A cougar came calling

Linda woke me from a deep sleep saying she heard the llama, Rowdie. I held my breath until it came again...much like a jack ass. Out of bed down the stairs cursing I went because I forgot where I hid the key to the guns. Don't have a cabinet yet but I chain and padlock my shot gun and 22 together. Had visions of me going out with 2 weapons conjoined, trying to shoot one when Linda yelled the key was over the table. Right where I put it ! Pulling on my pants I took the 22 outside. My gun shy dog Rex ran past me into the porch. Found entire flock of ewes and lambs encircled in wet snow between the 2 llamas. Must be coyotes had come to the fence Felt certain my fence had no hole so I fired a shot and went back to bed. Just about asleep when Rowdie began again. Shit! Back to barnyard and this time I drove truck around, wiper removing wet snow, scanning with trucks lights. Near the fence I saw tracks and signs of something being dragged. Blood on snow confirmed a kill and tracks double size of Rex's. Wool on the top wire and tracks on the other side confirmed a cougar! Nothing else could jump a 5 foot fence carrying a sheep. Tried to drive back to the house but tires spun in he wet snow on green grass. Ran back and got the shot gun plus one shell. This time Rex came with me and we headed back to pick up trail of killer. I opened the gate and we followed tracks through my poplar trees. Unlikely the beast was treed but I had my gun loaded in case. Rex and I followed tracks SW across the pasture towards Pine Coulee. After I lost trail I called for Rex who had vanished into the night. A cougar would make shot life of him in a fight. I lifted the shot gun to fire only the safety was on. I wasn't so safe in the tree! Finally managed to get a shot off and with Rex went back to the flock. Careful counting revealed 10 big ones and one missing. Forgot Big Daddy was shut in the coral to prevent him hogging hay nursing mothers needed . I found him running up the down the coral in terror and let him out with the others. He has always shadowed the llamas since a coyote attack years ago and was soon back with his protectors. I counted lambs and was one shot of 13 meaning the cougar took one. Likely a mother desperate to feed her kittens in the bad weather spell. (wish she'd kill the deer eating my new trees!)
Next day being Saturday, Fish and Game office was closed. Phoned a guy who shoots coyotes for me when they depleting my flock but he is not allowed to hunt cougars, an endangered species. he told me of a cougar hunter near Fort Macleod but he replied he was not allowed to hunt without Fish and Game permission. Phoned my brother Lloyd and nephew Wes who is a hunter. They came and we followed the trail but snow was melting quickly and we lost the tracks. We drove to edge of pine coulee and gazed at the view . None of us wanted to search the pines for a cougar den. Just then Lloyd looked down and crawling out of the ground juniper were hundreds of lady bugs. I went back and erected a higher wire on my sheep enclosure. Might not stop a cougar from jumping 6 feet but could deter her. That night Linda and I put the sheep in the barn, leaving Big Daddy and the llamas outside to sound the alarm. I had a good sleep.