The sun is weak and the air is cool as I walk down the path along the edge of the field. Dry grasses rustle and burrs catch on my clothing, but that is nothing. The path narrows a bit and then the woods are in front of me. The air coming from inside the great woods is cooler and damper. It smells of crispness, leaves and thyme. I hurry under the arched oaks and into the darker day. Bird calls echo as tho in a great cathedral, and the trees seem to talk quietly to each other. I feel safe, for the first time today. I do not feel alone here, and I do not fear any inhabitants of Ivy's Woods..I just know that I want to stay...

After a bit of walking, I notice a small clearing off the path. A fallen tree has nestled up against another....within a short time I have made the beginnings of a rough shelter, using just fallen limbs and dried grasses...it is a small, cozy place, a place to hide away in. I am being observed, I notice-a large crow has perched near me and has been watching for some time, sending "caws" throughout the woods. He is very interested in my house building. I throw him some bread scraps, which he picks up gracefully, then goes back to watch...