The trees scratched them badly and Benjamin got the worst of it. He tried to keep up with them but it took time to push the branches aside. Some ended up smacking him in the face, causing bugs to stick to him. They finally cleared the trees and rested at the edge of the tall cliff overlooking the dried-up creek. At last the screaming boy emerged, bugs covering his face, lips, neck, arms, and legs. When he stopped to examine himself, he panicked at the sight. He yelled and jumped up and down, slapping himself.

The big-nosed goat grimaced. “That does not look comfortable. Not one bit!”

“So…this is your king?” Malcolm asked Paco.

The bugs eventually fell off and Benjamin saw that none of the others had bugs.

“Better, Your Majesty?” Paco asked carefully.

Benjamin was hunched over, his hands resting on his knees. “Malcolm, as king of this group I say we never go through those trees again!”

Paco turned to the raccoon. “I’ve never seen so many trees killed off by bugs.”

“Me either. Things haven’t always been normal in the forest, but lately it’s been worse. Creatures are acting differently. Let’s go. Up ahead we should find a way down.”

As they walked along the cliff, Benjamin kept thinking about bugs. “Paco, when I was in the cave a lightning bug yelled at me. Why don’t I hear these bugs talking?”

“A lot of the time bugs simply don’t talk, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah, and when they do we generally ignore them,” Roscoe said.

“They’re so annoying–always wanting you to do things for them,” the pig said.

“Do you guys eat them?” Benjamin asked.

“Well, if we’re hungry enough,” Roscoe replied.

“Ah, well, I was wondering what you guys ate back in the kingdom.”

“Oh no, Sire! We don’t eat bugs,” Paco said. “And we don’t eat each other, either.” His look dared the pig and goat to joke. “We eat vegetables, nuts, grass…we make do.”

“Wasn’t that hard to get used to? I mean, for a dog?”

“Yes, and tasting those beefy sticks doesn’t make it any easier to go back to. But that’s the price we pay to live together–one of the many ways we make it work.”

“So is that what you guys do all day? Go get food for the kingdom?”

“Mostly. Since half of us go into hibernation for the winter, we make a stock pile of it for those that don’t. Each of us has a job to get certain food. Some get more than others.”

“Some eat more than others,” Roscoe said.

“What?” Clementine looked guilty. “Hey, I’m still growing!”

“You’re right about that.”

“Hibernation?” Benjamin arched his eyebrow. “Where do you sleep?”

“There is more of the cave in the back, Sire. It’s very dark and quiet.” Paco replied.

“Is anybody else thirsty?” Clementine tried changing the subject.