Footprints Beyond the Warning Sign
Storyland Canada – Corners – Spot
Spot walked home through the forest thinking about how many times she’d already saved Fawn from trouble this week. But when she reached their usual spot by the stream, Fawn wasn’t there. The grass where her partner always rested lay flat and empty. Spot’s heart quickened as she scanned the ground.
There — pressed into the soft earth near the water’s edge — were Fawn’s hoofprints. Spot followed them away from the stream, through the underbrush where brambles caught at her dress. The prints led deeper into the woods than Fawn usually wandered. When Spot pushed through a thicket of young pines, she found a weathered sign she’d never seen before. Bold red letters spelled DANGER across its surface. The prints continued past it.
Spot’s stomach tightened, but she kept moving. The hoofprints led to a fallen log covered in deep grooves where animals had crossed it over the years. Beyond the log stood a stone well with a wolf carved into its side. A chain hung from the well’s edge, its links crusted with rust so deep and red it looked like dried blood. Spot had heard the farm hands whisper about this place — that no animal should go near it. But Fawn’s prints led right up to the well’s base.
Spot stepped forward and peered over the edge. The well was empty except for dead leaves at the bottom. No Fawn. She circled the well and found where the hoofprints continued on the other side, leading back toward safer ground. Relief washed through her, followed by something sharper. Fawn had been here, had stood exactly where locals said animals shouldn’t go, and had walked away unharmed. Spot looked at the wolf carved in stone and realized she couldn’t protect Fawn from every danger by finding lost things. Some troubles her partner would walk into on her own.
Moral of this Story:
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Further Reading
Author’s Note: This comic and story were generated from the Storycraft app. If you would like to interact with the characters in this story, please visit the Storyland Canada – Corners world. Storycraft allows you to create worlds, write stories, generate characters and explore other worlds to your hearts content.
