Sneak Peek

From Chapter One

Most years, it was like mother nature’s winter snow would follow him down the mountain within a few days of making the trip. This year, it was very different, with Riley trudging behind the seasonal change, through knee-deep, fluffy snow. The deathly cold and howling wind nipped at his red cheeks the moment he left his cabin. Then, halfway down the mountain, the bitter frostbite nip went away and left just the cold and snow to fight through, in reaching his destination. It was much harder hiking through the knee-high snow than he’d thought it would be; he stopped to catch his breath.

Almost on cue, he heard a loud huffing sound and slowly looked to his right to see a large five-year-old stag with a great rack of antlers staring intently at him as if he could see straight into Riley’s soul. He had never seen a buck of his size this close before. It was as if the deer was trying to convey a message to him, but he didn’t have the ability to understand what the animal was saying. With the cold and snow falling around them, they both continued to stand very still while staring at each other, experiencing the moment. Finally, the deer looked away as something caught his attention. He then gave a second look at Riley, huffed, and bounded off hastily and majestically through the deep snow.

The coming together of man and beast for that moment wasn’t lost on Riley. He watched the stag dart through the trees and then disappear behind a snow-covered bush. He searched for the meaning of that encounter as it ran over and over through his mind. He had always believed that everything was connected in some way. There have been many events like the one he’d just experienced throughout his life to reinforce this belief.

Without warning, Riley was forcibly tackled off his feet sideways into the deep snow as a hungry cougar was trying to sink her teeth and claws through his thick deer hide coat. They wrestled in the snow while her jaws firmly wrapped around his neck. She would have easily pierced his jugular if he hadn’t been wearing his thick, boiled-wool-collared sweater and a dense scarf under his hooded coat.

The big cat got the advantage as her full weight on his back left Riley with his face buried in the snow. She didn’t have the grip on his neck she needed for the kill and was not giving up until he exposed his belly for her to rip into with her sharp claws to end his fighting.

Would you like to find out how this turns out?

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