Bear Mountain Daddy (Bear Mountain Shifters)

by Sky Winters

  "How does she…" said Aaron, his eyes fixed on Jenny, the green thickness of the woods behind her store a backdrop to her.

  "I think…I know that I need to do this."

  "Come on now!" shouted Jenny, a strange glee in her voice. "No time to waste!"

  Adeline looked at Aaron, and she could see that he realized that there was nothing to be done other than to let her go with this strange woman.

  "Please," he said, "be safe. I couldn't stand to lose you, too."

  Adeline looked into Aaron's eyes, deep green in the high light of noon. He leaned in, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her for what may have been the last time.

  "No time for that!" shouted Jenny. "Come on!"

  Aaron stepped away from Adeline, his eyes on her as he got into his car. Seconds later, he gunned the engine and drove off, the car disappearing into town.

  "Over here!" shouted Jenny.

  Adeline made her way around the building, noting that the "closed" sign was dangling from the door. Soon after, she was at Jenny's side, the woman standing still and looking into the forest that stretched before them.

  "Always you know to keep coming back," said Jenny, taking a sip from a cup of coffee that sat on a tree stump nearby.

  "You know something," said Adeline. "You know about me, and what I am. I want answers."

  "You'll get answers, my little fox. You'll get all the answers you need."

  CHAPTER 19

  "Start with that," said Adeline. "Tell me why you keep calling me a ‘fox.' Does that mean I'm a shifter?"

  "Not quite," said Jenny. "But you have their blood in you."

  "What do you mean?"

  Jenny smiled and looked away, her mug off coffee in her hands.

  "You're drawn to this place, to these people," said Jenny. "You know that world of humans isn't where you belong, but you know that the world of these strange beasts isn't either, yet, you feel drawn to both."

  "Please," said Adeline. "Tell me what this all means. I have to know why I'm here, why I'm in the middle of all of this."

  "And why you feel as though it's exactly where you need to be?"

  Adeline opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She knew that Jenny was right, that despite everything, despite the danger, despite the uncertainty, she hadn't once doubted that she'd made the right decision in leaving everything behind and coming to this small, sleepy town.

  "Yes," said Adeline.

  "Well," said Jenny, "it's because you have their blood in you."

  "What?" asked Adeline, her eyes wide in shock.

  "Somewhere, far back in your line, you have a shifter relative. Could be a grandparent, could be a great-great-great grandparent, could be some auntie you didn't even know you had. But you've got one in there, somewhere."

  "Does that mean that I can shift?"

  "Maybe, maybe not; you might find out you can someday, you might go to your grave still wondering. But what's for sure is that you're connected to these people. They're in your blood- literally."

  "And how do you know all of this?"

  Jenny formed a half-smile, the wrinkles on her face deepening.

  "Because I have the same gift. If you want to call it that. It's why I'm here; this region is a hotbed for these shifter types."

  Adeline was staggered by this information. "So, you found out that you had shifter blood, then just moved here and opened a coffee shop?"

  "No, no," said Jenny, amused. "Much more to it than that. You're not the only one who's found a dashing shifter man to chase after, to watch over, to stand side-by-side with. I had a man like him once, long ago. But you don't need to know all of that, dear. Just understand that I know what you're going through, and you're doing the right thing so far."

  "'The right thing'?" asked Adeline. "How can I even know what that is?"

  "Sticking by this man, this bear shifter, helping him find his daughter…"

  Her voice trailed as the word ‘daughter' passed her lips.

  "That's…a special girl," said Jenny, turning her gaze back to the woods. "She's going to be a powerful shifter; if she isn't already. Those wolves are wise to see what she is."

  "Bethany?" asked Adeline. "What are they going to do to her?"

  Jenny shrugged. "Make her one of them, most likely. Use her powers to make this part of the country theirs. Then God-knows-what. They always have to fight against the wolves; that's the fate of the bears, and those who are part of their world."

