He turned for the phone when she stopped him as if to say what could be so important when he spoke “That phone only rings when something is not right”. On the fourth ring he snapped the receiver from the cradle and placed it against his ear. “Hello” he spoke. After a pause he simply said “I see; I’ll cover sector seven on the North Ridge”.

“What’s wrong”? Sarah asked with a hint of worry in her voice. “The bush pilot went down about a half hour ago and I’ve been asked to help search” Nick answered. “There’s a storm raging out there for god’s sake” Sarah rebutted. “Exactly” was all she heard back as he started to pack his knapsack with survival food and gear. “I want to help” Sarah said. “Good, grab the rope and blanket out of the closet for me while I go start the truck” Nick ordered.

Nick opened the front door and was blasted with a gust of frigid snow filled air as he worked his way to the truck knapsack in hand. He fired up the beast and hit the switches to every flood lamp adorning the roll bar. The lights came to life illuminating next to nothing as the snow reflected back the light waves into his face. “So it’s going to be like this” he thought to himself. He went back inside to gather the rest of the supplies when he saw Sarah fully dressed for the weather holding the rope and blankets. “Oh no” he said almost scornfully “Your not going”.

“Look, I know I’m not from around here and in Texas we don’t get much snow but even I know the bears are asleep” she said in a soft voice. “The bears are asleep, but the cougars and wolves are not” he replied. With a look that pierced his heart she whispered the words “Do you trust me, I mean really trust me”? Dumbfounded he nodded his head as she continued “I don’t know why I must go with you but I know I must”. He searched her eyes for a reason but could only believe in her intuition to guide him. Against all logic he said “Let’s go”. He called to Jessie and opened the door one more time to the elements.

They battled the storm up the fire roads that cut through the mountain, skidding and sliding from time to time. The truck forced its way as far as the road could take them when they came to a stop at the edge of a plateau. The clearing was fairly level but the snow was deep and the wind hurled the white crystals horizontally across the plain. “Is this where we get out and walk”? Sarah asked. “Not yet” as he popped the door open and reduced the tire pressure to about 5 lbs each. When he re-entered the truck he instructed her to pull her seatbelt as tight as she could get it as he adjusted his. He dropped the truck in reverse and angled back as though making a three point turn. With determination he cranked the wheel and dropped the hammer only hard enough to punch through the snow bank at the edge of the road, as the truck broke through he backed off on the throttle and they began the trek across the plain blinded by the storm.

“How far can we go like this” she asked? With a chuckle he simply said “Until the truck gets stuck, rolls over or we hit something and then we’re on foot”.

They followed the rolling snow drifts until they saw a dark shadow appear behind the curtain of white. He stopped the truck and shut it down this time. They exited the vehicle and suited up the gear. Jessie jumped down and sniffed the air for any signs of wild life, listening to anything that might be heard over the wind.

The three of them headed for trees that blocked the path up the mountain, adjusting their clothing for maximum warmth and protection, as they entered the wooded area the wind and driving snow subsided a bit from the shelter of the trees. Jessie let out a couple of barks and listened for a response. Both would be rescuers watched Jessie for signs of engagement. “At you are tuning into Jessie’s instincts” Nick said. “We are going to need to keep a vigilant watch for every possible clue to not only where the pilot might be but also to where any predators are” Nick continued. “Look at the trees for vertical scratch lines anywhere from four to six feet off the ground that would indicate the presence of a cougar marking its territory. Listen for sounds similar to a crying baby and for the sound of gun shots” he added. “Wolves well howl and Jessie should be able to pick them out long before we can, but the cougar is a silent lone stalker and can attack from above” he informed her. “What about gun shots” she asked?

“As you have already seen this morning that sound indicates direction and an approximate distance when you called for Jessie to alert me. The other search parties like us have a gun or rifle for protection but more to help us keep a fairly good search pattern covering the grid that we think the pilot went down in” he explained.

They walked through the wooded area heading up the slopes of the mountain listening and watching for signs of life when a lone gunshot could be heard from the east and below them. Then a second single gunshot followed from the west and above them. With that Nick pulled from his backpack a semi automatic pistol and chambered a round while releasing the safety, pointed it straight up and pulled the trigger. The shock wave from the sound dislodged the snow in the limbs of the trees above them causing a miniature avalanche. “See what I mean” Nick asked?

