Phoenix Maplewood i marvel at the stars / and feel my heart overflow

She didn't spend much time in the grove. After finally finding a bite to eat, she proceeded north. Once more, she crossed an open stretch of grassland only to find herself approaching a third forest, the largest so far. Larkspur stopped at its fringe, then looked to her left. She saw an uninviting swamp. To her right, there was a great stone face. Her eyes drifted forward again and she began to walk into the wood.

She hadn't slept since her arrival in the hollow, so Spur scouted out a safe spot to sleep and curled into a ball. She dreamed of finding a pet snail. She loved it very, very much but they—her parents and herself—were about to move on elsewhere and they urged her to leave the snail behind in his natural home. It broke Spur's heart to leave him. As the three wolves disembarked, she looked back to see a bunch of predators had gathered at the place where she'd released the snail...

Larkspur woke naturally, the dream fading into the ether. She tried to blink the gloom from her eyes but quickly discovered that the forest was dark. It was the middle of the night. And it was cold. She stood and took a few moments to stretch, her head tipped back to peer at the starry sky visible through the sparse treetops.