Page 18 of Stolen By The Beast
Thanks to the bear’s momentum, the stick sank deep. It must have hurt like the son-of-a-carpenter-bee because the bear staggered away from me, snarling and huffing. He rose onto his hind legs and used his front paws to swipe at his snout, trying to dislodge the large splinter in his palate.
It isn’t fun when your snack fights back, is it?I thought to myself. I should know, ice-cream tore up my insides every time I ate it.
Scrambling to my feet, I ran for the woods, glancing back just in time to see half of the blood-covered stick fall to the ground. Once more, the bear charged toward his prey.
Me.
With a sinking heart, I knew I didn’t have a chance at escaping him. He could out-swim, out-climb, and outrun me.
I’d begged Karvik to let me stay in the woods and make them my home. If I could do it over, I’d make the same decision. If I were going to die, I’d do it with some of my dignity intact.
Searching the ground, I looked for another weapon. One stick was too big, another too small…
Then my eyes spotted one that was just right.
The bear was less than six feet away, his heavy body causing the ground to shake as he ran at me.
Snatching the sword-length stick from the ground, I spun around, holding it in front of me. “Let’s do this.”
I braced for the onslaught of pain that I knew was a heartbeat away. But it never came thanks to the dark shape that blurred past me and collided with the bear.
Karvik.
My heart leaped, then sank. He’d come to save me, but what if the bear killed him? This was my fault for wandering off!
It was hard to tell the difference between the dark bodies as they wrestled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand. The only way I could tell them apart was the glossy shine of Karvik’s fur, compared to the bear’s coarser and duller pelt.
Thundering growls echoed through the woods as the pair continued to battle, and my stomach dropped at the sickening crack of a bone breaking. I couldn’t tell whose bone had just snapped, and neither beast appeared to slow down.
“Run, Juniper!” Karvik roared, his tone leaving no room for argument. “NOW!”
There was a flash of white as the bear’s long canines sank into Karvik’s side. Crimson blood splashed onto the forest floor, causing my knees to wobble.
There was so much blood. How badly was Karvik injured?
I couldn’t leave him. But what could I do to help? The last thing I wanted to do was rush into the fight and cause Karvik to be injured worse by trying to rescue me.
There was a snarl as Karvik dropped to the ground, and the bear lunged for his neck. Time was up. It was now or never.
Tightening my fingers around the pointed stick, I made a decision.
I’d distract the bear, hopefully giving Karvik the upper hand so he could end things quickly.
A fresh surge of adrenaline pumped through every fiber of my body as I raced up behind the bear.
Channeling my ancient spear-throwing relatives, I rammed the stick straight into the only part of the bear’s backside not completely covered in thick fur.
His butthole.
The bear’s reaction was instantaneous, and I barely managed to throw myself to the side as he spun around. His outraged roars made it clear I’d hit my target.
In a single smooth movement, Karvik sprung from the ground. With the bear distracted, he was able to quickly put a permanent end to the fight.
As the bear slumped to the ground, Karvik turned to face me.
Glowing eyes met mine, holding the same fury I’d seen in the bear’s gaze.
This is freaking great.
