by Sammie Joyce
“You can’t tell anyone,” she insisted. “Promise me.”
Again, I was struck by the odd idea that she wasn’t really who she claimed to be but who else could she be? Anyway, she was the only one willing to help me in this without turning us into a YouTube sensation.
“I promise,” I agreed wholeheartedly. I had absolutely no desire to discuss this with anyone but her anyway.
“Fine,” Kea said, apparently convinced by my heartfelt insistence. “But let’s discuss this in person. Could you meet me at Granddad’s on Main in the morning?”
The fact that I had school seemed irrelevant and I told her I’d be there at nine. Dad would be at work and by the time he realized I’d skipped, I would have already met with Kea. It seemed worth the risk, even though I knew I was going to get into even worse trouble when he did hear about it.
Anything to get to the bottom of this, I told myself as we hung up. I knew I was in for yet another sleepless night.
* * *
At nine a.m., I found myself staring at Kea Mahelona in a booth at the only coffee shop in town.
After the server brought me a cappuccino, I leaned eagerly across the table to absorb everything she had to say with the most open of ears and mind. After all, whatever she had to tell me couldn’t be any more unbelievable than what I’d already seen with my own eyes. Kea seemed to read the eagerness in my face and didn’t waste time with any preamble.
“I’ve been looking into this subject quite intensely,” she offered after taking a sip of her own coffee. “And I’ve been researching numerous reports about these man-bear creatures. Some of the stories are merely fiction, of course. In fact, most of them are.”
I could feel my heart deflating slightly. Had she called me there to tell me not to pursue it?
“But they do exist and even four years ago, there was a report right here of a boy who shifted into bear.”
My hope was restored and my eyes widened.
“You think it could be the same man I saw?” I breathed. Kea shrugged and then nodded.
“It’s possible,” she replied slowly, reaching into her oversized purse to pull something out. Before I could see what it was, she glanced around furtively, as if to confirm that we weren’t being overheard but of course no one was paying attention to us. The café was almost empty at that time of the day, everyone at work or school.
Kea seemed satisfied and spread the map in her hands over the table, a long index finger pointing to a section. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was a map of Alaska and she was gesturing to our region.
“From the accounts I’ve gathered and the trails I’ve picked up, my best guess is that there are a group—or sleuth—of grizzly shifters who live in this area. I haven’t ascertained exactly where but this is the area I keep going back to.”
Before I could fully grasp where she’d pointed, the waitress came back around and Kea snatched the map off the table, hastily refolding it.
“How are you doing over here, ladies?” she asked sweetly. We both nodded but our eyes were locked on each other. My heart was thumping furiously in my chest.
“Okay,” the woman said too brightly, sensing that she’d approached at an inopportune time. She wandered away and a million questions popped into my head.
“How do you know that? What makes you think there are more? Why that area?” I demanded in rapid-fire succession. Suddenly, I had an unsettling thought.
What if Kea was a crackpot conspiracy theorist? What if I was enabling her own delusions?
As if reading my mind, she leaned in even closer, her voice barely a whisper.
“I was once like you, Lowell,” she murmured. “I didn’t know what to believe or where to look but I have dedicated my life to this now and I’m telling you what I know. You are one of two people who is privy to this information.”
My eyes widened with interest.
“Who’s the other?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. Who else would have warranted so much trust? I fully expected her to tell me that she’d bequeathed her knowledge to another witness but when she answered, I could barely breathe.
“The other is a bear shifter,” she confessed. “I know a bear shifter personally.”
That, I had not been expecting and my jaw almost touched the table.
“You what?” I choked. “Who?! Where is he? Is it a he?”
Kea smiled and held up a hand.
“I’m going to reserve the right to protect his privacy—and yes, it’s a he, but that’s all I’m saying.”
She singled the server who hung out nearby, seeming at a loss for something to do and gestured for the check.
“I need to get going,” she said. “But I will keep you updated if you promise to do the same for me.”
I nodded, feeling vaguely disappointed that she didn’t share the name of the shifter with me, but I managed a grin.
I might not know her shifter friend’s name but at least I had a map of where to find mine.
* * *
I waited until I was sure that Dad was fully asleep before tiptoeing out of the house that night. It was no easy feat with an Army colonel as a father. He was designed to wake at the slightest breath of noise. Of course, I had almost eighteen years of experience not waking him and that night, the gods were on my side.
With a smidgen of guilt, I snatched his keys off the entranceway table and hopped in his truck, my mind still fresh with the image of the map. I didn’t know exactly where I was going, but I had a general area in mind. I really hadn’t lived in those parts long enough to be sure but I knew I’d figure it out.
As the truck bumped along the steeply inclining back roads, I felt the blood of excitement surge through me. I knew I was probably looking for a needle in a haystack but my gut told me that I was going to find him again.
My elation was short-lived when the headlights shone on the dead end in front of me. I was at the base the mountain and I had no real other recourse but to turn around.
