Message from Luna: Bears are terrifiying, I'm going to have nightmares about going to a zoo for years…
I find myself scrambling through corridors of an icy cave. This day started so nice and relaxing. I was actually happy to go on a mini vacation, especially since it was with Skye and his class. But now I'm being chased by a bear, wheezing from a lack of air, and I even dropped Skye's favorite jacket.
"Keep going! Take a sharp right and that's the last room!" Skye screams from behind me. My body is aching but I know I can't slow down yet. I turn and take a right, my right side getting poked by an icicle poking out near the wall. Pain shoots through my body but as I hear the bear's blood curdling scream I decide it's better to fight it for now. The sound of the bear's heavy pursuit echoes off the walls and seems to surround the whole area in snow and ice.
Normally I would have fainted by now due to my asthma but the occasional cheer from Skye and a scream from the beat force me to run even faster.
My legs kick a rock to the side and I enter into a massive room. A throne sits ominously against the far center wall but I don't have the time to stare at it.
I dive behind a rock just big enough to cover my exhausted body. My breath is ragged but I fight it as I glance around my safe spot. Skye is running down the hallway but I notice something else.
A box is laying on the ground open and cracked. The contents of the box are spilled out but I can't quite make out what I see.
"Is that a staff?" I question my own thoughts out loud subconsciously and the form shifts into a small stave and I blink to make sure I'm not seeing things.
The form seems to call me closer. Urging me with a soft and soothing siren call. As I grab the staff the depth of the fearful situation seems to leave my body. I feel an icy cold feeling course through my veins and then simmer away as if it didn't even happen. I stand up and howl in pain as I clutch the cut on my side. It's too deep to just walk it off.
"Luna!" Skye shouts as he bursts through the opened corridor, diving to the left side of the room about twelve feet away from me. The bear follows closely behind, crashing through the opening in the wall. It growls even louder as it sees me, but something stops its pursuit. The monster just stands there. Its eyes look from mine to the stage in my hand as if unsure of what to do next.
Skye takes this opportunity to catch its attention and throws a rock at its eye. "Hey big, fat, and ugly!" Skye shouts as the bear twists its neck towards him. The beast lets out a low snarl that makes the hair on my arms leap for the sky. It takes a step forward and slams its foot down, making a booming noise echoes across the walls. Skye's eyes catch mine and I can feel his fear. But he doesn't waver. He groans and pushes himself to his feet, almost falling back over with a limp in his leg. I watch him stand as tall as possible before locking his eyes with mine.
"Go out and get some help." Skye mouths at me as he flicks his hand towards the open corridor. My eyes widen not in fear but rather concern for my friend. I take a step towards him but the bear seems to freeze me with a single glance.
"Skye, wait don't!" I try to shout in protest at him, but Skye hits the bear with another rock. The monster, clearly fed up with Skye's antics, snarls before charging. Skye dives to the side just in time, as the bear slams into the wall behind him.
"Go! Now Luna!" He bellows as he jumps back to his feet, this time holding a stick in his hand. He brandishes his new weapon like a sword and steps backwards, leading the bear farther from the entrance to the throne room. I can't help but fear for his life, even if he's trying to protect me I can't leave him. He's my friend and the kindest person I know
The bear readily swipes at Skye with its claws.
"No" I shout at the bear with all the power my voice can muster. The bear misses Skye by mere inches and blinks as if confused.
I shift my body and close my eyes. I breathe in deeply and exhale a calm breath. Opening my eyes I glance down at the strange weapon in my hand. I can almost feel the ice wafting out from it, joining with my breath before merging with the air around it.
I steel my resolve and charge. "Over here!" I shout as loud as I can before cracking my newly found staff over the bear's head. I hear a small chuckle that seems to emanate from the weapon but before I get a chance to react the bear turns.
Its eyes turn red with rage and I take a step back. I feel my foot hit the box and I stumble backwards, landing on the ground with a thud.
The bear swings at me just barely missing my head because of my fall. The pure fear overtakes my body and I freeze in place. The bear closes in and looms menacingly over my body, the ice shaped spikes on its back bristling with energy.
"GRRRAAHHH!" The bear howls a noise that could freeze over hell itself. It glares at me and then raises a leg. I curl my body up, clutching the staff tightly, bracing for impact and imagining my moms face.
"I… don't wanna d-die…" I whisper to the staff.