Page 13 of Bear Strength

I’m parched. Somewhere far away, seems miles away, I hear the sound of traffic. Cars. Trucks. Bikes. I can recognize a Harley anywhere. It stops somewhere close. Closer than the rest of the traffic. I hear crunching of the gravel underneath heavy boots. It stops just by my earshot. I try to focus my eyes on the figure looming above me, but I can’t. Whoever he is, he’s just a shadow. Death? Welcome, death.

“Damn, you look like shit, man,” I hear a voice, as the figure bends down closer to me. I smell heavy cologne. Motor oil.

“Had better days,” I manage to cough. If I die, at least I’ll die saying something funny.

The figure whistles to someone behind us. Then, the same sound of crunching gravel. Suddenly, I’m pulled up by several pairs of hands. My feet drag along the ground, as they take me to their Harleys.

I still don’t know how I ended up at their place. All I know is I wake up in a soft bed, all stitched and bandaged. My eye still closed, but I can see silhouettes better. I can make out faces. And, I make out the face that approached me first. He recognizes the sign, the mark I always took great care in hiding. He notices it from the moment he lays his eyes on me. He tells me I’m home. Truer words were never spoken.

When Adrian and I finally reach the little farmhouse where Alex has conveniently stashed his little operation, we both get off our bikes simultaneously. My boots sink in the ground, as dust twirls around us, like the promise of a tornado that will never happen.

I see Adrian eyeing the little farmhouse. I remember that he wasn’t with me last time. Mason was. So, Adrian is on the lookout. Apart from Mason, Adrian is the next guy in line I’d allow to watch my back. Silent and deadly, he’s like a nighthawk. You’ll escape him, only if he lets you. But, those days are long gone. We don’t hunt anymore, even though we all miss those days occasionally. Civilization is a bit too restraining for someone who’s got more animal than human inside. But, we try to accommodate to the new world order.

“So, what do ya think?” I spit to the side, feeling the dust crunch between my teeth. Fucking desert. Give me the woods any day. Crisp air. Clean water. What more could you ask for?

Adrian doesn’t reply straightaway. I can see his eyes twitching, quickly examining our surroundings. I give him all the time he needs. It might pay off later, if we need to make arun for it. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to screw us over.

“Two doors, barred windows,” he tells me.

How the fuck can he see that? I take off my Ray Ban’s, but the sun angrily responds, and I immediately put them back on. I’ll let him handle the outside. I’ll be doing the talking with my fists anyway, if necessary. Usually, it is. Nothing makes people talk like some physical encouragement. Jogs their memory.

“One room inside, maybe separated in two,” he adds.

“How many people?”

Adrian lifts his nose in the air, and smells it. I can almost see his nostrils opening and closing, like a fish’s mouth on dry land, gasping.

“One, two,” he pauses. “Two.”

“That’s unfair,” I chuckle. “Too easy.”

“One’s a wolf shifter.”

Adrian’s final conclusion changes things. Bear shifters haven’t been on good terms with wolf shifters for ages. It all started about 150 years ago, maybe more, when the wolves overtook a part of our sacred land, even though the unspoken agreement claims we do not hunt in the territory that belongs to the others. They not only started to hunt on our grounds, but they overtook a part of it. Mason’s father lost his life in the battle that took place high up in the mountains. Not only him. Many others, too. We won the war, but we lost the battle. Our sacred ground has soaked up so much blood, that I doubt anything good could ever come out of it again. That was partly why we settled in this shithole, but if Mason says it’s worth it, then it’s worth it. Maybe a little more civilization would do us all some good.

“So, a human and a shifter?” I ask, for confirmation, and Adrian nods. “Alright then. Let’s go ask some questions.”

Slowly, we walk over to the front door. I push it slightly with my foot, and it opens, with a squeal. I take a step back, expecting an attack of some sort, guns or teeth, it doesn’t matter. I’m usually ready for both. But, there’s nothing.

The inside of the farmhouse is dirty. There is a strange smell lingering in the air, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Adrian probably could, but neither of us speaks. There is a table in the corner, a few knives and bubble wrap are on it. The chair is pushed to the side, as if someone got up in a haste.

We both look around, trying to suppress the loudness of our breathing. Adrian leads the way, heading to the little table. He traces a line of something on it, then brings it to his nose. He nods at me.

I look around again, expecting an attack. Adrian smells human presence. I can smell it, too, even though my sense of smell isn’t as developed as his. There’s a door right in front of us. Adrian starts first. I keep a lookout. The door we came through is still open. Someone could sneak from behind. Wolves are stealthy. I’m not afraid of that human. Alex is a pussy. But, he obviously knows what his best line of defense would be. Hiring a wolf shifter.

Adrian disappears through the door in front of us, and I follow immediately behind. Within seconds, something explodes in the far end corner, raising dust all around us. I hear the clanking of nails underneath my boots, and I bend down, my eyes searching for Adrian.

Some commotion is heard to my right, and I rub my eyes, but the fucking smoke is everywhere. Suddenly, a sharp pang of pain cuts right through my left side. I growl loudly, falling to the floor. I feel a burning sensation where pain used to be. Hot and sticky wetness spreads underneath me.

“Fuck,” I blink heavily, pressing my hand to my sides. “The motherfucker cut me…”

In a flash, I feel the familiar presence of Adrian loom over me. I only hear swooning noises, like claws flying through the air with lightning speed. I try to get up, but the pain is unbearable. The smoke slowly starts to dissolve, and I see a black puddle underneath me. I’m probably bleeding like a pig. I take off my shirt and wrap it around my abdomen. Hot, throbbing pain hits me like a ton of bricks, but I know I need to get up.

A body drops right before me, like a puppet. I recognize Alex’s face. I press my fingers onto his neck.

“Good, the motherfucker’s still breathing…” I manage to muster.

I get up, fighting the pain. The smoke is almost all gone now. Adrian is on his knees, in the corner, head bowed down. A crazed wolf is hawking over him, his claws extended, aiming for Adrian’s neck. I muster all my strength, and throw myself at him. We roll over to the side, my abdomen burning with the rage of a thousand Devils, but I don’t let go. I need to focus to shift, so there’s no time for that. I need to take this mother fucker out, human style.

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