Marcus prayed with his eyes closed. Deep in his thoughts, he begged the Lord for help. For safety. For justice. However, he was not so deep in prayer that he missed the sound of a doorknob turning. His eyes shot open, fearing Kiam’s return. His eyes darted around in every direction but where he heard the sound coming from, which is something that tended to happen when you were disoriented after a long period of eye closing.

  Ronald was above him. His forepaws gripped the doorknob and his hind paws gripped the doorframe. Quite a feat of agility, until one remembered he was a squirrel. The door may have been somewhat heavy, but he had enough leverage to push it open.

  Immediately, two wolf pups ran out, their bodies practically blurred as they sprinted to their father. One additional wolf pup limped along behind them. All of them hugged him as soon as they reached him.

  “Dad!” “Dad!” “You’re okay!” “I was so scared!” “Dad!” “Where’s mom?” “I knew you’d find us!” “We missed you!”

  He lost track of who was saying what. They clung to him as if their lives depended on it, making up for over a week of lost hugs. Affection from children of the type that occurred before they became teenagers.

  Marcus tried to speak, but he could not make the words. His muzzle tied tightly in roots. How badly he wished he could shake these bonds and gather his children to him in a big hug and tell them everything was okay. Even if everything was not okay, it would be soon. Now that he had them back.

  “…..why’re you tied up?” Claudia asked.

  “I don’t care. We have to get him out!” Xavier responded.

  Ronald hopped down and landed by the triplets. “That bear made those roots wrap around him. I don’t think they’re dangerous, so maybe we can cut them off?”

  “Yeah!” Xavier said and chomped down on a root holding Marcus’s right foreleg in place. Tugging and gnawing, his aim was to break or pull it loose.

  “I think there’s some knives in the kitchen.” Claudia commented.

  “I’ll go get one while you guys chew on those things.” Ronald ran off toward what he assumed was the kitchen. The other wolves gathered around their dad and did their best to chew the roots apart.

  His children working together to free him warmed Marcus’ heart. He came to help them, but they were intent on helping him. No amount of abuse heaped on them could change that. A good thing. For a moment, the smallest moment possible, the thought they really had accepted Kiam as their new father entered his head. An irrational part of his brain dictating his worst fears. No matter how faithful one was, the whispers of the worst thing possible always lurked in the back of one’s mind. As if planted by Satan, they waited for moments of weakness to sneak in and discourage. He ignored it. Nothing could get in the way of their familial love and this proved it.

  The roots were fibrous and thick, but not as hard as he thought. They felt looser simply from the act of the pups chewing on them. It made sense; they had to be flexible enough to wrap around someone. The root around his muzzle snapped free.

  Marcus lifted his head and opened and closed his jaws a few times to work the muscles. “Thanks, Janet.” Janet nodded and moved on to the next root. “Just don’t hurt your teeth, okay?”

  “I won’t!” Xavier replied. “I have really strong teeth!” He straightened up, but only for a moment. The act of stretching his core muscles made him wince and lower his head. A guarding posture, relaxing all the muscles of his sides, abdomen, and back. Pain that did not escape his father’s notice.

  “Xavier, you’re hurt. What happened?” He asked.

  Xavier was quiet and tried to straighten back up. He walked out of his dad’s line of sight to a different root. “I’m okay…” He said.

  “Kiam hit him really hard.” Claudia answered honestly. “I…I think he’s hurt real bad.”

  A rush of heat coursed through Marcus’ veins. “He struck my boy?” He grit his teeth. Pushing up, he tried to break out of his bonds. Righteous anger flared in all corners of his thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to bring justice and judgement down on Kiam’s head. If the roots were not holding him in place, he may have taken off after Kiam to have another go at bringing him down.

  “Found a knife!” Ronald’s voice brought him out of his private, vengeful thoughts. He turned his head back to see Ronald carrying a paring knife only slightly shorter than he was.

  “Be careful with that.” Marcus admonished, a momentary vision of Ronald accidentally slicing his own paw off dancing past his mind’s eye. The thought of him accidentally cutting Marcus never occurred to him.

  “I will.” Ronald promised. Marcus felt the roots shifting and moving. It might take a little time to cut all of them and he had no idea how many there were.

  “Where are your mother and sister?” He noticed their absence, and the absence of Kiam. He hoped that meant they ran away and were not being held by him somewhere.

  “They ran when the bear tried to grab them. I think they went to get help.” Ronald answered as he snipped a vine.

  Marcus thought this over as he felt the vines fall from his body. A fresh set of worries in his head. If Kiam went after Diane and Cecilia, he would either catch them or they would get away. If they got away, they would return with help, probably the gray humanoid that led them here. He seemed confident he could take the bear down, so they would return here after whatever violent unpleasantness he visited on Kiam.

