{"id":4710,"date":"2012-10-29T02:13:58","date_gmt":"2012-10-29T06:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4710"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:14:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T17:14:28","slug":"cougar-kill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4710","title":{"rendered":"Cougar Kill (by Puchi Ann)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Written in response to a Cartwriters challenge in which the first sentence was given. \u00a0While looking for strays, fifteen-year-old Joe spots some tracks that he feels compelled to investigate, despite knowing the objections his family would raise.<\/p>\n

Rated: K \u00a0WC \u00a01700<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cougar Kill<\/strong><\/p>\n

They were cougar tracks.\u00a0 He was sure of it.\u00a0 Well, almost sure.\u00a0 As his finger traced the outline of a track, Little Joe tried to remember what Hoss, the best tracker he knew, had taught him.\u00a0 Four small pads splayed out in front of one larger one, but that was true of most critters hereabouts.\u00a0 No claw marks, so it wasn\u2019t a wolf, coyote or wild dog.\u00a0 The front of the heel pad had two lobes; the back had three, and the front paw was bigger than the rear one.\u00a0 Definitely a cat of some kind.\u00a0 Too large for a bobcat.\u00a0 This print was both big and wide, almost circular in shape.\u00a0 Cougar\u2014bound to be.\u00a0 Now, what to do about it.<\/p>\n

He knew what Pa was likely to say, if he\u2019d been here.\u00a0 Older brother, too, for that matter.\u00a0 They\u2019d both tell him to hightail it home and leave cougar-hunting to grown men.\u00a0 Hoss?\u00a0 Well, he\u2019d probably just say to be careful and keep behind him, but none of them were here to say anything. \u00a0That meant he was in charge, right?\u00a0 He had to make the decision on his own.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Cartwrights did in tight spots, right?\u00a0 Conveniently ignoring that he knew exactly what each member of his family would say to that line of reasoning, he gave a sharp nod as he stood up.\u00a0 They\u2019d lost enough cattle to that cat.\u00a0 Time to hunt.<\/p>\n

A shiver ran up his spine.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a job to take lightly.\u00a0 At fifteen, the largest game he\u2019d ever stalked was deer, and deer didn\u2019t fight back.\u00a0 Cougars most generally wouldn\u2019t attack humans, either, but might if they felt threatened\u2014or so he\u2019d heard.\u00a0 With a rifle aimed at his tawny hide, this one might feel good and properly threatened.\u00a0 So . . . be careful<\/em>, Joe cautioned himself as he secured his horse and began following the tracks deeper into the forest.<\/p>\n

The tracks led upward into rocky terrain, where the trees thinned out, along with the air.\u00a0 Ought to make him easier to see, Joe assumed, as he lifted his eyes to the surrounding pines.\u00a0 Nothing there but some bushy-tailed squirrels, so he lowered his gaze to the ground and continued to follow the track, ever upward, heedless of how far he was getting from home and help.<\/p>\n

He trudged after that track for what seemed like hours\u2014and probably was, he admitted when he noticed how low the sun had dropped toward the horizon.\u00a0 Logic\u2014one of Adam\u2019s fancy words\u2014and concern for his backside told him that he should turn around, but he sensed that he was getting close.\u00a0 His nose wrinkled involuntarily.\u00a0 Close enough to smell . . . and hear.\u00a0 The low-pitched hiss drew his wary glance up the tall tree to his right, and his breath caught at sight of the huge cat crouching some eighteen to twenty feet above his head.\u00a0 He\u2019d guessed from the size of the track that the cougar was large, but this one must weigh better than 150 pounds.\u00a0 Slowly, he raised his gun.\u00a0 Suddenly, the cougar sprang toward him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0**********<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cUh-oh,\u201d Hoss said to his brother Adam as their father, face as burnished as the lowering sun, galloped toward them.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you reckon\u2019s got Pa so riled?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree guesses, if you need them,\u201d Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cHave you seen our beloved baby brother lately?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoggone,\u201d Hoss muttered.\u00a0 \u201cThat kid is harder to keep rounded up than any stray on the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reined his buckskin to an abrupt halt and asked, with slightly different wording, the same question as Adam.<\/p>\n

Hoss tried to look nonchalant.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 Now that you mention it, I ain\u2019t seen hide nor hair of the boy since noontime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we split up, to cover more ground,\u201d Adam said with a shrug.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s scornful gaze moved from his middle son to his eldest.\u00a0 \u201cYou two seem to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d Hoss protested.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, we are now, sure, but we just happened to head in about the same time.\u00a0 It\u2019s gettin\u2019 late, Pa, and\u201d\u2014his voice trailed off.\u00a0 It was late; Joe should have been headed into camp for supper, same as them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of you should have stayed with him.\u201d\u00a0 Worry sharpened the edge in Ben\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

Adam bristled at the accusatory tone.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Pa, I accept the truism that I am my brother\u2019s keeper,\u201d he said stiffly, \u201cbut Joe is old enough to ride the range on his own.\u201d\u00a0 The granite glare that met that response reminded him that, fifteen or not, Little Joe shouldn\u2019t be riding the range on his own with night drawing on. \u00a0He moistened his lips.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHowever, as Hoss says, it is late, and I\u2019m concerned about the boy, as well, so if you\u2019ll see to those strays\u201d\u2014he swung his chin toward the cattle that he and Hoss had brought back, which had drifted past Ben during their conversation\u2014\u201cwe\u2019ll ride out and round up that other one with the Cartwright brand on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The attempt at humor deflated like a balloon whose end had come unknotted.\u00a0 \u201cThose strays can look after themselves,\u201d Ben declared.\u00a0 \u201cWe all look for your brother\u2014and we all stay together!\u00a0 Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrystal,\u201d Adam said with a surreptitious roll of his eyes toward Hoss.<\/p>\n

