Those moles’ windmills really look like lava gushing out from under the ground!” As Olly admired his golden eyes, Benny shrugged his shoulders and snorted. “That’s just a warm-up! Besides, those guys only have flashy techniques, and they don’t have a soul-stirring sound like your ass. The real main battle starts now!” In the middle of the stage, Leo and Kyle, cousins ​​of great horned owls boasting large wings, were flying into the air and performing a dazzling acrobatic flight dance.

“Look carefully! Only those who can fly freely in the sky can become true forest dancers!” When Leo tumbled three times in a row in the air and landed, the young birds and baby squirrels surrounding him opened their mouths and cheered.

“Wow! Leo is really cool! That’s the owl’s aerial dance!” Kyle, who was flattered by the children's praise, spread his wings wide and proudly glanced in the direction where Ollie was standing. “Hey, the little boy in yellow shorts stuck to the ground! Aren’t you bored watching owls with their wings on as decorations and wrapping wrappers around their hips? Why don’t you show me the wing dance too!” At Kyle's sarcasm, the attention of the surrounding animals all focused on Ollie's small, chubby body and cobalt blue shorts.

Some obnoxious bats burst into laughter. Ollie's face got hot and he tried to cover the buttocks of his shorts with his two small wings. “Benny… let’s just go back to the nest. Everyone is making fun of my shorts.” Ollie whispered in a hushed voice. But Benny opened his eyes and adjusted his acorn bag, blocking Ollie's path.

“Why are you running away, Ollie! Are you going to just watch those guys flapping their wings and making a fuss? You know that amazing butt dance you practiced every night in the nest, looking at the dew mirror! It’s a dance those guys are too stiff to imitate!”

“But Benny, that was just a dance I was playing around with...” “It’s not a joke, it’s art! Now, go and flatten the noses of those condescending brothers!” As soon as Benny finished speaking, he pushed Ollie's chubby back with both hands. The eyes of hundreds of animals in the forest were all focused on Ollie, who stumbled and jumped out to the exact center of the grass stage. The crickets stopped playing for a moment, creating a strange sense of tension. Brother Leo crossed his arms and snorted.

“Ha! You really crawled out? Okay, go ahead and make a joke by shaking off those ridiculous pants.” The moment that arrogant ridicule hit Ollie's ears, a hot feeling welled up from deep within Olli's heart. ‘Just because you can’t fly doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy music! ‘My legs are the strongest in the world when I’m standing on the ground!’ Olli lifted his chin, pulled the straps of his shoulder suspenders taut with his fingers, and then let them go. Tang-! With a cheerful elastic sound, the raised feet were spread at a 45-degree angle and the knees were slightly lowered.

He then sent a solemn glance towards the woodpecker drummer and bullfrog bassist in the corner of the stage. The woodpecker picked up on the signal and began rapidly tapping the rim shot. Ta-ta-tak, ta-ta-tak! Ta-ta-tak, ta-ta-tak! Dung- babam! The moment the music started, Ollie started shaking his plump buttocks violently from side to side. Fluffy! Fluffy! Jangle jangle jangle! Every time Ollie shook his hips, the silver bells on his shorts pockets accurately matched the beat of the woodpecker's snare drum, emitting a fantastic metallic beat. It was the strongest ‘starlight hip twist’ on earth that utilized 120% of the elasticity of the ground and could never be imitated in the air.

Ollie bounced his hips to the left and then to the right using the rebound, performing an ‘owl moonwalk’ in which he walked backwards while gliding across the lawn with his short legs as if skating. As he held the suspenders with both hands, opened his chest, and then crouched down in the ‘starlight popping’ motion, even the dust on the lawn began to move to a golden rhythm. The yellow stars embroidered on the shorts caught the moonlight and drew a brilliant trail, like a meteor shower in the night sky circling around the buttocks.

“Wow! Oh my god, look at those steps! That bounce is crazy!” Benny jumped up and down and cheered. Lumina Forest’s best fashionista rabbit, ‘Laura’, who was standing in the front row of the audience, pricked up her pink ears and shouted. "Oh my god! Look at that glimmering silver beat and the golden bounce of those hips! Those cobalt blue overalls are not just a piece of clothing, they're a complete rhythm instrument! That's a revolution!" As Laura twitched her butt and clapped, the squirrels, raccoons, badgers, and even the weasels that were taking a break from dancing began to follow Ollie's dance as if they had made a promise.

