AS DAY TURNED TO NIGHT AND THE MOON REACHED ITS HIGHEST POINT IN THE SKY, Vale lay asleep in her den.
"Vale? Hey, Vale," whispered Mr. O'Hara.
"Huh?" Vale stirred awake. "Is it daytime already?"
"Not yet. I know I said we'd leave in the morning, but that was just to throw off the girls. This way, they won't just try to follow us back."
"Wha…?" Vale mumbled, still groggy. "Aren't you worried they'll get lost?"
"Not at all. I've taught them everything they need to make it home." He smiled gently. "So, are you ready to go?"
"Go?" The simple word stirred up something complex inside her. "Leave my home… and all my friends?"
Mr. O'Hara knelt down to meet her eye-to-eye. "I know going somewhere new can be scary. But you won't be alone. You'll have us."
"I won't be alone…" Vale repeated softly, remembering her prayer to the universe the night before.
"That's right," he said. "And you can come back here anytime you're feeling homesick."
Swallowing her fear, Vale brushed her hand along the bark of her tree. "Okay, Mr. O'Hara. Let's go."
Lifting her onto his shoulder, Mr. O'Hara stood tall, and their journey to Meteor Kingdom began.
As they walked off under the moonlight, Vale gave her home one last look. Animals peeked out from the brush, watching her go.
"Goodbye, friends," she whispered with a wave. "I'll come back one day… and tell you all about Meteor Kingdom."