A loud *CLANG-CLANG-CLANG* echoed through the massive, hollowed-out oak tree. Pipkin tucked his wet nose between his paws and curled onto the mossy floor. Heavy paws and tiny claws thumped past him in every direction.
Someone dropped a tin lunchbox directly beside Pipkin's spikes with a terrible clatter. Pipkin squeezed his eyes shut tight, listening to the scraping of wooden chairs far above him. He completely refused to unroll into the noisy world.
"Are you a pinecone or a pupil?" asked a squeaky voice. Pipkin opened one eye. A cheerful squirrel stood nearby, tapping a bright yellow crayon impatiently on the wood.
"I'm lost," Pipkin whispered, unrolling just enough to show his face. The squirrel gently grabbed Pipkin's paw, pulling him up onto the smooth bark of the hallway. They marched together toward a doorway shaped like an enormous green leaf.
The squirrel tripped over a mushroom stool, sending a pile of acorns skittering across the classroom floor. "Sit with me!" the squirrel laughed from the ground. Pipkin popped cleanly out of his ball, caught a runaway acorn, and giggled at his new friend.
Pipkin placed the acorn proudly on his desk and pulled out his brand-new blank notebook. He traced the rough wood grain with one small claw, listening to the teacher hum a morning song. Leaning over to the next desk, he whispered, "Can I borrow that yellow crayon?"