Lute Thompson may have had some thoughts that this would be his last elk hunt for this lifetime, but nothing could have prepared him for what had just happened to him as he stood there staring at the snarling cougar in front of him.

     He might as well have been standing there butt naked, for he didn’t have any kind of weapon on him whatsoever. Even a greenhorn would never have been caught so flat-footed like he had been. And the prospect of being clawed to death in the next few seconds wasn’t the type of death Lute had planned for himself.

     He knew the minute he stopped staring the cougar down it would be on him in an instant. But he also knew that it would be a physical impossibility to get around this large cat and reach his weapons by the fire. Just then the cat decided to test this strange smelling human out, as he made a quick charge and clawed at him. Lute raised his left arm up to cover his face and the sharp claws caught his thick jacket sleeve, ripping it down his arm. He could feel the sharp claws rip into his flesh as the cat backed off once again.

     It was the sudden welcome addition of his big horse, Pepper Jack, who came up behind the cat and reared up, mad at the animal who was intent on killing his master. With hooves slashing downward with all his weight behind them  he caught the cat almost unawares as it was still watching the human he had just clawed and was not expecting an attack from the rear.

     The sharp hooves caught the cat on the hind side and Lute thought he could almost hear some bones crack as the mighty horse reared up again. But by this time the cat was turning around ready to make a fight of it with his new enemy. Pepper Jack’s hooves struck nothing but dry dirt the second time, as the cat had somehow slipped around through his legs and come up behind him. But the horse was wary of that ploy also and he kicked out with his hind legs and caught the cat square in the head and neck, throwing him clear across the small clearing and right into the thorn bushes Lute had placed there earlier.

     By now the cougar had had enough to last him for a long time. He dragged himself off the sharp thorns and, with his hindquarters dragging behind him, he tried to run across the clearing headed for the deep woods and safety.

     Lute knew he should probably take his rifle and follow up and shoot him but, for the life of him, he just didn’t have the heart or the energy. He knew that no matter how many battles that cat got into, this was his finest hour and he had lost big time.

     He suddenly became aware that he was bleeding as he looked down and saw his arm was dripping a steady stream of bright red blood where he had been clawed. But before he went about patching himself up he made sure he calmed his horses down and gave them some healthy pats and hugs, thanking them for saving his greenhorn butt. He even gave them an extra helping of oats to make sure they knew just how much he appreciated their help.