Ria hopped through the green forest and stopped dead. A tiny deer sobbed under a fern. She sniffed the damp earth and spotted cloven hoofprints heading deeper into the woods.
Ria tugged the baby deer's tail gently. 'Come with me,' she said. They found Nam the elephant by the river, splashing water with his trunk.
'He's lost,' Ria told Nam. Nam lowered his trunk like a slide. The baby deer climbed on, and they set off together through the trees.
A wide stream blocked the path. Nam stretched his trunk across like a bridge — *squelch, squelch* — but the baby deer slipped.
The baby deer boinged into a patch of tickly moss, laughing so hard he couldn't stop. 'Again!' he giggled. Nam trumpeted with relief.
Dark shadows closed in as the forest grew thick. The baby deer whimpered and pressed against Nam's leg. Then — a flash of orange.
The fox tilted her head. 'This way, little one,' she said, and led them through the trees to a clearing.
In the clearing, a tall deer stood waiting, tail swishing. The baby deer leapt free and ran straight into her neck.
The mother deer nudged her baby and licked his ears clean. The baby deer blinked up at her, happy at last.
Nam offered Ria his trunk. She hopped up, and they sat together in the golden light while the deer family rested nearby.
The mother deer slept with her head on her paws. The baby deer's soft breathing matched his mother's. Ria closed her eyes.
In the warm golden light, everyone was safe. The forest held them all gently, and sleep came easy.