The forest above Old Canyon was unlike any other for hundreds of kilometres. It was cool here even in summer, and mists drifted over the mulch like white, lazy ghosts. The trees grew densely, intertwining branches, like a secret roof under which nature's chosen ones lived. Those who had learned the secrets of survival and were not afraid of their own curiosity. Among these animal inhabitants, four stood out: Janka, the owl with amber eyes and uncommon intuition; Miko, the fox whose cleverness rivalled the legends of the old rulers of the forest; Zephyr, the watchful young badger, fascinated by everything new and unusual; and Safira, the tiny roe deer who hid her extraordinary courage under the guise of timidity. They met under a bridge that remembered the days of the steam railway. The people are gone and nature has taken ownership of the place. It was June dawn when Janka returned from her night patrol. Her movements were nervous and her feathers were ruffled with nervousness. "Something wrong?" - Miko asked, peering out from above the blackberry bush. Janka replied quietly: "Listen, I found tracks in the northern clearing. They smell completely different from the animals in our forest. They... sparkle in the moonlight. I've never seen anything like it." Zephyr rolled over onto his back, staring in disbelief. "Maybe these are the footprints of some man?" - he wondered. "No," muttered Janka firmly, "they're too wide, and at the same time... they're kind of stamped into the ground, not imprinted. And they stretch all the way behind the old birch tree, but there they suddenly disappear." Safira bit her lower lip. "Maybe it's some animal we don't know? If so, we need to check it out. We can't let something dangerous roam around in our area." The four friends set off through the still sleeping forest. Miko went first, listening carefully to see if there was a stranger lurking in the bushes. Zephyr carried his compass, which had been stolen from the humans, though no one was quite sure if it ever worked properly. Safira glanced behind her, making sure no one was following them. They reached a clearing where there were indeed unusual footprints in the grass - oblong, deeply pressed into the ground, as if something heavy but lightly footstepped had passed just hours before. There was a faint metallic smell, unlike anything they had ever smelt. "Check it out!" - Zephyr bent over something shiny. It was small, made of a material they had never seen. Janka carefully lifted the find with her wing, turning it in the light of the morning sun. At the same moment, there was a sound in the forest - different from any other. It resembled the sound of the wind, but was too regular, as if someone unknown was moving among the trees. All four of them froze in suspense, holding their breath. Something - or someone - was approaching inexorably from the side of the old canyon, leaving behind the pulsating echo of footsteps....