Catamount

The moon was so bright it lit up everything in sight for miles around. Marty Black sat peacefully on a fallen log and took in the beautiful sight. The temperature couldn’t be more perfect with a slight breeze that whispered through the pine trees. Her horse Koko stood peacefully picketed between two trees, munching on a few patches of yellowing grass.

She had been camping out in the woods for a couple of days to take a break from her work on the Ponderosa before the annual picnic for the ranch hands that was to take place the next day. The first few times Marty had found it hard to take part in the revelry, but finally she grew to love the fun and games that the Cartwright family always organized. Watching the good-natured competitions, she had learned what a true team looked like when they had good leaders. Not like her stepfather, Peter Black, and his gang.

Marty shook her head sharply to free herself of those dark memories. She refused to allow thoughts of her stepfather to taint the beautiful night in which she found herself. Suddenly, Koko’s ear’s perked up just as Marty caught the scent of something out of place as the breeze shifted. Black Bear’s eyes darted to her horse and watched it move uneasily. The mare’s ears twitched forwards and backwards and her nostrils flared, smelling something dangerous. Black Bear silently jumped to her feet as Koko snorted and pulled against the picket line. Marty’s memory was jogged as the smell came into her nostrils once more. As quick as she could, she leaped across the distance between her and Koko to untie her, but something leaped out of the darkness with sharp claws and a very long tail. Black Bear was bowled over by the great weight of the mountain lion. Its distinctive musky, manure smell overwhelmed Marty’s senses as she struggled with the great cat. Koko shrieked and rose on her hind legs as she helplessly observed the deadly creature attacking her partner. With one great thrust, Black Bear kicked off the mountain lion and scrambled over to Koko. The beast screamed and retreated momentarily, stunned by the suddenness of the attack. Those precious seconds gave Marty a chance to yank off Koko’s simple rope halter just before collapsing to the ground. Her breaths were quick and shallow and something warm was running down her arms. Koko, now free from her restraints, took to defending her friend and charged the catamount. The sounds roused Marty from her exhaustion and she pulled her rifle out from under her bedroll. After carefully balancing the weapon with shaking hands, Marty let out a shrill whistle and Koko kicked the mountain lion once more, leaping clear of the line of fire. Black Bear pulled the trigger but only managed to wound the great cat. The creature staggered for a second but angrily readied itself to attack once more. Marty struggled to pump the rifle’s lever to eject the used cartridge, but suddenly another shot rang out in the forest and the great catamount lay dead.

Black Bear stared in disbelief as she let go of the rifle, now surprisingly heavy in her arms. Her head started to pound in rhythm with her heart and she felt weak and lightheaded. Quiet footsteps approached her, but Black Bear didn’t have the strength to lift her head to see who it was.

“Easy, thar now. You’ve had quite the ordeal,” a soft male voice soothed as strong hands lifted her up and laid her down on her makeshift bed of pine branches.

“Is it dead?” she managed to gasp out.

“Yes,” was the answer “Where do you live?”

“Ponderosa,” Marty breathed just before everything faded into darkness.

*****

“Pa, shouldn’t Black Bear have been back by now?” Hoss inquired of his father Ben Cartwright just as the picnic was beginning to start.

“Well, maybe she’s just running behind. You know how she loves good weather,” Ben replied putting his hands on his hips.

“Yeah, but she said she’d be on time.”

“What’s goin’ on?” Little Joe inquired as he walked up.

“Black Bear’s late,” Hoss answered.

“Oh, don’t worry, older brother. I’m sure she’ll turn up soon,” Joe reassured him.

“That’s what I tried to tell him,” Ben added with a smile.

“Oh, Hoss, you’re like a mother hen fussin’ over a missing chick. I’m pretty sure Black’s old enough to take care of herself,” Little Joe joked. Hoss tried to laugh too but something in the back of his mind nagged him.

Just then Adam called out, “Hey, Pa! Someone’s comin’!” Ben, Hoss, and Joe looked where Adam was pointing and saw a mountain man on a mule. Beside him was Black Bear on Koko, but she was tied to the saddle horn to keep from falling off. Her body was near limp, and her head hung low and swayed to the rhythm of her horse’s steps. Her face was badly scratched, and her arms were wrapped in makeshift bandages. Everyone rushed over to help her.

“What happened?” Ben asked the strange man as Adam took hold of Koko’s reins.

“Catamount got her. Musta come down from the mountains because of the sad lack of game. The woman here put up a terrific fight and managed to put a bullet in it before I arrived and finished the beast off,” the man reported. “She’ll be alright though. A few scrapes and bruises and plumb tuckered out, but nothin’ a little rest won’t put right.”

“How’d you know to bring her here?” Adam inquired.

“She tol’ me to. Ponderosa she said. Figured that was you’uns.”

“Well, thank you for bringing her here, Mr. –?” Hoss started.

“No, need to thank me. She’s already done quite a bit of that. Talked quite a handful about bein’ in my debt, but she also seems to be mournin’ the loss of that cat pretty hard. Didn’t make much sense, ‘course she’s been pretty well out of it for the most part.”

“Well, we thank you. How can we repay you?” Ben prompted.

“I still got that cat up yonder. Its hide will do wonderfully. Spent me some time fixing it up before we headed out. Well, y’all have a great picnic!” and with that, the mountain man turned his mule around and wandered back into the depths of the forest.

“He didn’t even say his name,” Little Joe mused.

“It’s Hosea,” a voice croaked from atop Koko.

“Black?” Adam urged putting a gentle hand on her arm.

“Still sorry about that cat,” she mused as she tried to lift her head, and her body swayed to the side.

“Hold on, I’ll getcha home,” Adam said and quickly fetched Sport.

“Was it a big one?” Little Joe joked as he noted Marty’s bedraggled appearance.

