*Scent*

The scent of sheep blood come from under a scattered pile of moss and leaves. There is some strange scent mingled with it, but it's hard to tell what it is.

Timber

Timber sprinted in, but stopped suddenly when he caught scent of the sheep's blood. The fur rose slightly on his back. There aren't any sheep out here! he thought. This blood was certainly from a sheep from their pasture. A bit confused, Timber waited for Shimmer and Aidan. What he didn't know was that this was a trap set by Mark; it was intended to lure the wolves that had attacked his sheep in the past.

Shimmer

She smiled and sprinted in but then also noticed the smell and followed it to Timber and the sheep. She padded up to it and sniffed it trying to get a scent. "Maybe I can find out who did it." She suggests and starts swiping at it with her paw unknowingly.

Aidan

The hybrid pup bounded in after his new friends, brimming with excitement. He slowed down when Shimmer and Timber did and tilted his head to the side. "I don't recognize that scent... I know its blood though, but from what?" he questions. Curiously, he padded over to Shimmer and watched as she pawed at the pile of leaves and moss.

Shimmer

"Sheep." Shimmer replied as she began to dig vigorously trying to find a scent of a wolf or dog that wasn't there for she had no clue it was a trap.

*Trap* & Timber

Suddenly, the leaves and moss seemed to explode up into the air, flying up every which way. A leg-hold trap had been hidden under them, and it snapped shut around one of Shimmer's front paws. Lucky for her, the edges of the trap were lined with rubber. Mark knew that if they weren't lined with rubber, they would dig into the leg of the trapped animal as they struggled to get away. Although he despised the wolves that attacked his livestock, he was not one to cause them unneeded suffering. So now Shimmer's paw was firmly held, but not in a way that would hurt her; unless she strained her paw by trying too hard to pull it out.

Timber sprung back when the trap snapped shut and flung all the leaves into the air. Once seeing that something was caught around Shimmer's paw, Timber snarled and leapt forward, "What's that? Can you get your paw out??" he asked frantically, not knowing what the thing was.

Shimmer

Shimmer had been quite surprised and it had hurt her when it clamped tightly around her paw but it didn't hurt her no further until she started tugging frantically. "Oh no! I can’t get loose! I don't know what it is!?!?!? Timber can you get it off." She pleaded still tugging. She then began chewing at it her heart was beating fast as fear came over her.She had no clue what to expect.

Aidan

He jumped back, startled by the sudden movement of the trap. Timidly, he crept towards Shimmer and sniffed at the trap, "Y-you don't know what it is?" he questions nervously, pinning his ears down now. He figured it must be alive, somehow, because it had moved and now held her leg tightly. Aidan nipped at it, then sprung back, seeing what might happen.

Shimmer

shimmer whimpered a bit and then jumped sideways hard and tried to get her paw out but all it did was jerk and twist her leg a bit. She yelped. "Timber can you go get help. Maybe Mark or Martha could help..." She said trailing off. "No wait Aidan can you go get help. I don't think it would be wise for me to stay alone without help for if a big cat comes and attacks I would be doomed to death most likely."

Timber

Timber bit at the trap to a moment, but only succeeding in chipping a tooth. "It's too hard to bite through!" he announced with distress. Then he nodded to Aidan, "Yes, please go get help! Just bark to get their attention, or tug at the clothes." He sat down by Shimmer, frustrated that he couldn't help Shimmer. He would at least protect her against any big cats.

Shimmer

She nodded. "And please Aidan hurry. Some of these cats can be quite mean." She then looked to Timber. "What was that Cougar cubs name we met long ago. Maybe she could help. Wasn't her name Lass..." She sighed not remembering the rest or knowing if she was even right.

Aidan

Aidan nodded, "Don't worry, I'll go get help!" he turned and began to run back to the Ranch. He was beginning to wonder just how big these 'cats' could be if Shimmer was afraid of them. Still, he did want to meet one.

Shimmer

Shimmer sighs. "Be careful!" She yells to Aidan as he leaves. She didn’t want him to get hurt on her account. She then looks to Timber and waits for his answer.

Timber

He paused, straining to remember what the cougar's name was. "Lacc... no... Less... no..." he tried out the beginning of the name, but the rest of it wouldn't come to him. "This place looks sorta familiar; maybe she is nearby? I bet she'll hear us if we howl. Surely she remembers us." Timber howled out as loud as he could. The high-pitched howl of his echoed many times off the cliffs; that's partly of the area got its name 'breve'.

