Past the green trees that reach out to the perfectly white clouds, to the beautiful blue ponds and lakes that make you stop dead in your tracks just to look at. The packed dirt ground that gets your shoes dirtier and dirtier everytime you take a step. To the mixing smells of lake water, and bug spray that fills your nose and makes you feel ecstatic to be outside yet at home. To the sounds of birds singing songs of joy and harmony. You are now on, The Trail.

I and Oliver, a rotund orange corgi with a white belly and paws, ears bigger than an elephants, and personality bigger than his ears, were running along The Trail. We had run along The Trail for five miles, having Oliver leading with a wild sprint the entire time. I was keeping the behind with an even level run that paced us both. We were winding down our run to a walk, being half a mile out from my car.

Tap tap tap tap tap

Oliver's paws strike the ground with pride and certainty with each step he goes. 

Crunch, snap, scraping of shoes

My dirt covered shoes hit the ground with uneven pacing and at a slow pace.

A quarter of a mile later, Oliver and I are cooled down from running but the relentless and unforgiving sun makes it hard to cool down altogether. All of a sudden, Oliver is standing right under my feet preventing me from moving a step more….  

Tap tap tap- GRRRRR

Scrape scrape- STOP

Confusion struck me-

Why are we stopping Oliver? There's nobody on the trail except us and we're right near the car- is something wrong?

BARK

Oliver's cry pierced the sky and even the birds stayed in their nests watching this dog go off the walls crazy.

Oliver had jumped up from my feet and attempted to tackle me by standing on his back paws and lifting his front paws up and pushing me back. Now, his 30 pounds should not move my 150 pounds but he went right for my knees and I went stumbling back a few feet. Before I knew what was happening Oliver ran behind me.

CRASH SNAP TREES BREAKING LEAF PILES GETTING RUINED

A brown furred, white bellied, and tailed deer, BOLTED at the speed of lightning across the road. The height of me- and at least six feet long. Three feet stood between the deer, Oliver, and I. As quickly as it came, the deer went crossing the trail without any hesitation to look at or acknowledge Oliver and I as we stood standing in awe and shock at the empty road the ten seconds past was heavily trafficked by creatures of all shapes and sizes.

WOOF

Oliver's bark broke the silence that weighed more on The Trail than gravity itself. He was staring up at me from the bottom of my feet, panting and smiling. Pride gleamed on his face, knowing he saved the day.