Where the heck am I? Cheyenne slowly turned to survey the scenery. Distress tweaked her insides. I’ve got to find help, people, somebody, anybody who can tell me what’s going on here. But which way?
A vast forest teeming with lush vegetation flanked her left. It seemed expansive, endless, stretching out as far as she could see. Massive trees stood like gnarled old men, their skin wrinkled with age and their arms knobby with cancer-like tumors. Dense undergrowth and curling vines huddled at their feet, creating a seemingly impassible doorway that barred her from entrance. Whispering leaves and eerie shadows darkened their faces, lending to a ghostly air of silent warning.
To her right was an enormous grassy knoll, which towered like a threatening mountain. Its looming peak soared above her, seemingly reaching the clouds and blocking her view with its steep, rock-strewn crest. Verdant flora speckled the surface and huge boulders littered the ground at its base, their brawny structures forming confusing labyrinths of narrow passages and dead-end trails.
Cheyenne nervously chewed a fingernail as she pondered her choices. Neither way looked promising. It was as if she stood between two opposing forces, both of which were menacing in their own right.
“Okay, I can either chance getting lost in the forest and being eaten by God only knows what…” She paced back and forth, tromping on the innocent tufts of grass beneath her bare feet as though they were the cause of her problem.
"Or I can risk dehydration and heat stroke. What a choice!" She threw her arms up in the air with helpless frustration.
Then a vision of snarling wolves, charging bears, and venomous snakes came to mind. With that, she decided to brave the sun. Although she valued and respected all animals, the thoughts of fangs, teeth, and death just didn’t appeal to her. And besides, climbing hills wouldn’t be so bad; she was rather athletic.
