Book excerpt: From the author of The Trail, a heartwarming tale of survival and adventure, following three unlikely friends and their quest to make it home together. Max: a shelter dog who just wants his freedom. Emi: a lonely girl who secretly wants a place to call home. And Red: a cat who's never needed anyone or anything beyond her own sharp wits. Can the three survive a journey deep into the woods? From the moment Emi walks into the animal shelter, she knows the dopey-looking dog with the sandy-colored hair is the dog for her. Despite Max's many escape attempts and inability to be trained, she chooses him. When Emi's home life starts to crumble, she takes off into the Maine woods with Max at her side, determined to prove that she can make it on her own. But they immediately lose each other, and one catastrophe after another shows that they're totally unprepared to handle the wilderness. Wild animals, hunger, and an impossible trail to track mean that each must do whatever it takes to stay alive—but what happens when they have to choose between getting back to safety... and looking out for a friend? Can loyalty be as strong as the will to survive?