High up in his comfortable, old tree, Otto Owl perched with all his belongings neatly arranged. He followed a strict schedule, and as the clock struck 9 a.m., he knew it was time for supper before shutting his eyes for the day. Otto loved order and routine.

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Meanwhile, down below, Felicity Flamingo flapped her wings frantically to the beat of the bongo. She had been dancing all night long and was full of energy. Felicity loved to have fun and was always the life of the party. Unlike Otto, her life was far from organised. She was constantly losing things, always late, and struggled to concentrate. But she was loved by many for her kind heart.

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After his rest, Otto spent his evening counting trees, a hobby he had enjoyed since he was a young owlet. Other animals found it dull, but Otto thrived on routine and numbers. He did not spend much time with others, as he was happy in his own company. He often wondered if his talent could serve a better purpose but never quite figured it out.

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Meanwhile, Felicity sat in class, daydreaming as usual.

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“Felicity, listen!” her teacher snapped. Felicity tried to focus, but her mind always wandered. Her head was full of wonderful ideas, mostly involving helping others, but they never seemed to help with her schoolwork, which she found very difficult.

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One day, her mum, exhausted from Felicity’s constant fidgeting, sent her out to burn off energy. As she flew, she heard someone counting.

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“9268, 9269, 9270…” It was Otto Owl.

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“What are you doing?” she asked. Felicity was not fazed by talking to others and loved to ask a lot of questions, some less appropriate than others.

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“Counting trees,” Otto replied. “I try to count 10,000 a day. But my forest is losing trees, so I have to fly further afield.”

“That’s terrible,” Felicity said, surprised. “All the poor animals losing their homes… we have to do something!”

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Otto was taken aback. No one had ever shown interest before. But there was something about Felicity that made him feel comfortable.

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“What can we do?” he asked.

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Felicity and Otto formed a plan, which mainly involved Felicity speaking at double speed and Otto not saying much at all for a whole hour. But Otto did not mind. He was fascinated by Felicity; she was unique. The plan was to host a tree-planting party.

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“We might as well make it fun!” Felicity grinned.

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The next day, she called a meeting. Hundreds of animals came, excited to help.

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Otto, with his perfect memory, guided the birds to plant seeds where trees once stood. It would take some time, but they were safe in the knowledge that new trees would soon spring up.

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After the planting came the party. The party was wild, and everyone felt so excited about their day’s work. Otto was reluctant to join in, as it was out of his comfort zone, but Felicity held his wing and said, “Come on, give it a try.” And so, Otto did. Before long, he was even on the dance floor, pulling some rather interesting moves.

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Over time, the forest flourished once again. Otto and Felicity continued their partnership, taking their good work to different forests and making a positive change wherever they went.

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Otto taught Felicity the art of structure and focus, while Felicity showed Otto the joy of spontaneity and creativity.

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And this is how this unlikely pair became the best of friends.