A glossy red apple tumbled from a low branch and landed right beside Pip's spines. He wrapped his little paws around it, feeling the cool smooth skin, and pulled it close.
Pip scuttled behind a mossy log and tucked the apple beneath a pile of dry leaves. His ears twitched at every sound — a woodpecker drumming nearby made him clutch the fruit tighter.
He dug the apple free and carried it toward the berry clearing, hoping someone would want it. Bramble the badger sniffed near a bush but sneezed at a cloud of dandelion seeds and trotted off without a glance.
Pip sat alone with the apple, its surface now dulled by dust. He thought about who else might like it, but the forest kept moving on without him.
Far off, he heard birds laughing in their flock, and Pip wondered what it felt like to share something wonderful. He lifted his head and sniffed the warm pine-scented air.
Pip brushed the dust off the apple and marched toward the sound. He spotted Suki the chickadee and Fable the fox sitting together on a fallen branch ahead.
'Look what I found,' Pip called, holding the apple up to Suki first. She chirped with delight and took a eager little bite, then nudged Fable forward with her wing.
Fable took his turn next, crunching loudly, and the sound rang out twice as sweet in the golden afternoon light. Pip watched, ears perked with joy.
They passed the apple back and forth, each taking a turn, and Pip felt wonderfully glad. The forest air grew cooler as the sun dipped lower, painting everything in honey-colored light.
Pip stayed until the last bite was gone, listening to Suki's cheerful song and Fable's happy sigh. He tucked himself into a leaf bed and drifted off, dreaming of apples and new friends.
