Canada Moose's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

Canada Moose was halfway through his rope work when he heard the crash of branches below. He turned from the platform and saw Cee Cee Cougar burst into the clearing. She was breathing hard, her shoulder scraped raw, one ear torn and bleeding. "Hiker," Cee Cee gasped. "Trapped on the ridge near marker 164. His leg's pinned under a boulder." Canada Moose felt his chest tighten. This was real — not practice, not drills. He climbed down and grabbed the stretcher from the outpost cabin, slinging rope and supplies over his shoulder. But when he tried to lift the stretcher, his hooves fumbled the handles. The weight shifted wrong and clattered to the ground. Cee Cee didn't wait. She grabbed one end and he grabbed the other. Together they carried it through the forest, following the painted arrows on the wooden trail markers. Canada Moose's legs moved faster than his thoughts. He wasn't alone this time. When they reached marker 164, they found the hiker conscious but pale, his boot crushed beneath stone. Canada Moose set down the stretcher and braced himself against the boulder. He pushed. The rock shifted just enough for Cee Cee to pull the hiker free. They lifted him onto the stretcher and secured the straps with the same rescue knot Canada Moose had practiced a thousand times. The hiker winced but nodded his thanks. As they carried him down the mountain, Canada Moose felt the gold cross swing against his chest. He hadn't frozen. He hadn't been perfect either — but he had moved, and that was enough.