Princess Tanialocks and her three dogs: Moto, Foto, and Toto
Once upon a time in a make-believe world, Princess Tanialocks watched her kingdom from atop a castle turret wondering when she would meet her handsome prince. However she was not alone. For company, she always had her faithful dogs with her: Moto, Foto, and Toto! They'd bark and bark anytime she came to play with them. So excited were they to see their fair princess.
Princess Tanialocks lived in a mystical kingdom that was said to be protected by a lion, a tiger, and a bear. What Princess Tanialocks didn't understand is where this rumor got started as she herself had never seen the lion, the tiger, or the bear. In consternation she asked that a private investigator be brought in to see her. Robyn Hud was known to be the best private investigator in these parts as well as a great shot with a bow and arrow. So Princess Tanialocks requested that he be hired to help her find this lion, this tiger, and this bear that everyone kept talking about.
Robyn Hud began his investigation in the forest. He tracked this lion print, this tiger print, and this bear print. But although he tracked these prints for hours, he noticed they often vanished into thin air. Puzzled he kept scratching his head wondering "What is the cause of this?"
One day a fine young woodcutter came through the woods and ran into Robyn Hud staring at a bear print. "What are you doing there laddie?" Asked the woodcutter. Robyn Hud answered him saying that Princess Tanialocks had hired him to solve the mystery of the lion, the tiger, and the bear. The woodcutter said he would help him and off the two of them went through the woods chanting, "Lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my!"
Back at the castle, Princess Tanialocks was beside herself because she was almost of age and yet no prince had appeared. "Why is it that no prince has come to give me my love's first kiss yet," she wondered. Unbeknownst to herself, what she didn't realize was that her dogs: Moto, Foto, and Toto were enchanted dogs and in the evening hours they changed into a lion, a tiger, and a bear. They had been discouraging and scaring any and all suitors that they had come across seeking the princess's hand.
One prince hearing of Princess Tanialocks and her mystical protectors thought to break through the enchantment of the three proctectors and went to a local dog store to buy minion chew toys and special doggie treats hoping to appease their wrath. After which, he began his trek to the make-believe kingdom. At evening neared in the heart of the forest, he came upon a roaring lion. He quickly rummaged through his sack and threw him a minion chew toy. Surprisingly enough the lion stopped roaring and started chewing on his toy. The prince also left him a special doggie treat and went on his way. This happened again with a ferocious tiger and a malicious bear. But each calmed down after receiving their minion chew toy.
As morning approached, these enchanted predators gathered together at the castle gate still chewing on their minion chew toys. However by now they were back in their doggie forms and started running toward Princess Tanialocks as she opened the gate. The prince by this time had just reached the castle himself and watched from afar as he gazed upon Princess Tanialocks and her three dogs only to recognize the minion chew toys he had given to the three wild predators he had come across. Unlocking the secret, he approached Princess Tanialocks and asked if he could court her. And as the story goes, they lived happily ever after.
Now what happened to the Robyn Hud and the woodcutter? If you walk in the forest, you might still hear them chanting "lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my!"
This story was inspired and is dedicated to someone single who is waiting to meet her prince. She currently lives a busy life with her three dogs who are not named Moto, Foto, and Toto.
