Comrad: An Ellsworld Fanfic

Chapter 8: Seeing Red

Tamara's stomach grumbled. The bear growled curiously.

"Guess it's lunchtime."

The bear stopped and, after Tamara climbed off, sat down. Tamara looked around. They had ventured for what seemed to be hours and they've ended up at a waterfall.

"Wow..." Tamara said, marveling at the beautiful scenery. She took out her phone and snapped a picture. The bear stood up and smelled the phone.

"No signal still..." Tamara muttered as the bear licked the case. Tamara took notice and chuckled as she scratched his ear. The bear growled softly as she continued to scratch and pet him.

"Well, I can cross this off my bucket list." Tamara said jokingly. "I mean, who has ever had a pet bear in the wild?"

The bear 'smiled' as he waddled down to the barely frozen river. Tamara sat down on the rocky cliff and watched as Rocky waited patiently for a fish to climb the waterfall.

That bear is something, Tamara thought. How can Rocky be so docile, yet other bears are just-

Tamara was interrupted by a loud boom, followed by the tree next to her splintering. Tamara shielded herself as the splinters fell onto her jacket. Rocky turned and immediately ran to her aid. Another shot rang out as a tree near Rocky splintered as well. Rocky jumped into some bushes and stayed low as Tamara slunk to the panicked bear.

"Dammit Cletus!" A voice yelled. Tamara peeked through the bushes to see who was there.

"What?"

"I done was gonna shoot that cub!"

"An' I was gonna shoot dat darn mother, Floyd!"

Two men stepped out of the woods, followed by another man carrying a lot of bags.

"Well," the bag man said. "We'll hunt 'em after we stop for lunch."

"Shut it, Randy!" Cletus said with a thick Southern accent. "We didn't come to Commieland just to sit down and have some of your venison burgers!"

"They're actually my pig burgers..." Randy said, taking a bite out of the sandwich. "Family recipie."

Tamara looked at Rocky, who was putting his paw over his eyes, as to simulate a sense of disgust. Tamara silently laughed.

"Is there anything for us then?" Floyd asked.

"I got you's somma dis canned herrin'." Randy said, pulling out a tin. "Dem Russkies says that it's great."

Cletus swiped the can.

"Damn commie language." Cletus said bitterly, chucking the can into the river. "For all we know, it could say that it's poisoned!"

Floyd grabbed the can from the river and the three rednecks stopped at a flat part where Tamara was standing before she nearly got shot.

"Right 'ere" Cletus said, looking into the bullet hole. "Damn cub moved before the bullet hit."

"I done think the mother got spooked by your shootin', dats why I missed!"

Rocky growled quietly, angered by being called a 'mother'.

"Isn't it illegal to shoot the mother or the cub here, though?" Randy said, sheepishly.

"Listen here to some wisdom, Rand." Cletus said, sitting down on a rock. "It didn't happen if the authorities ain't seen it."

"So we just gonna cut the skin off of whatever we done shoot here an' leave the carcass to spoil?"

"Just like we did back in Minnesota." Cletus said proudly. "Damn park ranger put up a fight, said we were 'wasting meat' and 'shooting without a license', but a good slug changed his mind!"