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through the trees, breaking up the darkness and dotting the bluebell-covered floor with patches of golden warmth.
    â€œMy favourite part of the day!” exclaimed Chester, as he flew joyously in and out of the sun’s warm rays.
    â€œI thought you said we would be at the heart of the woods by sunrise,” grumbled April.
    â€œPatience, we are almost there,” said Zavier. “Look over there, where the stream widens, that is where we shall cross. Then, after a few paces, the Giant Horse Chestnut should be visible and that is where we should find the woodlands’ Berthold.”

Chapter 6
Francis
    In the centre of Bluebell Wood, standing at approximately 125 feet tall, the Giant Horse Chestnut towered above the rest of the trees. The grey and brown bark of its trunk was crowned with a massive, emerald green leafy canopy. Its enormous side branches emerged from its trunk, like trees in their own right. The huge tree housed a host of the woodland creatures, including their Berthold, Francis.
    The group of large, powerful Halfses and the little robin, Chester, stood at the tree’s base and looked up into its canopy. They were dwarfed by its shadowy magnificence and somehow, despite their bravery, they all appeared more vulnerable.
    Other than the subtle movement of its leaves in the breeze, the tree was still and lifeless; no birds sang, no squirrels spiralled its trunk and no insects explored its bark.
    â€œFrancis… it is I… Zavier, Berthold of Maytime Meadow. The Great Prophet has sent me, I must speak with you, please show yourself,” begged Zavier.
    The group looked closely as the tree gradually altered, becoming a magical maze of activity. Its inhabitants had been camouflaged by Francis’s magic and had therefore been hidden from danger, disguised as part of the tree’s structure. As the creatures began to reappear, twists of bark transformed back into squirrels that began spiralling the huge trunk; patches of moss wriggled to life as caterpillars and insects; many of the leaves became birds singing and perching on the branches and high up in the tree’s trunk, a dark and empty hollow began to change and instead of being filled with darkness, it filled with the plump form of a tawny owl. His plumage was still keeping him partially camouflaged as his colouring blended exceptionally well with the tree’s bark, and his position was only given away by the intermittent blinking of his huge dark eyes. The plump owl leant forward and swooped gracefully to the ground, landing on a stubby tree stump amid a mass of bluebells.
    â€œWhat is it, Zavier? Why has the Great Prophet sent you here with such urgency to speak with me?” Francis asked.
    â€œThe Great Prophet has asked that I collect all of Liberty’s Berthold and then return them to the meadow. Only then will the Great Prophet tell us what is foreseen, something that will help us all in our fight against the evil Nomeds. The Great Prophet fears that we will not like what is foretold and may resist its requests, but it said that if we do not do what is asked of us, Liberty is in great danger of losing the fight and all that is good. It wishes to speak to us all together. We must unite on a journey to collect the rest of the Berthold and return to the Great Prophet with them as soon as possible.”
    The wise and cautious owl pondered for a moment, closing his eyes and shrugging his head into his thick plumage.
    â€œHmmm,” he sighed. “Sounds very important. The Great Prophet has never requested a gathering of all Liberty’s Berthold before. I must say, I am a little concerned about leaving the woodland creatures, especially while the Nomeds are so strong and active. I can share my power with the Giant Horse Chestnut tree, enabling it to camouflage the creatures of the woodland when they are within the tree, or in close proximity to it, but I will only be able to do this for two, maybe three days