  "And here I am just talking while Bethany's in danger and the bears are going to fight."

  "You think so little of yourself," said Jenny. "You've trusted your intuition so far- what does it tell you now?"

  Adeline put aside the urge to press Jenny, to get her to explain everything to her in clear, unambiguous detail. She closed her eyes, letting the urge, strange compulsion within her guide her.

  The forest, she thought.

  "I have to go there," said Adeline, pointing to the thick trees ahead.

  "And what do you see in there?" asked Jenny.

  ‘I…don't know. It's just like how it's always been- just a strange urge to go."

  "Then that's what you have to do."

  "But…aren't the wolves in there?"

  "They could be. But if the wolves are there, then that little girl is too, isn't she?"

  Adeline knew that she was right.

  "You have to come with me," said Adeline, turning to Jenny and grabbing the thick, knitted shawl wrapped around her. "I don't know what to do, and you've been through all of this before."

  "Me?" asked Jenny, placing her hand on her chest. "No, no. I'm an old woman. I may have shifter blood in my veins, but the battles I've fought are long over; I'd simply slow you down. No, my role is to do just what I'm doing now, to help steer in the right direction those who are confused as I once was, and as you are now. Maybe one day, should you see yourself through to the other side, you'll be standing where I am now, with some girl who's not too different than you once were, explaining to her just why you can't come with her."

  "Then…all I can do is go into the woods."

  Jenny nodded. "Go there," she said, pointing towards the woods. "Go there and don't stop until you've found what you're looking for. Trust me. It's the only way you'll find any peace."

  Adeline turned her attention to the woods, looking deep into the thick density of the trees, the branches lolling gently in the soft mid-day wind. As they spoke, a thick blanket of clouds had formed overhead, the sky now slate gray, the sunlight thin and dim.

  "You'd better get going," said Jenny, looking into the woods. "Looks like a storm's about to hit; you'll want to find what you're looking for before all of that."

  Adeline turned back to Jenny. "Thank you," she said. "For everything."

  Jenny's thin lips formed into a slight smile. "Thank me by getting that girl back."

  Adeline nodded, turning back towards the woods. A low rumble of thunder sounded as she walked towards over the clearing behind the shop and towards the woods, her steps faster the more she walked. Determination grew within her as she approached the trees, and as she stood at the boundary between the town and forest that surrounded it, she took a slow, deep breath. Then she stepped forward.

  CHAPTER 20

  Another rumble of thunder sounded as Adeline stepped further into the woods. Slipping her phone out of her pocket, she saw that her reception was nil- it was just here out here. At first, she was fearful, the same hesitation and doubt that reared its head from time to time now making another appearance. Part of her wanted to turn back, to run back to civilization, to forget about all of this. She knew that she was on the verge of the point of no return, and if she could see the town behind her through the thick clusters of trees, she knew that she still had the option to change her mind.

  But she didn't. She continued, and the further she walked, the more distance that she put between herself and the town, the more confident her steps became. At first, she walked throu
gh the woods carefully, wincing at each branch that snapped beneath her footfalls. But the more she walked the longer her strides grew, and the less fear that coursed through her body.

  She couldn't explain it, but she began to feel as though the woods were where she belonged, as though, in a sense, she was home. Adeline thought back to her dream that brought her here, the dream that she'd had so many times before in which she traveled through the woods in the form of a fox, darting across the forest floor with light ease. She may not have been a fox now, but the pace at which she traveled was one of a human who knew this landscape intimately. Soon, she was moving at a brisk pace, stepping over branches, weaving through the trees, placing each step down with confidence, the urging within her pointing to forward.

  And what's more, her steps seem to land silently, as though her feet were nothing more than the light pads of some kind of animal that had been adapted to the forest.

  But as she traveled, she remembered the other part of the dream. The wolves that stalked her.

  Wolves, she thought. They're in these woods somewhere.

