They were running so fast down the hill that she was sure one of them was going to fall and then tumble the rest of the way down. They kept their footing though, surprised as she was, she was glad. They were down the mountain and heading to the house when she finally dared a glance backwards towards the wooded mountain they had just flown down. Bending at the waist she stopped running and tried to catch her breath. Spike was panting hard. His black fur sleeked with dirt and sweat from running. She looked up at the mountain and there was no sign of the wolf. Like he was never there at all, but Ella knew what she and Spike had seen. There was no mistaking it. He was twice the size of Spike and Spike was German Shepherd/Rottweiler. They had been up the mountain exploring and climbing trees, same as they did every day during the summer, when Spike started growling. A deep predatory growl that lifted the hairs on her neck. He was looking behind her and she turned slowly. Not ten feet away was a dark gray wolf, huge, staring directly at her with intelligent eyes. She was frozen in place, she couldn't move. She sucked in a breath and squeaked in fear. Spike however, didn't have the same issue, he lunged at the wolf barking deeply at it and chasing it into the trees, that's when she made her move and crashed through underbrush and bushes down the mountain, Spike appeared by her side and together they fled.

Two years later...

I always cry when I come here. I don't mind crying if I'm alone. Spike is gone. He's buried in these mountains that we roamed together for three short years. His life was taken by a neighbor with cattle that Spike got caught chasing. It's so unfair and I hate the man, but this is the way of country living. My mom held me from marching to his house with my old baseball bat. I mean, I probably wouldn't have actually gotten far, I'm a 14 year old girl but I have rage in my blood. "I miss you bud." Tears cut paths on my dusty cheeks. I still go explore the woods, not everyday though, not like with my Spike. He was so much fun, so curious and playful. My protector. I will never forget the day with the wolf. If I had been alone, I would not have even seen it coming. I never even heard it. Spike saved my life that day and I'll always remember. Sniffling, I wipe my tears and stand up, laying the new rope toy on the spot we made for him. I turn and start making my way back to the house. The brush pulls at my legs trying to make me stay. I pick my way through careful as I can to avoid poison oak. It's everywhere here in the back woods of southern Oregon. I love the place though. I love the untamed brutality of it.

MEW! MEW! MEW! MEW! I stop to listen. MEW! MEW! Looking towards the sound I see a small hill to the left of the path I'm on. I move through the thick brush towards it as burs find their way into my thin black braid. That's going to suck later. MEW! I hear the little cooing sounds again but not before the stench hits me full in the face and I'm gagging. What the?! UGH! God, it's definitely something dead. I make my way around the small hill to find a gruesome sight. Not just one thing dead. A cougar impaled with the antlers of a buck and the buck with a broken neck. They lay in a twisted dance of death. I cover my mouth and nose as I take in the scene. "This is crazy." I muse. I've never seen anything like it. Poor things. MEW! I turn at the sound and see a miniature version of the dead cougar, though this one is alive and looking at me with giant honey colored eyes.

"Absolutely not Ella. You're not keeping a damn cougar as a pet. It will grow up you know, and then it will probably kill us both!" My mom practically shouted the words.

"Mom, she will be tame if I raise her and her mom is dead. Please mom, you know how hard it's been for me since Spike and Lola will be a good girl I promise! You won't even know she's here. Please mom, please?? She'll die if she's on her own." I held the baby cougar up beside my begging face. My mom looked at both of us and I could tell her resolve was fracturing, so I sniffled. " Ugh! Fine! But if she's violent one time, she's gone. I'll call animal control myself." She harumphed and went into the kitchen to start dinner.

" Thank you mom! Thank you so much! You hear that Lola? You get to stay and I'll be your new mommy!" I stared at her as I held her up and she batted at me playfully. "First things first girly, you need a bath." She looked at me quizzically.

That night she whined and whined to go outside, probably to find her mom, it broke my heart because she just didn't understand. I scooped her up and snuggled her closely, trying to comfort the poor little thing. "Stay right here baby." I told her as I plopped her on my bed and went downstairs to get her some warm milk. My arms were sore from trying to wrestle a ball of muscle into a bathtub and I had scratches down both of my arms that would scar but I didn't care. I had a baby cougar! My friends were going to be so jealous! I smiled as I thought of all of the possibilities as I screwed the top on to the baby bottle. I had used my allowance to go buy baby cougar supplies. Though I was winging it, they didn't exactly have a kit for that or anything, but I'd make it work. I open my door and see feathers. Every where. Lola was lying on her back in my bed swatting at the feathers that floated down around her, from my pillow, which was destroyed. I laughed out loud at the sight and went to her with the bottle, once she got the concept she drained it and looked at me for more. I shrugged my shoulders at her and she curled up into a tiny ball and slept on my lap for the rest of the night.