Or walk, I thought slowly, refusing to go back now that I was so close. I glanced at the back of the cab and fished out an industrial flashlight, my eyes falling on my Dad’s hunting rifle. I considered taking it but decided against it. I wouldn’t want to accidentally fire it in fear, and it had been a while since I’d gone shooting.
Just the flashlight it is, I conceded, climbing from the driver’s side and slipping the keys into my pocket. It was the middle of the night and who knew what was lurking up on the slate hillside?
Yet I was less concerned with what might find me than what I might find.
I’m coming for you, bear-man…if that’s what you really are.
8
Davis
Time had never been of much consequence to me, not even when I was in school. I was an artist, a shifter and certainly not concerned with the trivialities of modern mortals.
Yet I was painfully aware of the fact that a week had passed, every minute grinding on me like nails on a blackboard. My body felt like it was on constant edge, the restlessness mounting to a place I was sure I hadn’t known before.
At first, I’d fretted being seen by the kids at the overlook. I had yet to mention their arrival to my family or the others, figuring I’d cross that bridge if I was forced to come to it. Instead, I focussed on my work. I was a totem artist and usually, the sculptures managed to ground me, even when I was at my worst.
I found it impossible to concentrate on my totems, everything seeming off somehow as I struggled to carve and paint. Eventually, I’d given up on my art at all and roamed around, searching for another way to alleviate my tense mind and body.
From the moment I knew I’d been seen on the riverbank, I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom gnawing away at my gut, and even though no one had come looking for me, I couldn’t escape the idea that they would—eventually.
Hud had teased me that I was looking particularly ragged those days.
“This is what happens when you don’t find
a mate for the summer season,” he joked but I didn’t find anything amusing about what was happening to me. All I knew was that I had too much energy and nowhere to unleash it, and my friends’ bantering wasn’t doing anything to help.
That night, as I ambled through the woods, I knew I had no business being out there. Our sleuth was diurnal and even on the fullest of moons, I rarely found myself trudging through the forest at that hour, but that week had been an exception.
The moon was at half, illuminating the thick brush somewhat but I was in my bear form for the most part of my walk, not wanting to attract the nocturnal animals with my mortal scent. By now, we all knew one another fairly well anyway and the wolves and coyotes were wise to keep their distance, even when I was walking on two legs. Still, I felt like the only way I’d get any sleep was by running off the fission of apprehension inside me and I forced myself to do precisely that. Not that it had done me much good over the last few nights, but what else could I do?
But I’d been out there for hours and if anything, I felt more energized than when I’d left the compound.
Shaking my head, I paused by a massive pine and morphed back into my mortal form. I was looking for some reprieve from the stress in my body and being a bear just wasn’t cutting it. I’d hoped that maybe being in my human skin, I’d be better off.
I had clothing stored all over the woods, just like the rest of us. Whenever someone saw a stray pair of pants or a shirt on a nature walk, they could be sure they were in the company of shifters. It was just easier than romping back naked to the compound. In that area, I knew, there were a pair of jeans and a hoodie, perfect for the kind of chilly night in which I’d found myself.
As I slipped into the clothes, a prickle of alarm seized me unexpectedly. Slowly, I raised my head and blinked against the darkness, my eyes almost the same shade at the night around me.
An owl cooed nearby but that wasn’t what had caught my attention. I looked down at my freshly dressed body and stifled a groan. I’d just gotten changed. Did I need to shift back already?
Aquiline nose raised to the air, I narrowed my gaze as I tried to understand what had captured my attention. Nothing else around me stirred and I knew I was alone in my area but there was something…
Then I heard it again, faint, soft and out of normal human earshot.
“Help! Help me!”
A whoosh of air escaped my lungs at the unexpected sound. Someone was out there, in the middle of the night.
Without stopping to consider my own actions, I bolted in the direction of cries, remaining in my human form. The last thing this distressed soul needed to see was a four-hundred-pound grizzly appearing out of the darkness.
The last thing you need is to involve yourself in a rescue mission, a sensible but irritated voice in my head reminded me. I silenced it, even though I knew it was right. Since when did I rush off to play the hero, after all?
Yet I kept rushing through the trees, my sure-footedness guiding me toward the plaintive pleas beyond…as if I wasn’t in control of myself, but guided by an unseen hand that knew better than me.
9
Lowell
I winced and bit back a cry as I tried my ankle again, furious at myself for having found myself in this situation.
What had I been thinking trying this terrain under the cloak of darkness? Even the flashlight hadn’t foreseen the ravine until I was already taking a tumble down through the brush. The lantern sat a few feet away but I didn’t bother to crawl after it yet. The pain in my foot was too much and I was waiting for it to subside.
“Help?” I tried again but this time, my voice was barely loud enough for me to hear. I knew the word was futile. Who could possibly hear me out there?
Maybe one of those bear-men living in their bear community, I thought sarcastically, another wave of anger at myself rising in my chest. I wasn’t just angry at myself—I was mad at Kea Mahelona too. Why would she have given me all that information? What did she think I was going to do with it?