  Then, to her horror, she had another realization. the direction she was moving towards was the direction of the wolves. Adeline was looking for Bethany, but wherever the girl was, the wolves wouldn't be far away. Stopping and taking a deep breath, she continued, bracing herself against the fear that now ran up her spine.

  Her eyes darted around as she moved, as though on the lookout for those pairs of red, glowing eyes that haunted her dreams. But she'd seen the real danger, and knew that it was far worse.

  After a time, another peal of thunder cut across the sky, jolting Adeline out of her trance-like state. Pulling her phone out of her pocket once again, she saw that nearly an hour had passed since she entered the woods. But before she could consider this for too long, droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, pattering softly against the trees that towered over her.

  As good as being in the woods feels, I'm not really in the mood to get stuck out here in the rain, she thought as she scanned the woods around her for shelter.

  And as her eye line moved along the far horizon of the forest, they settled on something that she hadn't noticed before.

  It was a building.

  Adeline moved closer, her eyes fixed on the edifice that seemed to have grown out of the forest floor in the last few moments.

  How did I miss that? she asked herself, wondering if she had fallen victim to some sort of forest mirage.

  But as she drew closer, she could see that the building wasn't simply a figment of her imagination; it was truly there. Her heart began to race as she stepped closer. The building was a mean-looking thing- tall, with high, dark walls and square windows as black as ink. It was like some kind of nightmare medieval fort that had somehow found its way out of time and into the woods of upstate New York.

  She approached the building with hesitant steps. Part of her was fearful, worried that she was trespassing in a place where she shouldn't be. But another part of her was sure that this is what she'd been searching for. Adeline approached the building, her eyes scanning the massive form of the place, looking out for any signs of life; she found none.

  Approaching a small side door, she entered and found herself in a long, dark hallway decorated in a simple, minimalist style of black walls, black wood floors, and low light. It was the opposite of the cheery, homey feel of the Swift's compound.

  Walking with slow steps, she froze in place upon hearing footsteps from down the hall. She ducked into the open door of a nearby supply room and listened carefully. After a moment, she could hear two distinct sets of footsteps, and soon the men that they belonged to appeared at the far end of the hall. Peeking out from the door frame, she saw that the men were both slim in figure and dressed in black suits.

  She recognized them immediately as wolves.

  "How long they been gone for?" asked the first man.

  "Not sure; been an hour, maybe."

  A moment passed.

  "That's a long time just to secure the compound."

  "Well, they need to make sure it's secure."

  "Why, what're they worried about- traps?"

  "I don't know; bears aren't usually the ‘traps' types."

  "No kidding. I'll just be glad when the compound's ours."

  "Yeah, then we can finally track down the rest of the bears and get rid of ‘em for good."

  "Too much waiting around if you ask me."

  "Just be patient; we've got the girl; that's step one. Killing the bears is step two."

  "Then step three?"

  "Taking over this town and killing any shifters that stand in our way."

  Adeline's eyes went wide- she realized the wolves were indeed planning on taking over the area by force.

  "Sounds good to me. Speaking of the kid, you check up on her?"

  "Yeah, still in the bedroom. Weird kid."

  "Of course, she's weird- she's the hybrid we've been looking for. Kid has no idea how much power she has. Boss seems to be convinced that she's one of the most powerful shifters he's ever seen."

  "You saw what's she's capable of; we all did. Anyway, you want to check up on her?"

  "Nah, kid creeps me out; you do it."

  A moment passed.

  "I'm sure she's fine."

  With that, the two men split apart and went their separate ways.

  She's here, thought Adeline, just in one of these bedrooms.

  Once the men left the hallway, Adeline slinked along the wall, glancing in each room she passed for Bethany. Soon, upon peeking in through a small window that looked into one of the rooms, she spotted the girl in a small, bare room with nothing more inside it than a simple bed, a dresser, and a tiny television. Her heart leaped upon seeing the girl once again. Looking down the hallway once last time to confirm that the men weren't anywhere nearby, Adeline unlocked the deadbolt that kept the door locked from the outside and opened the door.

