First things first. That glass of water only made me thirstier. I hobble out to the bedroom on my own. No sign of Teddy, so I poke my head out into the main part of the cabin. There’s a fireplace on one wall with a couch and slouchy chair facing it. To the right is the front door, hanging open. The light streaming in from the front windows makes me squint. I lean against the door frame to get my bearings.
Beyond the sitting area is a small kitchen, galley shaped with lots of pine cabinets and a black wood stove. Someone’s standing in front of the open fridge, hunched over, rummaging around. Bottles clink.
“Teddy?” I call.
The figure straightens, and all the breath leaves my lungs. Fuzzy ears, black fur, long snout. That’s not Teddy.
There’s a bear in the kitchen.
3
Teddy
I’ve got a human in my house. A cute human. She remembers the bear, but if she saw me shift, she’s not saying.
She doesn’t seem to remember everything. Not the hike up to the summit, nor her stepbrother’s lame ass attempt at murder.
I don't know why I held back the information about her stepbrother. I could’ve explained that he was trying to push her off the mountain, and when he saw me he ran off, but it seemed cruel to inflict on someone who just woke up with a head injury. But I can’t coddle her forever. She needs to know the truth. As long as her stepbrother’s still out there, she's in danger.
That's okay, my bear says contentedly. We’ll protect her.
I rub both hands over my face. This is not a complication I need. But like it or not, I have a human for a guest, and my protective instinct is going crazy. I need to keep her safe, monitor her symptoms. And I need to feed her.
Humans eat eggs, right? The Terrible Threes keep their chickens nearby, even though I told them time and time again to move them closer to Ma’s cabin. My younger brothers are terrible at doing their chores, so there are probably plenty of eggs ready for me to collect.
I call Matthias as I hustle down to the coops, and he tells me to give Lana some Tylenol and keep her quiet for the rest of the night. I end the call and chase off Big Bertha, the mean hen, so I can collect my guest’s dinner.
I’m on my way back, my arms full of eggs, when I pick up the scent of an intruder. The front door of my cabin is open and swinging in the breeze. “Motherfucker…”
I pick up my pace, dropping a few eggs as I rush into the cabin. I make it just in time to hear Lana’s gasp. She’s standing in the bedroom door, her mouth hanging open. In the kitchen is a big black bear, its face stuck into my ice box.
“No!” I snap and wave my arms, forgetting I’m carrying the eggs. Several more splatter to the floor. I catch two of them and lob them at the bear. It scuttles back but gets a yolk to the snout. Snuffing and sneezing, it shakes its head, spraying egg everywhere.
“Out.” I charge forward, keeping myself between the bear and Lana. I wave an arm like a traffic cop, gesturing to the door. The bear, who is really my brother Axel, gives me a reproachful look and ambles towards the exit. Halfway there, he stops and swivels his head towards my bedroom. He’s scented Lana.
“Now!” I bellow, getting behind him, so I can herd him out. The idiot’s probably hungover and looking for easy grub in my fridge. Goddammit. I should’ve put out word that I was on a top secret mission not to be disturbed.
By the time I get Axel out, my floor is covered in oozing egg yolks and broken shells. Both the fridge and the freezer doors are hanging open, and I have to shove a bunch of food back in to close them. One frozen package is pierced with claw marks–some deer sausage Axel made last year. He made so much, he had to store the extra with me. I’d forgotten it was there.
There are three small eggs that survived the fight. If I salvage them and the pack of sausage, I can make the human female a full meal.
Oh, shit, the female.
Lana is still standing in the door, her brown eyes wide and staring. I hustle over to her.
“Lana.” I rest my hands on her shoulders and check her over. “You okay? Talk to me.”
Her lower lip trembles. “B-b-b–”
“Bear.” I gather her into my arms. This is the third time today I’ve held her, and damn if it doesn’t get better every time. “Yes, I know. He's gone now.” I raise my voice and holler out the window at Axel’s retreating form. “And he won’t come back.”