In the pine-scented Glade of Cones, Burek the bear, Uszatek the rabbit, and Kitka the squirrel are playing when Uszatek suddenly vanishes and a strange rustle shakes the bushes.
In the Glade of Cones, the air always smelled of pine needles and warm moss. Mushrooms with red caps popped up near the roots, and soft grass made a cosy floor for play. Burek the bear, Uszatek the rabbit, and Kitka the squirrel met there every morning under the big pine tree.
That day, Burek came bounding into the clearing with a bright ball made of leaves. Kitka swung down from a branch. Uszatek twitched his nose and grinned.
"Ball rolling!" Burek called.
Off they went. The leafy ball spun over the grass, bounced into a patch of needles, and skimmed past a crooked root. Kitka laughed and darted after it. Uszatek was the fastest of all. He chased the ball between two bushes, his white tail flashing like a little cloud.
Then the bushes shook.
Burek stopped. Kitka stopped too.
"Uszatek?" Burek called.
No answer came back. Only the wind whispered in the pines.
Kitka climbed higher and peered across the glade. Burek pushed through the ferny edges, looking under branches and around the roots. But Uszatek was nowhere to be seen.
On the path, near the pine tree, something pale caught Burek's eye. He bent down slowly and found a tiny white paw-shaped tuft of fur lying in the needles.
Kitka slid down from the branch. Her whiskers quivered.
Burek held the leaf ball so tightly it crinkled in his paws. "Uszatek was just here," he whispered.
Then, from deep inside the bushes, came a rustle. This time it was louder. And something moved again.