The little chipmunk sat upon a rock and watched the man eat a handful of almonds. She loved nuts of all kinds and had luck in the past gnawing through the thin nylon of an unattended rucksack to get at some of these treats. Most that camp here these days are hardened outdoors people who leave no trace, and stealing a bite from them is quite the chore. But, every now and again there’d be the camping virgin not so savvy to the ways of the wild who’ll let their guard down. Or car campers, brash and loud who weren’t there for the wilderness experience, but for the party.

Those almonds she pilfered back then were plain though, still very good, but not her favorite–she’d much prefer some salt with a meal.  By the way the one’s the man was eating now tickled her nose, even from a distance, she knew they must be wasabi-soy. But when she tried to move closer for a better look by running along the edge of the camp, the man saw her and threw a rock nearly as big as she was. What an ass, she thought. If she could chew through tough nylon without much trouble, she wondered, how hard would it be to chew through the soft skin of a man’s belly? I wonder how much beer he has in that cooler of his…