· Inari, Finland
The birch grove.
From the journal of the Wolf of the North · a work of fiction
Three cousins were picking birch leaves when a herd poured into the grove. Their aunt heard a scream but could not tell which direction it came from.
I found the cousins sitting high on a fallen trunk, their baskets abandoned below. I kept watch while their aunt guided them through the trees. We returned later for the baskets; the leaves were still good.