A teaser from Chapter 3 of the sequel to Smokey. The scene is the group of animals on a quest to save the homeland of Smokey and his family from an evil entity. Smokey and Dar the Coyote are leading the quest from the spirit realm. They have recruited many new friends to help them, including Skunk, Grounder the Groundhog, Buck the giant deer, Mr. Bobcat and several others. In this scene, they are taking a break from their journey by a river when Skunk and Grounder are ambushed by a couple of rogue coyotes that are not members of their group…

"Skunk and Grounder waddled together to some berry bushes and began plucking the berries and gobbling them down. After getting their fill, they rolled in the dirt and soaked up the warmth of the sun. Within minutes, they were sleeping soundly.

Skunk was the first to awaken at the low growling sound he heard. He rolled over onto his feet, looking around for the noise, blinking his eyes trying to get fully awake. Then he spotted the coyote and smiled. “Hello,” Skunk said to the animal.

The coyote moved closer to Skunk and lowered its head, its lips rolled up over its teeth as it growled louder. Skunk looked questioningly at the coyote. Why is he mad? The coyote snapped at Skunk as the small animal backed up, tripping over the sleeping groundhog. Now awake, Grounder rolled over onto his stubby legs, stood on his hind legs and looked at the coyote. Another coyote, the one that had traveled with them, came around the corner of a big boulder and joined its friend, snarling and snapping its teeth at them. Now the skunk and groundhog were both trying to back away from the angry beasts.

Smokey, Dar and the others heard the noise and quickly ran to where the coyotes had the smaller animals cornered. Dar walked in between the coyotes and Skunk and Grounder.  A look of relief came across the smaller animal’s faces as their friends arrived, but the coyotes could not see Dar or Smokey. The biggest coyote moved closer to Skunk, and Grounder tried to run, but his path was immediately blocked by the second coyote.

A blanket of fog began to crawl up the coyote's legs, chilling them to the bone. It spread out around them and began to rise up as it took the shape of a large animal. Dar emerged from the fog. “Leave them alone!” His voice boomed.

The biggest coyote jumped back away from Dar, a look of shock and surprise on its face. “Old Dar, how can it be, you are dead!”

“Yes, but I can still see you and your evil ways.” Then he looked at the other coyote, recognizing the animal. “I see you have made new friends who are just as evil as you!”

The other coyote backed away, a look of terror in its eyes.

Dar advanced on the biggest coyote. “I told you many moons ago, you are not welcome anywhere I am, and I am everywhere now!”

Smokey stepped from the fog and stood next to Dar. The coyotes both growled at him, but backed farther away, trying hard to hide their fear.

“I see you still have your Cat friend,” the big coyote said with a snarl. “He looks as dead as you, Dar.”

"Dar has many friends now,” Smokey growled.

The animal glared at Smokey, then back at Dar. “I should have killed you years ago; too bad somebody beat me to it. Maybe I’ll still have the chance with your son!”

The big animal lunged for Dar and ran through him, as if Dar were made of smoke. It rammed its head into the boulder behind them. It turned, shook its head and lunged at him again, tripped and fell into the sand.

Frustrated now, the coyote stood and stared at Dar. It walked back and forth, studying him. “Will you not fight me?” Then a look of sudden awareness came across its face. “Will you not fight me? Or maybe you cannot fight me?”

The big coyote walked over to Skunk, raised its paw, looked over at Dar and swatted the smaller animal. Skunk rolled across the ground, then struggled to stand, stunned from the blow.

Dar stepped closer to the coyote. “I am warning you, leave these animals alone and leave this place!”

“Or what? You will kill me? What will you do, old Dar?”

The bobcat trotted down the sandy beach, walked over and stood next to Dar and Smokey. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size,” he said as he eyed the two coyotes.

“You are hardly our size. Maybe you should think before you speak,” the second coyote snarled. “Besides, this is none of your business.”

“But it is my business,” replied the bobcat. “These are my friends. You want to fight? I’ll give you a fight!”

The big coyote took a step towards the cat, and the cat tore into him. Blood and fur flew as the two of them rolled across the ground tearing at each other.

The second coyote tried to get closer to the animals locked in battle, snapping at the bobcat as they rolled past, trying to help his friend. Buck ran towards the coyote, head down, and hit the animal like a bulldozer. He lifted the coyote into the air, entangled in his antlers and hurled him out into the river. Flailing wildly in the water, the animal tried to regain its footing. Buck snorted and stomped out into the water and scooped the animal into his antlers again and hurled it back onto the beach. He turned and stomped back onto the beach and was about to scoop up the coyote again when it rolled away from him, ran down the beach and up onto the rocks to escape, leaving its friend behind.

The bobcat and big coyote separated. Circling each other, eyes locked, each waiting for the other to make a move.

One of the coyotes with the group started to get into the fight when Dar stopped him. “No, let the Cat do this.”

Silence filled the air. There was no breeze, no sound. Even the river was quiet as nature itself watched the fight unfold. Buck raised his foot and stomped it on the ground and snorted angrily. That was all it took. Like a trigger being pulled, the bobcat and coyote lunged at each other and were again locked in mortal combat. Snapping at each other as they rolled on the ground, the bobcat saw the throat of his enemy flash in front of him for a brief second. The big cat sunk his teeth into the coyote’s neck and violently shook its head from side to side as the coyote howled in pain.

Trying to free itself from the cat's grip, the coyote turned and pulled away, pushing against the cat with its paws. When the bobcat realized the coyote was no longer fighting, it let go of the animal and watched as it staggered a few feet away and sat on the ground.

The coyote had received the worst of the battle. The meat on its muzzle was shredded to the bone, its fur dripping blood from the multiple claw and bite wounds the bobcat had inflicted. Its neck was torn open from a deep but non-fatal wound. It sat in the sand, breathing heavily, trying to nurse its wounds. Skunk walked over to it, lifted his tail and started to spray the animal. Then he stopped and looked up at the coyote, torn and bleeding, the fight gone. The only thing left was fear, pain and defeat.

Deciding the animal had suffered enough, Skunk lowered his tail and started to walk away, then stopped and turned back to the coyote. He walked over, reached up and put his tiny paw on the coyote's blood soaked face. “You should really try to be a nicer animal.”

The coyote stared after Skunk as he waddled away, and then looked around for its friend, shock and dismay on its face as it realized it had been abandoned. The animal turned to Dar, Smokey, the bobcat and all the other animals on the beach watching it, stood and slowly limped up onto the boulders and rocks and back up to the trail. Stopping momentarily, it looked back at Dar, lowered its head and trotted away.

Smokey and Dar watched it leave. “Maybe the next time we see him, it will be in the spirit realm.”

“He will never be in this realm, Smokey. Not unless he changes. His soul is evil. When he dies, he will go to the dark realm.”

Smokey walked over to Buck and the bobcat. “Thank you for helping us. I’m sorry you got into a fight with them, but you saved Skunk and Grounder! Are you guys okay?”

The bobcat laughed, “I told you I would fight for you, and I always keep my word. Besides, nothing like a good fight to get the blood flowing.” He looked down at his wounds. Blood poured from numerous puncture holes where the coyote had bitten him. The cat rolled in the sand, packing the small, hard granules into the wounds to stem the bleeding. He sprang to his feet. “I’ll be fine!” He laughed.

Buck rubbed his antlers in the sand. “Sand fleas,” he said.

Smokey gave him a questioning look. “What?”

Buck smiled. “Sand fleas. They are a bigger problem than those Coyotes were!” Buck laughed and trotted away."

Stay tuned for the action packed sequel to, 'Smokey, One Life.'  

Smokey