“To Who It May Concern,
Welcome to the Castle! I figured I might as well tack this welcome note to the front door, just in case. As far as I know, only a dozen people have made it here so far, and only about three left alive, so be careful! I’ve heard people talk about this place being full of fantastic powers and amazing devices all for the taking, but let me tell you, don’t touch anything if you can help it. The first thing I touched in here turned me into a meerkat, and I never found a way back.
-Okashi”
Hello there! My name’s Okashi, and believe it or not, but I’m as good a guide as you’ll get in Falgrove. I know, I know, the “What has she done for Falgrove?” question. All the information on the animals and plants in Falgrove? That’s all my work! The groundbreaking work in figuring out how Falgrove itself actually works? That’s my science degree hard at work for you! Sure, I may be small and some have even said a little scrawny, the cheek, but I dare say I’ve outlived most people in this forest, and not by luck, either.
Before being stuck here in Falgrove I use to work in a university down south, just graduated and stayed to do some research papers in my field, geological physics, while watching out university have one of its boat races against our rivals. It was about then that I got asked to join in on a small exploration in the north of England, to help out with the topography you see. Well, turns out that place was Falgrove!
We did fairly well really, all things considered. Some of those poor souls knew what they were letting themselves in for, but not me! In any case, after a couple weeks, we actually made it to the heart of Falgrove, the castle no less! All down to my theories on the hill topography and formation, as it turns out. Still chuffed about that. Anyway, we took a look inside, and I poked around with this little machine thing, looked like a big mill like our mechanics department had. The next thing I know, I’m a tiny little meerkat, and rather confused about the whole thing!
One thing led to another and now I’m mostly alone here in Falgrove. Sky comes and visits every so often for an all-girls tea party, but apart from that I spend most of my time continuing what my chums at the Falgrove Expedition started and explore the whole of Falgrove. Now, I know, I know, it seems such a dangerous thing for a meerkat to do, go out into a forest full of Splyaps and Cog Worms and more besides, but I’m not really that worried. It turns out, for better or for worse, whatever that thing did when it turned me into a meerkat fixed me to be this way permanently. If a lesser Splyap decides to have a meerkat breakfast, I seem to just wake up again in the Castle afterwards. Not that I go out of my way to do that!