The Warrior
A child and a dog lost in a Montana winter storm.22 total reviews
Comment from Jay Leeward
I came upon this work as I was curious about the author of a poem I admired greatly. The title appealed to me and I thought I would give it a quick look.
An extraordinary story, superbly told. The use of little touches, seemingly 'throw-away' items, like the Medal of Honor ribbon, 'rag wool socks' instead of just wool sock, and a 'Motorola' rather than just a two-way. These are the mark of a master craftsman and I have learned much in the reading of this piece.
I was born and raised in Montana. I know the winters well. I recognize the overlook -- if not this specific one, then dozens like it scattered along the miles of highways winding through the Montana Rockies. You have captured that forbidding and spectacular landscape very well.
Thank you for an enjoyable read, and for the lesson in how-to. I have printed in out for future lessons.
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2014
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I came upon this work as I was curious about the author of a poem I admired greatly. The title appealed to me and I thought I would give it a quick look.
An extraordinary story, superbly told. The use of little touches, seemingly 'throw-away' items, like the Medal of Honor ribbon, 'rag wool socks' instead of just wool sock, and a 'Motorola' rather than just a two-way. These are the mark of a master craftsman and I have learned much in the reading of this piece.
I was born and raised in Montana. I know the winters well. I recognize the overlook -- if not this specific one, then dozens like it scattered along the miles of highways winding through the Montana Rockies. You have captured that forbidding and spectacular landscape very well.
Thank you for an enjoyable read, and for the lesson in how-to. I have printed in out for future lessons.
Comment Written 02-Sep-2014
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2014
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Jay: This is my favorite work and my wife's. As I was writing it I used to invite friends over and read them the latest. When I got to the part where Ripley had just pulled her back up on the trail and then laid down, seemingly at his end, my wife jumped up and stated "if you let that dog die you can sleep in the garage forever!" I stated that I was the author but to no avail but I never had plans for him not to make it. Thank you for your kind words and I lived in the Kalispell area for many years in the car business up there. Be blessed my good man. MM
Comment from visionary1234
Well I finally found you MossMouse! Your story was L-O-N-G but soooooo good! You never let the dramatic tension slack for a moment - loved your descriptions of people, landscape, motivations ... how you managed to sandwich in a little personal history to Robert ... and you painted the world of deafness very vividly (made even more vivid by the silent world of snow). (I was a speech therapist, so I know a little of the world of deafness). Your use of language is vivid - "a swatch of red in the white wilderness" - and the conclusion is really special. What can I say? WELL DONE MY FRIEND!!!
reply by the author on 05-Jun-2012
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Well I finally found you MossMouse! Your story was L-O-N-G but soooooo good! You never let the dramatic tension slack for a moment - loved your descriptions of people, landscape, motivations ... how you managed to sandwich in a little personal history to Robert ... and you painted the world of deafness very vividly (made even more vivid by the silent world of snow). (I was a speech therapist, so I know a little of the world of deafness). Your use of language is vivid - "a swatch of red in the white wilderness" - and the conclusion is really special. What can I say? WELL DONE MY FRIEND!!!
Comment Written 05-Jun-2012
reply by the author on 05-Jun-2012
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You are most gracious with your words. This one was a labor of love for me...it came about as I watched the lady sign to the hearing impaired in church and said "there's a story in there somewhere." After figuring out who the characters needed to be I wrote the story and it was fun. During the draft stage I read it to some friends and I read the part right after Ripley pulled Amanda up on the trail and laid down. My wife jumped up and said," If you let that dog die I will never speak to you again." He never was but the point in the story created that illusion. I hope to do another one like that someday soon. I re-read your story and it has not lost anything the 2nd time through. I hope to see something again from you again soon.....Mossmouse
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oh good! hopefully I'll have sometime tonight my dear! and YOU keep working on another wonderful story!
Comment from KalleeMerra
Excellent job. I suspect that only those of us who have experienced the extreme cold of a Montana blizzard can completely appreciate how close a thing this had to be. good job.
reply by the author on 11-Feb-2012
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Excellent job. I suspect that only those of us who have experienced the extreme cold of a Montana blizzard can completely appreciate how close a thing this had to be. good job.