Shimmer

She joined Timber and howled a long melody as well. "I hope she remembers us. I also hope Aidan made it back to the Ranch by now."

Timber & Lassoma

He nodded to Shimmer, "For our sake, I hope she does too." He remembered back then when he spoke to the cougar and asked how big her mother was, and never really found out. By now, that cougar kitten would have grown to a young adult like Shimmer and Timber; they would soon find out just how big the cougar was.

It took a while for them to get a response. After some time a very light 'plodding' could be heard; the sound of big-cat paws treding over the ground in their direction. It was Lassoma. She remembered the canines that had come to her den when she was a kitten. She still lived with her mother and one surviving brother, but she could hunt on her own now. She had grown to an impressive five feet long and almost one hundred pounds; and she wasn't finished growing. As she slinked across the ground, her tail twitched tenitively, nervous about approaching the two. But she eventually did and stopped only a yard from them, "I remember you... you visited my den a while back, right? Oh..." Lassoma trailed off, seeing that Shimmer was trapped.

Shimmer

Shimmer nodded. She was amazed at how big Lassoma was. "Yes I am Shimmer and that's Timber if you don't remember our names. If I may ask what is yours again? And do you think you could help get this thing off my paw please?" She asked.

Timber & Lassoma

"Lassoma." the cougar replies as she studies the trap. She had seen these before. "Well... I have no idea how to work those." she sighed, sitting back on her haunches and flicking her tail to her side. "Humans use their strange paws to press the sides of the trap, or something like that. I've tried to open one once..." she looked down, then back to Shimmer and Timber. Before she could continue, she heard something. "Human!" she hissed.

Timber tilted an ear back, hearing a human approach as well. "Shimmer do you hear that?" He tried to catch the scent, but the wind wasn't blowing in the right direction. "It sounds like two humans... one with heavier foot steps... someone older and one younger.."

Shimmer

Shimmer nodded when she heard Lassoma. She then smelt it as well. "Maybe its Mark! Wait but it sounds like there are two of them and isn't John in the hospital." Shimmer says nervously. "I don't know if Martha would come out here and wouldn't Aidan come along to." Shimmer sighed looking worriedly to Timber and Lassoma.

Timber & Lassoma

Timber was unsure on what to do, "You're right, Shimmer. I hope they're nice though, who ever they are."

Lassoma's long tail began to flick more rapidly in a sign of anxiety, "Maybe I should hide; I could ambush the humans." She knew humans only for being killers.

Shimmer

Shimmer nodded to Lassoma. "Ok fine but only attack if Timber and I do because some humans are nice but others aren't. And it might not be the best thing to make them mad." Shimmer said. "Timber hide with Lassoma. And if they are nice just walk out." She suggested. She waited nervously and began to bark pleadingly and tugging to get free.

Timber, Lassoma, & *Humans*

Lassoma nodded and sprinted to a steep cliff a few yards from Shimmer. With a single leap, she reached a ledge the jutted out of the cliff. From there, she was above the humans and out of their site unless they happened to look up.

Timber scrambled over to the cliff, but he couldn't possibly make the jump that Lassoma did. Instead, he crouched down amongst the budding gooseberry bushes and briar vines.

No sooner had they hid than two humans walked into view; a man and an older teen. They were poachers and now were going to poach Mark's trap line. They spotted Shimmer and spoke to each other in excited voices. She looked like a pure wolf to them. One man took a few steps towards her, holding a riffle in his hand. He didn't look the least bit friendly.

Shimmer

Shimmer still had the small cast on her opposite leg which might show she was a pet. She did have the floppy ears though and if they noticed they'd be able to tell she wasn't full wolf but when she saw the gun she howled for Mark or Martha but doubted her howl would reach home. She hoped Timber and Lassoma wouldn't jump out just yet for she wanted to see what they'd do because perhaps they'd release her and try and take her but then she could escape. But if they tried to shoot her shed signal Timber and Lassoma right away. She whimpered to the humans and walked in a circle around the trap but couldn't go no further for the chain wasn't all that long.

Timber, Lassoma, & *Humans*

Timber's fur raised and his fangs were bared, but he held back a snarl. He was ready to spring at these humans, but they hadn't really done anything wrong yet.

Lassoma stood as still as a rock. Her golden eyes were locked on the man with the gun.

