Pip stood at the edge of the clearing. Three bare tree stumps sat where the tallest pines had been. His acorn dropped. Thump.
Pip scampered to the stream. He tapped his tail on a flat stone. Click-click-click. Rabbit hopped over.
Badger and Finch came too. Pip pointed at the stumps and whisks his tail in a wide circle. The animals followed him back.
Pip dug a hole with his paws. Rabbit pushed in a green shoot. Badger patted the dirt. Finch dropped seeds around it.
Pip hugged the tiny sapling. It wobbled. His ears drooped. Then — pop! A second sprout pushed up beside it.
Pip gasped. He looked around. More saplings appeared — up, up, up. Leaves unfurled. The animals cheered.
Up, up, up the trees grew. Branches stretched wide. Leaves rustled. The forest filled with color and life again.
Pip sat in the shade of a full-grown tree. A cool breeze rustled the leaves above. Shhh-shhh. He closed his eyes and listened.