Comment Written 27-Jan-2012
reply by the author on 11-Feb-2012
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Yes it is cold in Montana. Thank you for the kinds words and taking the time to read my story. Got the idea from watching folks sign for the hearing impaired at church. I have several more on the site you might enjoy as well. Have some others going up soon. Mossmouse
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Yes it is cold in Montana. Thank you for the kinds words and taking the time to read my story. Got the idea from watching folks sign for the hearing impaired at church. I have several more on the site you might enjoy as well. Have some others going up soon. Mossmouse
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Yes it is cold in Montana. Thank you for the kinds words and taking the time to read my story. Got the idea from watching folks sign for the hearing impaired at church. I have several more on the site you might enjoy as well. Have some others going up soon. Mossmouse
Comment from Spiritual Echo
I'm not going to tell you how it felt to read this story because I suspect it was nourished with the author's tears as well.
One of the very moving and clever decisions in writing this story was the use of repetition. Those 237 feet had an impressive impact as did the phrase "officer down."
This was the kind of story that nudges a reader and asks, "What else have you missed?" Forcing, baiting a reader to investigate your portfolio.
Brilliant job!
reply by the author on 05-Dec-2011
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I'm not going to tell you how it felt to read this story because I suspect it was nourished with the author's tears as well.
One of the very moving and clever decisions in writing this story was the use of repetition. Those 237 feet had an impressive impact as did the phrase "officer down."
This was the kind of story that nudges a reader and asks, "What else have you missed?" Forcing, baiting a reader to investigate your portfolio.
Brilliant job!
Comment Written 05-Dec-2011
reply by the author on 05-Dec-2011
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Dear Spiritual Echo: Your review was like a story also and I cannot express what it meant to me. Yer, there were tears but they did sneak up on me. My goal is to pull the reader into the story so he/she knows they have been somewhere special and have really seen the canvas of words painted with great colors. Again, thank you so much...I am deeply touched. Mossmouse
Comment from Permelia
I have to admit I think shed tears through most of this story. I had a German Sheperd dog that when my oldest child was a toddler, he escaped all the family, and the dog gripped his diaper and kept him from falling in the canal. By the time I got to him, my baby was laughing and cooing as he hung over the water, and the poor dog was trying his best to pull him back from danger. Is this story true?
reply by the author on 05-Dec-2011
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I have to admit I think shed tears through most of this story. I had a German Sheperd dog that when my oldest child was a toddler, he escaped all the family, and the dog gripped his diaper and kept him from falling in the canal. By the time I got to him, my baby was laughing and cooing as he hung over the water, and the poor dog was trying his best to pull him back from danger. Is this story true?
Comment Written 05-Dec-2011
reply by the author on 05-Dec-2011
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Many of my stories do ge require having a tissue nearby but that is what the author's goal was in my case. I write to re-unite the heart and the mind to ignite the emotions we let lie dormant too much of our lives. No, it is not true but so many people asked me that same question. I tell them make what is best for you....Again, thank you for your kind words...Mossmouse.
Comment from Sasha
This is probably the best story I have read on this site. You tell a deeply moving, heart wrenching story that brought tears to my eyes making it difficult to read. Awesome work with this. You definitely get my vote for story of the month! I'd give you a 6, but I am completely out.
reply by the author on 03-Dec-2011
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This is probably the best story I have read on this site. You tell a deeply moving, heart wrenching story that brought tears to my eyes making it difficult to read. Awesome work with this. You definitely get my vote for story of the month! I'd give you a 6, but I am completely out.
Comment Written 03-Dec-2011
reply by the author on 03-Dec-2011
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You review was pretty inspiring to me. The birth of this story and the great reviews certainly made the labor worthwhile. Thank you so very much for the kind words and Smurf blue was my favorite Chevy truck color for many years. Mossmouse.
Comment from elliejean
This is a great story. I had tears in my eyes while reading it. It was a great but sad ending.. I loved Ripley. He was truly a brave dog. Amanda had a great friend. Great work.
reply by the author on 03-Dec-2011
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This is a great story. I had tears in my eyes while reading it. It was a great but sad ending.. I loved Ripley. He was truly a brave dog. Amanda had a great friend. Great work.
Comment Written 03-Dec-2011
reply by the author on 03-Dec-2011
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Thank you so very much for reading and enjoying my story about all the things that are most important in life. Love and peril go together so well especially in a winter storm. Again, thank you elliejean!
