Deep Woods

I took an instinctive step back. Every nerve was telling me to bolt, to get away. Play dead?! Just lie down and let it bite and claw at me?!

The bear lunged forward, close enough for me to feel the heat of its breath.

“Play dead!” yelled Cal again. I could hear the raw terror in his voice.

The bear opened its jaws—

I threw myself to the ground and lay face-down in the dirt, eyes closed.

I heard the bear’s heavy breaths and then the ground shook with each thump of its paws as it came closer. Oh God—

I felt fur brush my bare hand. It was right up against me.

Then a hot waft of air on the back of my neck. It must have its head down, jaws open, right over my head and neck, deciding whether to bite. Something warm and wet plopped onto my ear and I tried not to twitch.

A growl and a tug on my hip and I was rolled with terrifying ease. I tried to keep everything loose and floppy. One of my arms actually brushed warm fur as I was flipped onto my back. Keep your eyes closed, keep your eyes closed—

Warm breath against my chest. My neck. My face. A wet nose brushed my cheek. Then it nudged me, testing me. I tried to stay ragdoll-limp. Tried not to imagine those jaws snapping, my skull crumpling—

The wet nose found my ear and snuffled. I forced myself to keep still.

And then the ground shook again as it lumbered away.

I lay there not daring to move. I couldn’t hear its footsteps anymore, but the wind was rustling the trees and I couldn’t tell if it had wandered off into the forest or if it was just standing silently ten feet away. If it was safe, why hadn’t Cal come? He must be playing dead, too, and it wasn’t time to come out yet. I’d just have to wait until he gave the all-clear.

Then my stomach knotted. There was another possibility. What if he was hurt? I’d lost sight of him, when the bear attacked him. I’d heard his voice but it had been strained, ragged...what if he’d been clawed in the neck or the chest? What if he was bleeding out and I was lying there not helping him, scared of a bear that had long gone?

What do I do?!

I lay there motionless, the sun soaking through my closed lids, the breeze on my face. I strained my ears but I couldn’t hear anything. I had to help him, even if it was risky.

I opened my eyes just as a huge form loomed into my vision. I flinched and cried out in panic—

Cal grabbed my shoulders. “It’s okay! It’s okay! It’s gone.”

I stared up at him, unable to speak. Then I grabbed hold of him and pulled myself to him, burying my face in his chest.

25

Cal

I’D BEEN SO SCARED. She’d been lying so still, as I approached. Had the bear shaken her, and snapped her neck? Then she opened her eyes and my heart just lifted. And then she threw her arms around me and lifted herself off the ground, crushing herself to me, and—

I melted. I wrapped my arms around her, wanting to never let her go. God, we’d come so close! My heart was still pounding. And I could feel the hot dampness of her tears soaking through my shirt. I nearly lost her. All because I hadn’t wanted to talk.

I tightened my arms around her.

She suddenly drew her head back. “R—Rufus!” she spluttered through her tears. “Where’s—”

“Rufus!” I called. A few seconds later, he appeared through the trees and bounded over to us. Bethany freed one arm and stroked Rufus, reassuring herself that he was okay. “I’ve trained him,” I told her. “He knows to lie low, if he sees a bear.”

“I thought—” She looked up at me, eyes still full of tears. “I thought you—” She reached up and touched my arm. One whole sleeve of my shirt, from the elbow to the wrist, was shredded where the bear had caught it with its teeth. “Oh God.”

She’d started shaking and that scared me because I had no clue how to deal with it. I wasn’t used to having anyone to comfort. “It’s okay,” I told her. “It’s okay.” And I clutched her close, closed my eyes, and just held her, and that seemed to work. Gradually, our breathing slowed. I was in an awkward position, knelt beside her with my upper body twisted, supporting her weight...and it felt so right, no force on earth could have moved me. We stayed there for a long time.

When we eventually unwound and got to our feet, she looked down at my chest and her eyes went big. “Cal!”

I looked down. The front of my t-shirt was stained red. I hadn’t even felt it at the time, but the bear must have just caught me with her claws. I peeled the cotton away and looked down: yep, three red lines slashed across my left pec. “Not deep,” I told her. “I’ll be okay.” I looked at her. “You could have been killed. You know it was crazy, what you did?” I tried to be gruff, because I needed to make sure she never did anything like that again. But one look in those big brown eyes and I just melted all over again. “And brave,” I allowed. Then, “Thank you.”