  The worse scenario involved Kiam catching them. Marcus shuddered. Please, please don’t let him hurt them. If he had to do anything to them, let him bring them back here in one piece. Even tied up would be better than torn apart. After the display of magic Marcus witnessed, the bear seemed capable of all manner of evil.

  The last of the vines fell from Marcus and he stood up. Immediately, the triplets spat out the vine remnants still in their mouths and closed on him, hugging him from all sides. Some would feel like this was not the time for a shared embrace. Those people were fools. Marcus gathered his children in and held them close. They were not out of danger yet, but a small amount of comfort could be found in his arms. A week of misery and the children needed it.

  “It’s going to be okay, kids. We’ll get through this.” Marcus reassured. He believed it. He had to. Strength shown in order to be an anchor in the storm for his family.

  Marcus looked at the front door. He could take his family and run after Kiam. Foolish idea; the forest was full of plants and Kiam had mastery over them. Open spaces were not his friend. The bear would return eventually. Marcus could not control much, but he could control what he came home to.

  “Okay kids, listen to me.” Four sets of eyes looked to Marcus. “He’s coming back, so we have to be ready for him. Wrap me back up in the vines.”

  “What? Why?” Ronald asked, raising an eyebrow as his siblings went to gather the vines.

  “To make Kiam think I’m still tied up.” Marcus answered.

  “Oh…hm, what then?” Ronald picked up one of the larger loose roots.

  “You guys hide. All of you. Wherever it’s safe.”

  “Um, okay, but what will you…..”

  “If I can surprise him, I might be able to take him down.”

  “Um, dad, I’m not sure…..” Ronald fidgeted. “I don’t think he’ll give up that easy. You might have to kill him.”

  The realization that Marcus may have to take a life someday was usually the furthest thing from his thoughts. When Ronald brought it into focus, it gave Marcus pause. Could he take a life in defense of his family? Was it even Biblical?

  “….I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will to protect you.” No time to think over the spiritual nuances of it. Self defense was allowed and Jesus told his followers to buy swords. As the head of the family, this was his responsibility.

  No more words as he was wrapped back up. The triplets hid, Ronald hid, and all that was left to do was wait.

  Cecilia raced through the forest. She darted around trees and tried to make herself as difficult to follow as possible. She did not have time to follow a set path, only blindly in a single direction. She could climb a tree, but that was not on her mind. Being pursued as such, alone and scared, the thought did not occur to her. If it had, she would have kept running. Dimly, she was aware she needed to find help. Hard to do that from a tree. Feet frantically scrabbling along the earth, running as if her life depended on it.

  It did. Every time she looked back, she saw them. Three wolves, massive with glowing eyes, trailed her. Every time she looked back, they were a little closer. They were gaining on her. She wanted to scream for help, but could not spare the breath. Running faster than she ever had, every bit of her effort had to go toward running. To slow down would be to fall into their clutches. Intentions of feral wolves chasing a squirrel were anything but noble. The fear kept her going and she had never been more afraid.

  A creek up ahead about ten feet wide. She did not stop or slow down and there was no time to find a bridge. She leapt. Nine feet was a long distance for a squirrel to cross in one leap. Thankfully, she was not so out of shape she could not clear it. Only just. Her body thumped into the shoreline and paws reflexively grasped at the dirt. She held on, but the wind was knocked from her. A second to catch her breath and she climbed up into a dead sprint. A few feet away she looked back. The wolves paused and jumped. They made it, but it bought her a few precious seconds.

  They were not enough. Fear could only keep the body running for so long. They were gaining on her. ‘No, no, no. Please don’t let them get me. Please save me, please!’ Chaotic thoughts. All she could do was run.

  She heard the lead wolf. So close. Snarling and snapping behind her, she heard two great thumps from his feet as he pounced. She closed her eyes and screamed, knowing he would be on her in a second.

  A flash of gray above her head. No clash of teeth around her body. She opened her eyes to look up and saw the wolf fly through the air in the opposite direction. It struck the second wolf with such speed and ferocity that they were sent sprawling over the ground. They only stopped when their tangled bodies struck a tree hard enough to shake loose several hanging limbs. They did not stir.

  David towered above her. Where he came from, she never saw. It was like he just appeared. The third wolf closed in rapidly and she momentarily worried it would harm him. This turned out to be a non-issue. He brought up a foot and punted the wolf like a football. An audible crack sounded when his foot met the wolf’s ribcage. It sailed several feet through the air and came to rest by a rock. It did not stir.

  David looked down at Cecilia. She must have looked quite a sight, quaking with fear and stunned from her momentary brush with death. He leaned down to her, which normally would have been very intimidating. Right now, even her terror soaked mind recognized that he saved her. Safety came in strange forms.

