Bear Coast

by Sven Grams

  Sara was sceptical to say the least, but allowed her friend to keep the slim hope of the young female Anthro bear alive. Shining reality’s cold light on the situation would not have achieved anything constructive.

  “How is it that an Anthro bear has come to live amongst wolves and lions?” asked Sara, wondering how this messy situation had come to pass. “Don’t you belong to the nearby tribe?”

  Pettana looked out at the horizon, remembering back and formulating her words carefully.

  “A few years before the settlement was founded, Xerissa found me while on one of her trading expeditions.”

  “Found you?” questioned Sara.

  “I was only a few weeks old, but had developed a nasty cough, I was told… my tribe’s elders had seen the cough before and knew that I would not survive, or would carry a health burden for the rest of my life…”

  Sara and Trex both listened intently.

  “As was part of tribal traditions,” continued Pettana, “I was left by the coast, returned to nature, so to speak…”

  Both Trex and Sara knew of this Anthro bear tradition, only the healthiest newborns were allowed a chance to grow up so as to not be a burden on the rest of the tribe.

  “Xerissa found me, and knew how to treat the breathing problem… but I was already dead in the eyes of the tribe, so taking me back would have been taboo.”

  “So she took you in and raised you herself?” asked Trex kindly.

  Pettana nodded.

  Silence returned as the three youngsters continued to watch as the sky lighten.

  “And the local tribe didn’t take you in after it was clear you were one hundred percent ok?” asked Sara. In her mind, racial bonds would have compelled such an action.

  “They knew that I was already declared dead… it’s a very strong taboo… but still, some of the braver female tribal elders would interact with me. I learnt the language, some of the skills… but I would never be accepted as part of the tribe, or allowed to live amongst them… this is the only family I have.”

  Pettana did well to fight back the tears that welled up. The possibility of being separated was actually quite real.

  Her plight was quite palpable to the two Anthros nearby, the emotions being laid bare for all to feel.

  On instinct, Trex was compelled to place his hand on her broad shoulder, trying to support her emotionally with a physical gesture.

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to come along… we’ll figure something out,” he said kindly, if a little unsurely.

  Sara watched the compassionate lion to her side. She also felt empathy for the unfortunate Anthro bear, though internally, something held her back from fully showing it. This was definitely not what she had been expecting from her first meeting with the fierce Anthro bear race.

  Sara looked out at the horizon again. Thoughts of her family suddenly fought their way up from her subconscious. The plight of the settlers and their families made her very grateful that her own family was so safe and had so few concerns.

  Sara’s face scrunched up a bit at this sudden alien train of thought... feeling grateful for her situation in life? Something just didn’t sit right, her family was all but ostracised by wolf society after all… they too had not had an easy life. But compared to the settlers… Sara was mildly annoyed that no matter how bad she thought she had it, there were still many Anthros in a considerably worse position than her.

  Sara’s anger and guilt put up a spirited last ditch attempt to prop up the girl’s sense of victimhood. But it was no use. Cracks were quite definitely forming in her stubborn resolve. Sara felt an overwhelming urge to talk to her mother. Fighting down the feelings, she sprung over to the though that she would first have to get home alive.

  Pettana had calmed down, Trex’s comforting being surprisingly effective.

  “We should head back down,” Pettana said eventually, “they’re getting ready to break camp. We have a long way ahead of us if we want to reach the coast today.”

  The three youngsters looked once more at the panoramic view of the spectacular wilds that surrounded them. Getting up, all three had the same thought… they were all a long way from home.

  Trex and Sara stood in front of the prepared group of settlers. Carrion, Loetta and Pettana were in front, equipped and armed. In fact, almost every settler was armed. This was not a defenceless bunch of civilians. The few animals they had were loaded with supplies or the injured. The Anthros themselves were all on foot.

  Trex took a few signal arrows from his quiver, handing it over to Loetta who was similar armed with bow and arrow. Her equipment was not, however, Lion Empire issue, but of normal composite wood construction.

  “Once you have reached the coast and sighted the fleet, send up signal arrows, they will head straight over to pick you up,” said Trex, taking a step back again.

  “But make sure you are alone though. Those signal arrows are pretty loud and anyone on the coast might see them,” warned Sara, remembering back to the signal arrow she and Trex had used during their adventure against the exiles.

  “I will,” said Loetta, taking the arrows.

  “Are you sure that you won’t come with us?” asked Carrion, his mood having lightened from the night before.

  The young halfling oozed confidence and authority, somewhat similar to that of Mayor Petrice. This was quite an impressive feat, considering his young age. His natural halfling strength at emotional projection was obviously one of the threats that the lions and wolves had found so dangerous throughout history.

  “We lost both of our messenger birds,” said Sara, “they would have returned to the others by now… they have no idea what is going on.”

  “By the look of the fires we saw,” said Trex, “the bears are out looking for you already. We have to warn the others and tell them to head for the boats as quickly as possible… to head towards you.”

  “And what happens if you two run into a group of bears?” asked Carrion, “you wont even let some of us come with you.”

