We walked into the silent forest. Mom unclicked the leash so we could each explore at our own pace. I lifted my nose toward the clouds and sucked in the smells of wet dirt, pine needles, and prehistory.
As I walked, the pine needles thinned under my paws into a line of free dirt. I followed it, and soon small stones appeared on either side of the trail to show I was on the right path.
Mystery drew me forward until the rocks spread in a wide circle. I followed the rocks' instructions and stopped in the center of the henge. I turned all the way around as if I were in a microwave, listening for what the path wanted to tell me.
There was a podium tucked at the edge of the ring, right where you would never see it if you were in a hurry. I sniffed its base while Mom caught up.
"What does it say?" I snorted.
Mom looked down at the part of the podium that I couldn't see and was silent for a moment as she listened for the secret message from the forest.
