INT. VILLAGE CENTER - NIGHT

The village sits quiet in the dark. Around the central fire, the ELDERS converse in hushed, grave tones.

ELDER OKOWE
The signs have not been good this past moon. Our crops grow weak, cattle sicken.

ELDER ADENIKE
And the forest spirits offer no counsel. Their voices are muted.

ELDER CHUKWU
It has been too long since one with the sight has walked those haunted paths. We must send one to unearth what darkness veils their sight.

The elders fall silent as a petite form approaches - AYODELE, just 12 seasons old but with eyes that seem to see far.

AYODELE
Grandmother says the spirits favor me. I will go at first light and seek their guidance.

Okowe considers, then nods solemnly. Hope kindles in the circle's eyes once more.

ELDER OKOWE
May the ancestors light your footsteps, child. Go now and rest - you'll need your strength for the morrow.

Ayodele bows and heads to her hut to prepare. The elders' concern follows her into the night.

EXT. VILLAGE - DAWN

The first rays of sun gild the grassy plains. Ayodele rolls from her mat, eats quickly, then packs provisions - dried meat and fruits, a gourd of water. Her beloved GRANDMOTHER waits outside.

GRANDMOTHER
The forest will protect its own, Ayodele. Trust your gift, and let it light your way even in darkness. Now go - we pray for your safe return.

Ayodele embraces her fiercely, then sets off down the well-trod path. As she nears the border, strange noises drift from the unseen depths - hoots and caws and a cacophony of unseen voices whispering secrets just out of earshot. She hesitates...

A CRASH behind her! Ayodele WHIRLS to find a massive panther staring down at her, lips curled in a snarl. But something in its luminous green eyes gives her pause - not menace, but protection. It bows its head as if in greeting, then turns and pads silently into the forest. With a steadying breath, Ayodele follows.

The trees ENCLOSE her, stealing the sunlight. Spanish moss DRAPS like banners from gnarled limbs overhead. Every tiny sound makes Ayodele jump - the tap of an woodpecker, the SCRABBLE of squirrels in the leaves. She walks for what feels like hours, starting at every shadow, until exhausted, she leans against an ancient baobab to rest. That’s when she notices the CARVINGS...

Continues with Ayodele interacting with forest inhabitants like a circle of dancing spirits, solving riddles left by a trickster bird, following carvings on trees that reveal the forest's history. She crosses a canyon by charming a vine snake, and camps with the help of friendly forest dwarves. Deeper in, she begins having flashes of visions - a dark shadow clouding the spirits, sickness spreading through the land. Finally Ayodele arrives at a clearing where the Forest Goddess, OYA, appears magnificently from a rushing waterfall. Oya presents Ayodele's final test - to find the Heart Tree unassisted by dusk and receive the message meant for her village. If she succeeds, the spirits' voices will return and their troubles will lift. But night falls swiftly in this haunted wood...