A long time ago, when the animals could to talk to each other and not fight over the modern scrambling for food and territory, when creatures could help one another, there was a good-minded kangaroo, Sempau was her name, to be exact. Before then, the kangaroos had a flat belly, much similar to the opossums, living in the trees, being usually carefree and kind creatures that were social and would help others in need. Sempau awoke that morning, deciding to visit her good friend, Vemil the kiwi. He was a curious animal that often got himself into a bit of trouble. She started her long walk to the dry plateau-filled canyon, inhabited by many strange birds that could live without a lot of water. When she arrived, she was surprised to see a large gathering of kiwis, an ostrich with its head buried in the ground stood near them. “Hey, fuzz balls, what’s the matter?” she asked as she crept toward them, giving a few small hops and tilting her head to the side curiously. A small orange feathered kiwi ran up to her. “Help us, Sempau! Vemil was in the rice fields again!” Sempau giggled shaking her head. She knew too well that the rice the kiwis would often get cravings for would cause them to swell. Yet, they still delved out of their dry canyon to get a taste of them every so often. She bounced toward the group of kiwis and they parted as she came to a slow hop-like crawl to the middle, Vemil lying on his stomach, his beak pressed against the ground. His eyes were closed, his beak snapping open to take long breaths. Sempau knew what that meant. Many of the kiwis that came back would become too swelled, becoming restless and being unable to breathe. Then they soon perished and became a meal for a scavenging predator. Sempau set off as fast as she could, turning toward the west of the canyon and leaving with the words, “Don’t worry! I’ll be back!” She ran long into the early afternoon, until she reached where the desert met the ocean. She hopped to the water’s edge. She bent her head to take a drink when she heard a voice, “You, of all people I think would take care to know better than that.” She smiled as she watched Ninphadeli the sea dragon slowly swim towards her, as if melting out of the sea reeds, his back and head able to be seen sticking out of the water. He blank at her and said, “You are troubled. Ask what you seek and hope that I may answer it.” Sempau explained to Ninphadeli what had happened to her friend, Vemil, taking care to not leave a detail out. After she told him her tale, he wove around in the water for a bit then replied, “The kiwi are foolish creatures, always running for things they shouldn’t. Should mankind catch them, they will come in bounties and human shall get a taste for their loud flavor.” He paused a moment as Sempau stared at him with a blank face. “So the dingoes have told me. Ahem. But if you really do wish to cure the silly bird, you need go up the ocean side,” he said giving a nod to the right of her, “to reach the scrambling branches. There, in the middle of those dry and long-dead trees, you will find a single living tree, with dark-green leaves and yellow fruit with an articulate pattern. But beware the spiky branches and tearing twigs and sticks. Collect the fruit and bring it back.” At that, he began to sink into the depths of the water. “Farewell and good luck to your quest…” A bubble spouted from where he disappeared and popped as Sempau began to turn away. “Wait. One more thing before I descend…” he said, quickly emerging from the sea water. “What is it?” she asked, as Ninphadeli rarely came back out of the water after a visit, calling to the one he had been talking to. “Should you come across any of my relatives, the seahorses I speak of, of course, listen to what they have to say, but do not ponder over what they may tell you. Their words may hinder you yet, if by chance, you do not meet them. That is all.” And yet again he began to sink into the water, this time leaving a cluster of bubbles, showing that he was in a hurry to go back to his hiding. Sempau turned towards the ocean side he had referred to and began her long walk as she gazed at the scraggly forest on the horizon. She hopped down the trail late into the night, until the moon began to rise, like a morning’s rising; only the moon to replace it and darkness surrounding it. Sempau stopped after a while, bending over to eat some grass. She chewed for a while and then looked around. It was quiet. The seaside she gazed upon for a moment, but then jumped back as a battalion of seahorses splashed out of the water, giving giggles of glee. A light blue one spoke to her, “We have heard of your quest to save your friend the kiwi, Vemil. We have also heard that you have taken the advice of our related sea dragon, Ninphadeli. He means to trick you-“ “It is true that I have talked to Ninphadeli, and though he is old and mysterious, he had the mind to mention that you might hinder me. I am following his advice, not that of creatures that scare others in the night.” Sempau interrupted, taking care to give her words an accent of distrust. A red one quivered in the water, either in anger or mere coldness and then said, “What my friend was trying to say was that we wish to help you. We know a shortcut, a secret way around the trees’ brambles of long dead life.” Sempau’s ears flicked up as she listened, being taken in by the red one’s words. “A secret way? Why then, did Ninphadeli not speak of it?” “He is old and weak of the mind in finding the new. He doesn’t stray from his reef often, so why would he know?” the seahorse replied, making her words twist every moment. Sempau considered and then said, “Tell me of this way and I might acknowledge it.” “You must continue on until you reach the forest. When you reach there, make sure to take a stone from the berry bush on the inland side of the path. Continue on through the trees, not the limbs, between the trunks of them. There, you will meet a boar, beware him but get his attention. Then, throw the stone at him and he will fall into a deep sleep. Then, just continue on till you reach the tree in the middle of the forest and climb up one of the scraggly trees. Do not touch the leaves of the tree when you get the fruit.” The red seahorse said that all with a passion of deceivement as it finished. Sempau smiled and said, “Thank you. I will continue my journey and heed your advice.” The red seahorse then said “Good luck.” Then they disappeared beneath the calm waters, many bubbles popping as they rose to the surface. Sempau continued on, hopping at a fast pace towards the forest. It was still dark when she reached it. She was tired so she stopped. She thought about what both the seahorse and the sea dragon had said, thinking about which path of theirs she should choose. She sighed as she hopped over to the bank’s berry bushes, grabbing a berry splattered stone from under their leaves. She raced through the trees, taking care to avoid the hanging branches, to not get her fur caught in them. She yelped as she tripped over a gnarly root and fell flat faced into a clearing, quickly restancing herself. She looked around, seeing the sleeping boar. She started to quietly walk past him, taking care to not trip again. He shuffled in his sleep, rolling over onto his back, giving squeal-like gasps for breath. She continued walking, when at last making it to the other side taking a deep breath and setting the stone down. She continued her walk in the dry dead forest. It was still dark, almost dawn, when she reached the tree. It was beautiful amidst the other scraggly dead bleached tan trees. The leaves poured out over it like a veil, but Sempau took care to not touch them. She saw the yellow fruit and began climbing up a scraggly bare tree, taking leaping crawls up it by moving forward and pushing herself upward with her legs. She reached a branch and crawled out to its edge, reaching for the fruit. She snatched it, falling and scraping her belly on the branch, her fur coming untwined with her skin. She screamed and fell to the ground, a large pocket-like rip revealing itself. She winced at the pain and began hopping back, placing the fruit in her newly gotten pouch, to make use of her injury. She ran back between the trees, flinging back branches and pushing through them. When she reached the clearing, she ran through, the boar snorting as it scrambled to its feet. She continued on not caring about the seahorse’s advice. She ran back to the beach where just the previous day she had seen Ninphadeli. She ran through the canyon, reaching there around noon, gasping for breath. She again saw the gatherment of kiwis and again hopped through them, taking the fruit out of her pouch and breaking it open, lifting Vemil’s beak and squeezing the juice down his throat. She came back a few days later. He was soon fine and healthy again. She made sure to never follow the advice of the seahorses again, often going back to Ninphadeli and heeding his wise words. That’s how the kangaroo got its pouch.