 
DAVID SHATH SQUARE Chapter Twenty
I knew Thoreena was angry, but I didn't think she was angry enough to venture into the wet October night on her own. To tell the truth, I was a little uncomfortable alone in that cabin surrounded by the wilderness and creatures that hunted in the dark.
I recalled that Ravin Craven's Brother, Lefty, had been eaten by a black bear. But that was during the day and Lefty had been attempting to stuff the bear's cubs into a burlap sack so he could sell them to a circus.
After that, my grandfather lost all respect for bears. He said even wild beasts should be a little particular about the kind of food they ingested.
Taste of Lefty probably made that mama bear vomit for a week," he said.
I recalled another time when a cougar was sighted near the Pointe. My grandfather was very excited about the news. He told me that cougars once inhabited all parts of southern Canada until they were driven out by settlers.
"It's rare to spot a cougar outside of British Columbia or Alberta. But that doesn't mean a few big cats still aren't roaming these parts," he said. "If you ever see one, keep away because a cougar is the most efficient killling machine ever invented. It'll pull down a bull moose or snap a deer's neck as easy as me snapping a match stick."
I began to worry about a cougar eating Thoreena. I knew wolves wouldn't eat humans, but I recalled some cases in British Columbia where big cats had made a meal of hikers. The more I thought the more I worried. I got to my feet and wobbled about the cabin until the strength returned to my legs.
My shoulder hurt like hell. I found the open door and stumbled into the night with Shadow at my heels. Big drops of cold rain soaked my shirt and jeans. My tennis shoes were sodden as I walked toward the lake calling Thoreena's name.
All of a sudden, I heard a terrifying sound like someone screaming in pain. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Shadow didn't bark; he pricked his ears and growled. As we stood in the rain, the feral scream repeated, only this time closer.
"Hardy!"
It was Thoreena. She was standing behind me.
"Holy shit, Thoreena, don't sneak up on me like that."
"I'm sorry but I thought you were screaming," she said.
"And I thought it was you," I said, wiping rain from my brow.
"If it wasn't either of us, what in hell's bells was it?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. But let's get back to the cabin before we find out."
Just then, Shadow bolted off the path disappearing into the night like a raven in a barrel of tar. I called his name: "Shadow." There was no response. I called his name again a little louder: "Shadow." There was still no response. I looked at Thoreena whose golden hair and marble skin illuminated the darkness.
"Shit, now we're going to have to follow him," she said.
"Which way?" I asked.
"He's your dog. You should know."
Thoreena was a difficult woman. A difficult, inspired, and remarkable woman who sometimes rubbed me the wrong way. Right now, she was rubbing me the wrong way. How did I know in which direction Shadow had gone? Relying on instinct, I plunged into the bush following a promising little trail used by foraging deer. I ran down the trail with Thoreena in close pursuit.
After a half mile of steady jogging, we could hear Shadow barking up ahead. He was close and he sounded desperate. The trail we followed ended in a clearing. We stopped at the edge of the clearing just as the clouds began to dissipate and a beam of moonlight illuminated the opening. In the centre, a tawny cougar hunkered over its kill, a young buck deer stretched on the ground with its neck broken.
The cougar had already slashed the stomach open with its sharp claws and was eating the warm entrails. Every few seconds, the big cat would turn its gore covered head and stare at Shadow who barked from a safe distance at the edge of the clearing. Luckily, the cougar was more intent on its meal than a meddlesome dog that offered no threat.
At least, that's how it was until a crackling in the bushes caught the cat's attention. It lifted its head and growled. On the other side of the clearing, about fifty yards from the cougar and its kill, a wolf trotted out of the bush followed by seven members of the pack. The wolves formed a tight circle around the cat and its prey.
The cougar turned to face the leader, a big grey wolf with blue ice eyes. The big Alpha wolf suddenly charged but was rebuffed by the lion's wicked claws that nearly flayed the wolf's hindquarters as it swerved and retreated. A second wolf attempted to attack from behind. But the cougar turned with the speed and agility of a superhuman boxer, catching the attacker full in the chest with a blow that lifted the doomed animal off the ground. The wolf landed in the bush with a thump and didn't get up.
"Hardy," whispered Thoreena. "This is our chance to get out of here. Let's go."
"We've got to find Shadow."
"Don't worry. He's sitting right beside you."
In the commotion, I hadn't noticed that Shadow was heeling by my side. I think the cougar's fury and the spectacular death of the brave but foolish wolf had diminished Shadow's desire for a fight. Indeed, as we turned to go a second wolf was sent flying across the clearing by the powerful cat that refused to be driven away from its meal. Apparently, the wolves too had had enough because they began disappear into the bush as quickly as they had come.
As we hurried down the path to the cabin, I had this uncanny feeling something was following us. I kept looking over my shoulder for a glimpse of a huge, bloody body stalking through the underbrush on relentless paws that sheathed merciless claws. Blake's poem "Tyger! Tyger! burning bright..." suddenly had a whole new meaning for me. to be continued...
To Chapter Nineteen
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