"Ella why haven't you hung out all summer? Sarah thinks you grew boobs or something and you're too ashamed to see anyone." Kim said through the phone. I chuckled.

"I most definitely did not grow boobs, but I have been growing something the last two months!"

"Okay, so what is it?"

"I can't tell you. But you and Sarah should come over for a sleepover tomorrow before school starts again?" Kim hesitated,

"It's not like illegal right?"

"Well, it might be, but it's nothing bad, but you have to swear not to tell anyone else ok?" I said firmly.

"Okay, hang on." She held the phone away from her ear and yelled at her mom asking if she could spend tomorrow night. " Okay, I'm in, I'll see you around one."

"Okay cool, byeee!"

"Byeee!" As the phone clicked off Lola rubbed against my legs for a good long scratch. That was her favorite. The past two months had gone amazingly well. I must have found her at the perfect age because she was a pet. She follows my every move and sleeps with me and I even taught her a few dog tricks. She can sit on command and come and stay. My mom is absolutely in love with her too. Pretty hilarious since she didn't want me to keep her, a fact I loved to put in her face when she's hogging Lola's attention.

"Why are we standing in your room with blindfolds on dude?"

Sarah asked.

"Just wait one, two, three!" I ripped off their blindfolds and they both shrieked and jumped back. Lola sitting on my bed staring at the newcomers in her home. "Dude what the hell Ella!?" Kim choked out. I laughed as I strolled over to Lola and rested my hand on her head. She had grown quite a lot since I found her and was now about the size of a medium size dog. As Kim and Sarah composed themselves I told them the story of me finding her and how her mom was killed and they visibly relaxed, though not all the way. "Wow dude, she's so pretty, oh my god, I can't believe you have a pet cougar." Kim rushed out.

"Why can't we tell anyone?" Asked Sarah.

"My mom said that some people probably wouldn't like it and might call animal control if they found out and she would get taken away. I can't lose her guys. She's so sweet and loving. She's really smart too." I showed them her tricks and they ooed and awed all day over her. She seemed curious about them and was letting them scratch her belly and feed her dried meat strips my mom had made up for her. We giggled into the night with my pet cougar loving on us all.

A month later and it was time to go back to school. "Okay Lola, you have to stay here today. I'm going to lock you in the house so you don't get into any trouble while I'm gone. Can't have you eating that jerkoffs cows. Although, he's fair game." I looked at her and she pawed at my shoulder with no claws out. She had gotten really good about retracting them when she played with me or mom. One time she had hooked me and the nose and then she was frantic to comfort me as my eyes watered and blood leaked from my face. Since then I think she kind of understood that she could hurt me. "Bye sweet girl." I kissed the soft fur on the top of her head and her honey eyes followed me to the door. School is school. Eighth grade is no different than seventh. Class is boring, teachers going on and on about blah blah blah. What ever. I'm dazing out in sixth period, math, when I hear the screams. Well, when everyone hears the screams. At once everyone jumps up and goes over to the giant side windows in the classroom. What I see chills my blood. A beautiful cougar in running through campus and I know it's Lola. She came looking for me and she'll be taken away now. Mr. Ginney gets on his phone and starts to call animal control. "Mr. Ginney stop!" I scream and run over to him grabbing his phone. I run back to the window and fling it open and the class is all yelling for me to stop and screaming about the cougar. I get it open enough and scream, "Lola come!" The class is silent in shock of this crazy chick who thinks she knows a cougar. As they watch in horror the cougar stops dead in her tracks and whips her head around, tail twitching. She sees me and starts running toward me and I smile relieved. She hops in the window effortlessly and I hug her tightly. "You bad girl, how did you get out of the house?" I talk to her like she'll answer and realize it's still dead silent. I stand up and face the class, straightening my spine to address them as Lola sits beside me with her paw gripping my calve. "She's not going to hurt anyone. I found her as a baby and her mother was dead so I raised her. She's my pet. She's really sweet and wouldn't make it on her own so please don't call anyone. I'll take her home and put her back in the house." My eyes get moist as I finish and I'm staring at my teacher, the adult, who could shatter my heart here and now. I'm at his mercy. He looks from me to Lola and back again. He walks over to us slowly and crouches in front of my cougar. She tilts her head inquisitively. He braves to put out his hand and she sniffs it and looks bored. He slides it on to her neck and she freezes and so does he, she drags her rough tongue over his knuckles and he laughs in relief. "She can stay today Ella, if you really say she's safe I trust you." He says it so warmly that my tears spill over. The class erupts into questions about Lola and she gets all the attention she can handle and she loves it. After that day, our mascot changed, it was a bucktooth beaver and is now a honey eyed cougar.