Luna
Luna
Hunter’s sharp teeth grip Luna’s throat. She squirms and thrusts her hind legs against his belly. But he leans in bites harder. She can’t breathe. After a wave of dizziness, she gives up and lies still.
Hunter lets go of her throat and nips her ear. Rolling to her feet, Luna dodges another pounce. With flattened ears, she hisses at her brother.
Hunter turns and springs on Shadow. They tussle in the dirt inside the den.
Luna slinks away from the rough play. She winces from the pricks of pain over most of her body. Even though Hunter is about half the size of a grown-up cougar, he is still larger and much stronger than she is.
When she reaches the entrance of the den, she blinks in the bright sun. Across the gorge, crows soar in circles above the hills.
If only the cubs could go out and explore. Maybe Hunter would attack her less if he had some real prey to go after.
Luna ambles out from under the boulders. Down by the river, a mouse scuttles along the rocks. A larger animal moves in the bushes across the river. Luna creeps forward and peers over the rock face. A creature taller than her mother trots out, then laps the water. Scruffy white-and-grey fur covers a thin body.
A wolf!
While trying to evade the wolf, Luna, a young cougar cub, falls from a cliff. She lands in a swiftly-moving river, and, in next to no time, she is carried far from home and her mother’s protection. The rest of the story is about her journey home, a journey which includes evading the wolf, interactions with an elk and her calf, discovering some tasty quail’s eggs, finding shelter for the night, and spotting a group of humans on horseback. By the time Luna is reunited with her mother and brothers, she is famished but has learned how to fend for herself.
The morning following Luna’s reunification with her family, her mother arrives at their den with a large squirrel for Luna. When Hunter tries to take the squirrel for himself, Luna “winds up on top of him, biting his neck hard.”
Hissing and spitting, he crawls away. He retreats to a corner in the den and growls at her. Shadow backs off as well. Her brothers watch Luna devour her first good meal in days. When either one comes close, she hisses and lashes out with her claws.
After she’s had her fill, Luna leaves the rest for her brothers. She lies on a warm rock with her mother.
…
Without warning, her brothers dart toward her. They roll and tumble into her. She hisses and shows her teeth. Hunter growls but backs off....
Luna has no problem with playing. Just on her terms and in her time. She is the boss now.
Loraine Kemp, both author and illustrator, keeps this engaging story moving at a good pace and includes approximately one lifelike black and white illustration per chapter. A postscript gives readers interesting facts about “The Amazing Cougar.” After reading the above excerpt (that ends with “She is the boss now”), this reader wondered if that meant female cougars are alphas. However, since that isn’t mentioned in the postscript, more likely, the excerpt is a subtle message for all young readers concerning self-respect and deference.
Karen Rankin is a Toronto, Ontario, teacher and writer of children’s stories.