7. Farewell
Al Gore had actually found tracks in the snow. They had hooves like a pig, but were in a single pair, rather than two pairs. Clearly, he was on the trail of an upright ManBearPig. The tracks were leading out of the forest and toward the base of one of the nearby mountains. It seemed serially, err, seriously, likely that the creature was living somewhere at the foot of the mountains.
Gore walked for hours. And as the evening turned to morning, he was getting bored of just walking. To motivate himself to keep moving, he reached into his pocket and grab his headphones and iPhone. Turning it on, he went to the music section of his phone and hit 'random." The introduction to Opeth's "Bid You Farewell" began to play. It wasn't as super hardcore as the other songs the former Vice President had uploaded to his iPhone since the divorce, but it'd have to do.
But just as soon as the song had started, Al Gore looked back to the ground and noticed the tracks he'd been following had disappeared. Gore spun around in disbelief, trying to find the trail.
"No. Wuh? No!" was all he could say at the futility of his situation. He fell to the ground, disheartened. It had escaped him again.
He stared through the barren tree line. He saw nothing but staggered trunks of leafless trees in the moonlight. But as he continued staring, and his eyes adjusted, he thought he saw a flash of two light a few yards away. Clearly it was unrelated to ManBearPig, but it might be his best way of getting out of these woods: the help of a stranger. Picking himself up, he began walking toward where he'd seen the flash of light, Opeth still ringing through his ears.
And then it caught his eye in the moonlight. ManBearPig. Standing there, staring toward the lights Gore had seen. It was about ten degrees to the right of the lights, and Al Gore ran toward the beast. ManBearPig snapped it's head at the ruckus, and then ran. Gore sprinted after it, but in his hurry, he slipped in the snow and fell face first into the ground, his headphones dislodging. He rolled over and got back to his knees, about to get up, when he saw what he'd fallen in front of.
"AWKWARRRD!" It shouted in a metallic voice, two lights on the sides of the top of it flashing, punctuating each syllable. Gore stayed knelt, frozen in confusion, before the speaking metal contraption pointed a metal appendage at him. The lights atop it flashing again four times as it spoke.
"EXTERMINATE!"