"Shit…"
The bluenette boy mumbled under his breath, staring into the bear. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Every instinct in Connor's body screamed for him to run away, to flee… Yet he couldn't move a muscle, frozen in place by sheer terror.
Woken by the foreign smell that invaded their space, Neve wasn't faring much better. The small puppy had shuffled closer to her owner, whining almost near soundlessly in her attempts to hide.
Tense silence hung in the air, neither the pair nor the bear doing anything to break it. Connor was cursing up a storm inside, not knowing what to do other than stare and await for the bear to attack. He knew he had to run, to take Neve and get as far away as they possibly could.
The pre-teen used one hand to carefully scoop the puppy up while his other hand curled around the spear beside him. He tried to keep his eyes on the bear, to not make any sudden movements in case he startled the beast into lashing out.
However, Connor was a child still, no matter the heavy duties he had placed on himself. He couldn't keep an eye on the beast forever. So when Neve, in her haste to hide, managed to scratch him, Connor flinched.
He had only turned away for a split second but that was all the opening the bear needed. The boy barely had time to duck before a huge claw struck where his head had been, sending thousands of wood splinters up into the air. Moving on pure instincts,Connor immediately sprung into action.
He gripped the sharp wooden spear and drove it straight towards the bear's chest. However the bear backed away in time for it to nick its side instead. While it didn't kill or heavily wound the bear, it gave Connor enough opening to dart out and flee.
The bluenette boy ran through the forest path, Neve securely in place inside his coat pouch. They wove through the woods, followed closely by the furious bear hot on their tail. Connor's mind ran through various scenarios, panicked yet too overridden by a desire to survive to really do anything other than run.
Every step he took, the closer the bear seemed to get. With each breath, the shadow of death seemed to inch closer and closer.
His blood pumped in his veins with terror, lungs burning as he took in short ragged breaths.
Connor heard his footsteps echo through the empty woods, as the trees grew closer, bending in together. His vision grew darker, while the night slowly settled around them.
He was afraid to look back, to see the bear right behind him.
Red eyes darted around his surroundings, searching for any sign of light, of escape when light coming from between the thick cluster of vines and trees caught his attention. There was barely enough space for the boy to fit through, but did he have enough time?
Yet another furious roar from behind had Connor struggling through the tick, spiky vines. He pushed, pulled his way through, one hand firmly over his chest to protect Neve from the spikes of the bush. He was only halfway through when the sound of wood being torn filled his ears.
The bluenette boy hastened his pace, gritting his teeth and ignoring the way the spikes tore into him, leaving behind hundreds of small cuts. He didn't want to die like that, torn to shreds by something as vicious as a bear.
Finally, after what seemed like forever the boy pulled through to see–
A cliff.
Connor felt numb… He had struggled through those vines for this? He had just wanted to live and yet, it felt like the world was telling him to die. What was he to do now!? He was literally stuck between a cliff and an enraged bear that chased after him.
His blood froze.
Now that he thought about it, the boy couldn't hear the roars anymore. It was eerily silent around him. Just what-
A warm breath assaulted the back of his neck and-
"BARK!"
Next thing he knew, Connor was lying dangerously close to the edge. He didn't even have time to realize what just happened when burning pain assaulted his senses.
"AAARRRGRHH!!!"
His entire back felt like it was set on fire, his bones rattled. Everything felt too painful for the boy. The pre-teen's senses felt heightened yet his sight remained blurry, head heavy from the hit.
Heavy footsteps drew closer to him, prompting Connor to still. He choked down the cries of pain, turning his head to the side to see the bear stalking towards him. Its fear was splattered with red and puffs of air escaped its mouth menacingly. With a startle, the bluenette realized.
'Oh, it's my blood…'
A different kind of numbness took over him. Blanketing over his senses until they were nothing more than a background to his own thoughts. The pain he felt was still there, yet it was dulled somehow.
Connor wondered if this was how he died. Caught by the death he tried so hard to escape so much, earlier. He still had so many regrets, so many things he had wanted to do. He felt many things as well; anger, sadness, guilt, almost every emotion he knew by the name.
