Look out! A bullet of fur wildly dodged around obstacles almost blindly. The wolf’s pads thudded against the hard packed snow and he nearly lost his balance as he skidded over a patch of ice. With wide eyes and a huge grin, he glanced behind him. Still ahead! Through heavy pants, Nootau laughed. Each huff produced a puff of white from his mouth. Oo-ee! Close one though. Nootau leaped over a fallen tree, thinking he was as in the clear, and then gasped as he sank into deep snow. “Oh! Cold!” Nootau breathed out fast, his teeth chattering. However, his second thought was that he had slowed down. Oh shoot! Not good! Nootau panicked as he lifted his legs high and attempted to get out of the deep snow as fast as he could by hopping towards where, hopefully, shallower snow was.

The progress was painfully sluggish, though. Panic rose into his throat and his ears flicked backwards. The pursuer was close enough that Nootau could hear its paw-steps. Nootau’s face tightened in fear. He lurched forwards once more… and was free! Well, so he thought. His rear paw caught on a root hidden beneath the snow and he tripped over the sharp cliff he had meant to jump down. He tumbled to the bottom! Nootau yelped and summersaulted to the base of one of the trees at the bottom of the short cliff. Disoriented, He didn’t realize he had rolled into the midst of another wolf. He sat up with his ears flat out to the sides, his eyes glazed over with dizziness. It was then that he saw the blurred form of another wolf. Oh no! A wolf! His loner instincts told him he was in a bad spot now. As his vision refocused, though, he realized who it was by recognizing her scent and the plethora of scars on her coat. Jagger!

Boy, was she a relieving sight! He was saved! Nootau hopped up and exclaimed, “Jagger!” Nootau bounded up to her, “You gotta help me!” His heart leaped when he heard the bushes on the cliff above russel ever so softly. A threatening, high pitched cat-growl sounded from behind him. He flinched and turned his head to look into the yellow, slit irises of the lynx that had chased him. Ooh. He was deep, deep sh—sugar…