[color=a187be]"Well, here we are at scenic Mount Fuji." [/color]

Sure enough, there it was. The path snaked upwards through the forest in a vaguely threatening fashion, like the trail of some great and terrible lizard. The edges of the path were dotted with jagged deposits of glossy black stone which, for normal people, would be at the perfect height to cut up an ankle or two. The few existent patches of grass along the side of the road were the color of pitch, and a number of the trees had scars and warping reminiscent of screaming, pained faces. It was the sort of path where you'd expect some kind of spooky old guy to limp out from behind a boulder and say "ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER THIS BLIGHTED LAND!". The place had an atmosphere more foreboding than a Waffle House at 2 AM.

Pochi barked furiously, as if to say, "[i]We should turn back, this mountain reeks of evil and corruption! Nothing good can come from such a place![/i]"

Sadly for the both of them, Layla could not speak dog. Honestly, even if she did, the next path up was over a mile from here and walking was stupid.

[color=a187be]"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're hungry, right? Think I got some leftover rations in here..."[/color]

Layle reached into a slot on the side of her shoebox, withdrawing half a strip of beef jerky. She broke off a corner for herself and fed the rest to Pochi, whose canine brain was instantly overloaded with the promise of food and forgot all about the foreboding atmosphere. All in all, it was very pleasant. The pair rested in the shade for a short while, confident that they were making pretty good time.

[color=a187be]"...I'm gonna have to haul dog food all the way up this mountain, aren't I?"[/color], Layla mumbled, [color=a187be]"Aw man, that's gonna [i]suck[/i]. You think I can rent a golf cart or something? Maybe a wagon."[/color]

Pochi barked.

[color=a187be]"Oh, right, you're a dog. Anyway, guess we'd better get a move on."[/color]

A whine, this time.

[color=a187be]"Don't worry, I'll walk by myself for a while."[/color]

The pair continued on their journey.