Freedom. (bxb, shifter)

Chapter 3

It seemed only seconds passed before I came to again, but on closer inspection I must have been out for some time as I was no longer in the freezing wet mush of snow but rather somewhere warm and dry. I seemed to be laying on a hard brown surface not unlike the bark of the trees at the base of the mountain but looking even closer I was laying on a soft thing that felt of the moss you could often find growing around the river, it was so soft I wanted to roll in it but I had to find out where I was and what was happening first. The last thing I could remember was the strange non-human changing and then I blacked out.

In my attempt to stand I must have made noise because soon after the wall opened and in walked the man in question, this time however he had coverings on and I could smell several other scents on him, the ones that had ran with him on my first encounter with his scent. I growled lowly trying to understand where I was and why I had been removed from my territory, I had never been here before and all the new scents were overwhelming me. It seemed I was in one of the human made dens, the ones that the human village used to protect themselves from the harsh weather down below, if I was in the village then my time was numbered I was sure I would be killed and used for some ungodly things.

My growling continued growing in intensity as he kept making smaller steps towards me with his hands once again in the air, I would not fall for his innocent act again, he had taken me from my home and placed in in a confined space, like a cage. I bared my teeth, but this man had a death wish and I would gladly be the one to cause his downfall if he didn't back the fuck up.

He sat down, crossing his legs and calmly looking me right in the mouth, "Okay buddy I get it, you don't want me to get closer I'm just trying to see how you're going. I'm not going to hurt you just calm down." He outstretched his hand as if wanting to touch me, my fur bristled, and I went to swipe him my claws just barley missing his face as he jumped back in fright.

"Okay too close I get it buddy, sorry." He had his back plastered against the walls of this strange cave, I was surprised he was able to dodge my claws in time, but I suppose when you're not human or animal there are many different things you can do, but the most important thing I needed to know of him was if he was more human or creature, because if it wasn't the latter I was in trouble, the humans were hunting me and one had never gotten me out of my territory, I didn't know how to handle this situation and it was highly stressful.

There was sounds of footsteps rushing our way I could feel a very rare emotion for me, fear, it was rushing through my veins, the panic was causing more growls to slip from my lips, I felt trapped, a bear in a small enclosed space will lash out at anything to get away. There was a whole herd of them in this den it seemed, I would not win this one, I just wished to go back to my nice cave in the mountain and be left alone, I don't know what I had done to these humans but I did not feel I deserved this hatred and punishment I was receiving.

"STOP." The man/creature yelled and immediately the footsteps halted. A flurry of whimpers came from outside the walls that were closing in on me. "There is no threat to me or you." The man said his voice quieting down when directed at me. The power his voice held was impressive, it held a tone of authority one could not defy that order. I however was not one of his herd and I did not need to follow these orders, my growling amped up a level and now I was shaking even harder, I would have gone for this mans throat if not for the power I could feel radiating from the many beyond these walls even if I were to takeout this human more would come in and I know I could not win, perhaps I could find a way outside this cage.

I was backed into a corner it seemed, I could wait to see what this man planned to do to me and then kill him or run at him now and kill him where he stands and then attempt to take on the many that lay beyond these walls, I feared I would not get out alive I had been so close to death in my recent memories and part of me wished for the silence and peace that would come but the bigger part of me wanted the freedom that life could bring. Life on the mountain, the life I had before being taken away.

"Hey, it's okay we are okay, I am not a threat, I brought you here so that you could be saved you nearly died on me when we were in your territory and I couldn't let that happen to a fellow shifter okay?" The man was back on the ground just in front of me but still out of reach, I wish I knew what he was talking about, I could not see how we were the same in any regard and I did not know what a shifter was.

I cocked my head in confusion letting out a small woofing noise to signal my distress as well as clicking to signal to him I did not understand, this was common bear communication I believed so I hoped he understood and let me leave.

"Sorry big fella I don't speak bear, but maybe if you changed back, we could have a talk?"

Again, this strange creature was talking nonsense, change back to what? Being on the mountain? how can I change back to there, the confusion was cooling my anger and allowing me to take a much needed deep breathe and really take in the situation I was in. My head seemed to be permanently set in the confusion half tilt.

I let out a chuff trying to explain that I was just a bear, but it didn't seem the man could understand anything I was trying to convey. I slowly stood onto all four of my paws and shook out my winter thick fur.

"Do, do you not know?" the man asked in a hushed tone, looking all over my face for answers I couldn't seem to give. "Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting. I'm going to ask one of my pack to come in would you be okay with that?"

I listened to him and roared lowly I did not need him getting the upper hand on me with more of the creatures like him entering this small space, I longed to go outside and roll in the snow and possibly find something to eat my stomach was rather angry that I had not had food for gods know how long, it seemed my stomach agreed and let out a roar of its own signalling that it needed sustenance.

"Woah big guy, hungry, are we? Alright I'm going to step out and ask my beta to go grab some of the deer we caught yesterday, just stay here and stay calm."

I watched as he slowly backed to the walls of my cage before opening something and then all of the scents assaulted my nose and cause another woof to escape me, the fear was bubbling in my body and eating away at the hunger that was once there. I heard a voice respond to this man and scurry away, I slowly and quietly tried to walk up to the open wall and maybe just walk out. The man walked in and saw me much closer than before and jumped slightly.

"Hey where do you think you're going buddy? You're still not well." he said blocking the doorway with his massive human body, I still wasn't close enough to touch him, but I could give him a good swipe in a few steps. I let out small noises I just wanted to be outside again. "You can't go out until I figure out how to help you okay? But here how about I open the blinds and window and you can look outside? Does that sound nice?"

This man spoke a lot of words that held no meaning to me. He once again closed the wall and edged his way around me to another wall where he through back a thin layer of something and then I felt it, the sunlight encircled me and it was almost like I was outside, he opened what I guess to be the window he was talking about and I smelt the fresh mountain air grace my face and lungs, the chill I had been missing was running through my fur and making me feel home. On the floor of this strange cage was a large circle of sunlight so I happily dawdled to it and set myself up right in the centre, my legs out before me and I happily chuffed at the natural light and smells.

"If I knew that was all it took to get you content, I would have done that first." The man laughed, it was an odd sound, us bears could never recreate but I had a faint memory of a laugh that bubbled up inside my mind, a soft feminine laugh that was accompanied by fingers running through my fur lovingly.

There was a knock from outside the opening and the mans eyes glazed over for a second before he returned to the wall and opened it, the scent that ran through this time was that of food and my bear was ecstatic, it smelt fresh and new, it smelt like a fair amount too. the creature I seemed to be sharing my cage with walked in with his arms full of meat that dripped blood onto the floor, my jowls were dripping with saliva it was the most food I had seen in such a long time and he simply walked over and dropped it onto the floor in front of me.

"Well bud, there you go dig in."

I was unsure why I was digging but my mouth was too full of delicious food that my mind didn't care what words he was saying. If this was what this mans cage was like, a small cave with sunlight and food maybe there's a better reason then death that he brought me here, but I couldn't focus on that now I could only focus on food and sunlight and the cool breeze of home.