foes, he seized the chance to escape. Swiftly maneuvering out of his hidden position and sprinting towards the cluster of

hed the hill's peak. Momentarily thinking he had evaded their line of sight, a sti

ssible for him to inhale. Nevertheless, propelled by adrenaline and the im

enly, another gunshot reverberated as he passed the initial evergreen, causing the bark to burst in his face and momentarily blinding him in

g adrenaline was replaced by heightened agony in his side. Vomiting a considerable amount of blood from his w

yet, the start of engine noises, he tried to turn his gaze backward, but

is direction, making his way towards the vicini

im to continuously cough it up. Slowly easing himself into the icy water, the shock of its coldness helped to clear his mind, snapping

out from the deep gash, the flesh and muscle ripped apart by the force of a hollow point rifle bul

depleted stomach, he knew he needed to replenish the lost fluids soon. After quenching his thirs

ught up to him. Staring at the creek once more, he knew he co

e freezing temperature and the distance he had traveled would deter the humans from crossing the cre

he fought the urge to rest, knowing he needed to put

e of trance, mechanically moving one paw after

sh in his side, he could still detect a slow trickle of blood, indicating that his wounds were slowly healing. The frequency of his coughing had decrea

ing his journey. He was aware that as the sun went down and the light faded, his depth perception wo

d down, making it impossible to smell any potential danger. Pausing, he strained to hear any other clues. Then, the sound of liquid hitting pine needle

bowed as she buttoned her pa

t. She froze, her hands held out in fron

In his mind, fear equalled food. However, he was in no condition to launch an attack. Any sudden movements would l