by Amy Star
“How?”
“Get your coat,” he murmured.
Sam ran two stop signs and a red light on the way to the Fairbanks Airport with Lily beside him. She held on for dear life but was too stricken by the look and intensity in Sam’s face to argue or say anything until he had signed them in and they were sitting in the cockpit of his Cessna again.
“You remember your lessons I gave you?” He asked, turning the ignition and waiting for clearance to take off.
“Uh…yeah,” she said, with less certainty. Sam had of course taken her up numerous times, and even tried to teach her how to fly. She wasn’t confident, but she could do it if she had to -- especially if it meant saving Emily.
“If they went down, it should be easy to find them. Al never strays from the flight path. That’s not the problem. The problem is getting to them… if they’re still alive,” Sam choked on his words and his hands tightened around the planes steering column.
“It’s Al,” Lily said, trying to comfort him. “If anyone can land a plane safely, it’s him.”
“Yeah,” Sam replied without conviction. A voice muttered something in his earpiece and he pulled back on the throttle and the small Cessna plummeted down the tarmac.
Lily was in charge of monitoring the airwaves as they beelined toward Trapper Creek – according to the Ielson Air Force base south of town, they’d already dispatched a helicopter to try and locate the scene of the wreckage or to ascertain what had happened. At their current speed, they’d arrive at Trapper Creek about a quarter of an hour ahead of them. Sam grit his teeth and increased the speed of the plane, so that the engines thrummed like wild beasts off their chains, deafening the cockpit. Lily felt another knot tighten in her stomach and looked across at Sam. He had changed. It was a side of him she had seen before, but not for a long time.
It was the Bear, the side of him that had come out in their childhood when Lily had been persecuted by the older boys and girls at school. It was the look that Sam had given their classmates when he’d found Lily one day after gym, crying in the corner because some of the older students had tossed stones at her, opening a gash under her eye. She could still remember that day, the way he had picked her up in both arms and wordlessly carried her to the nurse’s office. She had only heard rumors about it the next day. That Sam had walked briskly up to the two older boys responsible, asked them in a low calm voice what they had done, and then proceeded to pummel both of them almost into unconsciousness.
Sam had been suspended for a week but the boys had never bothered Lily again. When he came back, he was all-smiles again, that cheery façade that he wore for her benefit. But every time she saw him look at the two boys (who never failed to hurry out of Sam’s way from then on), she had seen a new look pass across his features – the protective glare of a Bear hungering for blood.
As they passed over Trapper Creek, another call came in across the radio and Lily motioned to Sam. The helicopter had found the wreckage of the plane, and it looked intact, but the forest was too dense to try a rescue and a storm was coming in from the north. They could already see it, a black threat of grey on the horizon, moving fast.
Sam took the plane into a nose-dive, increasing speed as they buzzed over the wilderness until at last they could make out the orange of the helicopter returning to base in order to mount a rescue by foot.
“It’ll take them nearly a day to reach the plane,” Sam grimaced.
“What are you going to do?” Lily said.
He didn’t reply immediately but did another fly-by. Sure enough Al’s plane was there, a white gleaming piece of metal in the forest. There were no other signs of life, and both Lily and Sam tried to allay their fears.
“I’m going to do something stupid, Lily, and I need you not to argue.” He replied.
“When you do something stupid, it’s really stupid,” she said disapprovingly, “what are you thinking?”
As they passed by the wreckage of the plane below, Sam diverted the plane over a small body of water, a deep river that wound its way into Denali National Park ahead of them, like a blue tract of vein leading into the tissue of forest.
“If they’re hurt down there, they don’t have a day to wait. I can’t wait for the rescue party to try and get there on foot. That storm is going to be here in a matter of hours.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Lily said, turning her wide cheeks toward him. She looked worried.
Sam shrugged and let out a big sigh. “When we’re in Form, we’re a lot stronger and more durable. Technically, if we’re flying low enough over that river, I should be able to…” he paused, “…jump. It’ll be a hard landing, but I can survive it.”
“No,” Lily said flatly.
“There’s no other way.”
“You’re talking about suicide, Sam!” Lily bleated.
“We protect our own,” he reminded her, “I’ll get us in a flight pattern over the river. You just keep it steady. When I jump, you head back to Trapper Creek and you stay there. Do you understand?”
“Sam,” she shook her head again.
He reached over and touched the top of her head fondly. “I’m too stubborn to die.” He said softly, “and you’d kill me twice-over if I don’t fix your plumbing.”
It was a bad joke, but Lily let out a little sob and nodded, placing her hands on the second steering column as Sam made a last pass and dove in low over the ravine. The river had a straight patch for almost a kilometer, but it was still mind-numbing to be this close to the ground. Trees flashed by dangerously on either side as they hovered meters above the raging torrent. Sam let go of the controls and jumped into the back of the plane, opening the side door. A gust of cold wind slammed hard into both of them as Lily tried to hold the plane steady.
