Free Call of the Cougar (Heart of the Cougar Book 2) by Terry Spear Page B

surprise since cougars didn't run in packs.
    Wolves and bears would probably leave a pack of cougars alone. She leapt onto the rocks, and landed nearly on top of a rattlesnake coiled up in the groove of one of them. The temperature proved too cold for him to react, but even so, her heart was pumping hard from the bit of a scare she'd gotten. She leapt away from him in a heartbeat, just in case he was primed to bite, and landed on the rock ledge above him. The trees thinned, then disappeared completely as she climbed above the timberline. She jumped to the next boulder and continued on up until she reached the peak and saw a faint glimmer of light on the horizon.
    Crap!
    She must have been so wrapped up in the scents and sounds that she had misjudged how far she had traveled and the lateness of the hour. Though for a minute, she enjoyed the beauty of the sunrise. She'd never get back to the cabin before the sun fully rose, though.
    She headed down the rocky escarpment in a hurry, her balance, strong leg muscles, and large paw pads allowing her to be extremely adept at climbing. When she reached the ground, she sprinted through the trees. Though cougars could run at a top speed between 40 to 50 mph, they were much better able to accomplish powerful sprints. She knew she couldn't race all the way back and reach the cabin before the summer campers would be up and about.
    Not that it would mean she would run across any, but mentally, she liked to be prepared. Luckily, no hunting was allowed right now. Though someone still could shoot her and say he feared for his life. Great story to tell to all his buddies, at the very least.
    She still had plenty of time to reach the cabin, shift, shower, and dress well before Hal arrived to treat her to breakfast. Her stomach rumbling, she was really getting hungry.
    Before she got very far, she saw movement to her right. Big movement and it was headed straight for her. Nothing but bad news would come after her. She turned to see three gray wolves racing in her direction ready for the kill.
    Her heart thumping against her ribs, she did the only thing she could safely do as a cougar. She jumped into a pinyon pine tree, scrambling to get higher. She turned and looked down at the wolves leaping at the tree trunk, growling, and snapping their wicked canines at her. Thank God wolves couldn't climb trees. One of them let out a howl, calling for pack reinforcements to help them eradicate the cougar in their territory. Even up in the rocks, she realized she hadn't smelled any sign of cougars. She must have gone beyond their marked territory.
    Flattening her ears, she snarled and hissed back at the wolves, wrinkling her nose as she bared her own, very wicked canines. Her posturing didn't scare them in the least. But the effort made her feel better. She climbed higher and laid down on a branch, settling in to wait them out. She might as well rest for the time being since she had no other option. Two more wolves ran through the underbrush and joined the pack. Damn it.
    They lifted their heads and looked up at her, sniffing the air, verifying she was their enemy. Their amber eyes were beautiful. They were beautiful. But while she was in her cougar coat, they were deadly adversaries. Even if she shifted, most likely they'd still think she was a cougar because of the way she smelled.
    No way in hell was she coming down from the tree.
    She still had plenty of time to reach the cabin if the wolves got bored or sighted some other prey in the meantime. But as the day dawned and the air warmed a bit, she was afraid that extra time she was going to have to get ready for her breakfast date with Hal was dwindling by the minute.
    The wolves moved around at the base of the tree, sniffing the ground, not leaving. Every once in a while, one would look up to see if she was still there. And then every member of the pack would raise their heads as if mimicking the one wolf's actions.
    She looked off in the direction of the