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I sigh heavily, as I keep going. But suddenly, my peaceful walk is interrupted by unfamiliar noises. At first, I think nothing of them. They’re just noises from the woods I’ve been hearing for the past two hours. But then, my mind starts creating images caused by the rustling leaves and distant murmurs that send a shiver down my spine.
I look around, but I see nothing. In all honesty, I don’t know what I expected to see. However, my instinct tells me that not is all as it seems. Without thinking, I quickly hide behind a dense bush, my heart beating in sync with the mysterious sounds which seem to be getting nearer and nearer.
Hidden behind the thick shrubbery, I peer through the leaves, trying to find out where exactly the sounds are coming from and who is making them. Suddenly, a flutter of birds explodes from a nearby tree. My senses are heightened as I strain to identify the nature of these very noises. Are they footsteps? Grunts? Whispers? Or something else entirely.
My breath catches in my throat, my entire body feels on edge. Something tells me I have to remain hidden, that this is my only chance of remaining safe. I steady my breathing, regretting that I didn’t smear some mud on myself, to mask my scent. Then again, what does a city girl know about masking her scent?
The rustling leaves, the snapping twigs and low growls occupy my every waking thought, creating an atmosphere of fear. Moments later, the sounds materialize into a frightening figure of a bear. Towering and majestic, the massive, dark creature emerges from the shadows, its fur shimmering with a mix of sunlight and shadow.
My eyes widen in shock and disbelief. It is bigger than any bear I’ve ever seen before. It could tear my head off with one swing of its mighty paw. Frozen in my hiding spot, I can feel terror coursing through my very veins. The bear continues to amble through the underbrush, its senses focusing on itssurroundings. From what I can tell, it hasn’t caught my scent… yet. But it is only a matter of time.
The bear’s massive paws pad silently on the forest floor, as it moves its enormous body. It stops occasionally to sniff the surroundings, grunting as it does so.
I wonder if running would be a good option. But on second thought, outrunning a bear, particularly in the dense woods, doesn’t sound like it. I’m on the bear’s terrain right now. If I start running, I have no idea where I would be going. But the bear knows. This is its home. So, I know that I need to remain motionless, hoping that the creature will simply continue on its path without detecting my presence.
I close my eyes, crossing my hands over my chest. I breathe slowly, inhaling, then exhaling. My entire body is trembling now even more than before, and I am counting the seconds until I can breathe freely again. But a moment later, I feel a shadow hanging over me, even though my eyes are closed. Fear courses through my veins. I know that opening my eyes will make my situation real again. But I know I can’t just sit there doing nothing.
As soon as I open my eyes, I come face to face with a most terrifying sight. The bear is staring at me, with almost human eyes, wondering what to do. It is baring its teeth at me, dripping saliva down the side of his open mouth. There is a potent smell about him, something old, almost ancient and rotten. It almost makes me vomit.
I have two options now. One is to play dead, and the other is to do the same thing I did before, make myself as big and as loud as possible. Without thinking, I drop to the ground, covering the back of my neck with my hands. The bear could leave me alone, but at the same time, it could just continue to see me as prey. Vulnerable prey at that.
The bear approaches me, sniffing both around me as well as my entire body. That scent about it becomes even stronger, piercing through my very nostrils. It takes all of my conscious effort not to gag and move. I have to remain motionless. I feel like my heart is beating inside my throat, as the bear’s wet muzzle moves over my face, my hands, my body in an effort to satisfy its curiosity.
Just remain calm, it will go away… I keep telling myself silently, fully aware of the fact that I put myself in this situation again, leaving the safety of Cal and Rock’s presence. I think about them in this moment of need, wondering if they are still asleep, if they even know that I am in danger.
The bear is now breathing into my face, and I dare not open my eyes. If I do that, I’m afraid that I will die of fright. That’s why I keep my eyes tightly shut, hoping that this will all be over.
At that moment, I feel the bear’s paw on my side. It is trying to turn me over. That can’t be a good sign… Before I can think of anything to do, I hear another bear growl.
Good God! I think to myself. Are there two of them now??
I open my eyes, unable to keep them closed any longer, looking over the bear’s shoulder. But there is no other bear. Just… Cal and Rock.
Chapter Fourteen
Rock
I feel like this is all my fault. I was supposed to keep everyone, including Elena safe, and now, she is one moment away from certain death.
As soon as we woke up, we noticed that Elena wasn’t there. We sprinted after her, following her trail, but we weren’t fast enough. The chaotic scene that unfolded before us shocked us both. I roared loudly, confusing the bear shifter who was on top of her. It bought her a moment for us to think about our next move.
“I can take him on, Rock,” Cal tells me, realizing just like I already did that it’s not a regular bear. It’s a shifter. It’s probably one from the clan that has come to occupy our territory and now, he is making himself known.
“We can’t risk her seeing you,” I tell him, furious with myself that I am still thinking of that, but this is not just about her. This is about us all, about the only way of life we’ve ever known. “You and I can beat him, like this.”
“Are you crazy!?” he shouts. “The guy will shred her to pieces before we even get to him!”
I know he’s right. And before I can tell him anything else, Cal shouts. “Hey you!”
The bear’s full attention is on us now. Or better yet, on him. Its eyes are narrowing with a mix of aggression and uncertainty. It starts to move slowly towards Cal, losing interest in Elena. I move cautiously toward her, position myself between her and the bear, but the bear only has eyes for Cal for some reason.
“Just stay calm, Cal!” I shout at him. In other words, I’m urging him to stay in his human form. Staying calm means he can control his actions. In his bear form, the animal takes over. It is guided by pure instinct until the very end, and returning from our bear state is like coming out of an endless, dark tunnel with just a match for a light.
Cal doesn’t say anything to that. His focus is on the bear, and the bear’s is on him. They circle around each other, a dance of primal aggression and unspoken challenges, with both sides wanting to be victorious. The air crackles with tension as Cal spreads his arms out wide, in an effort to make himself appear as big as possible, but in his human form, that isn’t possible. The bear outdoes him at least two to one.
“You have to do something, Rock!” I hear Elena gasp with horror at the realization that Cal will be forced to fight this monstrosity.
I don’t know what to tell her. I know that Cal can easily take on this bear in his own bear form, but I didn’t want Elena to find out. At least, not now, and not like this. Hell, I haven’t even decided whether I wanted to tell her, whether I wanted to bring her into this world of ours and see what she thought of it. But now it seems as if Cal alone will be the one to make that decision.