  “You are hurt?” He asked, but it did not sound like a question.

  Wondering if she was bleeding, she quickly looked herself over. Then back up to David. “I’m not hurt, everything’s fiiiAAAAAAHHHH!!” She shrank back away from him, but not because of him. It was what was above him that scared her.

  Towering over his head was a massive, bare-skulled monster with long arms and wicked claws. Tangled, misshapen limbs and a twisted torso. The smell hit her; the most unpleasant thing she ever smelled. A mixture of spoiled food and sickness and roadkill and rot. Her stomach curled in her gut.

  With her eyes wide and her freaking out, David’s attention was on her. He knew what she was looking at. Glancing up, he looked back down at her. “Does not move. Cannot hurt you.”

  It was not until later that Cecilia realized he said ‘does not move’ instead of ‘is not alive’. The thought made her shudder, but she did not think to ask why. She had enough on her mind as it was. In the moment, that was good enough.

  She came for help. She found it. Start talking. “David! Kiam got mom and dad! He hurt mom and dad’s gone and then he sent wolves after me and I don’t know where Ronald is and I think my brothers and sisters are scared and hungry and hurt and he might be eating them and everything’s terrible and you have to help right now!”

  His head tilted down. Cecilia spent little time looking at his face before. On purpose as, well, he was kind of hard to look at and his expression did not change much. Not the case at that moment. His lips opened and showed his teeth, corners of his mouth down. A slow exhale. Eyes blazing. No words, but they were not needed.

  He reached down and opened his hand in front of Cecilia. “Come.” He commanded. Cecilia was hesitant. That big, scarred hand was larger than she was.

  “Maybe I should stay here…….” She took a step away from the hand.

  “Not safe. Will carry you.” He ordered.

  Not safe? She forgot about the wolves already. She glanced at their motionless bodies. They may have been dead, or maybe not. Or maybe there were more. She generally felt safe in the forest. Tonight, it was full of teeth and claws. She stepped into David’s hand.

  The fingers closed around her. She flinched, expecting to be crushed. Instead, they gently cupped her as one would a delicate flower. He knew his own strength, either from wisdom or trial and error. He lifted her up and put her in the right chest pocket of his overcoat. Then he tied it so it would not flap or jostle when he ran.

  “Hold on.” He stated.

  She gripped the pocket gently. A normal humanoid creature should run at a normal humanoid speed. She bit her lower lip, hoping they would get back to the cabin before Kiam did something unspeakable. She was a squirrel and could get there a lot faster on her own, but they had to stick together.

  That was what she thought. Never assume. David broke into a run. After about ten yards, he was running even faster than she could. The trees whizzed by and the gray man jerked and turned to dodge past them. One bump almost upended her out of the pocket. After that, she gripped the fabric as tightly as her little paws could. The creek approached and David cleared it with distance to spare. The jump did not even cause him to break stride.

  So many questions to ask, but the only one Cecilia could think of was if her family would be okay by the time they got to them.

  The door to the cabin opened. Marcus was so startled he nearly turned his head to look in the direction of the door. A good thing he did not, as that would have ruined the illusion. The vines were piled over his body in nearly the same places they were before he was cut away. They wrapped around his limbs and muzzle loosely, but hung on him to appear taut. He even lay in the same spot, but it was impossible to have everything the exact same as it was. It was dark, so hopefully Kiam would not notice anything different.

  Every muscle remained still through force of will. He badly wanted to turn and lunge at Kiam at that very moment, but now was not the time. Instead, he kept his muzzle in the dirt and turned his eyes to see.

  Kiam lumbered in with Diane hanging limply over his right shoulder. She was motionless and her eyes were closed. For one horrifying moment, Marcus thought she was dead. No, she was still breathing and did not smell dead. Cecilia’s scent was missing. That meant she got away! A good thing, but something was wrong with Diane. The right side of her head was matted with blood; the bear must have hit her quite hard to knock her out. Horror turned to anger. How dare he! Despite himself, a low growl rumbled out of his chest.

  Completely nonplussed, Kiam smiled. “I caught your hündin.” He dropped her to the dirt floor like she was a sack of flour. “And soon will have the squirrels you call your children.” Kiam scoffed. “A predator caring for prey….you truly are a weak and foolish people.”

  He got a little closer. Almost close enough. Marcus primed his muscles to lunge. Soon. Very soon. Let him talk. Let him keep his confidence high.

  “And you…..” He leaned over Marcus. “Soon you will…….” He trailed off and frowned. His head turned and he looked back.