The man noticed the cast then and the floppy ears. He said something to the teen, who shrugged in response. The man hesitated about what to do next; her could get money by selling her fur as 'wolf' fur, even though he now realized she wasn't pure wolf. "'Spose it's a wild mix that the old lady helped?" he asked the teen now, speaking of the lady from the woodland farm. The teen shrugs again, "It could be a pet. There's plenty of ranches around." Then he noticed the tracks of Timber and Lassoma and pointed them out to the man. Lifting his riffle, the man began to follow where the tracks led...

The teen walked over to Shimmer and extended his hand to see if she would try to attack him or not. This, he figured, would help decide if she was wild or a pet.

Shimmer

She didn't bite him when he extended his hand. Instead she sniffed it and backed up for they hadn't hurt her YET. She noticed the man with the gun follow the tracks. She whimpered and barked warning Timber and Lassoma.

Timber, Lassoma, & *Humans*

The teen still wasn't sure. Now he figured she could be just a timid stray or an unsocial pet. He knelt down and reached his hand out now towards the trap, but paused and waited for Shimmer's reaction. If she didn't object, he would go ahead and open the trap. But he knew wild animals would never tolerate that.

Lassoma flattened her body closer to the rocky ledge and peered down at the man. She could easily pounce on him now, and was just about to if he made one wrong move.

Timber waited until the man was too close to him. Slowly, he stood up and wagged his tail.

The man was surprised. He had an idea in mind though. He reached out to pet Timber and see if the dog was friendly. Timber, he could see, seemed to be a purebred boarder collie. The man knew he could make money off selling him.

Shimmer

Shimmer didn't reacted much but wagged her tail a little hoping he'd open the trap.

Timber, Lassoma, & *Humans*

Seeing she wasn't going to attack him, the teen went ahead and opened the trap. It took a moment, but after struggling with the trap, he forced it open enough for Shimmer to pull her paw out.

Timber wagged his tail, decided this man was going to be friendly. But now his concern returned to Shimmer, and he brushed past the man to see if she was still ok. That's when the man turned and suddenly grabbed the collie by his lean muzzle. Startled by the sudden action, Timber tried to leap back, but the man was strong and he couldn't pull free.

Lassoma stood up then, looking from Shimmer to Timber. She wasn't sure if she should attack yet.

Shimmer

She pulled her paw out thankfully and wagged her tail in thanks thinking these humans must be friendly. She didn't notice Timber for he hadn't been able to yap or bark and her attention was on the human in front of her. She didn't want to turn her back just yet. She circled him once and sniffed him getting a more strong scent of him.

Timber, Lassoma, & *Humans*

Timber tried to bark, but he couldn't. The man fished about in his pocket before he located a string. It wasn't a strong one, but he wrapped it around the collie's muzzle enough so he couldn't open it. It was also too small of string for his paws to scratch it off. Now he forced Timber down on his side and held him there by stepping on his shoulder with his heavy boot. The man said something then.

The teen heard it and quickly backed away from Shimmer. At that moment, the man raised his riffle and shot it at Shimmer. He planned to sell her fur, and then sell Timber as a high-price purebred collie.

Lassoma saw the danger then. With a fierce cry, she launched her powerful body down onto the man, hoping to throw off his aim as he shot off his riffle.

Shimmer

Shimmer was just missed thanks to Lassoma. She whimpered wondering why the man freed her if they were going to shoot at her anyway. She howled for Mark or Martha and then ran and tried to ram the man that shot at her. She didn't try and hurt the teen for he still hadn't done anything but he better start running.

Aidan

The pup came racing back, panting and out of breath from all the running, "Martha and Elsa are coming I think." he said as he ran over to them. When he saw Lassoma and the two humans, the pup froze. The fur on his back rose. Somehow, this man had threatened hit two new friends because Shimmer was attacking him. Snarling, Aidan rushed the man and clamped his small teeth into the man's leg.

Shimmer

After she had tried to ram the man she leapt back> She saw Aidan and hoped he'd be careful. "Ok." She said and lunged trying to grab the riffle. She had seen wild dogs and wolves try and do that to John once and perhaps seeing that she thought it might help if she carried the riffle away a short distance.

Lassoma, Timber, & *Humans*

Lassoma was powerful enough to have brought the man to the ground. Her teeth closed around the back of his neck while her claws dug into his shoulder and back. But... she didn't kill him yet. Her fierce eyes went from Shimmer to Aidan, then to the teen. She would just hold the man down for now.

