The air takes on a humid, sticky texture, and the sky grows ominously dark above the canopy.

Rain is coming, and I don’t think it’s going to be a little sprinkle.

“Bruce!”

A root trips me up, and I stumble, barely catching myself before I face-plant. A snarl of frustration seeps from my chest.

“If you don’t show up in the next five seconds, then you do not get to lick my ice cream bowl tonight. Do you hear me? No dessert!”

The woods are silent, all the chirping birds and chattering squirrels having gone to ground in anticipation of the coming storm. They’re probably watching me from their nice, warm nests, laughing at the silly human wandering aimlessly through the trees.

“You have five seconds, Bruce! Five!” The thick air muffles my shout.

No dog.

“Four!” I call out, a growl in my voice.

No dog.

“Three!” More growling.

Only, this time, it’s not mine.

Immediately, my frustration vanishes, no room for it left in my body. Every inch of me has gone still, frozen in place by wary fear.

The forest is quiet.

I thought … I was sure …

But maybe it was thunder.

Or maybe it was …

“Bruce?” This time, I don’t shout, keeping my voice just above a whisper.

Silence.

No dog and no growling.

I take another step, my movements noisy with the crack of twigs and the crumbling of dead leaves.

And then, even over my self-made racket, I catch the sound again.

A low, threatening growl.

There’s an animal nearby, and it’s not my easygoing mastiff.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.” Chanting the curses aloud, I slowly turn in place, searching for the owner of the noise.

But the storm clouds have blocked out the sun, and the woods now sit in a perpetual twilight. I’m surrounded by looming trees and thick, shadowy brush. Plenty of places for an animal to hide. Anything could be stalking me, and I won’t know what it is until their teeth tear into my throat.

A wolf? Maybe.

Or a bear? Do bears growl?

Whatever it is, I’m screwed.

What weapons do I have?

A leash.

Yeah, great, I’ll just hook it to the wolf-bear’s collar and take it for a soothing walk. That’ll definitely circumvent any possible death by mauling.

“Stop being sarcastic and think,” I mutter to myself, trying my best to push away the rising tide of panic.

People go hiking in Colorado all the time. This isn’t the first instance of someone stumbling across a wild animal. There are ways to survive.

I just need my brain to focus enough to remember them.