Jalang, jalang! Twitch, twitch! All the animals in the clearing shook their butts in unison and stamped their feet in time with Ollie's movements. Ollie spread his wings wide in joy and jumped up onto the low branches of the oak tree next to the stage. The excitement of the festival reached its peak as if they were going to explode as they performed the ‘whirlwind twist’, in which they rotate their hips 360 degrees while keeping their balance perfectly on a tree branch.

“How about it, Leo! Kyle! The butt of an owl wearing shorts dancing!” As Ollie winked and shouted, the arrogant great horned owl brothers stared in fascination and eventually gave in to the music. “Ugh… the sound of that silver bell, I can’t help but move my body!” Kyle put his wings on his shoulders and started waddling and shaking his butt, and even Leo cleared his throat as if he was embarrassed and took a step with his hips. A truly spectacular scene unfolded where all the owls and animals in the forest became one and shook their butts.

At the final climax of the music, Olly jumped into the air and bounced off a tree branch with his butt, striking the perfect ending pose. Jalang-! When the music stopped with the clear sound of bells, the entire forest erupted in applause and cheers.

“Olly! Olly! Ass Dance King Olly!” The animals chanted Ollie's name and threw a shower of luminous forest flower petals. ‘Maestro Cricket’, a white-haired cricket who is the best conductor of the Grass Bug Orchestra, strode towards the stage, raising his baton in excitement.

“Bravo! Bravissimo! Little owl, that tinkling sound of silver bells and the bounce of your hips was not just a dance. It was the best solo performance in which nature and instruments resonated as one! I will make you an honorary soloist of our orchestra!” Maestro Cricket took the shiny ‘silver musical note brooch’ from the collar of his coat and attached it to the strap of Ollie’s left suspender shorts. Next, Laura, a fashionista rabbit, came hopping over and gave Ollie a thumbs up as she carefully attached the highest quality sparkling ‘Moonlight Acorn Badge’ to the pocket of Ollie’s shorts.

“Oli, you are the real star of Lumina Forest tonight! Where did you get those shorts? I want our rabbit family to wear group uniforms too!” “Hehe, my mom was worried that my stomach would get cold in the night wind, so she made each stitch with moonlight silk thread. It’s the one and only clothes of love in the world.” When Ollie answered, stroking his suspenders proudly, all the animals around him exclaimed with impressed eyes. The animals led Ollie and Benny to an outdoor table behind the stage and threw a celebratory party by providing them with freshly squeezed sweet mountain dew ade and crunchy chestnut flower honey cookies.

As the cool dew-ade went down my throat, the heat generated by the intense dance melted away. When the party was over and the soft early morning fog had spread, Ollie and Benny walked side by side along the lakeside path and headed to the nest. The images of the two friends reflected on the surface of the silver lake gently swayed along the ripples.

“Oli, you looked so cool when you danced on stage earlier. I thought the yellow stars embroidered on your butt were soaring into the night sky!” Benny took out the sweet raspberry candy he had saved from his acorn bag and handed it to Ollie. “Benny, if you hadn’t had my back, I would have run away. Thank you so much for being by my side.” Ollie laughed and chewed on the candy.

“We’re best friends! Don’t forget to play hide and seek in the glowing mushroom forest tomorrow night!” “Yes! I’m looking forward to seeing my yellow star shorts in action tomorrow too!” Ollie quietly looked down at the Milky Way in the night sky reflected on the surface of the lake. The stars reflected in the water looked exactly like the yellow stars embroidered on his shorts.

‘Someday, I will be able to dance this excitedly even in the high sky. Riding the wind, above the Milky Way, I will shake the entire universe with the rhythm of my hips.’ The cheerful laughter of the two friends rang out clearly over the moonlit forest path. The stars in the night sky were still dazzlingly twinkling, and the silver note and luminous badge on Ollie's shorts glowed brightly like a green lantern even in the dark. The heart of little owl Ollie, who proved with his whole body that even if he cannot fly and is a little different from others, that he can rock the world with his own rhythm, his heart was filled with a feeling of happiness that was warmer and more overwhelming than any other night.