Daisy trotted eagerly toward the open field where she’d been grazing on delicious soybeans all summer. Her mouth watered just thinking about her favorite treat. But as she got closer, she stopped suddenly, her ears drooping.

The field was… empty. Just bare ground where rows and rows of soybeans had been growing yesterday.

“What happened?” Daisy said, her voice trembling. “Where did all the food go?”

From high in a nearby pine tree, Sage Squirrel had been watching. She’d seen the whole thing happen. Quickly, she scampered down the trunk and bounded over to her friend.

“Daisy! I can explain,” Sage said gently.

Daisy’s nose twitched nervously. “But the soybeans are gone! All of them! I don’t understand.”

“I watched the humans yesterday,” Sage explained. “They cut down all the soybean plants and planted something new.  I think we will have oats for winter! But it’ll take a few weeks to grow.”

Daisy didn’t know how to feel.  Oats for the winter sounded really good.  But the sweet soybeans had been so tasty all summer. And it would take time for the oats to grow.  “I guess it’s back to wild grass for a few weeks” Daisy told her friend.

Sage’s eyes brightened. “I know just the thing to help! Follow me.”

“Where are we going?” Daisy asked.

Sage led her friend through the forest. “Here we are! Little sassafras trees. Look at these funny leaves – some shaped like mittens, some with three points, and some that are just ovals. That’s how you know it’s sassafras.”

Daisy sniffed the interesting leaves carefully, then took a tentative nibble. “Oh! It’s… it actually tastes nice. Kind of spicy-sweet.”

“Remember when Rascal’s cousins got so sick from eating human food?” Sage asked as Daisy tried another leaf. “Rocky and Bandit were moaning and groaning something awful!”

Daisy nodded, remembering the wild raccoons’ misadventure.

“After they started feeling better, they ate sassafras,” Sage continued. “It helped settle their tummies.”

“Really?” Daisy took another bite, feeling her worry begin to fade. “Hum.  I think it might be helping me feel better too.  Thanks, Sage!”

“That’s what friends are for,” Sage said, settling on a low branch nearby. 

“I can’t wait to try oats!” Daisy said, her usual brightness returning. “And I’m glad you showed me the sassafras too. I feel so much better now.”

Sage grinned. “And now you know where to find it whenever you need it. Just look for the funny-shaped leaves!”

And that, friends, is how Daisy learned that change isn’t always bad – sometimes it just means new opportunities are on the way. And having a knowledgeable friend to help you through uncertain times makes everything better.