As she began to catch her breath, Mary's thoughts began to drift to her mad dash through the woods. She had been terrified at the time, but something about the breakneck speed and power had stayed with her. As a human she could never have run that fast. Her breathing evened out, and she became aware of the multitude of scents around her. She sniffed the air curiously, trying to make sense of all the new aromas.
However, as her thoughts wandered, she realized the shadows were beginning to lengthen, and came to a keen understanding of her situation. The preserve was a huge one, stretching nearly a hundred miles, and she didn't know where exactly she was anymore. Perhaps she could use her sharper senses to follow her own trail back, but that would just bring her back to the same problems: no clothes, and a lot of explaining to do. But where else could she go? The park was so vast, a careless person could get lost in it...
"Getting lost!" Mary barked, so excited at the idea she had come up with that she didn't notice the decidedly canine edge to her speech. "That's it," Mary thought to herself. "That's how to explain everything. I ran off into the woods because I got scared, and then I got lost! I just have to stay out here for a few days to make it convincing, then wander out at some other point in the preserve. Maybe I can find some clothes along the way, too..."
Relieved that she had a plan, Mary finally looked around her, and shivered slightly as a cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead. Although the sun had not yet set, the tall trees blocked out a great deal of light, and Mary began to grow nervous again, unconsciously letting out a slight whimper. While hiding in the preserve sounded like a great idea at first, in practical terms it meant staying out in the elements for days on end with no food, no bed, and no warmth. Gathering up the box of vials, Mary began searching around the hills for a safe place to stay. Finally, she came across a small cave, its entance hidden by brush. Her eyes reflected enough light for her to see the cave was empty, and dry, and feeling it secure enough, Mary set down the vials and went back out to find a drink. Finally locating a creek, she followed it upstream to find a small spring. Cupping a bit of water in her paw-like hand, Mary brought it to her mouth, but found she couldn't pour it into her muzzle. Cautiously sticking out her tongue, she managed to lap a small bit of the water into her mouth, but it was nowhere near satisfying enough. After looking around again to make sure no one was watching, Mary lowered herself by the edge of the spring and greedily lapped up the water with her long tongue, forgetting any semblance of dignity as the cool liquid eased her parched throat. Although she had no food, with water nearby she could at least survive.
Returning to the cave, Mary curled up inside. However, she was too overwhelmed to sleep, and the strange noises outside didn't help either. She wound up staring at the box of vials as the light began to fade. What if there were large predators out there? What if one of them found her?
Sitting up on her haunches, Mary shook her head, then raised herself on all fours and shook all over, dog-style. "Why should I worry about predators when I can become one?" she thought to herself, eyeing the box. Striding over on all fours, Mary reached over and opened the box, pulling out the selection of vials with pictures of various wild animals. "Lions and tigers and bears, indeed," she smirked with a feral grin. Now to decide which vial or vials she would take, and how much.