“With all these trees around the pilot could be just a few hundred feet from us and if he is unconscious we would never even know he is there” Sarah stated. “If he is alive and within the shelter of the trees he has a good chance of surviving until the morning when a helicopter search can begin if the weather clears” Nick assured her. “But out past the tree line in the open he doesn’t stand much of a chance without shelter and that’s where we are headed”.

As they continued to forge forward they paused every now and then when Jessie would stop and sniff the air for a mental picture of her surroundings. They passed two different trees with markings at different heights indicating the overlapping territories of two different cougars. The snow was relatively easy to navigate for the canopy above shielding the floor from heavy accumulation. As the wind began to pick up and the driving snow returned they understood that they were reaching the edge of the woods that protected them from the storm.

“Sector seven” Nick said. “Try not to speak to help conserve body heat and reduce ice forming around your mouth” he added and then pulled the pistol out again and fired a single shot in the air. It echoed a lot further this time she noticed as did the corresponding signals from the other rescue parties which she surmised must also be in open terrain. Her thoughts turned to visually searching for signs of a plane crash when she noticed Jessie turning back to listen to sounds from the forest that she could not hear. She tapped Nick on the shoulder and he surveyed the direction of Jessie’s ears to the source of the silent sound emanating from the woods. He turned to face 180 degrees away from the sound and found his face head long into the wind. “Let’s continue up this direction” he said as he pointed towards a subtle pathway up the mountain.

Jessie led the way as they continued the hike. She paused every so often again listening for signs of life and then forged on. They fought the cold, snow and wind for about a half an hour when another shot was heard breaking the silence that consumed them. Nick acknowledged the shot by firing one single shot in the air. They both noticed that the sounds this time were both adjacent left and right therefore each party was at the same elevation.

When they reached the rocky terrain of the mountain they rested for a short period allowing them to warm up slightly on the leeward side of a large jagged boulder. They consumed a small amount of water to re-hydrate and peanuts for protein. Jessie curled in ball and waited until the search got underway again. “From here on up we need to be very careful of our footing. As we get higher up, one slip could end up in disaster on these rocks here below” Nick pointed out. Sarah did not need to be reminded of gravity as she glanced across the area they had just traversed. The woods were no longer visible and the tracks they just made had all but faded.

When they felt enough time had been spent on them recuperating, they stood up to face the climb ahead of them when three shots rang out from east of their location.
Nick chuckled and said in a relieved voice “Well that’s good news. That will save us the climb. It looks like your being here is paying off with luck, not only for the pilot but also for us”. “I assume that the three shots means somebody has found the pilot” she said. Nick pulled out the pistol again and fired one shot in the air signaling the message was heard and understood.

With the knowledge that the pilot was at least found they felt some of the weight of the search lighten their load as they headed east to see if they could assist further with the rescue. As they walked along the lower edge of the rocky terrain Sarah could not shake the thought that surely she was here for more than just luck but dismissed the idea and concentrated on her footing. The wind was at their back and it made the journey much easier than the one they had just completed.

As they neared the site of the crash a bark from ahead in the distance could be heard and Jessie this time called back. She quickened her pace and was soon out of site. The two travelers followed the tracks she left behind right to the crash site that showed no signs of impact, fire or even debris. They met Dan and his two Native Indian companions Moose who was just that, a human chain hoist and his brother Fox Tail who was an intelligent and insightful man. “Where is the plane” Nick asked?
“Follow us” spoke Fox Tail as he led them up some rocks to the crest. When they reached the peak and peered over they saw the broken plane resting seventy feet below, stuck in a crevasse with shear walls of ice preventing any type of climb down there. “Is he alive” inquired Nick? “Yes, he’s alive but thinks his arm and leg are broken. He says he’s cold but O.K.” spoke Moose. “The only crevasse in a hundred miles and this guy hits it like a bull’s eye” added Fox Tail. “The shelter from the crevasse has probably kept him alive to this point” he continued.

