Night had fallen just past five again. I hated this time of year; where summer was nonexistent and the leaves would soon be too. The scratch at the door indicated that Chloe needed to pee again; precisely every three hours, water or not. I couldn’t find my shoes so I grabbed my mom’s running sneakers that were two sizes too big and put my prodigious sweatshirt on over my “Hi You’ll Do” t-shirt.

Normally Chloe pees with little sniffing making it an abrupt trip, but this time she was distracted by something, I wasn’t sure what. I egged her to go, I was starting to get cold and I was scared. We lived next to a wide 5-mile long forest with neighbors far from us. The wide-branched oaks swayed with the movement of the wind while a howl was heard nearby. Coyotes. Peed or not, I harshly pulled her towards the house, but it was too late. Approaching was four large coyotes ready to pounce.

I ran, Chloe ran and they ran. I shoved her in the door just in time to save her, but not in enough time to save myself.