The human started turning in that direction and I leapt into action. But I was only partway across when I realised that the man had not fixed his attention on the noise and was looking around and would soon spot me. I was committed now, I had to go on, but my chances were looking grim. Then Midnight’s voice was shouting, “Hey you over there! What do you think you are doing? ” Shi must have seen my predicament and was making a target of hirself. I could just see hir at the far edge of the clearing. The man was already moving his rifle back in hir direction. I poured on the speed but, just as I pounced on him, a shot rang out. I was horrified. Had I been too late? I had knocked him unconscious and I took only a moment to remove his gun and I immediately raced over to where I had seen Midnight. There shi was slumped on the ground and I feared the worst. Why did shi have to expose hirself like that? Shi had possibly saved my life by hir distraction, but was it at the cost of hir own? Then shi groaned. I turned hir head and saw blood leaking from a wound on hir forehead. The bullet had grazed hir head, marring hir perfect fur, but had appeared to have done no real damage other than stunning hir. Shi opened hir eyes and said, “Who dropped a boulder on me? ”
“Midnight! Thank the stars you’re not dead. What made you do such a foolish thing? You came damn close to being killed! …to be continued!