Timber scrambled up, wide-eyed and perturbed to have his mouth unable to open.

The teen was terrified! He shouted something then picked up a large rock and chucked it at Lassoma, trying to drive her away.

The man was unable to get up and now defenseless as Shimmer took his gun away. He felt Aidan's teeth dig into leg, but he could do nothing for that right now. He concern was for the mountain lion crouching on top of him. He was afraid to move.

Shimmer

She carried the gun a distance away and howled for Martha and Elsa to let them know to hurry. She'd give the riffle to Martha when she arrived if she did. She watched the teen throwing rocks and she jump up to catch one and keep it away from Lassoma. She then rushed back standing by the riffle. She looked to Timber. "Come here maybe I cam get it off." She said hoping that she could and that Martha would arrive.

becca

*running in the hybrid ran as fast as she could with her broken paw. she barked loudly at the group* "what happened here?"*this was a very confusing fight*

Ivy

She stood beside Becca and looked around, "what happened?"

Shimmer

She saw Becca and Ivy and she stood over the riffle still guarding it waiting for Martha. "I got caught in a trap and then these two humans came and one had a gun. He tied up Timbers mouth and was about to shoot me until our friend Lassoma attacked him making him miss." She said looking to Lassoma the cougar. She then looked to Aidan. "Before the humans came as you know Aidan ran for help." She explained. "I'm not sure why but that teen over me freed me from the trap." She said a bit puzzled why he did that if the other human was gonna try and shoot her. "Then I stole the gun and Lassoma is holding the man there. I'm going to give Martha the gun because she knows how to use it im sure." She says for she hadn't really seen Martha use a gun before only Mark and John but she was sure Martha knew how.

becca

*she looked at the trap and limped over to it.* why did they line it with rubber if they were to kill you?

Martha, Timber, Elsa, Lassoma, & *Humans*

Timber watched the others arrive, unable to do much while his mouth was tied shut.

It took a while, but Martha reached the Ridges, running exhaustedly after Elsa who had to stop often and patiently wait for her master to catch up. When Martha reached the seen, it would be an understatement to say she was bewildered.

The teen was scared witless because the cougar had his father by the back of the neck and now a bunch of canines had run it. When he saw Martha, he spoke quickly, "My dad and I... we were just walking through the area when he found this dog stuck in the trap..." he glanced towards Shimmer before continuing, "...I freed the dog, but then that collie tried to attack my dad, so he had to tie his mouth shut." he lied now, "Then that cougar..." he trailed off, looking over to where Lassoma had been.

The large cougar had sprung off the man when Martha came. She knew that the woman was somehow a friend of Timber and Shimmer because she carried a similar scent. She dashed into the nearby vegetation where she crouched down, hiding and watching.

Blinking in confusion, but glad the cougar had retreated, he continued, "...it attacked my dad..." he finished his story, adding the last sentence with an air of confusion. It was true that he was going to free Shimmer because he thought she was a pet. It was the man's idea afterwards to kill Shimmer for her fur though.

Martha was pale for a moment, utterly shocked and having a hard time making sense of it all. Not really sure what to do, she called Shimmer and Timber over to her to make sure they were ok. At the same time, she replied, "I appreciate you helping out my pets. Are you both alright? Why don't we all go back to my house and sort things out."

Shimmer

Shimmer was glad to see Martha. She carried the gun the her and set it down but snarled at the teens father letting Martha know that they were lying. She bared her fangs and laid her ears back. She then looked to the rifle and whimpered trying to let Martha know what the man had tried to do. She stopped whimpering and stood close to Martha glaring at the older poacher. She rumbled lightly at him but refrained from attack glad Martha had come. She then runs over to the bushes where Lassoma was and smiled to her. "Thanks for your help. I will come back to visit, Timber probably will as well." She said then leapt out of the vegetation and sprinted back by Martha's side.

Timber, Elsa, Lassoma, Martha, & *Humans*

Lassoma gave a smile, "No problem. Come by any time." Feeling that Shimmer and Timber were safe now, the cougar turned and disappeared silently into the wilderness.

