Excerpt:

 Only two roads to the park were open during the winter months, between the north entrance, (Gardiner, Montana), and Cooke City, Montana, which is near the border of Montana and Wyoming, and from Mammoth Hot Springs to the parking area at the Upper Terraces, but the latest weather report said a blizzard was coming and her superiors thought it best to close the park for the next few days.  They’d already evacuated most of the tourists and would be campers that were not staying in the park hotels earlier that day.  Kendra could hardly believe anyone would want to camp out in this weather, especially with the nice warm hotels and cabins near the springs, but every year, someone tried.  The good news was most of the animals were hibernating for the winter but the wolves and bobcats would still be out hunting for food, though they were hardly ever spotted in the heavily populated areas.  Still, it was a thought that had her hurrying to post the signs and lock the gate. 
     She was on duty till morning and as soon as she was done, she’d head to the Lamar Ranger Station for the evening.  It was a large facility that included lodging for the rangers who stayed overnight.  If it turned out to be a bad snowstorm, she’d be stuck there for days and it was not a bad place to be stuck if one was snowed in.  With internet access, TV, hot tub, sauna and gym, it was definitely a good place to wait out a storm. 
     It was late afternoon and the sun was still out, the ground covered in a heavy blanket of snow.  It was peaceful, quiet, too quiet, Kendra thought.  One would think that the reports of an impending blizzard were false. 
Maybe it’s just the calm before the storm, she thought to herself as she walked back to the jeep.  There was still time and daylight before she needed to get back to the station in Lamar Valley.  She checked her gear in the jeep, her radio clipped firmly on her field jacket.  She’d hit one of her favorite spots before going to the station while there was some sunlight left. 
     She was supposed to be indoors today, working at the Albright Visitor Center and museum, which is why she’d chosen to wear her olive green pull over sweater, long sleeve dress shirt, wool skirt, sequoia cone belt and thick brown tights with her dark brown ranger pumps.  It was more professional looking for being inside the visitor center around people.  She’d even bothered to let down her usually pinned back in a French twist, medium length, natural curly dark brown hair.  She wore makeup, natural looking eye shades that accentuated her light gray eyes with a thin line of gel eyeliner and a deep berry lipstick that made her full lips even more enticing. 
     So when she was told by her supervisor, Marty Brickman, that she needed to go lock the gates of the north entrance, she wanted to knock his head off.  He knew she wasn’t dressed to be outside for any length of time and her change of clothing was twenty-nine miles in the opposite direction at the ranger station in Lamar Valley, she wouldn’t have time to go and change before nightfall.  Johnson or Peters, the other rangers on site, could have easily done the job and were more appropriately dressed.  Not only was she the only black ranger there, but she was also the only female and Brickman tested her patience time and time again with what she called “bullsh*t” assignments. 

It was as if he gave her every menial, trivial task he could think of and she was no rookie, she’d been on the job for damn near six years.  She had built a reputation of being trustworthy, a hard worker who fought for the “underdog”, going to bat for anyone who needed it.  She didn’t know what his problem with her had been but mouthing off to him wouldn’t do anything but place her job in jeopardy and she loved her job too much.  She was actually being considered for a supervisory position now and maybe that’s what his problem was, afraid she’d take his job.  She always took pride in her work so she had no choice but to do what she was told.  Luckily, she had an extra pair of snow boots and her felt ranger hat in her jeep, at least her feet and head wouldn’t be freezing.
     She opened the jeep door and shook the snow from her boots before climbing inside.  She’d finally managed to calm down now and after all, being at the museum had been boring to say the least and she preferred the outdoors.  She stopped at Prospect Peak, not far from Roosevelt tower on her way back to the station in Lamar Valley.  It was peaceful as she stepped from the jeep, taking off her felt hat.  An icy breeze blew making her curly hair whip wildly about her face. 
     The view was breathtaking as she stood overlooking the valley below.  It was one of her favorite places in the park.  It was cold, but she enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the calm she felt being out here.  Then something caught her eye.  In the distance at the bottom of the hill, four figures emerged. 
Definitely animal, she thought as she reached inside the jeep for her binoculars. 
“Buffalo,” she said aloud after getting a good look.
But what are they doing out here so far from the buffalo ranch in Lamar Valley?
     There were two larger ones and two smaller ones.  They looked to be walking slowly toward the ranch but then suddenly they broke into a run.  Kendra looked around to see what might have spooked them when she noticed a pack of wolves charging toward the four scared bison.  There were seven or eight of them at least.  Even if the larger two got away, the younger ones were defenseless against so many hungry wolves.  Kendra needed to do something.
“Buffalo ranch, this is Ranger Jones, over,” She spoke into her radio.
With no reply, she spoke again, “Buffalo ranch, do you copy?  This is Kendra Jones, over.”