The Cougar Attacks

The boys meet Silas, a gold prospector on his way to the Assay Office in Bishop.

Silas gives the boys temporary safety — firelight, food, jokes, and the presence of an adult who might help. Silas has a fresh deer kill and it attracts a cougar.

Then a cougar screams from the darkness. Ethan thinks the scream came from his mother. Silas knows better.

When Silas gets attacked it is Elliot who risks his life to save him. Afterward, Ethan explodes in terror and anger, not because Elliot was brave, but because Elliot risked leaving him alone. Elliot acting alone tears at the twins’ ‘always stick together’ bond.

The warmth of the camp should be surrounded by threat. The boys have found shelter, but the desert still owns the night.