The darkened sky pleads with the crescent moon
Begging it to illuminate
The forest floor       pine needles scattered
Birch tree leans to the ground
Drooping branches weep     sap saturating limbs  

A wolf belts out a haunting howl
Piercing the murky, dense air
My body becomes as still as the oxbow lake
Beads of sweat frame temple    skin clammy  

My brain shoves me   almost tripping me
It yells       
Run!
Now!  
Eyes dart upon
Towering canopy trees   covered in moss
Decomposing logs
Wild berries and wildflowers
Exposed bedrock      weathered
I do not know which way to run  

The white noise of a
Rushing waterfall
Interrupts the forest’s bedlam     thickets   briars    tangled roots  

I move toward the roar
Of  the water
Path winding through gullies and valleys    downhill
I encounter steep, hidden drops     choked ravines
My hands grasp embedded rocks    steading
I continue traversing
Until I stumble upon a trail
A painted blaze on a post  
Leading me out of the forest