The man was shaken to the core by being pounced upon by a cougar and having his life at it's mercy. Now that the large cat was gone, he picked himself up and clutched Aidan by the scruff harshly and yanked the pup away from his leg. With a face red in anger he spoke heatedly, "Didn't 'cha hear my son? You're vicious pets attacked us when we was just try'n to help 'em!" he narrowed his eyes at Aidan before flinging him to the ground and then scowling towards Shimmer. "Being as there's alot 'o concern over dangerous dogs 'n wolves, I've got mind to be tell'n the authities 'bout this!"

Timber nudged Martha and looked up at her expectantly. "Oh, goodness!" she exclaimed as she saw how tightly the string was wound about his muzzle. As she began to take it off, she listened to the man. Her own face flushed red with indignintation and anger as he spoke. She was really set off when she tossed Aidan down. "I'll tell you right now, mister, that these two angels wouldn't harm an honest man unless he did them some harm before! They're as sweet as can be." She said as she looked down to Shimmer and Timber, then scowled accusingly over at the man as she stood up to face him, "If I didn't know any better, I'd go to guess that you're not as good as your son there has been saying! I think it's mighty fishy that you bring a riffle with you and walk my husband's trap line."

Timber now rumbled as well, glaring at the man. He heard how angry the man and his master were getting, and he wouldn't let him even touch her. His rumble turned to a deep growl when the man tossed Aidan. He would have attacked him now, but knew better than to do that since Martha was here.

Shimmer

She saw Aidan get thrown and ran over to him and picked him up carrying him a safe distance away. She licked his face once. "Are you ok?" She asked. She then turned and ran by Martha's side. She wouldn't let the man touch Martha either. She snarls lightly with her ears back. Martha was right. She'd never attack a human without reason and she and Timber hadn't laid a scratch on him. Shimmer then remembered the bullet. She sniffed it out and carried the missed bullet over to Martha and dropped it and let out a whimper. Now Martha would probably guess that the man had shot it at her.

becca

*pads over to martha and barks at the man like saying we won't hurt a soul*

Aidan

He thumps his tail against the ground once when Shimmer licked his face. It was something that his mother would have done if he got scared or injured, so it made him feel better. "I'm alright." he replied and scampered over to Martha. It didn't look good on his part that he had been biting the man's leg when Martha arrived, but he figured she'd understand what they were all trying to tell her.

Shimmer

Shimmer was glad Aidan was ok and smiled faintly to him and then resumed her growling at the man. She bared her sharp ivories and laid her ears back once again. She then stopped though and waited to see what Martha was going to do.

Martha, Timber, Elsa, & *Humans*

Martha paused in her accusations as she bent down to pick up the bullet. She knew enough about guns to tell this kind of bullet came from the same kind of riffle the man had. And seeing that Shimmer had picked it up not far from the trap, she became suspicious and jumped to conclusions. "So tell me how this bullet ended up so close to the trap you said my dog Shimmer was in?" She had one hand on her hip and the other clutched the bullet.

The man scrunched up his face in a furious kind of way, "Well what does it matter? Yer two brutes are fine an' dandy while I nearly got torn ta ribbons by them before ya showed up!" He continued to lie, but before Martha could rage to her pets' defense again, he continued, "I don't care whut ya tell your husband, ya got no proof of my wrong do'n! I gotta bit up leg here; and that's proof e'nuff for the authorities! I'll be sure those vicious brutes are destroyed!" He glanced at his son and snatched up his riffle then. They both stalked off away from Martha.

She was flustered as her face became more red with anger. She was going to shout an insult after them, but figured that wouldn't help anything. With a heavy sigh, she knelt down again and looked over Shimmer, Timber, and Aidan more closely to make sure they weren't hurt. She patted Shimmer's head then, "That mean old man tried to shoot you, I believe. Too bad we'll never really know the truth." she sighed and stood up, "We'd best be getting home now." she began to walk back to the ranch after calling for her pets to follow her. She was worried about what the man had said; it was possible he could have her dogs destroyed if he said they were vicious, but Martha doubted that. In any case, she would have to keep a loot out and make sure no body tried to harm her pets.

Timber wagged his tail now, thinking Martha had won the verbal fight and made the two leave. "Humans have a weird way of fighting." the collie pointed out as he followed Martha home, "They just growl at each other and get all red-faced."

Shimmer

She snarled at the men as they stalked away. When Martha called she ran over to Aidan and picked him up and trotted back to the ranch. Shed carry Aidan figuring he must be tired from running back and forth. She heads to the ranch.

becca

*following the rest with a limp she was in pain from her run but would not show it.*