Snow crunches beneath my dark furry paws, echoing throughout the stone walls of the cave. My ears twitch, alert for signs of potential danger.
Teeth chattering and body shivering, I lower myself onto the cold ground and curl into a ball. There will be no torpor for me this year. Torpor is what my kind, the Grizzly Bear, does instead of hibernation. We can awaken on command during torpor. But this year it’s too dangerous, with the extreme cold and the bareskin trying hard to put brassy torpedos in us... it’s just too risky. I have to make it back to Raven as soon as I can safely travel anyways. I’ll make it back. I have to. As soon as the first wave of winter has passed and the skies are no longer spitting, I’ll leave here.
I’m caught in the Samurai Caves which are inside of the Redwood Forest Province. The only way out is to cross the iced over rivers on the other side of the Province. Then I need to fight my way through the surely frozen over Dawn Forest Province without freezing to death. My mom... Raven is back in the Greenleaf Forest Province and I need to get back to her. Slowly raising myself back onto all fours I open my mouth and yawn. My empty stomach grumbles angrily at me to find food but I force myself to realize the truth- until the snow is over and the bareskin is gone my eating will be minimal.
Raven would know what to do. She’d look straight at me, with her large chocolate drop eyes and she’d say something brave.
Maverick? What are you doing? You’ll freeze! Go outside! As long as we’re careful we can hunt and not be hunted! That’s how it always is after torpor, that’s the rule of nature! C’mon, let’s go! I’ll go with you. It’ll be okay.
I sigh, knowing deep inside that that’s exactly what she’d say, and I put one paw forward. Sneaking out of the makeshift den and doing my best to stay aware of where I’m at and all that surrounds me, I camoflauge behind the dark, sturdy tree trunks. I hear a quiet sound, a small burrowing fawn. The fawn’s back is dappled with delicate white snowflakes and dark polka dots. It must have gotten separated from it’s mother too. I, wishing I didn’t have to, lash out one paw quickly. The sickening echo of a crack tells me I’ve broken its’ neck.
Lacy patterns of scarlet snake from beneath its’ carefully sculpted head coloring the snow behind it. I bow my head, silently. Ping! I hear a whoosh and suddenly my world goes yellow. I can’t see anything. I feel like I’m suffocating. Raspy breaths escape from my lungs as dark spots clouded my vision.
I begin to roar viciously but can’t seem to get much power behind the noise.
The last thing I see are knee high, skin tight boots trudging towards me, and two pale as the moon hands reaching down to hold my front left paw.