“Huge. Fought good though.”

“Well, you go home and get some rest,” Ben advised as he handed Koko’s reins to his son Adam.

“Will do, sir,” Marty nodded with a smile. “Pity. It was a fine animal.”

“Pa, what’s up with her and what she’s sayin’ about that mountain lion?” Hoss asked as he watched Adam and Black Bear slowly ride away.

“Not sure, son,” Ben admitted. “Could have something to do with her Indian background and their respect for nature. Or it could be that she’s just ‘plumb tuckered out’.”

*****

“Are you ok?” Adam asked with concern once he and Marty made it back to the house.

“Yeah,” she replied breathing heavily as she dismounted and leaned on him for support. They slowly climbed the stairs to her room and suddenly Marty said sadly, “I didn’t want to kill it.”

“I know.”

“You shoulda seen it, Adam. It was quite the cat,” Marty said as they entered her room. She immediately laid down on her bed in exhaustion without even taking off her boots.

“Why didn’t you want to kill it?” Adam inquired gently but curiously. Marty mumbled something in response, but when Adam prompted her to repeat what she said, she had already drifted off to sleep.

“It’s alright,” he soothed laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You get some rest. You can tell me some other time.”

*****

“You are a strong one,” Chief Wind-In-His-Hair complimented the woman as she came before him. Her arm was in a sling, and she was still recovering from several bullet wounds that she’d received from an ambush set by her stepfather.

“I greatly appreciate your assistance,” she replied slowly in her broken Sioux speech.

“Where do your people come from?”

“My people come from far away over the mountains in the south.”

“Do you have a name?”

“I have no name that would honor your great house.”

“Then we shall call you Strong-Black-Bear-From-The-Mountains.”

“Black Bear?”

“Yes. You wear black and you are just as fierce.”

“Thank you for the name. It is a great honor. May I ask how I came to be here?”

“Your horse wandered into our country. Some of our hunters found you and brought you here.”

“I would like to thank them.”

“I will take you to them,” the chief said and left the shelter of the tipi. Black Bear followed him and was led before a group of braves.

“This is Strong-Black-Bear-From-The-Mountains who you brought here,” the chief said and introduced Black Bear to the braves one by one.

“And lastly this is Son-Of-The-Great-Mountain-Lion. He was the one who found you,” the chief concluded.

“I thank you for saving my life. I will always be in debt to you,” Black Bear responded.

From that point on the two of them gradually became close friends. Mountain Lion taught Black Bear many things that her stepfather was not even capable of comprehending, such as respect for her adversary and how to control her hot temper when she became angry. With him, Black Bear also sharpened her hunting, tracking, and knife fighting skills. In return she was able to teach him many things about the white man’s ways. The two of them often enjoyed spending hours together tracking the catamounts of the region. Black Bear learned to trace the musky scent of the cat and its scratch marks on the tree trunks all the way back to its den without being detected. She noted that the Sioux considered the mountain lion to be a symbol of good hunting and strength and was, therefore, much revered by them.

“How did you get your name?” she asked one day as she and Son-Of-The-Great-Mountain-Lion sat in a tree keeping a lookout for a catamount that they’d been hunting for for the last two days.

“Over the many moons of my youth I learned much about the great cats and my people began to say that we must be one in spirit. Because of my strong bond with the cats and my fierce hunting skills, I was honored with the name Son-Of-The-Great-Mountain-Lion,” the brave answered.

“I can tell that you have a great respect for them.”

“You also have a great respect for things as well.”

“It’s not the same,” Black Bear replied swallowing hard and looking away. Ghostly memories threatened to overshadow the good times that she’d treasured with the Sioux. Mountain Lion was quiet for a time before saying, “I have thought for a while that you have had great trouble in your past. Trouble that has brought you to us. Perhaps the Great Spirit willed it so that we could meet and teach each other many things. You may think you have no respect for life, but I know that you can learn.”

“You don’t think it’s ever too late?” Black Bear asked quietly.

“It is never too late until you join the Great Spirit in death.”

“How do I start?”

“Start with nature,” Mountain Lion advised looking pointedly around him. “Nature understands. The mountain lion is a favorite of the Great Spirit, and she knows many things. Watch her, learn from her, and she will show you.”

For many months, Black Bear stayed with the Sioux and did as Moutain Lion suggested. She learned from the catamount many things, but the most meaningful discovery was that it would only kill to eat or to protect its young.

Eventually the day came when Black Bear had to leave the peaceful haven of the Sioux.

“Why are you leaving?” Mountain Lion asked.

“There are some things I have to take care of,” she replied. “You know that trouble that brought me here? Well, I think the time has come for me to finish what I started.”

“Then I will pray to the Great Spirit that he will protect you.”

“Thank you, Son-Of-The-Great-Mountain-Lion. I will remember you every time I see the cat that shares your name.”

“And I shall think of you, Strong-Black-Bear-From-The-Mountains. You have taught me much and I feel honored to have known you.”

“And I you,” Black Bear echoed.

Over the next few years, she made a handful of trips back to the Sioux tribe, but on her last visit Mountain Lion did not greet her at the edge of the camp as he always had. She was told by the chief that the Great Spirit had taken him away to the spirit world after rescuing a litter of catamount cubs from a flash flood last spring. Mountain Lion had given his life so that nature could survive.

Black Bear felt the loss greatly, but the Sioux assured her that his spirit would always be watching over her. She didn’t know if she believed that, but Black Bear didn’t take their words lightly. In every mountain lion that she saw after that, she couldn’t help but see her friend and wonder if he was still guiding her in nature’s wisdom. From that day forward, she would feel his loss again and again anytime the life of one of those majestic creatures was cut short by the hand of man.

~The End

Challenge words: Moon, Debt, Picnic(s), Revelry, Mourning