Page 1 of Fire Bear

Chapter

One

Grizzly bear shifterAsh Bright stepped into the Fate Mountain Fire Patrol Station, his heavy boots echoing across the polished floor. The faint smell of coffee and last night’s chili lingered in the air.

He paused near the station’s main bulletin board, glancing at the day’s shift schedule. As Fire Chief, today would start like any other—with routine checks and a debriefing with his crew.

Tonight was also his father Corey Bright’s sixty-fifth birthday. Corey was the original developer of mate.com, the shifter dating app that had been responsible for so many fated mates on Fate Mountain and across the world. Even Ash’s parents had met that way.

His mother, Willow, had passed away years ago, but her gentle spirit and creative spark still guided the family in more ways than one. Ash hadn’t gone into technology and science like his brother Reed and sister Ivy or taken the creative path like his sister Holly.

But Ash had followed in his father’s footsteps in other ways. Corey had been on the Fate Mountain search and rescue crew while Ash was growing up. Ash had inherited his sense of duty and dedication to the community and the mountain.

At thirty-two years old, Ash was one of the youngest fire chiefs the Fire Patrol had ever seen, and he intended to live up to that responsibility. He adjusted the collar on his uniform jacket and strode into the rec room. A handful of firefighters were already there, sipping from steaming mugs while reviewing the morning updates. A quiet murmur of conversation filled the room.

“Morning, Chief,” said Alec, a tall, broad-shouldered wolf shifter who often rode tailboard on the brush truck. He raised his mug in greeting.

“Morning,” Ash replied.

He did a quick headcount. Jake, a lean human, leaned against the counter, flipping through a copy of the local news. Erin, an eagle shifter with sharp eyes, nodded with a grin. Kyle, a fox shifter who specialized in paramedic duties, was hunched over the radio, picking up a faint broadcast from a nearby county.

“Anything unusual?” Ash asked, setting his gear bag on the table.

Jake shook his head. “Overnight was quiet. A few small false alarms, but nothing major. We’re all stocked on foam and water reserves, so we’re good to go.”

Ash nodded. “Great. Let’s get a quick equipment check, then we’ll do the morning run-down.”

They split off into small groups. Kyle headed to the truck bay to test hoses and monitor fluid levels. Jake walked with Ash to the SCBA racks, verifying pressure gauges on the compressed-airtanks. Alec and Erin sorted through minor restock lists for the brush truck.

Just as Ash finished marking off the last line on the maintenance form, the station’s phone rang. Kyle answered, “Fate Mountain Fire Patrol… Yes, ma’am.” His eyes darted to Ash. “We’ll dispatch a unit right away.”

He hung up, clearing his throat. “Chief, we’ve got a call about a possible brushfire in the wooded patch behind Hampton Orchard.” He glanced down at the scribbled address. “There’s no access through the orchard. The fire is about two miles east of the closest service road, near the orchard’s southern boundary.”

“All right, let’s get the brush truck rolling.”

Within minutes, the team geared up, moving with smooth efficiency. The station’s large bay door rumbled open, letting in a crisp morning breeze. Ash climbed into the driver’s seat of the bright red brush truck, Jake beside him in the passenger seat. Alec and Erin hopped into the extended back seats. The engine rumbled to life, and they pulled away from the station.

They drove along Fate Mountain’s winding roads, tall evergreens towering overhead, their needles swaying gently. They took the service road up the slope, then turned off the road into the forest. As they drew nearer, tendrils of smoke rose into the air.

“Yep, that’s definitely a brushfire,” Jake said, leaning forward to scan the horizon. “Doesn’t look huge, but the wind is picking up.”

Ash’s jaw tightened. Wind was always the wildcard; a small flame could rage into a serious threat if the breeze decided to whip up. They slowed near the orchard’s fence line. Gray smokecurled lazily upward, a cluster of flames flickering at the base of some scrubby vegetation. By the looks of it, the fire covered only about twenty feet, but the nearby grass had browned, making easy fuel.

“Let’s contain it fast,” Ash said, cutting the engine. “Erin, get the booster line. Alec, check for overhead branches or snags that might catch. Jake, come with me—let’s see if there’s a safe perimeter to keep it from spreading.”

Jake nodded. Erin pulled a hose from the side reel, while Alec lifted a fire rake and shovel. Ash exhaled, surveying the situation. This was manageable, he told himself.

Erin opened the valve, sending a spray of water onto the flames. A loud hiss filled Ash’s ears as water met fire. Kyle had stayed behind at the station, so it was just the four of them on the truck.

A swirl of smoke curled around Ash’s ankles. That was when he caught a faint, chemical odor—something sharper than the usual mix of burning grass and pine. He sniffed again; it might be leftover lighter fluid or a cheap accelerant. His brow furrowed.

“Alec,” he called to the wolf shifter, crouching near a charred patch of scrub. “Smell that?”

Alec nodded. “Smells like accelerant. Some folks use lighter fluid or weird combustibles to start campfires.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Ash agreed, though a thread of doubt tugged at him. This wasn’t an area where anyone would normally camp.

They resumed their tasks, stomping out smaller flames and raking away unburned brush to create a fire break. Erin’s controlled spray soon drenched the flames until only thin wispsof smoke remained. Alec shoveled dirt onto smoldering embers, ensuring no lingering spark had a chance to reignite.

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