Except fear.
The fear of death, of the bear that had choked him up, had faded away, leaving behind only acceptance in its wake. Acceptance of his time being up, this being his end, all alone.
So Connor felt no fear when he looked at the humongous beast that stalked its way over to him. He was ready-
A small white thing suddenly obscured his view of the bear.
"BARK!!! BARK! BARK!!"
'Neve…!!'
Just like that, reality came crashing back down on him. His dulled senses came back full force, bringing back the pain with it.
He had forgotten he wasn't alone as he thought. The small puppy had been there the entire time.
She wasn't badly hurt, her partner having shielded her from most of the damage. Something the boy would do so if it meant keeping Neve safe. And yet-
Horror filled him as he watched the puppy continue to bark at the bear, protecting Connor to the best of her abilities.
The boy watched Neve flung herself towards the bear hundred times her size, only to be flung away towards the wood. However the puppy didn't give up. She continued to pounce at the bear with no hesitation again, and again. Until she hit a tree and didn't get up anymore
A bile rose up into his throat and he wanted to throw up. He was helpless again, just like the night of his mother's death. He was helpless, hated being helpless and he was terrified of losing another loved one in such a short amount of time.
'No… ' the boy clenched his fists. 'No.'
He dragged his bruised, battered body up. 'I won't lose anyone ever again.'
Pulling out the ruby handled dagger from its sheath, the boy pointed it towards the bear and lunged with a cry.
"RAAAAGGH!!!"
He managed to drive the dagger into the bear's eye, before the beast threw him off, sending him crashing into the ground.
Connor watched in satisfaction as the bear flung itself around, no doubt in agony of having its eye dug out. It growled and spat, its remaining eye shining with madness.
It looked at the bluenette before charging at him, a sentiment he shared by charging right back with the dagger still in his hand.
"GHHROARRR!!!!"
The bluenette boy quickly dodged the powerful swipe aimed at his head. Every move sent a jolt of pain through his body, but it was a better alternative to dying. At least, that was what he told himself.
With one eye blinded, the bear's movements were slower, more sluggish. Yet, the power behind the swings remained the same and the beast seemed more eager to tear Connor apart than before. The words of his old warrior neighbor rang inside his head.
'A dangerous opponent to be against-'he had remarked. 'is a one motivated to kill you.'
Cursing, Connor swung his dagger- fully prepared to hit and run.However, he didn't manage to land any.
Distracted by his thoughts in mid battle, he was slammed down into the ground by the bear's paws. Hard-
A scream tore itself from his mouth upon impact.
"AAAGHHHH!!!"
The bear slammed into him repeatedly with fervor, each time more excruciating than the last until the screams fell all but silent. It was a wonder the boy still breathed, hanging on to life by sheer stubbornness.
Despite the absolute agony he felt, Connor continued to struggle. He tried to drag his broken body towards Neve, clawing his way through the dirt road. His throat was scraped raw and his vision swam with black; Yet the boy continued through the assault of the bear. If he were to die like this, he wanted to be beside the puppy in his last moments.
Absorbed in his own head, the bluenette didn't notice the bear stop, halting its attack against the boy. He didn't notice the beast back away from them. Didn't care to see it run away, disappearing back into the forest, mind solely focused on dragging himself towards the puppy.
Connor only stopped when a warm fur brushed against the fingers of his trembling hand and the majestic howl that followed it soon after. The howl reverberated through every nerve in his body, soothing the pain of his battered body.
It reminded him of home, of the full moons during the winter solstice when Connor could spend the night away, dancing around the giant bonfire with the rest of his family.
Howling got louder; closer by the second. However, never once did the boy feel threatened. Instead, he curled himself around the warm body of his partner, basking in the safety that the sound provided.
'Ah… '
He thought.
'We're safe…'
The last thing Connor saw was a billowing white cape accompanied by a glint of sharp metal and a melodic voice that spoke of a promise.
"Rest, I'll keep you safe."