“It’s not a GPS tracker.” Although given Magnus’s history, Noah should probably get one for him. “It just means if someone finds him they can scan it and get Noah’s information to contact him.”

“Do you need me to come help you look?”

“No, there are a lot of people here.”

She asked me to keep her posted, and I told her I would.

I found myself heading down toward a stream that Sunshine particularly loved to splash around in. It was definitely off the beaten path. I kept calling Magnus’s name. It took me about twenty minutes to get there, and when I came over the ridge I saw—the stream. No Magnus like I’d hoped. I decided to press on, still yelling for him. I couldn’t hear anyone else’s voices, so it seemed like a good idea.

An hour later I was almost hoarse from saying his name, and I could feel the way my skin was burning under the sun. The sky was overcast and it was cooler, so I’d forgotten the very real need I had for sunscreen when I was outside this long.

I came to a stop. I was getting thirsty and burned. I’d have to head back. I tried one last time. “Magnus!”

Then I heard something. It sounded like a whimper. I called his name again, and this time there was a definite bark. I followed it and found Magnus, his collar caught in a bush. My heart leaped at the sight of him, so glad he was safe. And at the very least I could give Noah this.

“You naughty boy, why do you keep doing this?” I asked and hugged him tightly. He licked my face in response, his tail wagging, and he seemed very happy to see me.

It took me a second to get him free, as he’d really managed to tangle himself up in the thorny vegetation. When I got him loose, I held on to his collar, but he sat and didn’t seem in a hurry to go anywhere. “Let me check you out.”

I wasn’t a vet or anything, but he didn’t seem to be bleeding, which I figured was a good sign. “Are you okay?” I asked, and he just looked up at me with doggy love in his eyes, and I hugged him again.

It took me a while to get him back to Noah’s, because I could only walk so fast hunched over and hanging on to Magnus’s collar. I couldn’t risk him running off again, and who knew if he had been properly chastened by his adventure or if he was ready for another one?

Someone spotted me as I got closer to the main trail and called out, “There he is! Magnus!”