I was alive.
But not for long.
The wind had been knocked right out of me, and I couldn’t even feel my injured foot. It took everything I had just to sit up.
The moose finished its turn. She looked right at me, eyes on fire, nostrils blazing.
She lowered her head.
She charged.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The moose charged right at me, its hooves accelerating over the rocky ground.
Noah was screaming something, but I couldn’t hear him, my attention consumed by the massive animal who had just been given another chance to end me. From the look in her eye, this time she didn’t intend to miss.
I closed my eyes.
But not before I caught a flash of white and grey out of the corner of my eye.
My eyelids sprang back open as I turned.
It was YETI!
Exploding onto the scene in a flurry of fur and a ferocious howl that would have sent any other animal running. Channeling her inner wolf just in time.
She positioned herself between me and the moose. Fur standing on end. Baring her teeth. She didn’t just bark; she growled and roared in a show of protective intimidation that would have made an entire wolf pack proud.
The moose didn’t need to be told twice. She slid to a halt,then quickly backed away several strides. Keeping her black eyes on the still snarling Yeti, she turned and lumbered over to the tree line where her baby waited.
With one last look over her shoulder, mommy moose and baby moose scampered off into the trees.
“Yeti?” I sat on the ground, watching it all unfold in shock. Partially from the fall. Mostly from bearing witness to Noah’s wolf dog literally saving my life.
When the coast was clear, Yeti jumped into my arms, her tongue slathering my cheek as if she was checking to make sure I wasn’t hurt.
“Yeti, you saved me!” I wrapped both my arms in her fur and kissed her right back, barely noticing the slobber on my lips. “Okay, okay, just to be clear, I don’t need mouth-to-mouth.”
Noah wasn’t far behind her, rappelling down the cliff like an action hero, then racing to my side to examine me. “Sam! Are you hurt?” His hands were everywhere. Okay, notEVERYwhere. But he checked my head, my ankle, my shoulder. He looked even more scared than I did. “Sam, talk to me. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Adrenaline coursed through my veins, giving me a momentary reprieve from the pain. “Thanks to her.”
Yeti sat back, tongue sticking out, tail wagging, her smile showing her teeth. The perfect picture of a proud rescue hero.
“I guess you don’t hate me, Yeti. You saved my life.”
Yeti barked.
“She never hated you,” said Noah, rubbing the fur between Yeti’s ears. He let out a long breath, as if he’d just now remembered to breathe. “If I’m being honest, I think she kinda liked you from the start.”
“She did?”
Noah kept his eyes on his wolf dog, stroking her fur. “Yeah.She did.” He was quiet for a moment, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Noah’s words applied to more than just Yeti.
“I’m starting to think near-death experiences might be my authentic Colorado specialty.”
Noah’s expression became guarded again, as if remembering why we were in this situation at all. “What were you thinking? You shouldn’t be out here all alone.”
