Pip trotted through the moonlit clearing. A soft green pulse caught his eye. The firefly blinked like a tiny star.
Pip chased the firefly in wobbly loops. He leaped and spun as it zipped just out of reach. They circled until he collapsed in a happy pile.
The path split three ways, and all the trunks looked the same. Pip sat down, ears drooping. The firefly hovered near his nose, then darted toward one path.
Pip followed the firefly past a sleeping owl and over a tiny creek. The firefly blinked faster, as if racing ahead. His paws grew heavy and his eyelids drooped.
The warm glow of his den appeared. Pip stepped inside and curled into a soft, sleepy ball. The firefly landed on a hollow log at the entrance, still glowing.
Pip's breathing slowed. His ears twitched once. He was fast asleep.
The firefly stayed on its log, blinking softly. Outside, the moon climbed higher in the sky.
Deep in the trees, the forest dreamed on. The little fox slept, and the firefly kept watch.
