After that day, everything changed. The family worked hard, trying to keep up with the endless tasks that were necessary to maintain the farm. But as winter approached, they were falling behind. Momma was exhausted, and many of the fields were left fallow. The family worried they wouldn’t have enough food to make it through the winter.

Arlo couldn’t help but feel that it was entirely his fault. He had been the one to set the critter free. He had been the reason Poppa went into the wilderness that night. If he had just taken care of that critter, Poppa would still be alive and everything would be okay.

Momma carried a huge load of corn to the silo, but she was struggling. Arlo ran up to help her.

“You need to rest, Momma,” he said.

“If we don’t get this harvest in before the first snow, we won’t have enough food for winter,” Momma said desperately. “I know it’s hard without Poppa. But I need you to do more, Arlo.”

He picked up the load of corn and put it on his back. He smiled at her. “ Don’t worry, Momma. I won’t let us starve.”

“You’re a good son,” Momma said.

Arlo wavered, carrying the weight of the corn on his back. He could feel his legs wobble, but he was determined to make it.

When the silo finally came into view, he gazed at Poppa’s mark and felt a familiar sadness wash over him. But he knew he couldn’t stop to feel sad. He had to keep working.

Arlo walked carefully to the silo and slowly removed a rock to place the corn inside. He set the corn down and began to husk it, peeling each ear and tossing it into the silo. Then he heard something rustling inside and went to investigate. He saw a figure chomping the corn and spitting out the empty cobs.

When Arlo peeked inside, he couldn’t believe his eyes: it was that pest from the trap! Arlo caught him red-handed.

“You!” With fire and rage in his heart, Arlo shouted, “My Poppa would still be alive if it weren’t for you! It’s all your fault.” He lunged toward the critter and tried to bite him.

But the boy was too fast. He jumped on Arlo’s neck and slid down toward his back—where the boy grabbed a stalk of corn and took off. Arlo chased him as he ran toward the river.

When Arlo caught up, he chomped down hard on the other end of the stalk, lifting the boy high in the air. The boy jumped down and scurried out of sight. But Arlo wasn’t giving up. He continued in pursuit of the thief, with the stalk of corn remaining in his mouth.

Out of nowhere, the boy jumped from a tree, growling, “Grrrrrrrrrrr!” He lurched toward the corn, bit down, and began to gnaw on the cob. He growled again—ferociously with a wild, hungry look in his eyes. Arlo swatted and spun around, trying to get the boy off, but he wouldn’t let go. As Arlo twisted and twirled, he became dizzy and fell backward, plunging into the river!

The critter went flying, and Arlo lost track of him when he went under. Arlo gasped for air as the raging water overtook him. “Help!” Arlo screamed. He called for Momma, but the sound was muffled as his mouth filled with water.

The strength of the current carried him away so quickly that no one could hear his cries. In an instant, he was farther from home than he had ever been.

Arlo struggled to stay afloat, gasping for air as the rapids pulled him under. His body bashed against sharp rocks at the bottom of the river, scraping into his skin. Suddenly, a giant boulder came into view and Arlo whimpered, struggling to avoid it. But the river was much stronger than he was.

BAM.

His head slammed right into the massive rock. His vision became blurry, and he could barely make out Clawtooth Mountain as it disappeared into the distance.

Then everything went black.