The girls stared at the canine face staring at them through the trees.
“What do we do?” Elle asked, her voice shaky.
“Don’t move,” Lizzie said, staring back at the face. “Let’s see what it does.”
As she spoke, the creature took a step forward, causing Elle to whimper in fear. Lizzie’s eyes narrowed, and her lip turned up in a snarl. A low growl issued from her throat. The canine’s ears turned toward her, and it crouched, staring at her.
She leaned forward, never taking her eyes off of the creature, baring her teeth at it. It stared at her for a moment longer, then turned and ran back into the trees.
After a moment, Elle whispered in a shaky voice, “What was that?”
“I think it was a coyote,” Lizzie said, staring at the place it had disappeared.
“Do you think it will come ba
