Shadows that Linger and Fade

Chapter 2

Quick Author's Note: The majority of this story will be told from Goldie's perspective but I will include a few other perspectives throughout the story. (I may make alterations with these parts). Relax and enjoy the next chapter of "The Shadows That Linger and Fade"

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POV- The "Green-eyed Stranger"

Prepared to defend himself, Holter descended the aging oak tree to meet the piercing and probing eyes of a young blue-eyed woman dressed in a plain brown dress with golden ringlets adorning her pale Cherubin face. The woman stood alongside an aggressive Grizzly bear with teeth bared and they both stood in front of another young grizzly who lay on the ground in a pool of dark blood spreading around him.

He was perplexed that the young blond woman did not notice the ferocious bear that was next to her.

In a hushed whisper, he said," Lady, you do realize that there is a feral grizzly bear next to you."

This leads her to gaze at the bear beside her and Holter readied his shotgun prepared to aim it at the bear that would be his dinner and clothing for weeks to come.

He aimed it at the bear and was startled to see the golden-haired woman clutching the bear with fondness and screamed in his face saying," You will NOT harm another brother of mine."

"That animal is your brother?" he questioned.

"Yes, they both are." she gestured to the three bears that gathered around her.

The grizzly bear that was snarling earlier had transformed itself into a man that was close to Holter's age who was grinning smugly at the hunter.

With his mouth agape and eyes filled with awe and horror at the scene he beheld, Holter hesitantly introduced himself to the woman stating," Grossvenor is my family name but you can call me Holter." "Ursa is mine and my name is Goldie," she said sweetly. "How fitting for a beautiful blond beauty such as yourself," Holter said with a little more confidence.

" Can we speed up this introduction because you're the man who shot our brother. " a loud booming voice aggressively interrupted. Holter later discovered, via Goldie, that the man with the booming voice was called Trejean Ursa and the "boy" he had just shot was Jann.

"Well, sorry I was just protecting Goldie," said Holter defensively.

"That's my job and you had no right as a stranger who knows absolutely nothing about our family. It is none of your business to be involved," replied Trejean.

There was no way that Holter would let Trejean try to hurt him or Goldie. He needed to get into Goldie's good graces and hopefully avoid these monsters later on in the woods. He was surprised that he had never seen creatures in the forest like the Ursa family before. Maybe that was because they blended in so well with the rest of the creatures to a point that he didn't notice.