Luna was a baby elephant. She lived with her family, all ten of them, way out in the plains. Every day, under the hot sun, they would drink cool water from watering holes and eat fresh, green leaves from the trees. Luna loved her family dearly. She had a very happy life.

One day, Luna noticed how big her mother’s feet were. When her mother wasn’t looking, Luna placed her foot directly into her mother’s footprint. Not even close! Luna was outraged.

“Mother!” she cried. “Look how big your feet are, and how small mine are. Will I ever have feet as big as you?”

Luna’s mother smiled. “One day, you will see, Luna. All elephants are born, all elephants grow old, and all elephants die. You will see!”

Luna was excited by what her mother said. All she wanted was to be grown up. Every day, as she walked behind her mother across the plains, Luna would walk in her mother’s footsteps, seeing how close she was to becoming a grown-up elephant.

One day, there was a great storm. The family of elephants walked out in the open, trying to find shelter. Night came, and everything was pitch dark. Luna walked close behind her mother, careful not to get lost. She was worried about the rain and the wind, but she felt safe with her family. “I wonder if I have grown?” Luna thought to herself. “I could look at my mother’s footprint.”

Carefully, Luna slowed her pace. She looked down, squinting, her eyes barely able to see in the dark. She placed her foot into the footprint of her mother and marveled at how close she was getting. She looked up, ready to rejoin the herd. But, in the dark, she couldn’t see anything. She called out, but the wind was too loud for her to hear any sound. She was terrified.

Luna walked and walked, all through the night. Just as the sun was coming up, the storm calmed down. “Thank heavens,” Luna thought. But she was all alone.

Luna was hungry, and thirsty. She didn’t know what to do. She remembered something her uncle had taught her. “When you need food and water,” he had said, “follow the birds. They will always lead you somewhere safe.”

Luna looked around. She could see a flock of birds up ahead, flying away from her. She set off at a brisk pace, careful not to lose sight of them. She followed all day long, panting in the heat, thirsty and hungry. Finally, she could see the birds settling down to land. Up over a hill, Luna saw a beautiful watering hole, filled with fresh water and surrounded by trees. She started to walk towards it and, all of a sudden, she saw her family! They were standing around the water’s edge, drinking and washing themselves.

Luna was overjoyed. She ran straight to her mother, who gave her a big elephant hug. Then, she drank and drank, thankful to finally be safe.

“Luna, come here!” her mother said. Her mother made a footprint in the mud and said, “Let’s see how grown you are!” Luna placed her foot into her mother’s footprint. A perfect fit.