By the time the first stars appear over the Lily Pond, Phoebe is already in the water. This swamp rabbit slips between the lily pads, barely leaving a wake the stars reflect. She makes the crossing most nights as her family watches over the pond since days of the royal decree. Phoebe knows every place a traveler may lose their way on these paths

This particular evening she heard a rustling near the far bank. A young bunny stood at the water’s edge, one paw in the mud. The day’s rain had covered the path he ususally took home.

“Back up three hops,” Phoebe called. “Do you feel pine needles under your feet? Follow them uphill. I’ll meet you where the path bends.”

By the time Phoebe came out of the reeds, he was on dry ground and she walked him as far as the path to his underground burrow, then turned back toward the pond.

Back across the water, a lantern came into view: her husband Niles, was waiting on the bank. He held the lantern low so she could see the roots she like to use to climb out.

“How was the pond tonight?” he asked

“A little wider than yesterday,” Phoebe answered, shaking the water from her ears. “We’ll need to move the trail marker before dawn.”