Nick thought for a moment. It was too risky to lower a person down over the edge for fear of a collapse and then suggested they take a couple of blankets and wrap Jessie in them with a few supplies and lower her down with the ropes they had brought. They group agreed even though Jessie was not fond of the idea but did comply trusting in her pack leaders decision.

The group packed up the make shift sling and lowered its contents to the floor of the crevasse where the pilot collected the food and water while Jessie collected the face of the pilot and licked at his wounds. He stopped her and asked “What’s your name”?
“Jessie” called down Nick from above. “Jessie guard” was his next command. Jessie curled up with the pilot as he covered them with the blankets and drank some water and ate a granola bar, it was a little frozen but he knew he would need to keep his strength up for no rescue would happen tonight. The warmth from Jessie was a welcome relief to the shivering pilot as he settled in for the long haul.

Fox Tail raised his hunting rifle and fired three consecutive shots in the air and the group listened for a response from the third party. A few seconds later a single shot rang back.
“We’re going to be here for the night” he said. Dan added “When the other party gets here we’ll head back to the station and arrange for an air rescue for when the weather clears enough”. “If we are staying here we might as well get comfortable. Fox Tail and I will head back down to the forest and get some wood to burn for heat” Nick continued the conversation.

Nick left his pack for the others to use to create a shelter for the night.
He turned to Fox Tail and asked if was ready to go when Sarah spoke the words” We’re ready”. Nick had almost forgotten his deal with her but quickly agreed to her wishes.

The wind picked up and brought with it another curtain of snow as the three headed down the slopes to the woods below. They walked in single file with Sarah in the middle and Nick bringing up the rear until they reached the tree line.
When they reached the edge of the woods an eerie feeling fell over the forest invaders as each began to collect broken branches. “Keep alert for any sounds” Fox Tail said and then added “stay within visual range of each other”.

With a large fan shaped branch laid down on the snow like a sled the three loaded the improvised vessel with their collectables. As Nick lashed the piles together he heard Sarah proclaim she could hear a hissing sound. “Which direction” Fox Tail started to ask when from a perch above dropped down a magnificent cat. A Mountain Lion with ears pinned back and ready to strike. Nick stood in an instant, gun at arm’s length, poised for a battle he would rather avoid. The cat paused motionless as it sized up the competition. Sarah slowly backed away from the feline as Fox Tail step forth to draw the attention of the cat away from her. From behind the group came the growls of not one but six wolves. A pack that must have been curious as to the noises they created gathering wood for survival.

As each creature, mankind included evaluated their chances of self preservation the human group slowly moved closer together so as not to create a singled out member of the herd scenario, while the wolves spread out to better their chances and the cougar dug in for the ambush strike.

“This is not going to be pretty” said Fox Tail, when two wolves ran around them and over to one side of the cougar while two others flanked it on the opposite side. The cat must not have liked these new odds and turned tail running off to fight another day. In just a few seconds the battle field changed, the flanking maneuver of the wolves over the cat had just triangulated the gatherers in middle of three paired wolves in but one chess move. “Smart animals” said Fox Tail. He knew and respected the intelligence of the wolf.

From deeper in the woods, out of sight came the howl of a lone wolf. It was a solo cry that called the others back into the forest from which they appeared. The pack left without incident much to the relief of the collectors. With a sigh from each member they just looked at each other, puzzled but not interested in an explanation, just glad to have avoided the worst that could have ensued. They grabbed the branch sled, turned to leave the forest when they found themselves face to face with what must have been the pack leader, a lone wolf, a mysterious creature that entered the lives of two of the three that held the branch. Panting slightly while staring again through the soul of Sarah, the Alpha female tore through her emotions like a bolt of lightning. A tear swelled in her eye as she thanked it for saving their lives. She wiped her eyes and when she looked back to wolf it had gone just as before, silent and mysterious. “You have found your spirit” said Fox Tail. No answer was necessary.

Each member reflected on what they had all shared as they headed back up the mountain. Not a single word was spoken until they reached base camp when Moose came towards them to help bring the wood into camp. “Everything O.K.” he asked puzzled by the looks on their faces? Nick just looked at Fox Tail when Sarah spoke “everything is fine, we just ran into an old friend of mine”.