A knot of braided cord

I walked up from the damp valley and reached the hard gravel by the trail bridge. Pressed into the crushed stone was a strand of red and mustard braided cord, tangled around a smooth pebble. I braced my paws against the dirt and nudged the stone with my snout. It rolled aside with a dry scrape. The braid was tightly wound, soaked with ground dust but still sturdy. I worked at the loop with my paw until the knot loosened enough to pull free. It held its shape well. I took one end in my mouth and looped it over a wooden post by the bridge path to let it dry.