  “We are faster on our own,” said Sara confidently.

  She turned to Trex, who nodded confidently. They had discussed the matter this morning and decided on their course of action.

  “If we run into any, we’ll be by them before they even know we were there,” said Trex, supporting his partner.

  Carrion looked sceptical, knowing full well that lions were generally a lot slower then bears, and that wolves had less stamina in the long run.

  “We have learnt some tricks from Sage Filfia,” said Trex, trying to reassure the young leader, “we had all yesterday to practice… and I think we are getting the hang of it.”

  To prove the point Sara began to project a controlled mixture of fear and determination.

  Trex also concentrated, clearing his mind while keeping his awareness of Sara in focus.

  The two were able to ratchet up their separate abilities on the strength of their partner thanks to their awareness and experience the day before.

  The settlers had never experienced the projection that they received from the two youths in combination. It was disconcerting, and at the same time imposing…

  Carrion looked dually impressed.

  “You’ve convinced me,” he said honestly.

  Trex and Sara smiled, maintaining their projections.

  “You have the map and know the path?” Carrion asked Trex to confirm.

  “All stowed away. We we’ll send whoever we find to escort you as soon as possible.”

  “Well then, may Gaia give you speed,” said Carrion finally, “hopefully we will see each other again soon.”

  Trex and Sara both nodded. Turning as one, the two dashed away.

  The settlers watched the two race down the path, jumping and bounding off rocks with lion skill and precision, and wolf speed and strength, it was quite impressive.

  A small wild herd of forest horses grazed of the fern-like undergrowth of the open forest. Two of the older female animals stood aler
t at the perimeter of the cluster of animals, scanning for predators. These wild horses/deers were smaller and thinner then the mounts that the Anthros used. Their long, thin pointy horns arcing back elegantly. They had shorter legs. These were animals adapted for light forests.

  Another perfectly adapted animal, a forest Liezon, looked with large, hungrily eyes from its perch on a lower branch nearby. Perfectly camouflaged, the massive lizard-like animal’s scales had changed colour to a light brown with green spots, perfectly blending it into the foliage around it.

  The animal slinked its way across a large branch slowly and without sound like a snake. Its powerful tail began to unwrap from around the branch as its legs folded up into a pouncing position.

  One of its folded back triangular leathery ears suddenly twitched… the large predator hesitated.

  Two blurs raced right through the centre of the instantly frozen herd of animals.

  Sara and Trex were there and gone before any of the stunned animals even had a chance to react. Their disorientated senses not knowing which way to spring first.

  The wild forest horses all stood stiff, just waiting for an indication of which way to bolt.

  Meanwhile, one of the front legs of the confused liezon had slipped from the branch, and its body impacted onto the soft wood with a thump.

  The horses instantly bolted.

  The liezon blinked a few times, trying to gather its wits. It then let out a low roar… there went breakfast.

  “You do realise we just ran right under a forest liezon,” said a running Trex to the racing wolf next to him.

  “I know,” said Sara with a smile, “I think we just denied him breakfast.”

  The two sprinted on, the feeling of speed was invigorating, both of the two youngsters were literally having a ball.

  Their current pace would have been fantastic on a flat and prepared running track, in an uneven and wild forest, it looked suicidal. Sara’s eyes and mind were on overdrive. One slip or false step in the uneven landscape could easily result in a broken bone, or worse. But there was no room for doubt in her mind, all was focused on the movement, the next step, the next handhold… the form of the land. Just enough thought was left over to enjoy the sheer invigoration of having the landscape rush by at such speed!

  Both Sara and Trex could simply not get the smile off their faces… they were definitely getting the hang of being a team.

  “Ridge coming up,” stated Trex between machine-like breathing, his tone was eager.

  “Well then,” said Sara gleefully, “let’s fly.”

  It was several hours later. Only a few kilometres inland from the destroyed settlement, two female wolf soldiers were taking a completely different approach to traversing the wilderness then the racing trackers.

  The two soldiers were on point, scouting a way through the forest for the main body of troops that lagged just in visual distance behind them. Both soldiers had their weapons out and a determined expression on their faces… the fresh marks on their shields and their dishevelled appearance indicated clearly enough that they had been in a fight recently.

  “Wait…” said the older female, stopping in her tracks.

  “Do you feel that?” she asked her younger companion…

  “Bears?” said the younger female, instantly backing up towards her comrades further back. The tinge of fear in her voice was tangible.

  “No,” dismissed the older wolf, “something else.”

  The something else was amongst the two before they knew what happened.

  The two soldiers spun around to see what had just raced by them and bounced off a tree to slow down.

  “We found them!” said Trex happily, running out the last of his momentum and coming to a stop against a tree. His small chest was heaving like a locomotive’s steam piston.

  Sara came to a stop nearby, a large smile on her face, still drunk on the sensation only moments before.

  “Are we… glad to… see you,” she said happily, her hands on her hips.

  “We’re did you come from?” asked the younger female soldier, still in shock.

  “Quiet!” hissed the older one, being the quickest to recover, “you are all making too much noise.”

