Neal Porter leaped up onto the wooden deck of his cabin, his sleek fox scampering over the wooden planks as he scurried away from the dark gray coyote chasing him, his claws slipping on the wood planks before he found purchase. For the last thirty minutes, he dipped under fallen branches, leaped over stumps and through piles of fallen leaves, weaved around birch, oak, and pines in a mad effort to pull ahead of the larger predator, but the coyote remained relentless. The early night cast shadows on the ground, and Neal tried to remain in them as much as possible, using his smaller size to get lost in the darkness. However, a bright red fox stands out no matter what, and the coyote was only a short distance behind him.Neal leaped into the air over the front steps, hoping to get under the porch and out of reach, but the coyote stayed right behind him, so close that Neal could hear the animal's heavy breathing. He chanced a glance back, just as the larger animal leaped into the air after
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