“Hi, boys,” Nick said cheerfully. “At least I’m assuming you’re boys, since the males of most species tend to be larger than the females. I’d hate to think there are ladies out there that are bigger than you guys are, but hey, who knows? Personally, I’m into bugs.”

The dogs showed no reaction to Nick’s pleasant greeting.

He turned to the dog on his right. “Nice doggie,” he said in his friendliest voice—but the words sounded ridiculous even as he said them; it was like calling an African lion “Mr. Boots.” Still, it was a canine, and domesticated canines were known to respond to human affection, so— “Good doggie,” he tried again. But there were no wagging tails in this group. They continued to eye Nick warily, studying his every move.

Nick looked up ahead in the woods. “I suppose Her Royal Wickedness will be along any minute now. Have you boys had your dinner yet? I hope not, ’cause I brought you something I think you’ll really like.” He opened the white box and folded back the lid. He peeled a slice of pizza from the cardboard and dangled it in the air.

“Meat Lover’s,” he said. “I made a wild guess that you boys aren’t vegetarians.”

The dogs made no response.

“Here you go—come and get it.” He turned to the dog on his left and tossed the slice of pizza so that it landed at the dog’s feet; he tossed another slice to the dog behind him. Neither dog moved—not even a sniff.

He set the entire box down in front of the third dog and waved the lid back and forth, fanning the scent toward its face. “C’mon, it’s pizza. You guys can’t be that disciplined. How’d you ever get so big?”

The dog just stared.

Nick stood up and wiped his hands on his khakis. He looked into the woods again; there was still no sign of the witch. “Where’s your master this evening? Did she take the broom out for a spin? She must know I’m here by now—what’s keeping her?”

Fifteen minutes later Nick was still waiting.

“I can’t wait here all night,” he grumbled. He looked at the dogs that surrounded him; he only had two choices—he could go forward or he could go back. “Back” didn’t seem to be an option—he tried that last night and the dog behind him had barred his way. He looked at the two dogs in front of him; they were standing guard at the ten and two o’clock positions, and that left a small gap between them. He wondered if they would allow him to move forward again. It seemed possible; after all, they had let him come this far.