  “Mutter……something is…..what do you mean a monster….?” Kiam was no longer looking at Marcus. Focused, but confused, his attention was not where it should have been.

  Now! Hind legs bent to propel him forward, back arched to snap his entire body, teeth bared, and forelegs flung upward to help. All of it came together in a powerful lunge. Marcus knew he only had one shot at this, so he had to make it count. Vines fell from his body like autumn leaves, drifting slowly downward despite the ferocity that turned him into a lupine bullet.

  Marcus was supposed to be tied down. Magical vines were supposed to keep him held against the earth. He was not a threat, not like whatever distracted Kiam. He never saw him coming until his teeth were inches from his throat. At the last possible second, his eyes went wide and he brought up an arm.

  It was not a perfect block or even an adequate deflection. Sharp fangs dug into the bear’s bicep. A light tunic was all that protected him from the bite and it was wholly insufficient. He staggered backwards from the weight of an adult wolf pressing on him. The wall was the only thing that stopped him. Cracks appeared in the wood all around him; the impact of a heavyset bear was enough to damage it. Loud yelling mixed with a taste of blood in Marcus’s mouth. Shame he did not hit the throat, but Marcus was not about to let go. Like wolves of old, he jerked his head back and forth to tear as much of the muscle as possible. If he could disable Kiam’s arm, it would make him less of a threat.

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  “Bastard! Komm weg von meinem Arm!” He shouted and tried to shake Marcus loose. Not only did Marcus have no idea what he said, but he was not about to comply with a command to stop hurting him. Kiam made a fist and brought it down on the side or the wolf’s head. The impact rattled his skull, but all the adrenaline in his system kept him going. He snarled and twisted his head. Muscle fibers split and tore. Blood oozed from the wound, then flowed freely. Spasms of pain racked the arm and Kiam cried out.

  A bear paw wrapped around Marcus’ throat. Kiam was no longer playing. Pressure on all sides of Marcus’ neck. He could not breathe. Harder and harder he pressed. Gasping for air, the wolf had to release his jaws from Kiam’s arm.

  The room grew dim. Marcus was determined, but determination could not override biology. He needed oxygen. He writhed and struggled to loosen himself from Kiam’s grip to no effect. Physically, he was stronger than the poor wolf. Consciousness began to falter. Stay awake, please stay awake! He had to…..

  From miles away, he heard something. A little girl screaming “Leave my dad alone you big bully!” Then a pained yelp from a bear. Then being dropped on the ground.

  No pressure around his throat anymore. He gasped and the world immediately came back into focus. Three young wolves were at Kiam’s legs, snapping and biting. They did not know how to fight, that was clear, but they tried their best to get the bad man off their father. He breathed in and let out a trio of coughs. He tried to regain his air, but saw Kiam snarl and swipe a paw at Janet. She just barely got out of the way in time. Breathing could wait; his kids were in danger!

  “Get…” Cough! “Away from him!” Marcus rasped, hoping his children would listen. They hopped around nimbly enough, avoiding swipes from an angry bear. Luck like that never lasted long. Marcus raised up on shaky legs. Muscles were weak, but would pick up with more oxygenated blood. A step forward turned into a stagger, but he righted himself. Get the kids away from him.

  “Get off me you little brats!” The bear roared and tried his best to deter them. Three small things nipping at him was more annoying than dangerous, but they moved fast enough he could not seem to strike them.

  Claudia latched onto Kiam’s right ankle and dug her teeth in. In response, the bear kicked his leg out. It was a painful bite, but she held on weakly enough the motion sent her flying off. She let out a fearful yelp. Thinking quickly and with new strength in his legs, Marcus leapt and caught her before she could fly into a wall. As he set her down, Kiam stomped too close to Janet and clipped her side. He did not smash her, but the impact knocked her back and pushed the air from her lungs. Xavier was next, another kick to his injured ribs spiraled him next to Marcus.

  The wolf father gathered his children together, needing to make sure they were okay. Towering above him, Kiam’s lips peeled back to show his teeth. Marcus stepped between him and his children. He had his second wind.

  “You’ll never get my children.” He looked back at Diane, who was starting to stir. “Or my wife. Even if you kill us, you’ll still lose.”

  Kiam snorted. He would have said something cutting, but a war cry cut him off. A reddish brown blur flew through the air at his face. Wide eyes for a moment before Ronald landed on his muzzle. Kiam was so surprised he staggered back into the wall once more. More cracks and splits to add to the collection. Where he hid was anyone’s guess, as was how he managed to hold onto the large kitchen knife while zooming through the air. He brandished it like a claymore and swung it at Kiam’s face.

  It was a shame Kiam was so much larger than him, or it might have been more threatening. His paws closed around Ronald’s body mid swing. He flung him off like one would throw a baseball. Ronald, being a squirrel, landed on his feet.

