She ran up and down the fence perimeter, at last finding the opening she’d dug earlier. She squeezed into it, grunting and grimacing her way through the hole. Then she sprinted into the river corridor, safer in the birch and alder, safer from the prying eyes of man. It seemed she could never get away. They were everywhere, all the time. She just wanted to be with her pack. There’d be no chicken to eat. Energy wasted. The man yelled back there, furious. They were always so angry.

The stars guided her along the river corridor as she followed the sensations driving her north. She had no idea what these sensations were, but she felt them within her completely.

Soon the men were fewer, although the country was still thick with them. The nights were cooler and she didn’t pant as much. The river corridor widened, the forests deepened. The days shuttered past, a blur of rodents, crayfish, and the pull of running water. The water tasted better, too. She came upon animals she had not seen before—a slow, giant rat with spikes growing out of it. She wanted to eat it, but the barbs stung her nose. She had to lower her head and step on the barbs with her paws to take them out. Her nose still hurt. Along the river, the biggest birds she’d ever seen glided and swooped. They had white heads and yellow beaks. They frightened her, but soon she saw enough of them to know they only wanted dead things. They didn’t make things die.

She made things die, though. She gobbled up crayfish, muskrats, rabbits, and sometimes even insects—but no spiders, never spiders. The thought of the creatures made her twitchy.

The trees along the river changed. There were lots of new trees with sharp leaves and strong scents. She liked the smell of these. She also liked the extra-large rabbits with the big feet. She’d never seen them before.

The nights grew colder and the people less. She wandered farther from the river and still remained hidden from men. One night she even slept far from the water.

She curled up against a sappy tree trunk, tucking her snout under her tail. She woke with frost upon her coat and shook it off. Trotting back to the river, she saw something she hadn’t seen before. It was black with broad shoulders and an even bigger rump. This animal frightened her. Its claws were enormous. Her eyes darted, looking for cover. She shook and paced and ran, then stopped to look back but the great creature didn’t even notice her. Just in case, she stayed far away. She could smell the thing. It stunk up the woods.