Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Five

Chase heard the scream of the mountain lion and his blood ran cold. He knew instantly how Blaze would react. The stallion reared and sent Leah crashing to the ground. Chase heard the breath whoosh out of her in a loud gust and knew that it would be several moments before she could breathe easily again and regain her bearings.

By then the mountain lion would be on her.

Chase pulled his knife and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him. They propelled him quickly over the plains and the mountain lion was preparing to pounce when Chase jumped in between the best and Leah.

"Chase!" Leah exclaimed with surprise as she pushed herself up on her elbows.

Chase nodded in acknowledgement but didn't take his eyes off the growling, angry beast. Chase held out his arms and yelled loudly hoping to scare the beast off but he could tell by the hungry gleam in the cat's eyes that he would have no such luck. Without a gun this was going to be claws and teeth against knife and hands.

Leah watched in horror and shock as Chase and the mountain lion faced each other and then she screamed when the big cat lunged. Chase lunged at the exact same instant and the two met in mid-air. For a moment it looked as if they were simply hugging before they fell to the ground and began to roll and wrestle violently.

Leah jumped to her feet and desperately watched the battle while knowing there was nothing she could do to help. Another man she cared about was going to die all because she had been too stubborn and headstrong to do what was best!

Lord have mercy on her soul! Had she just admitted that she cared about Chase? Yes she had and she couldn't let him die....

Before Leah could come up with anyway to aid the man, the battle came to an end.

A certainly human roar filled the night and Leah watched the knife blade flash in the moonlight as Chase raised it in the air and brought it down into the giant cat's back.

Silence fell.

Everything became still.

Leah waited with baited breath and trepidation for any sign movement.

"Chase?" she whispered shakily and the body of the cat moved. Leah let out a yelp of fear, certain that the mountain lion had somehow won the battle and would now come for her. Only when Chase grunted did Leah realize the movement had simply been Chase moving the body off of him.

Leah was shaking as she watched Chase get to his feet. His shoulders were slumped and his breathing was heavy. His black eyes flashed in the night as they met hers. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Yes," she replied before biting her lip. Surely he would be angry with her.

"You need to travel two days to the east to get back to your home," he informed her as he swayed appeared to struggle to stand. Chase let out a whistle and Leah heard a horse snort before the black stallion she'd been riding on trotted back into view.

"Chase are you okay?" Leah whispered.

"Go east," he repeated and then he fell to his side on the ground.

"Chase!" she screamed. Leah ran to him and fell to her knees beside him. Leah rolled him onto his back and now that she was closer to him she could see the cuts and gouges covering his body. His shirt was wet with blood and covered in holes from the big cat's claws. His buckskin pants were worse. They were ripped, torn and soaked with blood. He wouldn't live if she didn't get him somewhere and tend to his wounds.

She felt the stallion nudge her shoulder with his nose and grabbed his reins to hold him in place. Leah stood and seriously considered mounting the horse and riding east. That was what she should do. It was what any sane person would do! If she took Chase back to camp that would be like willingly walking into prison.