  Kiam’s eyes blazed. Literally. They glowed with a demonic green light. Drawing in a breath, he roared. “UNGRATEFUL WRETCHES! UNWORTHY!” The air around him shimmered with an unearthly glow. Marcus shrank back. More magic, and this looked to be more dangerous than simple roots. “I WILL DEVOUR YOU ALLLLLLLLLL!!!”

  The light enveloped Kiam. His shape grew rapidly, pressing on the wall. Wooden boards cracked and split. As his already imposing size grew to gargantuan proportions, Marcus looked on, frozen by the spectacle.

  He had to hurry. Every second he was not there gave the bear more time to hurt innocents. David ran like he had a purpose. The only reason he could not sprint the entire way there was the trail was uneven and he had to dodge around tree limbs.

  The children. Evil always went after children. Wicked beings devoured them like bread. Ate up their houses and substance. What they could not kill, they corrupted. Made it unrecognizable. Spread their dark desires to those least deserving of it. Thinking about it made David’s pulse thump in his ears. The bear was going to die, that much was certain. He only had two regrets in regard to that. One was that they may not be alive by the time he got there. The other was that, if they were alive, he could not afford to take his time killing the bear. Those who preyed on the innocence of children deserved to die slow.

  The little squirrel girl clung to his pocket. He did not feel good about keeping her there. Children were scared of him. He was built to destroy evil and looked the part. Partially due to his natural appearance, partially due to how he carried himself and what he wore. His adoptive father helped him cultivate the image so evil would know what they were dealing with. The downside was children looked at him like he was the monster hiding in the shadows under their bed. He knew this, but he convinced himself a long time ago it did not bother him. You did not have to be popular to protect people. She was safe, that was the important part.

  The cabin loomed into view. The smell of magical contamination of bear grew strong. The smell of fear and rage and blood. Was he late? He hoped not. He burst into the clearing and slowed his steps to the point they made no sound.

  He stood before the door. His body obscured by shadows, but he could see perfectly. He peered in the window and saw the family. They still lived. The young wolf and his father were hurt. The mother was badly hurt. Hurt was not the same as dead.

  That might change soon. The bear was surrounded in magical energy. Green glow swirled around his body and he grew. Hurry up, hero. Hesitation is for the unsure.

  Without a word, he plucked Cecilia from his pocket and set her on the ground. He did it as if he were placing a particularly thin shelled egg on a hardwood floor.

  “Hide.” He commanded her as he shrugged off his backpack and removed his overcoat. A fight like this, he would need his full range of motion. The bear was going to be larger than he was, but he knew he would not be stronger.

  Kiam’s form came into focus. An eleven-foot-tall dire bear. He probably weighed about eight hundred pounds in this form. Eyes glowing green, he roared at the family, who shrank away from him in terror. David grit his teeth. How dare he threaten a family. They were no match for a being of such power. The bear knew this. Probably reveled in it. Time to show him what it was like to fight something that could fight back. The first priority was getting him as far away from the family as possible. Charge in and overwhelm him. It was not the first time he encountered something larger than himself, or something near innocents.

  “….what are you going to do?” A small voice coming from the direction of the squirrel. She could not see what he was about to go up against. Good. Do not needlessly scare the children.

  But he still had to answer. The only answer he knew to give. “I will make him hurt.”

  Marcus’ jaw hung agape, eyes staring upward at the monstrosity looming overhead. He took two shaky steps backwards. Towering over him was what once had been Kiam. A strange appearance before made much worse by whatever magics he held. A massive beast of a bear with teeth and claws just as big. Shaggy fur and thick limbs bursting with muscle. The same unearthly green light that signaled the change glowed in his eyes. Any hint of a humanoid body was banished by the transformation.

  The wolf dealt with bears before, both sentient and feral. Some were easier to get along with, though the feral ones you had to give a wide berth. Kiam was larger than the most ferocious bear and enraged. Enraged and coming for them. For one terrifying moment, Marcus’ mind went blank. Natural reaction for any adult confronted with something from out of a fairy tale; a monster that did not belong in this world.

  Then his mind came back. Protect them to your last breath. It was in God’s hands. “Get behind me!” He called to his family, standing tall as his children gathered at his back. Cecilia was the only one missing and that was okay. If she was able to get away, good.

  Saliva dripped from Kiam’s fangs. He lurched forward. Marcus stood his ground and folded his ears back. Growling to hide how terrified he was. Please, let the children run while he kept Kiam busy.

  The door into the cabin exploded far behind Marcus. So sudden was the noise he snapped his head back in time to see if fly off its hinges and land in two pieces. Before the door even hit the ground, a large, though not as large as Kiam, shape ran through the door. Kiam had just enough time to look at it before it collided with him.