  Sara and Trex both realised that they were still on an adrenalin high.

  “Sorry,” said Sara, her volume considerably depressed.

  From behind the group of four, the rest of the wolf contingent quickly moved forward, recognising the two trackers who had appeared out of nowhere.

  Sage Filfia and Mayor Petrice were in the front, both looked dishevelled like almost everyone else.

  The Mayor gave the order to rest a moment, and the main group gratefully lagged behind, stopping by some rocks.

  Trex and Sara could see that some of the soldiers were injured.

  The two leaders made their way over the last fifty meters.

  Sage Filfia gave the two youths a satisfied look as she walked up by Mayor Petrice’s side. The Sage was reading the energy that the two were still projecting. She was pleasantly surprised, but also slightly concerned, the two were looking thin.

  “Did you find the colonists?” asked Petrice, not wasting any time.

  “Yes…” said Sara, still trying to gear her body down, “yes Ma’am… they were high up… in the rocky foothills of the Trogger pass.”

  Sara pointed to the stony geography just visible in the distance through some gaps in the forest canopy.

  “You raced all the way up there and back… in less then a day?” asked Lieutenant Rosso, unbelieving.

  The strong Lieutenant had walked up from the waiting soldiers a little way off, she was nursing a bandaged arm.

  The two female soldiers on point made their way over to their resting comrades, also wanting to take a break.

  “I knew that it was the right decision to take these youngsters,” said Sage Filfia, a hint of pride evident.

  “Who did you speak with?” asked Petrice, somewhat impatiently.

  “A young Halfling… called Carrion, he’s taken on the leadership,” said Sara.

  “I’m afraid that the former leader… Xerissa was killed in the original attack Ma’am,” added Trex.

  Mayor Petrice’s expression was a confusing mix of relief and sadness for a fleeting moment. Seconds later, determination flooded back in.

  “You directed them to the coast?” she asked, her voice business-like once more.

  “Trex…” said Sara.

  Trex rummaged around in his backpack, retrieving the small map he had been given from Carrion.

  The Lieutenant, Sage and the mayor crowded around the young lion as he placed it on a nearby log.

  “This is the path… they will take to the coast,” Trex said, his finger tracing out the trail he had remembered being shown by the halfling.

  “As soon as they get there… they will signal the fleet with some arrows we gave them,” said Sara from the side.

  “Good, good” said the Mayor, taking a step back, her mind thinking about their next move.

  With the three females so close, Trex was able to see that they had some nasty bruises underneath their short fur.

  “Did you run into some bears?” Trex asked, as the Lieutenant continued to study the map.

  “We payed one of their camps a little ‘visit’ last night… yes,” said the Lieutenant, her tone dark.

  “You attacked a bear encampment?” queried Trex, his tone as unbelieving as the Lieutenants only moments before.

  “They were split up into smaller raiding and scouting groups, so there weren’t that many in the one we attacked,” interjected Sage Filfia.

  “But they were the ones that attacked the settlement,” added the Lieutenant.

  “How do you know?” asked Trex out of interest.

  “We knew,” said the Lieutenant darkly.

  She gave Sage Filfia a side glance, the two making eye contact briefly.

  Their presence near Trex suddenly felt considerably more menacing
to the young Anthro lion. Trex felt that it was better not to get any more details as to what had happened.

  “Where are the Lions?” asked Sara from behind.

  “They’re back at the coast securing our retreat,” said Mayor Petrice, who was still nearby.

  “We didn’t want them to slow us down,” added the Lieutenant, seemingly needing to justify the separation.

  Trex left the Lieutenant to the map. Standing back up, he looked across at the resting group of soldiers about fifty meters away. The two wolves on point had also moved over. Trex’s eye’s landed on Sage Filfia, who had suddenly gone quite stiff.

  “What’s the matter Ma’am?” asked Trex.

  “Something’s wrong,” said Sage Filfia.

  Sara, Petrice, Rosso and Trex were all instantly on their toes and preparing their individual weapons. The group of soldiers fifty meters away looked over with concern.

  “We should keep moving…” began the Sage.

  No sooner had she said this then a massive figure exploded through the thick undergrowth from the side.

  The hulking, lunging figure landed in the midst of the small separated group. The Anthro bear was massive, almost two heads taller then any of the adult wolves, he easily weighed twice as much as any in the stunned expeditionary force.

  His legs and arms were as thick as tree trunks and the two large axes he wielded would have been difficult to carry for any Anthro lion, let alone wield in battle.

  He immediately focused on Trex, the only Anthro armed with a bow and arrow.

  Trex took an uncertain step back, completely overwhelmed by the sight of the massive dark brown furred clansman. It was accompanied by the instant appearance of the intent to kill, which burned like sulphur in the air around him.

  The Anthro bear was effectively naked except for a small leather loin cloth and a series of beads he had around his neck. He was also heavily tattooed and had his long black hair pulled tight into a long thin braided ponytail.

  “Lookout!” shouted Filfia as the massive Anthro lunged at the lion youth.