The snow crunches under my feet. Trying to guess where the stable footing is slows down my progress and I begin to wonder if my "short-cut" is going to be that at all. Still, the colors are so pretty today so maybe it's nothing to be worried about. I grasp a tree to carefully lower myself down a particularly steep incline. My feet don't quite reach the base.
 "Uhg, just goooooo," Crash pressures me, "You'll be fine. Just jump down!"
 He's really beginning to get on my nerves. I glare at him and then look back down. I swallow. With a grimace and a sharp inhale I leap the last foot or so to the ground. My feet land firmly with a loud, "WHUM-CRACK..." That's not the right sound. I hold my breath and listen. Somewhere near by there's movement in the snow and dead foliage. I can hear a quiet groan.
 "This looks like a job for us, buddy," I whisper to the invisible monster as I head in the direction of the commotion.