  The impact drove the bear back on his hind legs. He roared and Marcus finally got a glimpse of the shape. David found them and he was not kidding about his purpose. He came to fight Kiam no matter how big and scary and powerful he was.

  The bear, angry that his meal was interrupted, lunged his head to bite. His teeth sunk into David’s flesh between his left shoulder and neck, but that did not seem to slow him down. The momentum was too much and his legs kept pumping. Both arms on the bear’s chest, directly on his center of gravity, he drove him back into the wall. The wall, wholly abused at this point, finally had enough. It shattered into a spray of splinters, planks, and splintered planks. Both of them tumbled into the darkness.

  Marcus blinked twice. They were alone in the room. The entire exchange between David and Kiam took all of five seconds. He looked back at his family. The triplets were staring with just as dumbfounded an expression as Marcus. Ronald was checking on his mother. Diane was starting to stir.

  A powerful urge to take his family and run came over Marcus. Surely David could handle the bear. He was the professional and probably expected them to get to safety. However, Kiam was a lot bigger than he was. And that bite….it looked like it was liable to tear most of the muscle and all of the arm free from the gray humanoid’s body. The flesh wanted him to run. His conscience said for him to see this through. If David needed help, he would help him.

  “Kids, stay here with mom.” Marcus said as he walked towards the brand new exit into the forest. “I’ll be right back.”

  Marcus ran. This time, his kids did not follow, not even Ronald. They saw what was out there and they were still kids. Let the grownups handle the monsters, just like when you summoned dad to clear them from your bedroom.

  The impact of blasting through the wall drove the two combatants apart. Kiam lay against a tree about ten yards away. David stood between him and the hole, serving as a barrier between the bear and his victims. Marcus noticed the wound on David’s shoulder where it met the neck. Kiam’s fangs really tore into him; his complete dental records were present in his flesh. Blood should have been pouring from the wounds, but the only indication they had bled at all was the stains on his shirt from wound to halfway to the beltline. It was either more superficial than it looked or he had some amazing clotting ability. A gash, also mostly clotted, opened over his right eye. One of the boards must have hit him in the head. Partially coagulated blood traced in lines down his face. He glanced around before his eyes settled on Kiam.

  Kiam managed to prop himself against a tree. Events broke his concentration and he reverted to his more humanoid form. This did not bring back his clothes, as those lay in tatters inside the cabin. Clothing was always a casualty of rapid body expansion. The impact and fall set his eyes spinning and he looked like he was trying to make it stop. He put a paw to the side of his head and shook it to clear out the byproducts of blunt force trauma. He blearily looked forward and saw something that focused his brain with grim alacrity.

  David’s eyes narrowed. He reached behind his back with his right arm to a rig made of leather with two handles sticking out of it. He drew an oversized farming sickle from its place. It caught Marcus as an unusual weapon, but seemed to fit him perfectly. He drew it as naturally as a knight would a sword from its scabbard, or an executioner an axe.

  “Child snatcher… murderer… found you.” David intoned.

  Kiam’s eyes traced from the man’s blood-streaked face down to his sickle and went wide. He drew in a sharp breath and scooted back against the tree. “Schei?e…….” He hissed. “Paul was right… you are real!”

  The bear knew him and was afraid. So many questions Marcus wanted to ask. Now was not the time. Kiam did not look at Marcus at all, his entire focus being on David. A good time to stand back and watch.

  David’s head tilted down. He held the sickle in his hand, but it hung at his side. Relaxed, but ready. “Then you know what happens now.”

  The gray man started his rush toward his foe. He was fast, but only made it two steps before Kiam raised his paws. Marcus knew better than to think this was a warding off gesture. More roots. They shot from the ground with the sole purpose of tangling David’s legs. Reaching up, they wrapped around his calves and feet to pull them to the ground, bring him to his knees, and bind him.

  It slowed him, but did not stop him. Grasping each leg tightly, he simply kept putting one foot in front of the other. The roots strained, tore, and broke. They were strong, but had to be flexible, and it seemed that David was stronger. Breaking free with each step, they fell off him. Closer and closer to his quarry with each step.

  Kiam’s eyes took on a panicked quality. He scrambled up and made another gesture, paws glowing green. More vines to bind him from other angles. This time, they went for his arms. Nothing to worry about either. As if he anticipated every place they would grab him, his sickle moved in an arc to intercept. Severed before they touched him, the plant matter fell limp against the ground. Those long, awkward arms were faster than they should have been and Marcus was transfixed by the sight.

