Bear encounter 2.0

It was late in the afternoon. The sun’s warmth radiated throughout the forest, and the light made its way through the leaves, casting their silhouettes on the grass below. The tranquil forest was unusually empty for this time of day. Perhaps it was due to the presence of the tawny wolf leisurely trotting by. Or, maybe, it was something much more sinister.

The wolf, Akos, was out on a hunt. Being a vernator, Akos had been tasked with hunting for the tribe. Today’s hunt was uninteresting. With the forest being so desolate, the vernator was left with nothing to do besides wander aimlessly. Sauntering through the forest, listening to the melody songbirds sang or watching the leaves sway to and fro. Akos found it to be a bit monotonous, despite her love for birds.

At last, something broke the silence. A low, spine chilling growl that seemed to echo throughout the forest. Every ounce of Akos’ instinct was telling her to run, but the foolish wolf’s curiosity overtook her. Curiosity had proven itself to be dangerous time and time again, but Akos still answered it’s call. It was all too alluring, she just couldn’t resist the temptation.

Taking great caution to not alert anything of her presence, Akos followed the clamor to its source. She was hoping whatever had produced such a noise would rid her of her boredom. Her quest had brought her to two sizable shrubs. Whatever had produced the noise was certainly just beyond them. All she had to do was poke her head between them and her curiosity would be sated. Her excitement was rising, and her heart pounded in her chest as she looked through the shrubs. That excitement turned to dread as she laid her eyes upon the source of the noise.

Standing just beyond the shrubs was a creature of nightmares. One of the largest and most fearsome creatures in all of the forest. It was the one thing a wolf didn’t want to encounter alone. A Grizzly bear. It’s paws were massive, and it’s claws even more so. One swipe of those claws and you’d be down for the count.

Its colossal head turned in Akos’ direction, and the two were now gazing at each other. It was as if it the bear was staring into the darkest corners of her soul. Akos’ legs became paralyzed with fear, and her tail tucked between her legs. She was unsure of what to do next. Decision making was never her forte, especially in stressful situations such as this.

Tensions were rising, and Akos couldn’t take it anymore. A bear could do her in in an instant. She wouldn’t even know what hit her. So, with great haste, Akos ran. Perhaps she was nothing more than a coward, just like her mother, but labels didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered was getting back home, far away from the bear.

Her feet carried her far, even without her mind’s input. Instinct was a wonderful thing; that’s what eventually lead Akos back to the den. She didn’t stop until she had reached the very end, pushing past the whelps and den mothers who resided inside. Finally, she was safe, and far away from the bear that may have caused her harm.