“Otis snuggled into the cushions of his dog bed, tucked beside the crackling fire. The heat warmed his scruffy fur. Otis’s nose perked up as he smelled hot apple cider wafting from the kitchen. He had found a cozy spot to settle down for the night. But Otis’s eyes drifted to the open window—the promise of a starry sky and the sweet smell of douglas fir trees called to him. He longed to be under the stars this autumn evening.

Otis peeled himself off his dog bed and trotted out the front door of the house. The air was crisp and sweet. The sky was aglow with a sunset of pinks and yellows. Otis stared out at the family farm. The red barn where the horses slept, the shimmering pond where the ducks played, and the pig pen where his friend Pigsie and her family lived. Farther out, apple trees lined the orchard, ripe and ready for the picking. And just beyond the orchard, the douglas fir trees stood in the wild forest.”