| Walking Tree spent the rest of that day, from the time the sun came up until dusk, getting his pen back into shape to keep the predators out. His rabbits had all spent the day in their cages but he had things ready so they could come out the following morning and get exercise. The next two days everything went fine. The weather remained brisk but was pleasant enough. Of course the nights had become quite cold. Then the third night the creature came back. It tore through the chicken wire and took two more rabbit cages with rabbits in them. Walking Tree decided this time he was going to do more than just repair the pen. First he did repair the pen which took most that day. The night passed without incident. The next day he devoted his time to defense. First thing he did was to get some plywood and drive nails through it. Then he placed it around the edges of his pen, so that anything that tried to get to the chicken wire would have to step on or over the strips of plywood with the nails in them. He placed them in strips between trees and any place he could get them to fit between trees or underbrush. He placed them on three of the four sides of the pen, the fourth being the side that butted up to the barn where the cages were kept. The nails worked. Walking Tree knew the nails had worked before he ever saw the creature’s blood because he was woke up by a mighty roar of pain. The beast stepped on the nails and cried out in pain and anger. Walking Tree rushed outside with his gun in his hand but the beast had already left the area. He didn’t search any further that night but the next day the daylight revealed the story he had guessed the night before. next page |  |