In a small neighborhood in the outskirts of Houston, twelve-year-old Leslie sat sadly on the old swing bench outside his house. He could not believe that the forest was going to be cut down to build a shopping mall. Those woods had always been there for him.  He had been coming to the forest ever since he was small. The sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees, the sound of the birds chirping, and the rushing water of the small creek running through the forest, were things he wouldn’t trade for anything. When he laid eyes on the huge gray Loggers Incorporated truck coming into his neighborhood, he resolved to do whatever he could to save the forest, but he couldn’t get the signatures on his petition that he needed, and his passionate protests in front of the Loggers Incorporated HQ didn’t change their mind. He didn't want to believe it, but the forest was going to be cut down whether he liked it or not.   
Suddenly, a rabbit came out of the bushes and approached him. “My name is Sam.,” said the rabbit. “Follow me.” Leslie was startled, but he followed the rabbit anyway. Sam sprung into the woods, with Leslie cautiously following behind him. A group of animals were sitting in a circle. Leslie could tell that this was one of the most important things in his life. “We need your help.”  said Sam.  
Leslie had many questions. “You can talk?” he asked in disbelief. “Yes, we can. But we try not to talk to humans unless it’s necessary. We don’t want to lose our home. And since you come to the forest so often, you were the obvious choice.” That was true. He would do anything to protect the woods. He always went there. Even when no one else was, the forest was always there for him to explore. “So, what’s the plan?” asked Leslie. 
He sat in the forest and listened to the animals. The plan was to play all kinds of pranks on the loggers trying to chop down the trees until they gave up and decided to leave. All kinds of pranks would be played, from the mildly annoying to the majorly inconvenient. That would work to delay them as much as possible. Then, when they went into the forest, that’s when the real attack would start. All kinds of pranks and traps planted in the forest. Hopefully, it would be enough to make them leave.  
“And not only that, but we have a man on the inside.” said Sam, gesturing toward a mysterious figure in a trench coat. To Leslie’s surprise, three racoons rolled out. “Pip, Skip, and Snip reporting for duty!” said one of them. “These are our spies. They have an internship with the loggers, under the name Joe Humanson. They will gather information and plant the pranks in their headquarters.” said Sam, who appeared to be the leader of the operation. Leslie shook his head. Racoons in a trench coat- as if his day couldn’t get any weirder. Still, if it would help him save the forest, he was all for it. A smile grew on his face. For the first time in a few days, he had hope for the forest. 
The next few weeks were filled with all kinds of pranks. From spraying the headquarters with leaves, to swapping their coffee grounds with dirt.  And they were working, according to the raccoon spies. The day that they would go into the forest and start chopping down the trees kept on getting delayed, and Leslie was proud to have a part in that.   
But they couldn’t keep delaying it forever. There would come a time when the loggers would come into the forest. According to the spies, it would be soon. Leslie and the animals needed a plan, and fast. After sitting in the woods for hours talking with the animals, they finally figured it out.  
First, Leslie would spend time making buckets and buckets of a slimy mixture, made of tree sap, dirt, and more. The birds would dump the buckets on top of the loggers. Leslie and the animals would gather prickly burrs and poison ivy to throw at them. They would unleash an onslaught of defenses to protect the forest. Finally, for everyone else who didn’t get scared away, spiders, ants, and all sorts of insects would swarm the loggers.  
A week later, they were prepared. They were right on time. The animals had received word that the loggers would enter the forest today. Leslie gathered his supplies and raced toward the forest at full speed when he saw the truck careening into the neighborhood. They got all the traps ready just as the first loggers started coming into the forest with their chainsaws.   
  
The first loggers were in for a surprise when Leslie and the bears started throwing sticky burrs and poison ivy at the invaders of the forest.  A few of them ran back to the truck, but the rest of them kept going. A few other trucks arrived. Time for the slime. The birds and insects carried the mixtures in big buckets, pouring it all over the loggers. The buckets were heavy, especially for tiny birds, but they worked together to keep them in the air. They knew what was at stake. The slimy trap worked. Not only did it distract and annoy the loggers, but it jammed their chainsaws so that it would be hard for them to cut down the forest.   
Next, Leslie gave the signal, and the skunks flooded the loggers with their stinky spray. Their clothes would smell like skunk for weeks. A few of the animals started throwing balls of sticky mud at the loggers. The snakes charged at the loggers, trying to chase them out of the forest. Normally, snakes prefer to live their own lives away from humans, but today, they needed to stand up for the forest. By that time, most of them had left. But the few loggers that remained were as determined as ever. There was only one thing that would stop them. It was time to bring in the bugs.  
Leslie gave the signal, and thousands of bugs and arachnids started swarming the loggers. Ants, spiders, flies, cockroaches, and so much more. The wasps started stinging the loggers, the stinkbugs released their smelly spray, and even the butterflies helped. The remaining loggers ran out of there as quickly as their feet could take them. The animals cheered. The sound of bears roaring, crickets chirping, and birds chirping filled the forest. Even someone who didn’t speak the language of the animals could tell it was a sound of triumph. The loudest cheer was Leslie’s, because he knew that he and the animals had successfully protected their safe space. They had done it.  
A few days later, the loggers released an official statement that they would be cancelling the building of the shopping mall. According to the statement, it was because they had seen the beauty of the local ecosystem and decided it would be cruel to cut it down. But Leslie knew the truth. It was because the woods were stronger then that evil corporation had expected. They thought it would be easy to destroy that beautiful forest and replace it with another boring mall, but the loggers didn’t know, that nature doesn’t go down without a fight.  
EPILOGUE: 10 years later.  
Leslie was overjoyed. It was the day he would be graduating from college. He had earned an Environmental Science degree and was one of the most famous activists of his time. He had organized huge protests to change laws and protect the environment, and he had proved that you can make a difference. He couldn’t wait to go out and help the world in more ways. His graduation was all over the news. He had an interview right after the graduation ceremony. The reporter asked him “What inspired you to organize all these protests and events? To be so passionate about the environment?” He thought back to that fateful day, the day he was twelve and helped save the forest. “Well,” he said with a smile. “As I like to say, nature doesn’t go down without a fight.”