Chapter One

Fraser lifted his head, ears shifting forward, pricking in search of sounds that the wind may carry in his direction. He had heard something just a heartbeat before.

Nothing.

He waited a moment longer before dismissing it as the wind or his imagination, bowing his head to once more rip away branches and earth from the shrub at his paws, yanking to reach the richly-flavored roots prominently buried beneath the soil.

As he unearthed the roots, a sound interrupted him, and he lifted his head once more.

A rattlesnake was coiled barely a tail-length away, small eyes narrowed, tail-tip rattling dangerously as a hiss shuddered out of its throat. As he stared at the serpent for a long moment, he saw it shift, coiling backwards, bracing itself to strike.

Fraser made a quick calculation: the snake’s small eyes were fixated on his ankles, and it would be striking low. He leaned back into his hind legs, tensing the muscles in his haunches and preparing to leap over the snake while it was lunging for him. Just a moment longer… almost… almost… now!

The snake shot forward, wide jaws unhinging and speeding towards his forelegs, long venom-tipped fangs seeking out his flesh. Instantaneously, Fraser leapt, sailing high over the snake’s head, landing with a thud where it had been seconds before. He quickly whipped around to face the snake again and found that it was already twisting to strike again. He made an attempt to dodge, but the serpent was too quick, coming for him right as he moved to the side. Sharp pain zipped through his hind ankle and he let out a cry.

Fraser limped along a beaten, sandy trail, his hind leg lifted from the ground. The pain of the snake bite still assaulted him, and every step made his veins sting. The hot sky was growing dark now, vibrant blue giving way to darkness, magnificent streaks of colors and clusters of ancestor-representing stars painting the sky. He lifted his head, staring up at the white specks that filled the night sky, and as he did so he felt a pang of loneliness stab into his heart like a cougar’s claws. Was his family up there, with the ancestors now? Had their mission to find a different home failed and caused them death?

He hung his head as he trudged the rest of the way back to his home, sadness making his paws as heavy as rocks. Abandonment accompanied him as he circled twice and then laid down in his usual spot, tucked away beneath the ragged tree. He tucked his nose away beneath his tail, and as he sank into sleep, a whimper slipped out of his throat. “I miss you,” he whispered to his absent family.

-President Loki