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I backed up and slammed into Daniel. "Move toward the house."
"The shed--"
"Is probably what he wants, so he won't follow us to the house. Damn it. This is exactly what I was worried about. He's too used to people." I nudged Daniel backward. "Nothing here for you, Marv! Get going!" Then, "Dad!"
The cougar rose, readying itself for the leap. Its head appeared through the cover of shadow and I saw its face ... and its two perfectly good ears.
It wasn't Marv.
The cat leaped. Daniel grabbed my arm and whipped me behind him so hard I flew off my feet. I hit the ground as the house door slammed and Dad shouted. I saw Daniel stumble back. Saw the huge tom in flight, on target to hit him. I screamed and jumped up. Daniel twisted to run. The cat caught him in the back and knocked him off his feet. Huge canines flashed, heading for the back of Daniel's neck, the killing blow.
As I covered the last few feet, I heard the rifle fire. Heard my dad shout, "Maya!" Heard my mother's shriek. Felt the bullet whiz past me. I kicked at the cougar's head. My foot connected, knocking it sideways, teeth snapping together harmlessly.
The cat turned to me, lips pulled back, teeth flashing, eyes slitted as he snarled. I kicked him again. My parents shouted for me to move aside so Dad could take the shot. Only, if he did, he stood a chance of hitting Daniel, and I wasn't letting that happen.
"Go!" I shouted. "Get off him!"
The cat had Daniel pinned face-first to the ground. Daniel lay still, playing dead as I kept shouting at the cougar and my parents shouted at me. The cat snarled again, and I braced myself, ready to run if those powerful hind legs bunched for flight. But he made no move to come after me, just snarled and spat and stayed over Daniel.
Rage boiled up in me. Maybe it was shock, but it felt like pure fury. I screamed at the cat, looking him square in the eye, and when I did it was like everything else disappeared. The world seemed to dip and darken, and I smelled wet earth and thick musk and fresh blood. The wind whipped past, like I was running. Running so fast the ground whizzed beneath me, the wind cut across my skin. Exhilaration filled me. My muscles sang, and it was the sweetest--
The sudden scream of a cougar jolted me back to reality. The big cat was still staring at me. Just staring. Another scream. I turned to see a second cougar charging toward us. A cougar with a ragged ear.
The younger cat jumped off Daniel and spun to meet Marv. They hit so hard the ground vibrated. I grabbed for Daniel, but he was a
lready on his feet, reaching for me. He pushed me ahead of him as we ran for the porch, the cats snarling and growling and yelping behind us.
My dad pulled us onto the porch, then lifted the rifle.
"Rick, no," Mom said, passing him the one with tranquilizer darts instead.
When he hesitated, she said, "The kids are fine."
He still hesitated, like he didn't care, just as long as he made sure it never happened again.
"Dad, please," I said.
He looked at me, then took the tranquilizer gun, aimed, and fired. The dart hit the younger cougar in the flank. He let out a yowl and attacked Marv with fresh fervor, then in midtwist, toppled over. Marv grabbed the unconscious cat by the neck and shook him. When the other tom didn't react, Marv chuffed and looked at us, like he expected applause. Instead, he saw the barrel of a rifle. With one chirp of indignation, he galloped toward the woods. Dad fired, but Marv veered at the last second and disappeared before Dad could shoot again.
Daniel was okay. He had some puncture wounds where the cougar had dug in his claws, and he'd definitely be bruised and battered tomorrow, but he'd avoided a bite, which was the main thing.
He argued that he didn't need medical attention, but Mom drove us into Salmon Creek, calling ahead to make sure one of the doctors would be at the clinic. Dr. Inglis met us there, which surprised Mom. Dr. Inglis is the head of the research lab, and doesn't usually work at the clinic, but she said she'd been out with Dr. Lam, and when he'd gotten the page, she decided to come along.
While Dr. Lam looked after Daniel, Dr. Inglis chatted with me. She'd heard this was my second cougar encounter today, and wanted to know all about it. She made it sound like personal curiosity, but I knew it wasn't. She was making sure I was doing okay, that I didn't need the services of Dr. Fodor to deal with the trauma.
One drawback to living in a medical research town is that they're paranoid about health, both physical and mental. The adults get off easy. Not the kids. Sneeze twice in a row and the teacher calls the school nurse. Drop out of a sport or let your grades fall and you're whisked off to Dr. Fodor's couch. They especially monitor the teens, as if hormonal surges could make us spontaneously combust at any moment.
The worst is when Dr. Davidoff comes to town. I hate Dr. Davidoff. We all do. He's creepy, with cold hands and awkward, lame jokes. But he's the St. Clouds' top doctor, so every year, he brings a team to visit the lab. And, since they have world-class doctors on hand, it's time for every kid to get a complete physical. Oh joy.
My parents are big on eating natural food, getting lots of exercise, and staying healthy, but even they find the town's obsession a bit much. Still, they don't knock it, not if it means I get the best care possible. I suppose that's the point. The town keeps its employees happy by keeping their kids healthy. Since they have the resources right there, it's an easy benefit to provide.
Dr. Lam cleaned Daniel's wounds and gave him painkillers for tomorrow. Then Dr. Inglis listened to his version of events and made sure he wasn't traumatized before she called Chief Carling to report it. Out here, wildlife attacks are like gunshot wounds in the city--every one needs to be recorded.
Dad took the tranquilized cougar to Dr. Hajek's. The tom had been tagged, so we needed to find out where he was from and whether he could be returned. She had the facilities to hold him; we didn't.
The cat had come for the shed. I was sure of that. No matter how clean I keep it, it carries the scent of the rabbits and fawns I've housed there; and new predators to the area often check it out, hoping for a well-stocked food larder. Once they realize they can't get in, they usually leave it alone.
As for why the new tom was in our park at all, he was clearly checking out territorial prospects. The island isn't overpopulated with cougars, so Marv doesn't see a lot of challengers. As he gets older, though, they're bound to increase. This only proved how quickly a younger and more dangerous big cat would move in if we relocated Marv.
