Shaking his head and dismissing the noise as the wind, Gavin quietly began walking, doing his best to follow the trail. Although it was clear that someone else had been traveling down the path, he found it difficult to stay on. There were simply too many spots where the path seemed to vanish, only to reappear a few feet away. Luckily, Gavin had enough experience outdoors to realize where the path was, and where the ground had remained untrodden. He did his best to move quietly, a little apprehensive of what might've been around him. However, as he moved, he couldn't pick up any sound past the few that he made.
As he kept moving, Gavin began to jog again, the path becoming clearer now that it had gone a distance away from the road. Something felt odd about it, but he continued at a quickened pace now that it was clear. He glanced around as he moved, trying to keep his bearings straight as he pressed onwards. Despite the odd turns that the trail seemed to take, he continued moving. It soon became clear that someone had done a quick job in trying to cover their tracks, but he couldn't imagine why.
He suddenly stopped. It was clear that he wasn't the only one, the sound of crunching leaves and twigs echoing far too long when he did. His heart began to pound as he heard the sound approach, completely sure that someone else was nearby. He glanced quickly, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise, but the movement between the trees paused.
"Who's there?" Gavin spoke clearly as he looked around, but there was no response. He turned quietly, trying to look around before shouting again. "I know you're here, so just come on out! Look, whoever you are, you don't need to worry, I'm just-"
He didn't have a chance to say anymore. Gavin felt something push firmly into his side, knocking him off of his feet and onto the ground. He felt something pressing him down, his arms barely able to move. He tried to turn, but found it difficult to move, and could barely figure out what was pushing against him in the confusion of the moment.