They rode to the place where the three brothers had separated, and then Hoss moved into the lead to follow the tracks of Joe\u2019s horse.\u00a0 Though the others readily acknowledged him the superior tracker, any one of them could have followed that plain trail. When they spotted Cochise, tethered to a branch of a fallen log, all three frowned in concern. \u00a0Hunting strays on foot made no sense at all.\u00a0 What, then, was that boy up to?\u00a0 Just lollygagging like the lazy rascal he could be . . . or something more serious?<\/p>\n

Hoss dismounted to search for Joe\u2019s boot prints, but what he saw alongside them made him drop to knees, mostly in shock, although it was the appropriate position for the unspoken prayer he shot toward the heavens.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t strays he\u2019s huntin\u2019,\u201d he said, face frozen with fear.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a cougar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDear God,\u201d Ben whispered, and his words, too, were a prayer of supplication.<\/p>\n

Adam reached over to squeeze his father\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cPa, he\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a crisp nod of determination, Ben dismounted.\u00a0 \u201cFind him, Hoss,\u201d he pleaded, his voice choked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s expression, even in the fading light, revealed the same adamantine purpose.\u00a0 He moved forward, following the boot prints that paralleled those of the cat, never once losing the trail, even when it passed through the needle-strewn forest into rockier ground above.\u00a0 He moved quickly, praying he could out-race the setting sun.<\/p>\n

Finally, the forest opened into a small clearing ahead, and Hoss stopped still at the sight of two silhouettes, dark against a backdrop of burnt orange, one hunkered over the other.\u00a0 \u201cJoe!\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n

The figure on top rose\u2014and stood on two legs.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Hoss!\u201d came the joyous call, followed immediately by a more subdued, \u201cOh, hi, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stormed toward his youngest son.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing, young man?\u201d he bellowed.<\/p>\n

Little Joe took a step backward.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014uh\u2014I\u2019m skinnin\u2019 this cat, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 He painted on a wide, hopeful grin.\u00a0 \u201cI killed him, Pa\u2014single shot!\u00a0 He ain\u2019t gonna bother our cattle no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think that makes\u201d\u2014Ben gasped at the sight of his son\u2019s shredded shirt sleeve and the dark stains spotting it.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you\u2019re hurt, boy,\u201d he cried as he hurried forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he scratched me some,\u201d Little Joe said sheepishly as his father took his arm.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t expectin\u2019 him to jump me like that.\u00a0 Guess I was lucky to . . . get . . . that shot . . . off, huh?\u201d\u00a0 His voice slowed with each tightening of Ben\u2019s facial muscles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a feeling his luck just ran out,\u201d Adam whispered to Hoss.\u00a0 The big man responded with a grimace of commiseration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you may need luck for, young man,\u201d Ben growled, \u201cis getting by without a very necessary little talk at my hands!\u201d\u00a0 He exhaled his frustration.\u00a0 \u201cNow, let\u2019s get you back to camp and tend to those wounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Pa, that\u2019d be good,\u201d Little Joe said, hoping a submissive spirit would mollify his father\u2019s barely contained wrath.\u00a0 \u201cJust as soon as I finish skinning\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow!\u201d Ben roared.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa, it\u2019s my first cougar kill,\u201d Little Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd quite possibly your last!\u201d \u00a0Ben planted an encouraging palm across his son\u2019s backside.\u00a0 He turned to his older sons before following his youngest down the hill.\u00a0 \u201cDispose of that cat and get back to camp, pronto.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Adam promised.\u00a0 \u201cKeep the stew hot . . . and your temper cool,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s lips fluttered with his blustery exhale.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll try,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

Once his father was out of sight, Hoss squatted by the cougar, knife in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Adam asked, although he thought he knew.<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it is his first cougar kill.\u00a0 Reckon he ought to have the skin for a remembrance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon, but if I were you, I\u2019d keep it well hidden until it\u2019s cured out.\u00a0 Pa just might have simmered down by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss laughed.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe, but knowin\u2019 our little brother, he\u2019ll likely have found some new way to set Pa\u2019s blood boilin\u2019 by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo argument there,\u201d Adam said as he took out his knife to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cTakes a plucky kid to hunt down a cougar on his own,\u201d Hoss commented as he worked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlucky,\u201d Adam agreed, \u201cand lucky.\u201d\u00a0 The two older brothers looked into each other\u2019s eyes for a moment, and in the depths of each set was one shared thought: they were the lucky ones; they still had a little brother.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The End<\/p>\n

\u00a9 October, 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Written in response to a Cartwriters challenge in which the first sentence was given. \u00a0While looking for strays, fifteen-year-old Joe spots some tracks that he feels compelled to investigate, despite knowing the objections his family would raise.<\/p>\n

Rated: K \u00a0WC \u00a01700<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":8754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,23,40],"tags":[14,15,17,16],"class_list":["post-4710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-ben","tag-hoss","tag-joe","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/CougarKill.jpg?fit=259%2C194&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}