dramatic tension
— A boy raking leaves watches migrating birds, imagining one small bird who flies the opposite way eventually saves the flock from hawks in Costa Rica.
— A father and son hiking trip turns dangerous when an avalanche strikes, and a mysterious deer saves the boy's life by warming his unconscious body.
— Two friends' argument over building an Alamo versus medieval snow fort escalates into a snowball fight, ending when a snowplow buries one boy and they reconcile.
— A jockey races her horse Rose for the last time before retirement, losing a stirrup mid-race but recovering to win by a nose against rival Angel.
— A young man becomes a rodeo bullfighter on the anniversary of his best friend's death, facing the same bull that killed him a year earlier.
— A boy who can speak to animals flees with his wolf-dog when a monster called an Alarcon hunts him for his powers, ultimately escaping when a condor saves them from...
— A boy saves his friend from an oncoming train after the friend becomes disoriented from a fall, but the rescue happens so fast he can barely process it.
— A magnificent buck stands guard at forest's edge, sensing danger, then battles a hungry cougar to protect the sleeping does and fawns.
— A girl gets lost in the forest at dusk and follows a mysterious great horned owl through the darkness back to her parents' campsite.
— Two cousins fight to survive after a storm wrecks their uncle's tourist ship, leaving them adrift in a lifeboat that eventually sinks, forcing them to float until rescue arrives.