midday
They wirr kirr her -- prease come with me ! '' He asked no more questions but went out the door and up the path , Alonzo running ahead of him . The ghost trees grew thinner as they went up the mountain 's slope , and the blue-green fernlike trees of the tiger forest began to appear . They grew thicker and thicker , until the ground was black with their shadows and the midday sunlight was filtered out by the foliage overhead . Alonzo was trailing her , his nose to the ground , and Hunter hurried close behind him , watching for the red-and-white of the clothes she was wearing and hoping they would not find her too late . They were deep in the forest when they found her . She was standing motionless in the center of a clearing , facing away from him and looking as small and alone as a lost child .