Bear River

SHORT STORY

"How much farther?"
"A day, maybe two." Brass loosened the strap on his horse's saddle. "We aren't far."
It was edging toward darkness, and the partners were readying to settle in for the night.
"That mutt of yourn about?" Ruddy glanced around, but Brass was shaking his head.
"He's off catchin' supper. He'll be along."
"I hope he-"
A high-pitched scream drowned out his remark. For one horrible second they registered the sound of agony and panic, then as one man they mounted up and urged the horses into a run, rifles drawn and ready. The loud BAM BAM BAM alerted them the man ahead wasn't helpless, and they heard the frantic barking of a dog before the mutt gave a high squeal. Another panicked wail guided them through the gathering darkness, and they rushed up through a stand of trees, breaking over a ridge above a grisly scene. A broken, bloody body lay crumpled and still up against a rock. Half a dozen feet away was the lifeless form of the dog that had been barking. Center stage was a massive grizzly, brutally, efficiently killing a second man pinned beneath him.