It was a dog.
And not just any dog. This one had energy. It was medium-sized and lean, with a short coat and ears so big that they looked stolen from a bat. She skidded to a stop right in front of me, her big blue eyes locked on mine, and her tail wagging so hard that her whole body swayed with it.
“Well, hey there,” I said.
She barked again urgently before spinning in a quick circle and hopping toward me, her front paws bouncing off the dirt.
I crouched slightly, extending a hand. “You lost, girl?”
There was no aggression and no hesitation. She shovedher nose right into my palm, let out a short huff, then darted back a few steps, only to bark again.
And again.
And again.
I scanned the trail. No owner. No leash. No collar. Just this dog, staring at me like I was an idiot for not understanding her first language.
Then she took off.
Stopped.
Barked wildly.
And turned back to me.
I exhaled, hands on my hips. “You want me to follow you, huh?”
She let out a commanding sound that left no room for debate.
Great. First day off the job, and I was taking orders from a dog.
“All right, Lassie,” I muttered, adjusting my backpack and setting off after her.
She wasted no time, bounding ahead but always glancing back to make sure I was still with her.
About an hour in, she broke left, her paws skidding through pine needles and loose dirt. The slope she headed down was steep—nearly vertical in some stretches and all crumbly rock and narrow roots.
But the mutt didn’t care. She just moved.
Then the barking started again.
I scanned the mess of fallen trees below.
And then I sawher.
5
AUTUMN
A series of barks jolted me awake.
The slope came back into focus in pieces. I was sprawled face down like a crime scene chalk outline.
My left knee was bent, my calf impaled and locked in place, my left hand was still clutching the base of the fallen tree, and my right arm dangled, useless with my wrecked shoulder. My right foot—blessedly intact—was wedged into a shallow dip between two rocks, the only thing keeping me from sliding farther.
I had nothing left in the tank. But thank God this was a slope, not a cliff. It was steep and miserable, but survivable. For now.
The bark kept coming.
