Ash Gray

Suddenly, an eerie feeling overcame Ricky. Something didn’t seem right. What he once described as his “sixth sense” was alerting him to something out the ordinary. Ricky began to feel that someone or something was watching him. He stopped Claire and quickly looked around him and then behind him. Is something watching me? Was it a mountain lion, a bear, a wolf, a poacher, or was something else watching? he thought to himself. All he could see through the falling snow were snow-covered evergreens, boulders, hills, ridges, and a few dirt paths coming down the side of a ridge. Suddenly something alarmed Claire, causing her to rise up on her hind legs and neigh loudly. Claire, raising up on her two hind legs nearly threw Ricky off of her back. Ricky gripped the reigns and Claire’s mane frantically in an effort to keep from being thrown to the ground. He had never seen Claire become as jittery as this before! He stopped her and began to spin Claire around in slow circle, yet again, to scan the ridge, boulders, and trees. Was it a bear, a mountain lion, or what? Ricky wondered. As quickly as he could he regain control of the horse, he suddenly he noticed the odor. What is that rank smell? Ricky thought to himself. The stench reminded him, not of a carcass, but of a large shaggy dog that was never bathed by its owner. The smell was faint at first, but quickly became overpowering. Was that what a bear is supposed to smell like? he asked himself. But what about that stink? Where was it coming from? Claire continued to neigh loudly. For the first time, Ricky could feel Claire’s body tremble! That was very odd! Ricky was really a difficult time controlling her. “Claire, Claire” he whispered, while stroking her neck, trying to calm the equine. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Ricky saw some kind of movement. With lightning speed and perfect accuracy, he whipped the pistol out of his holster, spun his body to the right to 180 degrees and placed his front sight on the large gray mass and pulled the trigger.