Page 82 of Hummingbird and Kraken

The eyes moved, coming closer. It stepped into a patch of moonlight, just for a minute.

He couldn’t see much, but enough to know that it wasn’t bending down, but standing at full height. Its fur was matted, and it walked with a limp.

This must be one of the children.

With shaking fingers, he unlocked the door and then slowly, slowly eased it open.

The animal scrambled back, and then let out a pained moan.

He leaned out. “Shhhhh… it’s alright.” He kept his voice at a whisper. “I’m Declan. Chief Tier’s here to rescue you. You can get in the van if you want.”

The animal watched him, seemed to lumber forward, then turned around to nose at something and let out a quiet whimper.

“I promise I won’t hurt you. We just want to get you back to your parents.”

The animal whimpered again, a kind of groaning cry. It looked down, then back at him. The reflective eyes bounced a few times, like it was straining against something. Was it trying to move something? Carry something? The eyes turned and moved but didn’t come any closer.

The whimpering grew faster, but Declan didn’t know what it meant. Was the animal injured? Or maybe trapped?

Or was it laying a trap for Declan? He still couldn’t count that out.

“Geir,” he hissed. Geir would know what to do.

But when he turned, Geir was running down the road, away from him. The growls and shouts were coming closer.

The predator’s eyes bobbed faster, and the whimpering was frantic now.

Declan had promised to stay in the car. He wanted to stay in the car.

But if there was a hurt child and danger moving toward them, he had to act.

He also needed to be smart about it. He couldn’t just charge out there. He needed to at least see what was happening.

He dug his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight, keeping it low. Then, he eased just outside the door, one leg still inside the car. He turned the beam quickly on the animal and then back to his side.

That showed him all he needed to see. It was a bear. Or something that looked a hell of a lot like a bear, since there seemed to be all sorts of animals out here that he didn’t know. It had round ears like Winnie the Pooh, so that should mean something, right?

More importantly, though, it was wearing a chain around its neck, and the other end of it had gotten caught in a log. The cub was biting at it, trying to get it free, but it couldn’t get the angle right.

Declan eased out of the car. “Sorry, Geir,” he murmured. Surely Geir would forgive him his broken promise. He cupped the light with his hand and directed it downward.

Trying to move silently, he took one step toward the predator and then another. He crossed the grass along the road and then moved into the trees. He was close.

The bear growled at him, showing its tiny teeth. They were cute, but they could also take a bite out of his arm.

He reminded himself that the sharp teeth belonged to a frightened child. “I’m just going to get the chain loose, alright? Then you can go into the van or wherever you think is safest, alright? I’m going to get into the van, too, because it’s scary out here.” He laughed almost soundlessly, keeping his voice at a whisper.

The bear growled again, the sound low in its throat. It had claws, too, of course.

He risked a little more light, shining it on himself for a moment so the cub could see him.

The bear looked for a moment, then pointed at the leather pouch with one clawed hand. “That’s right,” he coaxed. “Askuwheteau gave it to me.” He knew he was mangling the name, but he tried. “He’s the Guide, and he trusts me.”

The bear stopped growling, but still looked ready to pounce.

“Can I get the chain?”

The cub slowly nodded, then stepped to the side. Declan could see blood matted in its fur. Poor baby.