A Caring Puma

Daniel Olin was 11 years old when his parents moved to Edmonton in Canada. He liked his new school and made friends there, but then things at home started to change. His mum and dad began to argue and the arguments got worse and worse until one day, Daniel's mum left. With his father working long hours, Daniel felt very alone and very unhappy. He wanted to escape, to run away. And that's what he did.

Very early one bitterly cold morning when the snow was deep on the ground, he packed a bag with some clothes, his Walkman, some chocolate and a map of Canada and set off. He ran and ran until he could hardly breathe. His feet were heavy with the snow but he staggered on through deep snowdrifts, not even watching where he was going.

Then, disaster struck. A rock hidden by the deep snow caught his ankle and Daniel fell to the ground, crying in pain. He had broken the bone. And no one knew where he was to help him. He was bitterly cold and was starting to feel tired, but he knew that if he fell asleep in the snow, he would almost certainly die from the cold.

A spruce tree stirred ahead. From within the branches, a pair of yellow eyes watched Daniel. The puma had been stalking him. A puma is a powerful cat with claws that could shred Daniel into strips. But instead of moving in for the kill, the puma approached Daniel and lay across his chest and limbs. Daniel was too frightened to move, but soon the warmth of the animal reached Daniel and he began to feel better. From time to time, the puma pressed his muzzle against Daniel and rocked his head gently. Clearly, the puma knew that Daniel must not fall asleep. This animal should have been a real danger to Daniel and yet the boy began to feel safe.

They remained like that for several hours until Daniel and the puma heard voices. The rescue team had found them.