Barnaby stood behind a massive, rough-barked oak tree at forest school. Across the clearing, squirrel kits chased each other through the bright autumn leaves. He kept his paws firmly stuffed inside his pockets, squishing the soft blackberries hidden there.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG! The school bell rang, echoing loudly through the trees. Barnaby took one tiny, slow step out of the shadows. He dragged his feet toward the outdoor classroom.
A group of noisy raccoons chattered and laughed at the biggest table. They were busy piling up a wobbly tower of dry pinecones. Barnaby sat softly at an empty desk nearby and stared at the smooth wood.
He pulled a single, plump blackberry from his pocket and rolled it across his desk. It rolled a little too fast, dropping right off the edge. Bump. It landed directly against the nose of a shy badger hiding underneath.
The badger blinked. She wiped a smudge of pine needles from her snout. Slowly, she reached out and pushed the sticky berry back across the dusty floor.
Barnaby slid out of his chair and crouched in the cool shadows beneath the table. He reached into his pocket and held out his open palm. He poured a whole handful of sticky, sweet blackberries right into the space between them.
The badger picked up the absolute biggest berry. She popped it into her mouth, chewed, and let out a massive, purple-stained burp!
Barnaby quickly covered his mouth with both paws. But a giant giggle escaped anyway, echoing loudly under the wood. The badger grinned back, showing off bright purple teeth, and handed him a dry pinecone.
They crawled out of their hiding spot together. Carefully, side by side, they placed the pinecone on the very top of the raccoons' stack. The tall tower wobbled back and forth, but it stayed right up!
The raccoons cheered and clapped their paws. Barnaby smiled, no longer hiding his hands in his pockets. He reached right back in for more berries to share.