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He left before sunrise, his snowshoes beating a plodding rhythm atop the recent powder. Reaching the first trap on his line an hour later, he braced himself on a tree as he brushed the fresh snow away with a pine bough, the frozen bait glistening in the morning light.
The sun leisurely tracing an arc across the horizon, his steps gradually slowed till reaching the following trap. Sitting on his haunches to catch his breath, he grunted, "I better turn back after the next two."
But at the third trap, a mutilated badger greeted him, its pelt ruined. Wrinkling his nose at the pungent scent, he whispered, "Wolverine," and spat. He furrowed his brow in concern. It had not eaten any of its meat.
Finding a bloodied and shredded white fox at the next trap, he cursed his rotten luck, his face turning pale when he saw steam still rising from its carcass. Slipping his rifle off his shoulder he ensured a bullet was chambered.
It was too late to turn back now.
The only warning a sudden snarl, he turned and pointed the rifle, but the wolverine leapt with such ferocity that the man tumbled backward, his rifle shot echoing in the answering silence. His throat torn and bleeding, the trapper pushed its carcass off his chest and gazed in horror at its foam flecked jaws.
"God in heaven, hydrophobia," he cried. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he stuck the rifle barrel under his chin and closed his eyes.
About the Creator
John Cox
Family man, grandfather, retired soldier and story teller with an edge.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
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Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Fangs of Light
This story is a continuation of the Tales of Ezok that began in "The Precipice." Reading this story and its companion "Whispers and Whisps" is not required to enjoy this story, but they will each add layers to the character we see here and I would be remiss to not mention them at the very least.
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Comments (9)
BLOODY HELL! 😮 No notes, John. NO NOTES!
Man...I read this yesterday and have to say this is exceptional. As a long time fan of animals that people don't seem to like and a Marvel fan, particularly X-Men's Wolverine, I am all for the Wolverine having his win. It's a sad demise to the trapping hunter...and perhaps he was just trying to feed his family...but, yeah...if nature wins fair and square. I have no qualms about that. Your writing is exceptional though on this...you really described everything beautifully...and although it was grim...there was a certain restrained beauty to it all. Bloody marvellous, John!
Oh my, what a brutal life.
Yayyyyy the wolverine won!!! I'm always on the animals side although I'm a human hehehehe. Loved your story!
WOW! John! As a card-carrying member of PETA, I was happy to see the wolverine triumph when its foe has a gun. But I once wore fur, and evolving is murky. This very thought-provoking piece is an important lesson to us all: animals come into the world expecting to be happy and damn the trappers! You are among my favorite authors, right up there with Hemingway!
Holy crapola!! What a story. And I hate traps, snares, all of the cruelty that humans put on wildlife (i see so much poaching, injuries from traps and snares etc with connections on X and Africa); so I’m glad the wolverine won!! What an ending!! Great writing and photo is perfect.
Keep up the good work!😁
Let his anguish be brief & R.I.P. Powerfully spare storytelling, John.
Rabid wolverine. Great tension piece, John. Terrifying ending. This was good.