  Taking initiative, Kiam rushed David. He might not have been bound, but he was distracted. If he could tackle him and get him to the ground, he could use his strength to maul him. That was the most likely plan. It failed miserably, but he tried. As soon as he got close to the gray man, one of his feet came up and plowed into his chest just below the breastbone. Even though the kick was partially dampened by the roots, it struck him with enough force to lift him off the ground and send him flying against a tree. He hit it hard enough to shake several leaves and dead limbs loose.

  He gripped his chest and let out a wet cough. Blood spat from his mouth and dribbled down his chin. Something inside of him ruptured. After everything the bear put him through, Marcus felt a thrill in his chest. The bear was hurt. Shame would come later at deriving joy from seeing someone suffering but, in the moment, he hoped that the man who hurt his family and tried to steal his kids was broken up on the inside.

  The roots went slack as Kiam’s concentration faltered. Looking up, he snarled as David took another step. He put a hand to the ground. At first, Marcus thought it was to summon more impotent roots. Instead, it was something more effective. David’s foot came down and sunk deep into the dirt. The ground beneath him turned into semi solid, muddy clay. He looked down and tried to pull his leg out, but the force caused his other leg to sink.

  He was stuck. The hero was in trouble and Kiam was still a threat. Marcus was about to break into a run to lunge at Kiam. He was all set to rush in and help the man who was here to save his family. It turned out he did not have to.

  David flicked a hand forward. The sickle he held vanished from his grasp. A silver streak fast enough the eye could barely catch it. It reappeared in Kiam’s stomach, slightly above his navel, the blade hilt deep inside of his abdominal cavity.

  Kiam’s concentration broke completely. He looked down at the blade sticking out of him and his eyes went wide. This clearly was not supposed to happen. A shaky left paw moved up and touched it, as if this was not real and he could dispel the illusion. The pain of moving the blade made him suck in a sharp breath. He let it out, eyes wide. “Aaaahh…….AAAAAAHHHH!”

  The ground under David’s feet solidified. A good yank to each leg and they were free. Bits of soil fell from his jeans as he approached the bear. He walked directly in front of him until he was about a foot away, looming large overhead.

  Marcus walked up to his side. The whole fight felt surreal, like something out of a comic book. Like in a comic book, the bad guy had been neutralized. His kids were safe, his wife was injured, but alive, and he had the gray man to thank. He looked up at him.

  “Thank you….” He said. David glanced at him, then looked back at Kiam. “Now, we just need to get the police, and…..”

  “Look away.” David stated.

  “What….I…?” Marcus began. Kiam cut him off.

  “Yes…I…I give up….will go to…police…” He coughed, more blood.

  “We’ll….” Marcus did not have a chance to finish his thought.

  David reached down, grabbed his sickle still in Kiam’s belly. A twist of his wrist and he turned the blade around inside of his abdomen so the edge faced his breastbone. Kiam let out an agonized scream as the blade ground against his intestines. He reached up to weakly wrap his paws around David’s wrist, but he may as well have been trying to hold back a speeding car. In a practiced motion, he raked the blade upwards from his navel to his neck. The blade did not pause, even when it snicked through the bone.

  Marcus should have looked away. Kiam’s chest flayed open. He saw his heart and lungs. The bear was still alive. David managed to avoid slicing into anything vital. In shock, Kiam looked down and saw what had been done to him. He tried to scream again, but all that came out of his mouth was bloody gurgles.

  Marcus closed his eyes and turned his head away. He folded back his ears to drown out the screams, but it did not help. They did not last long. He heard an impact, a death gurgle, then silence. Marcus moved so his back was toward Kiam before he opened his eyes. There were few things Marcus wanted to see less than whatever bloody remnants were left of the bear’s body. Deep in his thoughts, however, he heard something. Just a little whisper, his own flesh. ‘He deserved it. All of it. Beyond forgiveness. And he died screaming in pain. Go on, look at him and revel in the carnage. And this is just the beginning of his suffering.’

  He swallowed hard and pushed the fleshly thoughts away. Proverbs 24:17-18. Do not celebrate Kiam’s death, celebrate your family coming back together.

  The wolf opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one, he saw David wiping blood off his sickle before slipping it back into the sheath at his back. His left hand was coated in gore. Bile rose to the top of Marcus’s throat and he swallowed it down.

  “Is it over?” He asked.

  David looked down at Marcus and nodded once. “Dead. Cannot hurt you anymore.”

  “….Good.” He half meant that. The method of Kiam’s death was a bit much for a wolf unused to violence. He did not even watch horror movies. He had seen gore before in real life, unpleasant past circumstances being what they were. Seeing someone slit open while alive was much worse.