  Bethany's face went from blank far away to bright and joyful upon seeing Adeline.

  "Adeline! You're here!" said the Bethany, bounding off the bed and wrapping her arms around Adeline's waist.

  "Thank God you're safe," said Adeline. "Are you OK?"

  Adeline kneeled and looked the girl over; she seemed to be fine.

  "Yeah," said Bethany, "they've just been keeping me locked up here; they said this is my new home."

  "Well, it's not," said Adeline. "We've found your family and your father's looking for you; we're going to get you home safe."

  "I knew you'd come for me; I knew it," said Bethany.

  The girl looked away pensively for a moment.

  "Since I've been here," she said, "I've been having…weird things happen."

  "'Weird things'?" asked Adeline.

  Oh no, she thought, she's starting to shift.

  "Yeah, I can turn myself into an animal, just like my mom and dad can. But they said it's not like any animal they've ever seen."

  Then a voice called from the hall.

  "Hey, is that door open?" called out one of the men.

  Shit, thought Adeline, how did I forget to shut that?

  "Oh, don't worry about it," said Bethany. "I'll take care of them."

  Bethany then rose from the bed and walked with calm, slow steps towards the door.

  "She's loose!" said one of the wolves as Bethany stood in the door frame.

  What happened next all seemed to be compressed into the span of only a few moments. Adeline saw the quick appearance of fur on Bethany's skin, followed by the flickering of a strange, animal glint in her eyes. A course growl sounded from her throat, and she leaped out of sight. Then, there was the sound of tearing clothing, followed by the screams of the two men. Then, moments later, silence.

  Bethany soon appeared once again in the frame of the door, a calm expression on her face.

  "Let's get out of here, please," she said.

  Adeline was more than happy to do just that.

  CHAPTER 21


  "Come on!" shouted Bethany as the pair ran through the woods. "The wolves are on their way right now!"

  Adeline could run faster than she ever had in her life, but she was struggling to keep up with the girl. Bethany ran at incredible speed, bounding over rocks and under branches, moving through the woods with ease, grace, and a hint of animal strength. As Adeline ran, she let the relief of having Bethany returned wash over her, but she knew that they wouldn't be safe until these wolves were forever driven from the woods.

  Soon, they began to approach an area of the woods that looked more familiar to Adeline.

  "Almost there!" shouted Bethany.

  They ran and ran, and soon the outline of the compound began to grow over the horizon. But before relief could settle in. a deafening howl sounded out through the woods, followed by a fearsome roar.

  "They're fighting!" shouted Bethany.

  Adeline could now make out the figures of bears and wolves on the grounds of the compound, their forms clashing and colliding through the grid of the iron fence. As Adeline moved closer, she could make out the Swift men, all shifted into their powerful bear forms. Around them were the half dozen wolves of the Gray clan, their stalking shapes forming a tight circle around the bears.

  Adeline ran to the fence and grabbed onto it. She realized that they'd arrived in the middle of a battle, and it looked as though the fight favored the wolves.

  They're outnumbered, thought Adeline, watching the wolves circle around the bears.

  But before she could worry for too long, Bethany ran to the gate.

  "Dad!" she shouted, her hands on the fence.

  One of the bears rose on his hind legs and turned towards Bethany, a booming roar sounding from his fearsome mouth as he did. The rest of the bears and wolves turned towards Bethany, the circle of wolves stopping in their tracks.

  Then, Bethany scaled the fence at an incredible speed, her body shifting into what appeared to Adeline to be a small bear form, but moving with the agility and quickness of a wolf. She landed on the ground on the other side of the fence, facing down the wolves. The rest of the bears took advantage of this distraction and pounced on the wolves, attacking them with their razor-sharp claws. And as the melee began once again, Bethany joined the fray.