Meet Lellow the Lion, Hopey the Hippopotamus, Ellie the Elephant, MO the Monkey, and Princess Leah, heroes and jokers of Lellow the Lion and Friends Adventure to Blue Mountain:

Rising from his bed, Lellow turned his head to the left bedside table. The alarm was pounding his head. "How long has this been going off?" He thought—what a strange dream. The clock read 08:30 am.

"Dam!"

I'm late getting up. I always need to arrive on time to get up.

There's no time to waste. Snapping back to reality, Lellow remembered the thrilling adventure he and his friends were embarking on to Blue Mountain this morning. 

He got ready; his head was still pounding. 

He grabbed the first bag he saw and piled in some food and any pile of junk he could find. Lellow, with his messy hair and half-opened eyes, looked like he had just woken up from a deep sleep. He hurriedly stuffed his bag, not caring about the mess he was creating. 

Keep it together. Keep it together, Lellow thought to himself.  He urgently opened the window, stuck his head out, and waved and shouted to his friends outside. 

"You're all late; we have to set off now," said Lellow.

Lellow took a quick breath, closed his eyes, drew his composure, snatched his bag and keys off the table, and headed out to the kitchen. Lellow glared at the mirror; he thought his hair was almost perfect.

An apple was waiting for him near the door; Lellow couldn't remember where it came from but propped it right between his incisors and shut the kitchen door. Biting firmly into the apple, Lellow mumbled, where have they been? We're going to be late, he thought as he opened the front door. 

Hello, Lellow told his friends Mo the Monkey, Ellie the Elephant, Hopey the Hippo, and Princess Leah. Ignoring Lellow's comment, Mo the Monkey continued to chatter. Ellie the Elephant was busy with her trunk, Hopey the Hippo was lagging, and Princess Leah was trying to maintain order.

"You're all late," he said as he closed the front door behind him.

 Although Hopey was trailing behind the group, he was exhausted and gagged for water.

"Hurry up, Hopey said the Princess." We mustn't be late."

Mo's excitement was infectious. The friends decided to slow down and wait for Hopey, a testament to their strong bond. Now, they could all set off on the adventure to Blue Mountain together.

Ellie and Hopey began talking as they walked along the dusty pathway lined with tall, swaying trees, their leaves whispering secrets in the wind. 

Now and then, Ellie would reach up 

with her trunk, take some leaves

 from the overhanging tree branches 

and start eating the leaves slowly.

Hopey looked enviously at Ellie and said, "Stop that! You're making me hungry and thirsty." 

 "This is my breakfast," Ellie replied.

 If you're hungry, we could stop off at the 

Great Lake on our way to Blue Mountain,

and you can swim and have some

food there!"

"That sounds good," replied Hopey.

 "Okay, guys, let's all stay together," said Leah in a position of authority. "Yeah, we don't want to get lost in this big, scary forest," Mo said. "Especially with Lellow as our guide, "Ellie added teasingly.

Lellow stayed silent, angry with the group for not arriving at his house early. He couldn't help but feel hurt that they didn't value his time as much as he did.

Mo continued to skip and jump into

 the air, tossing his tail over the tree 

branches.

The friends continued walking along the dusty path towards Blue Mountain.

They happily talked to each other as they walked.  Lellow led the group of friends.

 "How do you know the way to Blue Mountain?"

Mo asked Lellow, "Just look in front of you, Mo," Lellow replied.  As Mo looked up, he was greeted by

a majestic tree towering above him, its branches reaching for the sky.  And in the distance, the Blue Mountain stood, a sight that filled him with awe. 

"Wow, that is tall," said Mo.

"You mean high!" said Leah. The friends started to laugh.

 "Okay, if you want to nit-pick," Mo said.

 "What is nit-pick?" asked Ellie.

Hopey laughed and said, "Sounds like Mo's been nit-picking his fur again!" 

All the friends began to laugh louder. Mo, with his mischievous grin, was the noisiest of all. Ellie, with her gentle smile, was the next. Hopey, with his hearty chuckle, was the last. Lellow, with his forced smile, was the quietest. 

"Can mountains grow?" asked Mo; it seems to get bigger."

No! said Lellow. "Mountains don't grow, but it will seem like it is getting bigger as we get closer." Explained Lellow. 

"Look, everyone, it's the excellent lake. Ellie shouted.

All the friends except Hopey looked in surprise.     

"I'm going for a swim and then get something to eat," said Hopey.  "I think we all need a drink of water or something," said Lellow. They all agreed as they were all thirsty.  As the friends reached the great lake, Lellow dropped his head into the water and lapped it up hastily with his tongue. The water was cool and refreshing, quenching his 

thirst instantly.