Pip stood at the edge of the misty forest. The trees parted to reveal a dark cave mouth. A crumpled leaf caught in his whiskers and fluttered down. He took one step forward, then another.
Pip crept inside. Cold stone met his paws and pebbles clicked softly. A drip fell somewhere deep ahead — plip — and the darkness kept going.
Pip turned and scuttled back out into the mist. He sat at the cave entrance and pressed his paws flat on the ground.
Then he stood up, shook his tail, and walked back inside.
Pip walked and walked until his eyes caught a glitter in the dark.
Right there in the center of the cave sat the legendary Diamond — and it was a perfect mirror.
Pip saw himself staring back — tall and bright and unafraid.
Pip stepped out of the cave into the morning light with his chest puffed out.
The mist curled around his whiskers. The forest smelled like damp leaves and earth.
He trotted down the path, ready for whatever came next.