She had been awoken by her cousin’s dog clawing at the door. The second the door was open, the dog was out running off into the woods way past the tree line. Now she was wishing that she had taken the second to put on a coat and some shoes, instead of sprinting after the animal.

The forest floor was cold and dry. Her lips were dry and cracked and blue from the cold. She kept hopping from one foot to the other trying to stay warm. In the distance just up ahead she heard a quiet whine and followed it. There she saw the dog crouched down low against the edge of the clearing,...