CHAPTER FIVE

“I’m Esra,” the little owl said. “It means ‘travels at night’. Although now I don’t know when to fly because night looks like day and dark is light.” The owl’s voice sounded more grown-up than they’d expected, wiser than her tiny size would suggest. “And they have to stop before everything’s ruined!”

The friends frowned at each other. The owl wasn’t making sense.

“Who has to stop?” asked Katy softly.

“The foxes!”

The friends glanced at each other again. Did Esra know what the foxes were up to?

“Perhaps you can start from the beginning,” Cassandra encouraged her. She sat cross-legged on the cold forest floor, pulling her dressing gown over her legs to keep warm. The others did the same – even Thunder climbed onto Katy’s lap and nestled down, making himself comfortable as they listened to what Esra had to say.

Esra sighed, then puffed out her tiny feathers. “Well…it’s complicated, and I don’t have much time. You’ll need to listen carefully.”

Everyone nodded and the little owl took a deep breath.

“Whenever there’s a lunar eclipse, like tonight, the night and day animals gather for a feast at midnight. It’s a tradition that stretches back to when this forest was young.”

Cassandra’s heart leapt. Surely they couldn’t be that lucky to have chosen an adventure on the night of an actual midnight feast?

“It’s our way of marking a truce between the forest creatures – big and small, predator and prey, nocturnal and diurnal,” Esra continued.

Katy’s hand shot up. It felt like they were in school.

“What’s di-urnal?” she asked the owl.

Esra sighed. “Diurnal animals are awake during the day. They’re the opposite of nocturnal animals, who are awake at night.”

“But apart from you, we haven’t seen any animals,” Katy said.

Esra puffed out her feathers again. “They’re probably hiding – they won’t be used to seeing humans in the forest.”

The friends glanced around, wondering what animals might be hidden among the trees. Esra continued.

“The feasts are important to us. Coming together is our way of showing that every animal is crucial to the biodiversity of the forest.”

This time, Cassandra’s hand shot up. “What’s biodiversity?” she asked.

Esra clicked her beak. “It’s the huge variety of life – animals and plants – that live in the forest. We survive only because we exist together and rely on each other for food.”

They nodded again, and Esra took another deep breath.

“At each lunar eclipse – that’s when a full moon moves into the Earth’s shadow – one animal is tasked with organising the feast. This time, it’s me. The invitations have been sent out, but I still need to gather more feast provisions and carry them to the lake at the centre of the forest. The celebration takes place on a small island there. Thanks to those foxes, some animals won’t make it, and the feast won’t be ready in time for those that do!”

Thunder stretched his front paws out. “Foxes cause trouble where we live too,” he tutted, cleaning behind his ears.

Katy stroked Thunder’s back then turned to look at Esra. “We think they’ve been tracking us through the forest.”

“They’re plotting something,” added Zia. “Thunder overheard them in their den – talking about an owl and a feast. It’s all starting to make sense now.”

Esra nodded and placed her wings over her tiny ears. “It’s because they haven’t been invited,” she said, clicking her beak again. “They caused havoc at the last feast. They’d been warned before, but they didn’t listen. They stole food, started a fight and threw our precious feast treats into the lake. The animals held a meeting and decided that this time the foxes wouldn’t be welcome. So now they’re angry and getting revenge.”

“Is that what the l-lights are about?” asked Luca.

“Yes, the lanterns!” Esra flapped her tiny wings up and down. “The foxes have placed four of them around the forest – just like this one here. The lanterns have been glowing every night for a week, so now it’s light when it should be dark. We’re all mixed up! The foxes aren’t affected by them – they can scavenge when it’s light or dark. But now day animals are awake when they should be sleeping, and night animals are blinded by the light. They can’t forage for food or sneak up on their prey. I’m nocturnal, so I see best in the dark – in this light, I keep bumping into trees, hitting my head and feeling dizzy.”

“Is that what happened to you just now?” asked Thunder, sounding sorry for the little owl.

“Yes! And now my head has a lump. I’m worn out, and I still haven’t gathered enough supplies for the feast. Tonight’s celebration is going to be a disaster.”

“We can help!” Cassandra interjected. “Can’t we?” she asked, turning to her friends.

“You can?” asked Esra.

“Of course,” everyone chorused.

Cassandra walked over to the lantern. The fluorescent light coming from the glow worms’ abdomens really did look enchanted – like no light she’d seen before. No wonder the animals had mixed-up body clocks.

Thunder joined her. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” he said, a know-it-all grin on his face. “We just need to turn off the lights.”

Zia followed, bending low and scratching Thunder between his ears. “I’d usually be the last person to say this, but I think you’re right.”

“And when the l-lights are off,” added Luca, joining them, “the animals’ b-body clocks should return to n-normal.”

“Then we can help Esra get ready for the feast!” Katy exclaimed.