The dog pulled at the leash as they made their way through the wooded neighborhood. It had been hot for days and cicadas buzzed as they passed the tudor-style homes at the edge of town. The yards here were blanketed in pine needles and protected by ornamental shrubs. Many of the houses had two or three cars in the driveway, gathering places with chairs and firepits in the back, but no one was out. Just him, the dog, and the sun illuminating the green leaves above.

He had left again without telling her, though she asked him not to do that. “Don’t go to far” she would say, but she wasn’t home when he needed to leave, and besides, he could always tell her when he returned. It seemed no matter how deep he went into the woods, he had always found his way back home, one way or another. But still, there was that question.

Turning down the curved road, a strong gust of wind broke the heat. Leaves trembled overhead and Cage lifted his arms to be chilled by the cool breeze, the dog wincing as the first few drops touched down in prelude to a loud crack in the sky.

---