'Look!' he called. 'Up ahead.'
There were two of them this time, standing on either side of the road like statues at the entrance to a grand house. Despite the high winds, they were perfectly still. The trio stopped and there was a moment of awesome tension as the humans and animals stared at each other.
And then they pounced.
The panthers moved astonishingly quickly. Ben had seen greyhounds racing before, and he was reminded of that.
'Danny!' he warned, but he needn't have. The older man had the shotgun raised. He fired a round into the air. In an instant the Florida panthers screeched to a halt and scampered the opposite way down the road and out of sight.
'How many of them do you think there are?' Angelo asked.
Ben shrugged. 'Dunno,' he said. 'Maybe that's it. Maybe not.'
He turned to Danny, who was already reloading the gun. 'They're going to get used to the sound of the gun, you know, Ben,' the older man said.
Ben didn't reply. There wasn't much to say.
He had his heart in his throat as they carried on down the road. Every time the wind howled — and that was often — Ben felt himself straining his ears to see if it was just the wind, or if it was the noise of the big cats ahead. As the minutes passed, he decided that the creatures' calls were definitely becoming more frequent; and although it was difficult to tell one from the other, he also decided that there were several different panthers yowling.
It didn't take long for his eyes to confirm what his ears suspected.
From the gloom ahead, an outline of a pack of panthers appeared. At a glance, Ben couldn't tell how many there were, and he wasn't going to start counting. He found himself rooted to the spot, waiting for the moment that they pounced, as they surely would.
It came soon enough.
The pack moved as one. As they did, Danny stepped in front of Ben and Angelo. 'Stay behind me,' he ordered.
'No problem,' Angelo muttered.
The two of them let Danny take the lead.
He let them get close this time — close enough for Ben to have a good look at them. Under different circumstances he knew he would be marvelling at what beautiful creatures they were. The animals were sleek and lean, and their strong muscles rippled under their light brown fur. Their faces were well defined and full of expression: the only problem was that Ben didn't like the expression they were making. They were snarling, and he could see their long, knife-sharp teeth.
'Danny!' he called worriedly. The gun hadn't been fired yet. 'They're getting too close!'
BANG! The shotgun fired. And then a second time. Just as before, the panthers stopped mid-run and started scurrying back. They didn't disappear this time, however. Instead they stopped to regroup much closer to the petrified trio.
Ben squinted his eyes once more. 'What's that?' he shouted. Beyond the animals, almost out of sight but not quite, he thought he saw another building. 'Can you see it? Is it another wardens' station up ahead?'
'I think it is,' Angelo replied breathlessly. 'But how can we get there? We've got to go through the panthers.'
Ben's mind was racing, and it was difficult for him to get his thoughts straight. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'We're going to have to keep moving forward,' he said finally. 'Get as close as we can and then fire a couple of shots. It'll make them move back and we should be able to keep gaining ground.' He turned to Danny. 'What do you think?'
Danny's brow furrowed. 'I think we don't have much choice,' he said grimly. He looked ahead to the panthers. 'Stay behind me,' he instructed before turning to Ben. 'Listen, Ben,' he said. 'I know they're rare and everything, but if they get too close, I'm not going to have any choice but to try and take them out.'
Ben's lips thinned, but he knew the older man was right. He nodded his head in reluctant agreement. 'All right,' he said. 'Let's go.'
They moved slowly. Warily. At first the panthers kept their distance, but as time passed they seemed to become bolder. Ben watched nervously as they regrouped, and it wasn't long before the animals started edging towards them. They moved slowly at first, creeping, as though they were stalking their prey — which in a way, Ben thought to himself glumly, they were.
And then, all as one, as though someone had just started a firing pistol, they upped their pace.
'Keep going!' Danny shouted. The three of them continued their steady walk — or as steady as was possible in the howling gale. Danny had his gun pointed just above the panthers, but for the moment he didn't shoot.
'Danny!' Ben urged. 'Now would be a good time—'
Danny shook his head. 'The closer they are, the louder it'll sound to them.'
He held his nerve.
Ben felt his stomach tying up into knots. They were playing a dangerous game. The animals were so close — he could see their sharp teeth.
Suddenly Danny fired the gun. Two rounds cracked in the air and, as before, the panthers screeched to a halt and then scampered back.
'Run!' Danny shouted. 'While they're scared.'
The three of them raced as fast as they could towards the wardens' station. They made surprisingly good time and were only twenty metres away when the panthers started to charge them again.
'I need to reload!' Danny shouted. He broke the shotgun and the spent cartridges flew out. Quickly he fumbled in his rucksack for some new rounds.
'Hurry up, Danny!' Angelo shouted. 'Hurry up!' The panthers were powering towards them. To Ben's horror, Danny dropped one of the cartridges on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, but by that time the animals were nearly on them. Ben could hear their snarling over the sound of the wind. It was a low, greedy growl.
It was sheer instinct that made him run, and Angelo did the same. He could hear the patter of the panthers' feet just behind him and any moment he expected them to leap on his back and sink their teeth into his flesh.
And only then did he hear the gun. Another two rounds — and not before time.
Behind him there was a whimper and then the sound of the animals retreating. Ben stopped and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the panthers had given up the chase. But for how long, he couldn't tell.
'Get to the wardens' station! Now!' Danny roared.
Ben and Angelo didn't need telling twice. Adrenaline surging through their bodies, they sprinted towards the building. As they approached, though, the panthers charged again. The gunshot hadn't sent them running nearly as far, and they seemed emboldened now. They sensed blood.
Ben had never run so fast in his life. His muscles burned as he desperately tried to propel himself towards the building. Danny, being taller, got there first. He crashed the door open and held it for them as Ben and Angelo burst through it. The moment they were safely in, he slammed it shut. As soon as the door was closed, the noise of the hurricane softened slightly; but they could hear the animals, growling and scratching around the outside. If they dared to step out of the building, they'd be panther food.
The three of them were silent for a good couple of minutes. Angelo lay flat on the ground, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Ben was breathing heavily too, his face flushed and his legs like jelly. He was bent double, his hands on his knees, as he tried to regain his energy; Danny was in a similar position.
It was Ben who recuperated first. 'Close shave,' he muttered.
The others didn't respond.
Ben looked around. The wardens' station was very similar to the one they had been in previously — the same layout, and similar posters on the wall. As before there was a picture of a Florida panther — Ben couldn't quite bring himself to look at it this time, or read the words on the poster which no doubt said how rare it was, and how lucky he'd be to see one. Just now, Ben would have been perfectly happy never to see another of those animals as long as he lived.