A True Home

Mona walks through the now-bare, cold forest, missing the warmth and companionship of the hotel. She believes she cannot return because she broke the rules, which she doesn’t regret, and is not wanted. As night falls, she finds shelter in a damp hollow log. Eating a seedcake triggers a memory of her mother making identical ones for her, but now she will never learn how Ms. Prickles came to have the same recipe.

As Mona tries to sleep, she overhears wolves discussing a feast. The pack, led by Gnarl, has been waiting for a lit-up tree as a signal to locate the Heartwood Hotel during the First Snow Festival. Gnarl, who wears a badge from a mole clubhouse around his neck, reassures the skeptical Wince that the plan will work. When Wince smells mouse and begins searching for Mona, Gnarl dismisses it, insisting all the animals are in the hotel. Once the wolves fall asleep, Mona carefully creeps past them and runs as fast as she can back toward the Heartwood to warn everyone.

Mona arrives at the hotel at sunrise and bursts into the staff breakfast, crying that she saw wolves. Mr. Heartwood dismisses her warning at first, but when Mona mentions Ms. J, he admits the bug rule was a mistake born from his failure to make proper accommodations for small guests. He says the rule will change but tells Mona she broke his trust by leaving without speaking to him.

Tilly leaps up and confesses that Mona’s departure was her fault. She admits she tricked Mona into leaving because she was jealous and afraid Mona would take her place. Tilly reveals that Mona was the one who convinced the bear to leave and says they should believe her about the wolves. Convinced, Mr. Heartwood says grimly that the wolves have found them at last.

Mona clarifies that the wolves have not found the hotel yet but are watching for the festival lanterns as a signal. Mr. Heartwood immediately cancels the festival, forbidding the lanterns, hearth fire, and feast to avoid attracting the wolves. He orders the staff to place cancellation notices under all the guests’ doors.

The ballroom fills with upset guests demanding explanations. Lord Sudsbury panics and shouts that wolves are attacking, forcing Mr. Heartwood to confirm they are nearby, which causes widespread chaos. As guests debate running or hiding, Mona reflects on her own history of doing the same and decides she is done with it. She declares that they should turn the tables and make the wolves run and hide instead. With Cybele’s encouragement, Mona explains her plan to lure the wolves to Brumble the bear’s tree.

That night, staff and brave guests carry lanterns and peppermint bundles upstream to Brumble’s den. Mona volunteers to wake the sleeping bear. After two failed attempts at shouting, she rouses him with honeycomb. Brumble agrees to help, grumbling that the wolves forced him from his previous home. Mr. Heartwood promises him more food in the spring. The group lines the tree with peppermint to mask Brumble’s scent and hangs the lanterns. Mona takes on the dangerous job of lighting each candle along the branches. When she finishes, she admires the beautifully lit tree, feeling as powerful as a bear and as big as a tree.

Just as Mr. Heartwood voices hope the plan will work, wolf howls sound nearby. The remaining animals hide in bushes, realizing they have no peppermint left to mask their scent. A powerful gust of wind suddenly blows through the forest and extinguishes nearly all the lanterns.

The hidden animals watch in horror as the wolf pack arrives at the clearing. Gnarl looks at the dark tree and dismisses it, but another wolf smells the hidden animals and points its nose toward their hiding place. Just then, Mona spots a flicker of light from a lantern still lit on the far side of the tree. Realizing the wolves will never see it unless she acts, she bursts from the bushes.

The wolves give chase as Mona leads them on a frantic race around to the other side of Brumble’s tree, where the remaining lanterns glow. The wolves believe they have found the Heartwood Hotel. Mona dives into the den’s opening just ahead of them and finds Brumble has fallen asleep again. Through a knothole, she watches as Wince and another wolf prepare to enter. Just as they creep inside, Brumble lets out a ferocious roar that shakes the entire tree. He emerges, stands on his hind legs, and roars at the pack. The terrified wolves flee into the forest. Brumble grunts with satisfaction, returns to his den, and immediately falls back asleep. Mona realizes her plan has succeeded.

A celebration begins at the Heartwood Hotel now that the wolves are confirmed to be gone. Mr. Heartwood lights the hearth while two crows fan smoke away from the chimney as a precaution. Before Mona can find Tilly, Mr. Heartwood pulls her aside and tells her about two mice who stayed at the hotel long ago when it was called the Fernwood. The mice, drenched from a storm and carrying a suitcase with a heart on it, stayed through the winter. Madeline loved Ms. Prickles’s seedcakes, and Timothy was a skilled carver. Before leaving, Timothy carved the hearts on their room door and the hotel’s front door. The mice convinced Mr. Heartwood to rename the hotel the Heartwood. Mona realizes they were her parents.

Mr. Heartwood calls Mona to the stage and places a wooden key with a heart-shaped top around her neck, officially making her permanent staff. Mona thinks about how she will no longer need her suitcase and wonders if it will accompany another animal in search of a home. Ms. J reveals she is a reviewer for the Pinecone Press and will give the hotel five acorns. Mr. Heartwood reaffirms that all guests are welcome and asks Ms. J to consult on building bug-sized rooms.

Mona finds Tilly crying on the stargazing balcony. Tilly reveals her family was killed by a coyote on their way to the hotel, and only she survived. She was afraid Mona would take her place and make her lose her safe home. Mona comforts her, saying the hotel staff is their family now. The two reconcile. As the First Snow begins to fall, Mona feels certain the Heartwood Hotel is her true home.