2023 Story Collection

The Girl and The Bear

The young girl ran frantically through the snow. Her soft deerskin shoes crunching in the snow. Whisps of blond hair flew free of her braids. On a normal day it would've bothered her, but she couldn't notice it. Not with the windchill and the beast chasing her.

They had always told her that you don't have to outrun a bear, you just have to run faster that the person next to you, but there was no one next to her and she was small and fragile. She was just a young girl that was a laughably bad runner. Not that any of that mattered anymore.

Her lungs ached with every icy breath. She was slowing down, she knew it. She tried to push her legs farther, to push harder but they were too far numb. She hadn't had the time to grab her heavy layers before the fire engulfed her home, she was lucky she made it out alive.

Her parents were gone on a fishing trip and her brother left for hunting in the high mountains. She'd gone to releve herself and by the time she returned the hut was nothing but burning flames.

She'd wanted to put it out but the nearest water was a half mile walk. She could do nothing but stand and watch everything burn to ash.

She sat there all night and day waiting for her parents or brother to return, but they did not. She'd realized then that they never would, and why. She was supposed to burn in that fire.

They all had been in such a rush to leave, she'd found it odd since they had enough food for a month, but she'd trusted them.

She'd noticed the loose stone in the fireplace that it had been moved and had asked her brother about it, he'd told her it was nothing to worry about. But his smile was gone and his eyes showed the lie. But she trusted him anyway.

She cried thinking of the family that had left her for dead.

She'd cried all night and in the morning she awoke, a thin layer of snow covering her body like a blanket.

She'd looked around for some answer as to how this all had happened, how her family had abandoned her to burn but she knew she would not find such answers.

She was a girl that was not much of a girl. She hunted and fought her brother-and won. She danced in the snow on nights when the moon was high and the light was brilliant. She'd fished with her father and cooked with her mother. She'd skinned all her brothers kills and made their clothes. She was good at everything but being obedient.

She would always laugh loudly and smile widely. She never understood the need to cover her face when she did such things, she thought the happiness should be shared not kept to ones self and suppressed.

No, to her joy was contagious and warm and in the cold country she called home it was all one needed to survive. It would warm you from your heart to the tips of ones toes. It would make one jolly and silly. It made life worth living but in this moment she'd had none.

She fell to the snow her limbs numb with cold. Her heart aching with ice. She had never felt so cold, so alone.

She'd thought in that moment about what it meant to be unhappy. To not have joy. But those words felt to light compared to the sorrow she felt. No, it was something much deeper, much more painful. It was a feeling of complete and utter loss. Loss of so much.

Her will to live had dissipated in that moment. She'd lay still in the snow. The bear would be there any second and she did not care. Her stomach growled and twisted in pain of hunger, she did not care. Her head throbbed from the branch that had fallen on her as she'd slept, she did not care. Her skin burned from cold, the icy chill piercing deep into her skin, she did not care. She'd only ask that it would be a quick death.

She heard at that moment the crunch of snow. It was slow but loud in the otherwise quiet forest. It got louder and closer but she didn't look. No matter how much she wished for it in that moment, she could not face her death. She was weak and fragile and scared.

She closed her eyes tightly when she felt a breath on her face. The bear pawed at her side. She was flipped over on her back and face to face with the huge bear. But she didn't look at the thick large furry beast, no, she looked at it's eyes. It's eyes.

Her eyes widen in recognition. In a moment she reached up, wrapping her arms around the bears neck and hugged it. Warmth spread through her, memories flashing through her mind. She whispered "Adam".

The bear seemed to relax at the name, leaning into her touch.

"Oh, how did I not recognize you sooner?" She pulls away and looks at the large grizzly.

She found the small furry thing one evening when she was dancing in the moonlight. She'd snuck out after all her family had fallen asleep, her parents had still tried to change her ways at that time, they hadn't yet realized it was a futile pursuit.

She'd stumbled and fallen on a turn not noticing the icy patch beneath her feet.

When she'd looked up all she saw was a pair of beautiful brown eyes. She'd stared for a moment, looking into the eyes of the small furry creature they were filled with fear and she had no doubt that if he could've run, he would've.

She sat up and noticed just how bad off the poor thing was, his fur was matted and he shook with fear. The snow around him was red with blood. The arrow she'd made for her brother as a gift stuck out from it's side. A tear slipped down her face at the sight.

She'd picked him up and carried him all the way to the stream to wash his wounds. She'd used some snew she'd made from drying intensities and a bone needle she'd cared to stitch up the wounds. She'd ripped her skirt to make bandages and added herbs to them to help aid in the healing. As she did this she sung to him to calm his nerves.

He seemed to like it and slowly drifting off into sleep in her arms as she carried him home.

She looked back into those same eyes now filled with equal emotion to hers. She still had some family left.

She wiped away tears she hadn't noticed had fell. And looked at the big strong bear before her. He had grown up into a beautiful, healthy beast. She smile widely and laughed. The joy slowly warming her heart.

Then suddenly he stood and turned away. He began walking away from her. Her smile fell. She watched him leave. Tears falling again.

But he stopped and turned back, staring at her. She smiled and looked away.

He made a noise so she turned her gaze back to him. He stared at her as if waiting. But waiting for what?

She slowly stood, hope filling her. Could he be waiting for her? Could he smell the loss? Could he tell that she was now the wounded one in need of care and love? Could she dare to hope?

She slowly stepped closer to him, trying to follow but her legs were numb. He made another noise and stood. She forced herself to move toward him.

She walked up to him and he walked a few feet then stopped waiting for her. She walked beside him and he followed her pace.

Her joy was immeasurable and completely consuming. She smiled and laughed as she followed him.

She had given up all hope and when she was wishing for death and scared she was found and saved by the bear she'd saved that cold spring.

She began to sing. The bear looked at her for a moment before looking back ahead.

Peace and joy and happiness. She knew that was what the future held. She would never believe otherwise again.

December 13, 2023