There was a rustling in the bush nearby.

Someone was there.

He still couldn’t bring himself to get up. His eyes refused to adjust to the oppressive darkness, and the humid weather was cluttering his sense of smell too much. “Who’s there?”

Out of the bush, a single black paw extended out, and then another. It was Bark! His supervisor was finally here to bring him out of this horrible situation, he thought.

“Bark, it’s me,” he mewled. “It’s a long story. Where are the Leaves? I don’t know where anyone went.”

But they didn’t say a word. They just walked up to him, slowly, their paws thudding against the ground near him.

“I can’t get up,” he said. “I’ve been running for hours. There was a fire…”

They placed their paw on top of his chest. From this angle, they were close enough that he could finally see their face. Their teeth.