Fighting For Them ☑️

The Protector

My heart dropped at the sight. A large grizzly bear was laying on its side with a large chain attached to its neck. I could see its paws bleeding from what looked like whip marks. Its breathing was was heavy and its eyes were closed in pain.

My feet moved me forward on their own. One of them kicked something on the ground. A moment later the bear was up and charging at me. I jumped but not because it was charging at me. I couldn't find the fear when it was just doing it out of fright. What made me jumped was when the length of the chain ended the bear jerked back.

It stared at me, watching me, waiting for me to get closer to it so it could strike. It turned slightly to the side as if displaying its size to me in a warning. I took up its enormous size but only to see the blood coating its fur.

Again my foot stepped forward. The grizzly let out a burst of air with its teeth clanking. Its injured paw slapped the ground. I stepped back trying to calm it down. I understood it was angry after being whipped and hurt. From what I could remember from nature books I read when I was younger, grizzlies only roared in pain and all the signs it was showing were warnings. Warnings I should take seriously.

"I won't hurt you." I spoke like it would understand. Its paw slapped the ground again as it snorted. "I know you're hurting and I'm sorry for these sad excuses of humans. Please calm down." It swayed its head and clanked its teeth again. It was trying to be intimidating even as it was hurting. If it wasn't for the chain it would have charged again. It was being a lot more aggressive then usual even for being hurt. Something wasn't right.

Carefully stepping back I looked around to try to see what was agitating the bear so much. It wouldn't try so hard right now while being hurt if something wasn't provoking it. Then I saw it. It was small but wide with the same white cover draped over it like all the others I had seen coming and going from the tents.

I clenched my fist as I neared it. The grizzly's chain rattled as it pulled against it huffing, grunting and snorting and all the other signs of an attack. Through the commotion I could finally hear it. The soft cooing sounds. Without waiting I pulled off the white cover and tossed it down.

Three little cubs were in the cage huddled together. Once I had pulled the cover one of them stood up on its hind legs and leaned against the bars as it tried to look behind me. It cooed again and the mother grunted behind me before its chain rattled again. The small cub joined its siblings far away from me. I noticed the slight limp as it moved.

Tears slipped out when I realized the cubs had the same marks on their paws as their mother. I stepped towards them but the mother let out a warning noise. I could hear the chain groaning against the force the mother was applying to get to her cubs. I couldn't stand it. They shouldn't be separated.

Not thinking about it I moved towards the cage door. The cubs rushed to the other side away from me and the mother thrashed again. I didn't care. I found the latch but their was a lock. Not stopping I grabbed the bobby pin in my hair twisted it and started playing with the lock. The pin finally twisted and the lock snapped open. I smiled and reached to pull it off.

A hand gripped onto my shoulder as I got the door open. I spun around to see the man from earlier. His eye was scared and was staring at me with his brows burrowed with his lips in a thin line. His grip on my shoulder tightened as he pushed me back. I fell on my butt as he went to reach for the cage door again.

"No!" I yelled before throwing myself at he man and wrestling his arm away. He threw me off him.

 One of the cubs squealed as it got out of the cage and it headed towards its mother. The man turned and grabbed the small cub by the tuff. The cub squealed and cried out as it tried to get out of the grip of the man. The mother bear roared at the man and thrashed against he chains. I heard them rattling and straining almost as if they'd snap.

"Let go of him." I yelled at the man as I got back up and tried to get him to let go. He smacked me hard across the face stunning me. He used the time to throw the poor cub into the cage and closed the door.

He didn't bother locking it just threw the latch so the cubs couldn't get out. The mother was frantically thrashing to get to her cubs. The chain was threatening to snap at her antics. The man didn't seem to like that. Suddenly he grab the whip from the ground and struck the mother.

She roared in pain as the whip crashed against her skin. Again the man struck this time catching her in the face. She roared again and tried to hide her head protecting it with her paw. It explained the wounds on them.

The third strike and I was moving. I didn't know what I was doing only that the next swing ended up landing on my shoulder instead, forcing me to cry out in pain.

"Stop it you're hurting her." I said through the pain.

"Move." he said as he tried to push me away but I held firm.

"Don't hurt her. Give her cubs back." I said.

"Move little girl." the accented man spoke. I glared at him and refused. He grunted.

"Fine." He threw open the cage and grabbed one of the cubs. "Move or the cub gets it." The mother pulled against the chains behind me like she understood. I stared between the man and the struggling cub. Apparently I took too long because he threw the cub to the ground and hit him. 

"Stop." I said running toward the crying baby. He pushed me away from the cub and pulled out a revolver and aimed it at the innocent baby. A warning shot fired out. This time as the baby cried out there was a distinct snap as the chain broke.

The mother charged full throttle at the man. He finger was still on the trigger as the mother charged him. Not thinking I put myself in front of the baby and tugged him under me. I watched as the man's finger slipped on the trigger and the gun rang out.

The first shot grazed my arm as I cover the poor cub. The mother had the man by the arm and was swinging her massive paws at him. A second shot rang and the mother bear jerked as the bullet hit her. Still she pressed on mauling the man. The third shot sounded and the man broke free from the mother's jaws. He didn't even seem to remember I was there as he ran out holding he shredded arm, now with one more scar to add.

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"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others, and if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

       ------- Dalai Lama