Spotted Eagle Mountain little voice

Had the boy been healthy of mind right now, he would have done anything in his power to outwit the cougar, if such a thing were possible. Spring had always been cleverer than the young Scout, but he did have some smarts... or used to, anyway. Who knew if his mind would ever return to the way it had been before the cat had sunk his claws into it?

Blurred and scuffed, the boy opened his golden eyes to the landscape ahead. He could feel Spring's fear — but, more than that, her determination. And that was when he saw it, revealed by the trees — up ahead and down below, a great river that swerved from the lake to the west. As the mountain sloped, so too did the river. If they threw themselves down the slope right now, instead of trying to traverse across it, they — and a multitude of scree — could fall into the river and take their chances with the rapids instead of the demon...