The Cougar

We walked along the river, my hands in my pockets and hers in woolen gloves, clutching my arm. We were looking at the logs, in rows and rows, being floated down towards the harbour. The wet, golden pine steamed, and the steam grew into the fog overhead. It was morning and we'd already had coffees, and the day was unplanned, our only course the packed dirt path underfoot.

"Did you speak to your Grandmother?" I asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Is she okay?"

"Still upset," she said. I nodded, and we continued our matching step through the wooded trail.

"Nice to be back here," I said. "You want to stop for a moment? We can sit on that log."

"Looks wet," she said.

"Alright," and we kept walking. The edge of the river curved and we followed it, lined with trees at some points and at others rocky slopes. Eventually our path rose away from the river and back into the dense pines.

"Did you hear something?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, and stopped for a moment. "Just a bird, probably. Over there."

There was another sound of movement in the undergrowth.

"Sounds too big to be a bird..."

It was a cougar, and it came out over a fallen tree quickly and went for my leg. I kicked out and knocked it under the chin, but it got up quickly and jumped up at me. I fell over with the claws deep in my chest but managed to roll onto it. It was heavy and strong underneath me and it squeezed out, but Kelly kicked it under its belly twice and it vanished again. I rolled over, my leather coat pocked with holes and the scratches on my chest bleeding underneath.

"Oh god, oh god," she said.

"I'm alright," I said. I could feel the cold and wet on my back. "I'm alright. Give me a moment."

She fell down to her knees beside me and her face went red and she cried, eyes covered with her hands, and I wanted to hug her but the cat had taken the wind from me and I couldn't get up. I looked up into the pine branches and the grey sky and waited until my chest started to sting and Kelly put her arm under my neck and helped me up.