Into the Woods To Save Another

I ceased to be me when I heard the young one’s screams. They were coming from the woods, between my two streams. Her shrieking was terrifyingly real, not like on fantasy TV. It felt like a young woman was being murdered which was good enough for me. I ran for our big floodlight, without thinking about myself at all. Into the woods we ran, my three dogs, me and my bravest cousin, Paul. Her shrieks sounded closer now. They were the loudest to our right. Suddenly something grabbed me by my arm. It was the biggest fright! A voice whispered close to my ear, “Shh!” as a man held me into place. Greatly relieved to hear Paul, as I could not in the dark see his face. “Don’t you know what that is?” he whispered. “What?” I barely whispered back. “That’s a bobcat’s cry,” he told me. “If it is threatened, it might attack.” We immediately headed back to the house. The dogs followed a few hours later. The last time I was this scared, we were in Florida, where I had seen a wild, loose alligator. Written January 8, 2019 Contest: Into The Woods Sponsor: Silent One