Footprints in the Snow

"What’s that sound?" Katrina gasped, snatching at her friend’s sleeve.

"Oh, nothing really," Mack answered casually. "Just a bird."

But the animal that jumped out in front of them on the path was definitely not a bird – it was a mountain lion! Mack and Katrina stared at it in bewilderment, vaguely wondering what was going to happen next. The children had already been startled out of their wits, so when the creature stepped closer, snarling and growling ferociously, they just turned and hastily scurried away.

As he stumbled blindly along, Mack felt a warm spurt of blood suddenly trickling down his arm, but he ignored it in the great hope of reaching home safely before the mountain lion could make another swipe at one of them. Mack expected the vicious animal to attack him from behind at any given moment. Then he became aware that the noise had faded slightly…

Could the mountain lion be stalking them silently? Risking a momentary glance over his shoulder, what the frantic boy saw only made him run even faster than ever – the wild animal was still giving chase!