Page 55 of The Grizzly Situation
The door cracked open and Brent peered around it. He seemed tired, almost haggard. He stepped into the room and came over to the bed.
“You okay?”
I thought for a moment. “Yeah. I really needed some sleep. I’m sorry if it was?—”
“No, don’t apologize. You had every right to be freaked out. Having two bears in the bed with you would screw with most minds. Then to find out that everyone else is a bear? I can see how that would throw you for a loop.” He sighed and scrubbeda hand over his face. “I am sorry. If I had known this would happen, I would have done things differently. Kids usually shift in the first year, but Eddie and Jack didn’t. I thought maybe they wouldn’t inherit the ability, so figured it passed them by and pushed it to the back of my mind.”
“It’s inherited?”
“Yeah, for most people. Though we have some that never learned how to use it. They’re still part of the sleuth, though.” His brow wrinkled. “A sleuth is a group of bears.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure. So, how did all of this happen?” He frowned. “I mean, how did you become a bear shifter?”
He shrugged. “There are theories, but no clear cut answers. Some figure we’re a genetic anomaly, others are certain that our people always had the ability to shift, and still more think we’re the next step of evolution. While still others believe that an ancient bear god, Typhon, melded bear and human together to teach us humility. I’m not sure what to think, but I do know we can’t let humans find out about us.”
And there he went again, talking about humans. “Why? Are they—we—that bad?”
His eyes widened. “What? Oh, no. It isn’t that. Some would deal just fine, but there are others, especially in some religious communities, who might consider us an evil to be cleansed. Humans are a very uncertain lot. We might think we know them, but when the truth bears out—no pun intended—we discover who they really are.” He put a hand atop mine. “We’re trusting you, Uly. In ways we’ve never trusted anyone before. You have the power to ruin our haven.”
That made no sense. “How?”
“Because if you tell people about us, most will dismiss it, but there are those who will always go looking for the truth. And if they found it, they could destroy what we’ve built. We could end up in cages or killed.”
The very idea flooded my brain, and I could see it happening. I’d seen enough nature documentaries to tell me humans could—would—easily decimate groups of animals. The thought of it happening here horrified me. “I would never tell anyone. Not even Jamie.”
“Thank you.”
“No, don’t thank me. I mean, a haven of bears? It’s got to be a once in a lifetime miracle, right?”
He shook his head. “Nope. There are shifters all over the world. Bears, wolves, rabbits, mice. Any animal you can think of likely has a shifter counterpart somewhere.”
I chuckled, and it felt good. “So dodo bird?”
He cocked his head a bit. “It’s weird, but when an animal goes extinct, the corresponding shifter type also disappears. I don’t know if they die off or go into hiding. Considering how quickly species vanish, I would hate to think that people will as well.”
That was something I understood. Still, there were questions I needed answered. “So what now?”
“What do you mean?”
“About me.”
A soft smile smoothed out some of the harsh lines. “That depends on you.”
“How so?”
“Now that you know about us, we would be happy to welcome you to our community. That is, if you’re interested in living with a bunch of bears.”
I stroked a hand over Jack’s hair and he stirred, opening his eyes and peering up at me. Eddie followed a few moments later. They shifted quickly, then snuggled with me again.
“Momma stay?” Eddie asked, his voice a broken whisper.
“Please?” Jack added.
I turned to Brent. “But I don’t have a job yet.”
“Here’s the thing. The boys are wary around strangers, but they opened up to you right away. You could be their manny, if you wanted to. We pay well, and we could work out a schedule that would suit your needs. Plus, with them in school, you’ll have time.”
“Time for what?”
