7 Giant Paws

7 GIANT PAWS "What was that?" Jack said, frightened. "I must go!" said Tenzin. "Go where?" said Jack. "Back down?" But Tenzin leapt to his feet and started up the snow-covered slope again. "Wait, Tenzin! We'll come with you!" said Annie. "No, Annie! Stop!" said Jack. She stopped. "What was that scream?" Jack said. "I don't know! Stay here, and I'll come back and tell you!" said Annie. She hurried up the slope after Tenzin. Jack froze. His heart was pounding. Who screamed? The Gray Ghost? He wanted to hurry away from the scream, not toward it. Tenzin and Annie were about to climb out of sight. Jack didn't want anything bad to happen to either of them.

"I'm coming! Wait!" he shouted. Annie waited. Jack scrambled over the rocks and caught up with her. "We've got to go back down!" he said. "Now!" "And leave Tenzin?" said Annie. "No, no! We can't leave him!" said Jack. "We have to catch up to him and convince him to come with us!" They looked up the snowy slope. "He's vanished again," said Annie. "How did he do that?" "He's an expert climber," said Jack. "But why is he chasing that scream? What was it?" "I—I'm not sure… the Gray Ghost?" said Annie. For once, she looked a little frightened. Jack took a deep breath. He knew he had to be brave, for Annie and for Tenzin. "Don't worry," he said. "We just have to find Tenzin. We'll be all right. Let's go." Jack and Annie started back up, their boots crunching over the snow. As they climbed, there was still no sign of Tenzin. "Whoa!" Annie said. "What?" said Jack. She pointed at the ground. There were footprints in the snow.

"Are those animal paws?" said Jack. "Yes," said Annie. "They're huge!" said Jack. "What kind of animal is that?" "Definitely some kind of a cat," Annie said. "But a really big cat, right?" said Jack. "Like a wild tiger or a lion?" "Not a lion—they only live in Africa," said Annie. "But a tiger… maybe." Jack took a deep breath. "Whatever it is, it's really, really big."

"Big cats can be dangerous to humans," Annie said. "What if it finds Tenzin before we do?" A part of Jack wanted to race back down the mountain. But now he was more worried for Tenzin than himself. "We have to find him before the big cat does," he said. "Right," said Annie. They kept hiking up the snow-covered slope. "Look—more tracks!" Annie said. "They lead that way!" They turned to the right. "And more prints there!" said Jack. "Where?" said Annie. "Going that way!" said Jack. They kept following the tracks. Annie came to a sudden stop. "Oh, wow!" she breathed. Jack studied the ground for more tracks. "I don't believe it!" Annie said in a hushed voice. "What? More tracks?" Jack asked. "You don't see it?" said Annie. Jack looked all around. He didn't see anything special. Just boulders, smaller rocks, and snow. "No. What? Where?" he asked. "There! Tenzin!" She pointed.

"Where? Where?" he said. "You're looking right at them!" said Annie. "Them?" said Jack. At that moment, something moved and growled softly. A very big cat was peering at Jack and Annie. The cat was hiding in plain sight. Its spotted white-and-gray fur blended perfectly with the white-gray mountain rocks. The cat had a large head and big paws. It had a huge furry tail, nearly as long as its body. The huge tail was tucked around Tenzin.

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