When I flew off, Willy was up a tree, holding on for dear life, and a mountain lion was stalking Izzy.
I winged it right to the dairy for help, scared out of my wits. That’s when I spotted Chester the Angus Bull, headed down that steep trail that led into the woods. I guess he had decided to give us a helping hand. I had no idea where Nick and Jonas were; they must have taken a different path to who knows where.
That Bull Chester was a big boy, and somehow, with his nose to the ground, he knew where he was going. He clamored down the trail and reached the bottom without falling.
I decided to go back to doing what I do best, scouting. I knew where Izzy and Willy were, so I looped around and swooped down, landing right in front of Chester. I think he knew me. The problem was, could he understand what I was saying?
I screeched out the story at a mile-a-minute. Izzy has found Willy but he’s got a mountain lion below him. He’s stuck in a tree and Izzy is protecting him. She’s no match for a mountain lion.
Chester gave me a questioning look. He shook his head as if to say, “Go ahead, I got this.” So, I flew on. Chester trotted right behind me as I flapped through the woods, stopping ever so often so that he could catch up.
When we got to the spot where Willy was up the tree, Izzy was below, backed up against the tree trunk. This was not good.
The Mountain lion didn’t see us coming and swiped at Izzy, knocking her to the ground. Izzy was guarding Willy, keeping the mountain lion from climbing up the tree.
She squealed in pain but got up again—still, no match for a mountain lion. Chester and I made a plan.
I streaked down and distracted the lion, and as I did, Chester pawed the ground and took off at full speed; running into that lion broadside—she went tumbling.
And yet, that fiery mountain lion was back on her feet, ready to fight within a moment.
We needed more help, so I flew off toward the dairy. As the crow flies, I can make it in a few minutes. I landed on the fence post where Selma and her sisters were grazing. I flapped my wings urgently and squawked; they finally came over.
“Your back, Zasper? You found them?”
I told them yes and no, that a mountain lion was in a giant quarrel with our Chester the Angus. I also told them Izzy was okay, although she was
slightly shaken.
That’s when the Sheriff’s car pulled down the drive spewing dust.
I knew this Sheriff, his name was Roy, and he had a dog. A search and rescue dog. As he exited the car, Ellen came down the stairs holding her baby.
Then, the big male Bernese Mountain Dog named Duke jumped out of the back seat and headed toward us. He was a goofy, fun dog with a big head, and he liked sticking his nose wherever he pleased. I tried to communicate with him and tell him what was happening, but he couldn’t understand me. He sniffed his way over to Selma and Betty, who told him the whole story and where Chester had gone because I’d told them.
Izzy understood me when I spoke; I don’t know why this search dog Duke couldn’t.
Oh well.
Then out of nowhere, he took off like he knew everything. So, what am I supposed to do? I decided to make sure he got there. But remember, what takes me minutes to go from one place to another, will take a dog, especially a big, burly, black Bernese Mountain Dog, a lot longer.
Ellen saw Duke running down the dirt road to the far pasture and pointed to Sheriff Roy, who jumped in his patrol car and took off down the road after him. He wouldn’t get far in his car, that’s for sure.
I got back to the clearing in the woods first. It was a face-off. Chester had arrived. He snorted, and the sound reverberated through the forest.
The mountain lion growled and stepped sideways, stalking the big Angus. Chester had no horns, as is usual for Black Angus, so he would have to use his size to combat this pretty large cat. Darn, she had sharp claws and big teeth.
I’d gotten in front of Izzy and had pushed her backward,
away from this brawl. She’d done her part, and now it was up to Chester.
Up in the tree, Willy began yelling at the golden mountain lion and, picking off pine cones, chucked them at her. The situation was becoming dire because the mountain lion seemed unafraid of a fight.
The lion began circling her prey, and it seemed that Chester, the bull wasn’t too agile. She got behind him and crept forward, preparing to leap on Chester’s back when a gunshot echoed through the forest.
Into the small clearing galloped Nick followed by Jonas.
Nick leaped from his horse with his rifle in hand, and the moment that mountain lion saw him, she darted off into the woods.
Izzy ran up to Nick, who grabbed and hugged her as Jonas called to Willy in the tree. Happily, Willy was already climbing down the tree, and at that point, I decided that my job here was over. I’d return to the farm and let all the cattle know what had happened and that we had found Willy.
***
When I got back, Selema asked me right off. What about Rosco? Did they find Willy’s dog Rosco?
I had to say, “No.”
“Well, you best get back up there and help; you’re not doing any good here flapping your beak to us.
I can’t say that I was all that happy about her scolding me and having traveled back and forth many times, doing the best I could.
I took off, and it didn’t take long before I caught up with Sheriff Roy, huffing his way up the trail to the top of the ridge.
Boy, he was out of shape. Duke was nowhere to be seen. So I flew on and dove back down into the forest, And there he was; Duke was a true tracker, and he was on the scent. The two of us made it to the clearing, and it looked like Nick, Jonas, Willy and Izzy were sitting together, and Jonas was praying, as some humans do. So, Duke and I sat watching, and as soon as they finished, Duke went bounding toward Izzy, wagging his tail.
Chester had already started back toward home, having done his part to keep Willy and Izzy safe. The men stood talking for a time, trying to decide where to go to find Rosco. After all, it all started with his leaving and Willy trying to find him, thinking he had tried to find his way home to the Flathead Indian Reservation through the canyon. That’s where Willy had gotten Rosco to begin with.
Then we noticed that someone was gone. Our Bernese Mountain dogs were on the trail again. They’d bolted for a clearing and headed for a trail that led further into the canyon. Fortunately, we could see the crest, and hopefully, with Duke the tracker on the team, Izzy and Duke could pick up the trail of Rosco, and we could find him and end this bad situation.
The End Until Episode Five Next Month.
