I’m barefoot, resting a hand on a nearby tree. I’m on a slope in a thick pine forest. If I wiggle my toes, I can feel the warm rich soil beneath me, hiding safely under a protective layer of fallen pine needles. I look up, and glance around me as everything comes into focus. Something rustles a couple yards away, to my left. I tilt my head in it’s direction while shifting my balance forward in case I need to make a run for it. Any slight change in position and I can kick into a full sprint. I can feel every muscle in my body, waiting, attentive, curious, alive. Trained eyes search quickly through the brush. In a flash of energy, something begins to move again. Leaves are being thrusted up and out of their usual flat position. It looks as if a miniature sand storm is rustling in the ground, leaving a path of uprooted leaves, like a tunnel, in it’s wake. The rushing path seems to be advancing as if creating an underground labyrinth, as if something was scurrying around under them. The flow of energy pauses and I see a tiny pink puff peak out from beneath, followed by a smooth soft ball of grey hair. “Awww! It’s a mole. Haha, and I thought it might be dangerous. Well, you never know... It’s so cute!”