The night over the Old Forest was thick and full of rustling sounds. The wind played with the branches of the oak trees, and the sky was shrouded in a silvery mist. A red fox named Rufus - known locally for his unbridled curiosity and cunning - flitted among the quiet paths. Every time the moon became full, Rufus would set off on his nocturnal wanderings, hoping that this time he would discover something unknown to anyone in the forest. That evening, however, he was not alone. On one of the higher branches, the owl Aurora - the avian guardian of the forest's mysteries - was watching him vigilantly. Her amber eyes glittered in the moonlight, as if penetrating the darkness to the core. - Rufus! - cried Aurora quietly, lowering her flight just above his head, for she sensed that something unusual was going to happen that night. - I saw something strange by the old stone circle! The fox immediately came to a standstill. All the animals knew the legends about the stone circle - it was said that an ancient secret of the Old Forest was hidden under its roots. However, no one dared to go there after nightfall. - What did you see? - Rufus asked, trying to hide a hint of excitement. - A mysterious shadow... - replied the owl, lowering its voice to a whisper. - It moved almost silently, leaving a strange footprint on the mud. It was neither deer, nor wolf, nor any of ours.... Rufus felt a shiver down his spine. He looked at Aurora, who had already landed beside him, and then they both moved silently through the forest, dodging tangled roots and old ferns. As they approached the stone circle, the night seemed even darker and the air thicker. At last they reached the spot. The circle looked just as they remembered it - the mossy boulders formed an enclosed space, as if they had been waiting for someone for centuries. But this time, in the moonlight, among the leaves and shadows, the strange footprints were really visible. They were larger than a fox's paw and smaller than a wolf's, ending in startling, sharp claws like neither of them had ever known. Then they heard a deafening sound - as if someone or something had moved one of the stones of the circle. Aurora blinked faster, Rufus froze motionless. Just beyond the largest boulder, a golden glimmer flashed and a stranger's whisper sounded clearly....