Falling for Grayson : birdflash

Ch31: Roasted

After twenty more minutes of me complaining about wanting more marshmallows, we reached a plateau. Dick stopped at the wall of jagged rock spanning maybe fifty meters on either side of us. He scanned the left and right sides of the wall looking for something. I walked up behind Dick and leaned over his shoulder, peering at him suspiciously. He ignored my gaze.

"I'm looking for an opening in the wall."

"You sure we're on the right mountain?" I prodded.

"Yes I'm sure we're on the right mountain," he replied curtly.

"Well maybe it's—"

"Shhhhhh."

"Why did you just shhh me?"

"Shhhhhh."

I kept quiet. Dick closed his eyes. A huge gust of wind came, then... I heard it, a whistling sound down the right side of the wall.

"There," Dick pointed, "it must be on the other side of those bushes."

"What exactly?"

"The entrance."

I dashed over to the other side of the bushes. There was a crack in the wall, barely enough room to slip through. The space inside didn't seem to widen up either. I dashed back.

"Ummm... I don't think that's the entrance. It's way too narrow and doesn't look like it leads anywhere."

"Yeah, that's it."

"So your birthday surprise is claustrophobia?"

"It's not that bad."

"Couldn't we camp out here? I mean the view's beautiful. And I'm not just saying that because I don't want to be pressed up against two slabs of rock."

"Sounds like you areee," he almost sang.

"Okay. Fine. I am. But you do have to agree," I gestured to the horizon, "the view up here is stunning."

Dick looked out across the horizon, then down to the rivers and trees below. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "The view is stunning."

"So we'll camp here?"

"No."

"Please?"

"You'll be fine, Wal, it's only—"

"Dick. Shhhhhh!" I hissed.

"What?" he replied, ignoring my insistence for him to shut up.

"Shhhhhh!"

"What?" he reluctantly whispered.

"Don't be alarmed but there's a freaking grizzly bear behind you!"

"Very funny, Wal," Dick said.

Dick glanced behind him to find, to nobody's surprise, a 700-pound grizzly bear staring him down ten meters away.

"Oh... I see..."

"I told you!"

The bear went onto its hind legs, stretching two meters into the sky and roared. I'd seen grizzlies on TV before but it did not prepare me for how big they really are in person. Dick started backing toward me slowly.

"You said there were no bears!" I shout-whispered.

"Of course there are bears!" he whispered back, "we're in the wilderness!" Dick kept creeping back toward me. "I just didn't want you to stuff your face with uncooked marshmallows!"