Charity Sunday Times Two: The Mountain Lion Foundation - #wildlife #ecology #CharitySunday

Today is Charity Sunday. As it happens it is also the 31^st of the month, which is my allocated day over at the Sweet 'n Sexy Divas blog. This gives me the opportunity to publish two Charity Sunday posts. Both of them shine the spotlight on organizations working to protect our environment and the earth.

Here at Beyond Romance, I am focusing on The Mountain Lion Foundation. This non-profit, located in California, is dedicated to research, advocacy and education to help save North America’s critically endangered big cats. MLF works with communities to reduce conflicts between people and lions; with scientists to study the behavior and ecological dynamics of the species; with legislators to craft laws and regulations that protect mountain lions, their habitat, and their human neighbors.

Of course, anyone who has hung around my blog for any length of time knows I am a huge ailurophile. I love felines, large and small. But that’s not the most important reason to donate to MLF. Mountain lions are apex predators who play a huge role in maintaining the health and integrity of ecological systems in which they live. Furthermore, recent policies introduced by the Trump administration have greatly increased the risks for this already threatened species.

Hence, I will donate $2 to MLF for each comment I receive on this post, between now and the next Charity Sunday.

I don’t have a story about big cats. However, my Elemental Passions series features characters who have the power to control different forces in nature. So here’s a bit from Book 1, Hot Spell.

Excerpt

She reached the trailhead about five. Sunlight slanted between the towering trees like gold bars. She locked her car, then shouldered her pack and set out at a brisk pace for the campsite, about three miles up the path. She’d camped in these woods before, when she’d been in college. It seemed like a hundred years ago.

Alice and Jill had been appalled when she’d told them her plans. “Alone? In the middle of the wilderness?” Jill’s perfectly shaped eyebrows had knit in a frown. “What if something happens?”

“What could happen?” she’d laughed, guessing that neither of her friends had ever taken a hike or slept under the star—or would ever consider doing so.

“Wild animals! Bears. Mountain lions. Or you might fall, break a leg and be stranded. You could starve to death.”

“And what about murderers or rapists?” Alice had rapped her fingernails against her desk. Her turquoise enamel matched her outfit. “You never know who you’ll meet out there in the woods.”

“I’ll have my phone,” she’d reassured them, although she’d known there’d likely be no signal. “Animals are shy. They won’t bother me if I don’t bother them. And I took a self-defense course last year. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Anyway, you’ll know where I am. If I’m not back on Tuesday, send out the National Guard.”

She strode along the trail, swinging her arms and filling her lungs with the fragrant mountain air. Sweat pooled in her armpits and under her breasts. The weather was still unseasonably warm, but a fresh breeze played amongst the trees, hinting at the coolness to come wherever it touched her damp skin. As dusk shrouded the forest, her senses grew keener. An owl perched on an overhanging branch—she caught the yellow glint of its eyes. Some furred creature skittered through the underbrush and the mournful call of a loon reached her from the direction of Crystal Lake, miles away. A spicy hint of crushed fennel tickled her nose, triggering a pang of hunger. Sylvie smiled, remembering the chunks of salmon marinating in a Ziplock bag in her backpack. She’d brought a half bottle of wine, too, for her first dinner in the wild. Somehow, she’d felt like celebrating.

Full night had fallen by the time she reached the campsite, perched on a ridge above the steep banks of Sandman Creek. As she piled fallen branches inside the ring of blackened stones and kindled them into a merry blaze, she could hear the stream singing to itself…or maybe welcoming her back where she belonged.

Her meal was every bit as tasty and satisfying as she’d anticipated. Afterwards, she sat for what seemed like hours, her back against the rough bark of a huge spruce, tasting the residual sweetness of her wine, watching the fire burn down to a clutch of glowing embers. The cinders shone from within like some dragon’s precious cache—ruby, gold, an occasional flash of emerald. The play of light fascinated her.

Her muscles ached from the strenuous hike. Her hair was in knots and a sticky film of perspiration coated her skin. None of that mattered. Peace enfolded her, along with a profound sense of well-being. The breeze whispered to her. The creek babbled and laughed.

Water. A bath. Relaxed, lazy and sated though she was, the notion still held an irresistible appeal. Sylvie checked the remains of the fire to assure herself that there was no chance it would escape the rocks encircling it. Then she dug a towel out of her pack and headed down the forested slope to the creek.

The gurgle of water tumbling over stone grew louder as she approached. The very sound was refreshing. A few feet from the edge, she stripped off her clothes, draping them and her towel over a convenient boulder. She was about to step out of the woods when an unexpected movement caught her eye.

There was something splashing in the creek a bit downstream from where she stood—something…or someone. Sylvie shrank back into the shadow of the trees.

Directly opposite her, the stream rushed over river-polished rocks, flecked with white froth. To her right, though, it widened into a calm pool, black as the sky above. The unexpected noise came from there.

She peered into the night. All she could see at first was a round, furry mass that seemed to float upon the surface. Ripples stirred as a figure rose from the water. At the same time, the half moon climbed above the crest of the trees. Its pale rays revealed the form of a naked man.

Find the buy links for Hot Spell at https://www.lisabetsarai.com/hotspellbook.html

Meanwhile, I hope you’ll leave a comment. Every message from you means two dollars devoted to saving North America’s great cats.

Be sure to visit the other bloggers participating in today’s Charity Sunday. In particular, go leave a comment on my other post at Sweet n’ Sexy Divas. I’m featuring a different charity and have a different excerpt!

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