14

It was night fort y-nine. Sprite was awake in the nest for a long time after everyone else had fallen asleep, looking up at the stars and listening to the sounds of Mama and her brothers breathing and snoring.

She sat up to look at Revver, cuddled between Farty’s foot and Bounce’s shoulder. There were tails here and there, but she could not tell whose was whose. They had all gotten so much bigger these past few weeks. It WAS getting crowded here. There was no doubt it was time for Sprite and her brothers to leave the nest. She knew that was true.

Sprite noticed that Revver still wore the chain she had woven for him, tied around his furry ankle. For some reason, this made her want to smile and cry at the same time. Her chest felt tight.

“Revver,” she whispered into his ear. But Revver was sound asleep. It didn’t matter. She kept talking to him. “Revver, please stay safe. Try to slow down and think things through. Most importantly, just be safe. And be happy, too, Revver. I want you to be happy.”

Sprite cuddled down into the nest next to Revver. This would be the last time they were all together like this. She tried to notice everything she could. She didn’t want to forget: the sound of the leaves, her brothers breathing, the crickets chirping. She studied the stars and the moonlight through the branches above her. This was home, but only for one last night.

She took a deep breath of the night air and, of course, Farty let out a pfooooof! at that very moment. She held her nose. Tonight, that made her laugh. She giggled quietly and felt less sad and a little less worried.

Finally, she started to feel sleepy. She whispered one more time, “I won’t be around to save you, Revver. So please, please be safe.”

Sprite had no way of knowing that SHE might be the one who would need saving.