Comment from turtledove
Mossmouse, I found this intense, interesting and so true to life. Felt sorry that the Ripley passed, but that is part of the story but enjoyed that he was buried in the sun...Thank-you for the story and I certainly enjoyed it. I noticed the imagery is good too, noticed places where I was right there in the scene....all the best, turtledove
reply by the author on 21-Nov-2011
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Mossmouse, I found this intense, interesting and so true to life. Felt sorry that the Ripley passed, but that is part of the story but enjoyed that he was buried in the sun...Thank-you for the story and I certainly enjoyed it. I noticed the imagery is good too, noticed places where I was right there in the scene....all the best, turtledove
Comment Written 14-Nov-2011
reply by the author on 21-Nov-2011
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Thank you for taking the time to read my story. People have shared with me that it is a little long for Fan Story but being new I did not know that. One of the tasks I try to accomplish with my writings is to take the reader into the story and it sounds like I succeeded. Some time let me know if you would like to know how this story came about. Mike "mossmouse"
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Hi Mike "mossmouse", sure how did the story come about....you have me curious now...turtledove.
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Well here u go! I used to watch the lady who signed at church for the hearing inpaired and thought about writing a story about some one who was deaf....but who and what and all that. So I decided on a young girl but she needed a special pet; not a cat or a bunny but an unusual dog. I came up with a dog that couldn't bark but then why couldn't he bark? An operation from a former owner who hated barking dog but no. I needed a dog cut from a diffferent cloth...a police dog! A K-9 who was wounded in "battle" so to speak and couldn't be a police dog anymore and Ripley was born. So now we have a young girl who cannot hear with a dog who cannot bark so all we need now is the adventure...something harmless, a family move that turns ugly. I lived in Montana for 7 years so I am familiar with it and the weather and one of my nativee american friends there, billy big springs is a chief of his tribe so I used his name (with permission). The rest is from my imagination building a common theme into an extraordinary turn of events. One of my early readers asked me where Amanda was, he thought this was a true story. Silly, I said that is why I write to transport you "into" the event. And there you have it...a labor of love for all to enjoy.
By the way, how can I get a few more reviews without spending a lot of $$$? Mike "mossmouse"
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Hi Mike, I see...wow that was really thought out.I liked how you came about the police dog...and the native american culture is wonderful...so cool. Regarding the more reviews I think instead of money to spend you can review others and increase your money pool that way, and then up your review amount, I don't know how, funny I was trying to figure that out as well. I would email Mike though, through the contact page, he is really good and helpful. All the best, turtledove.
Comment from sweetwoodjax
this is very well written, mossmouse, a great job writing this story about the dog who never gave up to savve the little girl and the policeman who witnessed it all, i enjoyed reading it.
reply by the author on 14-Nov-2011
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this is very well written, mossmouse, a great job writing this story about the dog who never gave up to savve the little girl and the policeman who witnessed it all, i enjoyed reading it.
Comment Written 14-Nov-2011
reply by the author on 14-Nov-2011
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You are most welcome "sweetwoodjax"! I write to bring joy and all the memories we need to remember back into our lives. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my "long" story.
Mike "mossmouse"
Comment from Magics02
Let me start out saying this first. It is hard to write this now. I do not think I ever read a long story such as this on here but I will tell you this I am thankful for your story and I am admired of your story. If this is not non-fiction I don't know what it is. This story is it published? If not it should be. What a story and I had my eyes fixated on this the whole way. It is written in proper English and form, true form. I commend your writing andt this story it really pulled on me for it is a story of courageous integrity and much love. Love for the dog and love for the little girl. I have to break away from here now as I go and reflect upon this awesome story.
God Bless you for this exemplary work.
Truly
Ms Mona
reply by the author on 14-Nov-2011
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Let me start out saying this first. It is hard to write this now. I do not think I ever read a long story such as this on here but I will tell you this I am thankful for your story and I am admired of your story. If this is not non-fiction I don't know what it is. This story is it published? If not it should be. What a story and I had my eyes fixated on this the whole way. It is written in proper English and form, true form. I commend your writing andt this story it really pulled on me for it is a story of courageous integrity and much love. Love for the dog and love for the little girl. I have to break away from here now as I go and reflect upon this awesome story.
God Bless you for this exemplary work.
Truly
Ms Mona
Comment Written 13-Nov-2011
reply by the author on 14-Nov-2011
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Ms Mona: Yes, it is fiction...that is why I enjoy writing so much. My goal is to transport my readers into my stories so they are a participant not just a "reader". Thank you for your very kind words...they are much appreciated. Mike "mossmouse"
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This story will stay with me for a long time.
