sparrow and lion

Chapter 4: runaways, Part 2: consequences to come

Leo was, of course, far smaller than Wren. The bear, of course, was far larger than either of them. The mule, if one was curious, was somewhere in the middle. But the mule was also the oldest of the four creatures on that icy cliffside and so made the most logical decision: It turned tail and ran. Wren, being larger but far less brave than Leo, promptly fell from the mule's back and watched in shock as it disappeared into the blizzard. Leo did not. She was too busy staring at the bear.

It was big and it was white and it was actually not angry at all, more just surprised to have discovered two small children and a mule trying to break into its cave.

Perhaps, if they had been raised in the country or the children of peasants, they would have known to back away slowly, to speak calmly, to wave their arms gently to make themselves seem bigger than they were. They would have known that bears rarely attack unless provoked or threatened. But, alas, they had not and so, while Leo gazed at the giant creature and wondered what to do, Wren did the exact wrong thing: He screamed the loudest scream he had ever screamed.

And then he threw a rock at it.

That was when the bear got mad.

Which, to be fair, who wouldn't?

The bear rushed toward Wren. Leo was knocked viciously aside. The wind was screaming and the bear was roaring and his heart was pounding, but all Wren heard was the strange, echoing thud as Leo's head hit a rock.

The bear's first blow sent Wren flying. He heard something inside him pop. He couldn't breathe for a long moment. The bear's roar merged with the screaming of the wind. He would have cried, but he was too scared. He had landed with his face buried in the snow. The bear's huffing breaths were coming closer. Wren could hear the sound of its heavy footsteps crunching against the snow. His breath came back to him. He needed to get up. But he didn't want to look.

Maybe if he didn't see the bear, the bear would leave him alone. Maybe it would go the other way.

The other way ...

That's where Leo was.

He remembered the sound of her head hitting the ground when she fell. It had sounded like a chunk of wood dropping onto cobblestones. Empty and dull.

What if she was dead?

He almost threw up at the thought. Leo couldn't be dead. No no no. Wren didn't know how to exist without her. If one of them had to die, it needed to be him. And, if she was already dead, he needed to die, too.

Wren thought suddenly, guiltily, of Eileen. They were here because of Eileen. They were here because of how he'd treated Leo. Because the lord had pulled him aside before the feast, separated him from Leo, and made his promises. Made his threats. And so Wren had given in. He had left Leo behind on purpose that night. He had turned against her, as much as he could ever really do so, and he had seen the way her eyes had gleamed with tears. He pretended not to see the trembling of her lower lip, but he had.

He had been listening to the lord. And he had hurt Leo.

And hurting Leo had hurt him. So, when she insisted that they run away, he had agreed. When she insisted that they sneak away from their entourage, he had complied. Because it would make her feel better. Because he didn't want to hurt her anymore. He didn't want her to be sad. Ever in her whole life. Especially not because of him.

If he didn't move and the bear went the other way, it might hurt her. He couldn't let it.

Wren got up. He looked at the bear. The bear looked at him. The satchel on his back was in shreds. It had taken the brunt of the bear's strike. He took it off. He wrapped it around his fist. He dug his fingers into the snow until he found something hard and long.

Somewhere up the path was Leo. The bear stood between them, its feet only inches away from the edge of the cliff. He just needed to make the bear fall off it.

He ran, yelling, at the bear.

The bear reached out and caught him with its claws. It threw him at the ground again. He felt its nails slicing through his clothes. They scratched against his skin. It curled its lips out from its teeth and roared.

The bear gripped his shoulder between its fangs and then it began to shake him.

Wren screamed.

At the same moment, just up the trail, Leo opened her eyes.