That circus makes you uneasy and the lake definitely won't get you home any faster, so you decide to take the forest path. It's dark and creepy, but still far better than the alternatives.
...Okay, so maybe it's not that much better. Within less than five minutes of trying to make your way around thick bushes and over gnarled roots, you're lost. You can't recall which direction you started in, you don't know where you're going, and you can't make out even the faintest of trails in the sparse moonlight that's filtered through the tree branches above you. There's just no way to regain your bearings, which leaves you with two choices: lie down and sleep until daylight or wander aimlessly hoping to find some sort of sign or shelter. Unfortunately, you aren't given long to contemplate before you hear a twig snap behind you. Turning quickly, you don't see anything. Probably just a squirrel, right? Yeah, gotta be a squirrel. Nothing to worry about.
Another twig snaps in the opposite direction, but this time when you turn you catch a flash of brown just escaping your view. Okay, DEFINITELY too big to be a squirrel. You start to panic, looking around your feet for anything that could be used as a weapon, but barely get a chance before you hear a low growl from directly ahead. Lifting your head, you see that it's a squirrel all right, just not the kind you'd expected. No, this one is far larger than a regular squirrel (it's at least as tall as you are), looks considerably more feral, and most importantly has brown flesh with the same sort of latex sheen as that wolf from earlier. Worst of all, it has this savage look in its stance, like it's getting ready to strike.
Not content with letting this monster get the first move, you begin to turn. You don't really manage to pull that off, however, as the squirrel moves with lightning speed and grabs you. Before you even know what happened it has you pinned on your back, its snarling maw hanging above your face.