  “Clean yourself up before my kids see you.” Marcus looked up at David. When he spoke, he looked the gray man in the eyes. “They’ve seen enough…..” David may have been big, but Marcus was a dad. He would tell anyone, no matter how intimidating, how they should conduct themselves around his kids.

  David nodded again and looked toward Kiam’s body. No words this time.

  When Marcus re-entered via the wall no longer entirely there, he saw his children gathered around Diane. Cecilia was there too, which was a relief. Dealing with her being absent would have pushed him over the edge. His wife was awake, laying with her head resting on the floor. Ronald was at her side and trying to tie a cloth bandage around her head. Marcus never did ask where he got the cloth.

  Everyone looked at him when he came in. No one spoke or moved. The shock wore off on Marcus first. He ran to his family. To Diane, specifically. The blood on her head indicated she was hurt worst of all.

  “Diane, are you okay?” He asked.

  “I’m okay.” Diane looked up at her husband. She smiled, but it looked weak.

  “You’re not okay.”

  “My head hurts, but I can make it to a doctor.” She lifted her head off the floor and stood up on shaky legs. They buckled for a half a second, but she caught herself before Marcus could do it for her. “That bear must…..” Her eyes widened. “The bear!” She looked around frantically for any sign of Kiam, fear in her eyes.

  “Don’t worry, he’s dead.” Marcus put his arms around his wife. “He can’t hurt us anymore.”

  “Really?” Cecilia replied. “I mean, he’s really gone?” She glanced at the entry points to the cabin in turn. “No minions?”

  “Minions? What are you talking about?” Marcus asked.

  “Um, well….there was….” She looked furtively at her father.

  “You can tell me later…are you hurt? Is anyone else hurt?”

  “I’m fine.” Cecilia replied.

  “Me too.” Ronald stated.

  “You are hurt. Drink.” A deep, scratchy voice from behind Marcus.

  He raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the very distinct voice. David snuck in while they were occupied. He knelt in front of Xavier and held a small glass bottle full of red liquid in his right hand. His left had a glass stopper with some of it inside. He held it before Xavier who reluctantly started lapping it up.

  David may have saved them, but he was still a stranger. An otherworldly one at that; one who was offering a mysterious liquid to one of his kids.

  “Xavier!” Marcus yelled as the pup licked up the last drop in the stropper.

  He looked quizzically at his father. His body shuddered from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. Marcus ran to his child, but his concern was misplaced. Xavier breathed deeply, then smiled.

  “It doesn’t hurt anymore!” His tail wagged with renewed vigor and he did one of those hopping spins that puppies did when they were excited. “I feel great!”

  Marcus was not relieved. He glared daggers at David. “What did you give my son!?”

  “Healing potion.” David stood up.

  “Seriously?” Even more surreal. Such a thing did not exist. Should it exist? Marcus had already seen several things that should not exist today. What was one more? Even if it did work, it was reckless and stupid to offer it to his child.

  “Next time, ask before giving my kids anything, okay?” Marcus commanded

  David nodded and walked up to Diane. He knelt to her as he did to Xavier and offered her the bottle. Diane leaned in and sniffed the neck. She did not wince or pull back, so it must not have smelled terrible.

  “What’s in it?” She asked.

  David stared. “Do not know.”

  “How do you even get something like this? Where did it come from?”

  “Hn…..” David let out what sounded like an annoyed exhale. “Nathan said should carry it for those hurt.”

  “Shouldn’t you drink it?” Diane’s eyes were drawn to the massive bite mark on David’s shoulder and neck.

  “Does not work on me.” David replied. He saw the concern in Diane’s eyes. She always had a soft heart, even towards those as hard as David. “…will heal. Does not hurt. Drink.”

  Diane looked at the flask. It looked almost exactly like a health potion from a video game. She took it in her paws. Reluctantly, she held it to her lips and drank. She drained it in one gulp so she did not have to spend a lot of time tasting it, then handed the bottle back to David.

  “Not bad….a little sweet. And…..” She winced and Marcus worried. Whatever she felt passed in an instant. She reached up and took the bandage off her head. The wound was gone. The only sign it was ever there was the dried blood in her fur.

  “The pain’s gone!” Diane smiled.

  “So’s the wound!” Ronald stared wide-eyed. Amazing. Truly, there were many fantastic things throughout all of creation. It was nice to see something magical that was not used to harm.

  David stood back up and tucked the empty flask in the pocket of his overcoat. Marcus realized that he managed to collect both it and his backpack without him noticing. Unnerving that someone so big could be so quiet. In the end, he was happy his family was back. That was the most important thing.

  “Can we go home, dad?” Cecilia asked. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

  “Of course.” Marcus replied. He was more than ready to put this place behind him. With everyone accounted for, it was the best outcome he could have hoped for. Even better now that everyone was uninjured.