Shifting Snows

Macy Lawson’s eyes went wide as she stared at the big cat in front of her—and it stared back. Snow blew around them and an icy wind lifted the beast’s whitish-gray coat, accenting the dark rosettes that peppered the gorgeous pelt. The animal’s massive feet didn’t sink into the deep snow though the weight of its large body should have pushed it into the drifts.

It remained perfectly still, its light green eyes studying her.

She swallowed, frozen as it watched her. A snow leopard! Not only was this it larger than normal, but it shouldn’t be here! Not on Mount Elbert in Colorado.

Her heart thudded in her throat as she shook. Semantics didn’t matter in the face of this carnivore.

She was dead.

That very thought propelled her into action. She’d never see her friends and family again. They’d never know what happened to her. But she had to run; she couldn’t just stand there like some virginal sacrifice to a dragon.

Her breath clutched in her chest, her heart beating explosively in her throat as desperation drove her. Could she find some crevice to shelter her—a space too small for the huge animal—or a branch to wield as a weapon?

She’d need the supplies to get her off the mountain, but she shucked off her backpack as she ran. It had to come off if she hoped to squeeze into a tiny space. The snow hampered her, though. The deep drifts hindered her movements, slowing her gait and wearing her out even as adrenaline pushed her.

But it wasn’t enough. She heard the predator. Horrified, she glanced over her shoulder to see the snow leopard. The cat that shouldn’t even be on this continent, bounding gracefully over the snow-covered ground that separated them. Macy turned, fear adding speed to her feet as she ran. Suddenly, time froze on a soft burst of air as the sound of chase ceased. An impact drove her to the ground, her last recollection that of powerful, furry limbs wrapping her body and mighty jaws grasping her neck.