I knew I was being childish blaming her. After all, it wasn’t her fault I’d snuck out in the middle of the night on this wild goose chase.
Again, I rose to my good foot, balancing against a tree and tried to put weight on my bad ankle. It was a very bad idea. I yelped out in pain, the shriek echoing through the glen. A shudder bolted through me as I heard the deep, ominous howl of a wolf. It sounded much closer than I would have liked, but it was still far away.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Just think. Don’t panic.”
I remembered that I’d had the good sense to bring my cell with me but when I pulled it out of my sweater pocket, I only stared at the glowing screen for a long moment. Flopping back into the bed of leaves with a thud, I considered my options. I couldn’t call Dad, that’s for sure. Maddy maybe? Yeah right—she and the others were as grounded as I was, no doubt. They wouldn’t risk sneaking out to rescue me—assuming they could even find me.
Kea might be able to find me, I realized but before I could scroll through my contacts to find her name, I heard a rustle from above my head. My blood ran cold and I gasped, head whipping toward the sound. I was sure the wolves had found me.
I tried to remain stalk still, recalling all I knew about dangerous wild animals. If they didn’t perceive me as a threat, they would leave me alone.
Unless they’re hungry, a grim voice in my head added. That wasn’t helpful at all.
The flashlight was still on, only slightly out of my grasp and I thought about grabbing for it but instead, I decided to make myself small. Curling up at the base of the tree, I stifled a whimper as I heard the tread of an animal nearing its way toward me.
“Hey,” a male called out, his voice deep and oddly comforting, despite the terse situation. “Are you okay?”
Butterflies exploded in my stomach but I didn’t move from my spot. I wasn’t sure if I was nervous or excited, my face flushing warmly as the man slipped toward me from the top of the hill. Through my peripheral vision, I made out his almost stealthy movements, like he was impervious to the rocks and foliage. He seemed to glide toward me but it was so dark, I thought I was imagining it.
“Hey,” he said again, pausing to scoop up my fallen flashlight. The ray caught the chiseled jaw of his face and my heart stopped for a moment.
Is that him? I wondered, my eyes widening in shock. Is that the same guy we saw by the river?
His hair was as black as the man’s had been, but I hadn’t been close enough to make out his features well enough to be sure.
“Are you hurt?”
I started to shake my head but I changed my mind and squeaked out a response instead.
“I-I think so,” I muttered, my words barely meeting my own ears.
“Okay,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to try and help you up, okay?”
And suddenly I realized that I wasn’t afraid in the least. He extended a long, smooth hand and I accepted it, mildly surprised that it was so soft. He seemed so at home in this environment, it struck me as odd that he didn’t seem to have any callouses on his fingers.
Gently, I ambled to my feet and he took my arm, his other hand still balancing my flashlight.
Where is his flashlight? I wondered idly. He appeared to have been navigating the woods without one.
“Come this way,” he urged, stepping away from the tree but when I put weight on my bum foot, I almost collapsed. He caught me before I could fall back into the grass.
“All right,” he chuckled. “I guess that’s not going to work.”
He paused and studied my face with onyx eyes. I was sure I’d never seen such deep, inky irises and in that moment, I was sure I’d found the right man—or rather, he’d found me.
“How about I carry you?” he suggested. I nodded, swallowing the lump of giddiness in my throat. Effortlessly, he swept me into his arms and began to journey back up the side of the embankment. I noticed he didn’t even bother to shine the light where he was going.
He know exactly where he’s going and he can see in this darkness. It’s him! It’s the bear-man!
My heart was fluttering so wildly, I was sure he could feel it but he made no comment about that as we moved. His breath was sure and even. It was as though I didn’t weigh anything and he wasn’t moving uphill. My awe was only growing. Throwing my head back, I studied his handsome face, memorizing every detail of his expressions.
His hair was longer than most of the boys I knew, the ebony strands falling just at the base of his bronze neck. He wasn’t huge but there was a power inside him that seemed to radiate beyond the toned frame of his broad shoulders. I could feel the muscles of his body beneath the hoody he wore and unexpectedly, a flash of heat surged through me.
“What were you doing out here?” he asked, still not a hint of a pant in his question.
I didn’t mean to say it, I hadn’t wanted to but the answer slipped out before I even knew it was coming.
“You,” I whispered. “I was looking for you.”
10
Davis
I almost dropped her, my feet freezing in their tracks as her words sunk it. Could this be her? The girl from the overlook?
A myriad of emotions coursed through me as I gaped at her lovely face, her aqua-colored eyes staring at me in wonderment. She was so young, definitely a high school student. How had I not figured it out before that moment? It certainly made sense that she would come tripping through the backwoods at night looking for me, for us.
But I had been too distracted by the scent that had propelled me to her in the first place, the undeniable attraction of pheromones that led me to believe that she was a mate.
She can’t be my mate, I thought, anger overriding all my other emotions. She’s too young and she’s dangerous.
I didn’t admit that she was likely only a couple years younger than me. I always saw myself as older, even when I was a kid.
