The others also felt there was something in the air, something that was about to change even more than it already had. Buffalo Susan looked up at the sky and saw black thunderhead clouds rolling in. Then, they all heard it, that great deafening crash. They saw the zigzag bolt of lightning split the sky in two, saw the bolt reach all the way to the ground and start a spark. They watched as the spark danced its way into a little fire, and in an instant the little fire ate the distant grass and grew large, large and hungry and coming right towards all of them and all the other animals on the plains!

These other animals knew what to do. The pronghorns, the fastest animals in North America, went dashing across the land at great speeds of 60 miles per hour. Birds lifted off from the ground and safely into flight. The coyotes made for hills beyond the river. Snakes slithered safely underground, and the rest of wildlife followed the coyotes’ lead and headed towards the river. That included the buffalo. A few started moving. Then all the rest followed. They were a huge blackish-brown stampede running away from the fire and turning the ground beneath their feet into great clouds of dust that choked the air. Buffalo Susan was with the herd, running with the rest, but then remembered her friends and who she really was. She managed to get away from her moving herd and back to where her friends were.

Prairie Dog Jake had left the safety of his underground town. He had seen how the prairie dogs built communities together, so, the least he could do as a former human was to make sure that his classmates were okay. Coyote Fionn must have felt some kind of concern, though that was due more to the Fionn part than the coyote part, because, he, too, joined the group. Grass Ann Marie felt good that they were all together. It felt right. Then, the fire came closer and Grass Ann Marie could feel parts of herself disappear. Grass Ann Marie was not sure she enjoyed that feeling at all.