Bramble stood on his hind legs and waved a stick like a torch. Fire! The big oak is burning! Panic rippled through the clearing.
Panting animals arrived with buckets and moss. Bramble pointed at the green bush. I was just making you run. His smile faded as they scattered.
Gray smoke drifted from the hillside. Bramble scrambled toward the clearing. Fire! Real fire! He tugged the fox's sleeve.
The fox glanced at the smoke, snorted, and went back to grooming. The rabbit offered Bramble a berry without looking up. No one believed him.
Bramble jumped up and down, kicking up dust. His voice squeaked. The fox kept grooming. The rabbit popped the berry into its mouth.
The smoke grew thicker. Heat stung his nose. Bramble ran alone toward the flames, splashing through the brook.
He smoother the flame with wet moss. Soot covered his fur. Mud splashed his belly. But the fire was gone.
Sooty and muddy, Bramble shuffled back. The fox stopped grooming and stared. The rabbit dropped its berry. Then the fox licked Bramble's ear.
Bramble took the blackberry and placed it on the ground for the rabbit. Steam curled from his fur in the cool air. No one spoke.
The smoke cleared. The forest was quiet again. Bramble sat by the brook and watched the water ripple. His friends stayed close.
