added.
Henry’s eyes, however, grew wider. “The First Nation was a bear clan that disappeared some years ago. The last place they were seen was on this island.”
I remembered Henry using similar language a few nights ago to describe his grandfather’s quest to find the last of his kin. For a moment a suspicion awoke in my brain, but I quickly brushed it aside again.
“No one knows what became of this missing bear clan,” Henry said, choosing his words carefully. His vulnerability was so touching, it was easy to forget how worried I had been just a few minutes ago. He seemed desperate to retain my good opinion, and was certain that if he said the wrong thing at this moment, he might lose it forever. “Allegedly they had fallen out with a rival tribe, and the rival tribe was stronger.”
I said nothing; by now all my attention was wholly absorbed in translating and deciphering the final lines on the stone and tattoo.
“Follow light’s trail,” I said, after a silence of about ten minutes’ duration. “Follow light’s trail and seek the ciphering stone.”
“What does that—?” Henry began, but never got to finish his question, for at that moment there came a sudden, horrendous growl from the back of the cave. I jumped, nearly shoving my foot into the fire in the process, and instinctively ran for the entrance. A tall shadow loomed overhead.
“I thought you had searched this cave!” I shouted in an accusing voice.
“Not completely,” said Henry, throwing his arms in front of me. “I stayed near the front.”
“What were you thinking?”
“Get behind me!” he yelled, as the shadowy figure drew closer and closer.
Chapter 8—Henry
With slow and halting steps a bear was making its way toward us, a big, lumbering brown bear. She looked thoroughly annoyed at finding that we had wandered without invitation into her home, and began beating her fists against her massive, hairy chest. Her head was close enough that in the torchlight I could count the rows of teeth in her open mouth, observe the uneven places on her face where hairs rose up in thick profusion.
Olivia’s eyes were darting rapidly back and forth between me and the entrance. She seemed to be contemplating whether she should stay and help me fight off the bear, or leave me and make a run for her own life. Finally she yelled, “Henry, come on! We have to leave now.”
“I’m not leaving,” I said firmly.
Ever since the night we met I had been looking for a chance to prove myself to her and her friends on the mainland, and here it was. I might have no family to speak of, I might be unemployed and living in a cave, but I had one redeeming quality: I could protect her. No one else on this island would ever dare go toe-to-toe with a Pacific western bear, but I was willing to risk it if it meant silencing the voices of my accusers forever.
“OOF!” One lunge forward and I immediately regretted my course of action. I threw myself at the bear’s body, wrapping my arms across her chest. I was supposed to have transformed in mid-stride, like I had always done before, but something had gone wrong. I was still me, still human. And I was rigidly locked in a bear’s embrace.
“It was supposed to work!” I yelled, as the bear raised a paw in anger. “It’s always worked!”
“Henry, what are you DOING?!” Olivia demanded. “You
Henry’s eyes, however, grew wider. “The First Nation was a bear clan that disappeared some years ago. The last place they were seen was on this island.”
I remembered Henry using similar language a few nights ago to describe his grandfather’s quest to find the last of his kin. For a moment a suspicion awoke in my brain, but I quickly brushed it aside again.
“No one knows what became of this missing bear clan,” Henry said, choosing his words carefully. His vulnerability was so touching, it was easy to forget how worried I had been just a few minutes ago. He seemed desperate to retain my good opinion, and was certain that if he said the wrong thing at this moment, he might lose it forever. “Allegedly they had fallen out with a rival tribe, and the rival tribe was stronger.”
I said nothing; by now all my attention was wholly absorbed in translating and deciphering the final lines on the stone and tattoo.
“Follow light’s trail,” I said, after a silence of about ten minutes’ duration. “Follow light’s trail and seek the ciphering stone.”
“What does that—?” Henry began, but never got to finish his question, for at that moment there came a sudden, horrendous growl from the back of the cave. I jumped, nearly shoving my foot into the fire in the process, and instinctively ran for the entrance. A tall shadow loomed overhead.
“I thought you had searched this cave!” I shouted in an accusing voice.
“Not completely,” said Henry, throwing his arms in front of me. “I stayed near the front.”
“What were you thinking?”
“Get behind me!” he yelled, as the shadowy figure drew closer and closer.
Chapter 8—Henry
With slow and halting steps a bear was making its way toward us, a big, lumbering brown bear. She looked thoroughly annoyed at finding that we had wandered without invitation into her home, and began beating her fists against her massive, hairy chest. Her head was close enough that in the torchlight I could count the rows of teeth in her open mouth, observe the uneven places on her face where hairs rose up in thick profusion.
Olivia’s eyes were darting rapidly back and forth between me and the entrance. She seemed to be contemplating whether she should stay and help me fight off the bear, or leave me and make a run for her own life. Finally she yelled, “Henry, come on! We have to leave now.”
“I’m not leaving,” I said firmly.
Ever since the night we met I had been looking for a chance to prove myself to her and her friends on the mainland, and here it was. I might have no family to speak of, I might be unemployed and living in a cave, but I had one redeeming quality: I could protect her. No one else on this island would ever dare go toe-to-toe with a Pacific western bear, but I was willing to risk it if it meant silencing the voices of my accusers forever.
“OOF!” One lunge forward and I immediately regretted my course of action. I threw myself at the bear’s body, wrapping my arms across her chest. I was supposed to have transformed in mid-stride, like I had always done before, but something had gone wrong. I was still me, still human. And I was rigidly locked in a bear’s embrace.
“It was supposed to work!” I yelled, as the bear raised a paw in anger. “It’s always worked!”
“Henry, what are you DOING?!” Olivia demanded. “You
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