“Save her.” Lily said once over her shoulder.
Sam merely nodded and tore off his shirt, already half-transforming. The plane swerved slightly to the left as he turned into the Bear, the extra weight displacing the center of balance, and Lily grunted and tried to correct. Then, Sam jumped.
He was still only half in Form when he leapt out of the plane, and as he struck the cold glacial run-off he couldn’t help but let out a growling gasp. The torrent ripped at his muscly hide, flattening the dark brown pelt of hair. He growled again, and his muzzle burst from the water as he clawed at the water, trying to tread water. A stone under the water slammed into his side and he let out a moan and dug in with his huge claws.
In a matter of minutes he had dragged himself onto the shore. The buzz of the plane overhead shook the air and he looked up and saw Lily making a last pass, and saw her smiling in relief through the window of the cockpit.
He lifted his nose to the air and tested the scents. Smoke, metal. Instinct kicked in and he started to run, blitzing up the bank and into the cool shade of the canopy, his paws tearing up the earth as he ran. Desperation locked into his bloodstream as he ran, huffing every step of the way, his massive lungs filling with the smells of the forest.
Only one image burned itself against the inside of his mind. Emily.
It took him less than twenty minutes to find the wreckage site. The plane was still intact, but he approached warily. If the hunters were still there, seeing a giant bear would definitely arouse suspicion. As he bore down on the back of the plane he kept sniffing the air. Emily and Al’s scent was present but he couldn’t hear any movement.
As he rounded the plane his heart sunk – leaning against the side of the plane was Al, and he looked in a bad way. He was propped up against the metal and holding his side. When he saw the giant bear his old eyes widened in panic, but quickly died down again when he seemed to recognize the tawny face staring back at him. Sam shrunk out of Form quickly.
“Figured you’d find us first.” Al winked.
It was something Sam had taken for granted. Al had always known about him and Lily, about the others. He was a vault of secrets, things he’d take to his grave.
“Al, Chr
ist, what happened?” Sam said, bending down, his naked haunch brushing a piece of sharp metal.
“Rotor caught,” he murmured painfully, “don’t worry, it’s just a bruised rib, I’ll be fine. You need to go and find Emily, quick as can be.”
“Where is she??” he asked.
“When we landed, she hit her head… you didn’t tell me she was a Bear, too. She turned, transformed.”
Sam cursed. It wasn’t uncommon, when thrown into danger, for the Bear to react unconsciously. Especially if she had been wounded at all, the natural inclination of the body was to revert into a Bear in order to protect itself. Emily had much practice in the last month with her own transformation, but she was still unaccustomed to it – especially under duress. In all likelihood, she transformed by accident, and can’t transform back, he thought.
“I think it scared her,” Al continued, “… but not nearly as much as the two hunters in the back. When they woke up and saw the bear, they figured the worst… that the bear had come and killed Emily and made off with her. The yuppy bastards… took after her, like they were going to avenge Emily.”
“By killing her in Bear form,” Sam winced.
“Go,” Al said, with a wheeze, “I saw the ‘copter.”
“There’s a storm coming.”
“Figured that too. My knee is swelling. Don’t worry, you idiot, I’ve got rations and blankets and the inside of the cockpit. I’m fine for days. Get out of here and find her!”
Sam gulped and stood up, his naked torso flexing with adrenaline and gave the old man a short nod as he pivoted and willed himself back into Form. The smell of the hunters was strong from the northeast. He started off at a low gallop.
His worry for Emily had increased, and blended into the regret he now felt. I should have said no when she asked to help, he thought. It was all his fault that she had gotten into this mess. He could understand the panic of the hunters, as well. Most of the hunters he took into the wild were green city-types that had never spent a night alone in the bush. Put them face to face with a full-grown bear and anything could happen. He dug in his claws deeper and increased his speed. A growing sentiment started to form in his brain. He would do whatever it took to save Emily, no matter the cost.
It was a hard choice, one he’d had to make in the Army numerous times. It was the reason he couldn’t stay there. It was too hard to compromise your moral compass, even if it was the ‘right’ thing to do. And now, here he was, right back in the same sort of situation. He was full of self-loathing and didn’t even notice as branches and snags tore at his thick hide. He bent his head low and fixated again on the only thing that mattered. Emily.
As he neared a large clearing in the hillside caused by a mudslide he lifted his nose and got another whiff of human, this time much closer. They couldn’t be far off. He hurried down a steep slope toward another small creek that was burbling between the rocks. Above him he could feel the tension in the atmosphere, and a slow darkening as the storm came ever nearer.
When he reached the bottom his heart stopped for the second time that day. He heard a loud crack issue through the forest, and stopped, his ears pricked. It wasn’t thunder; it was too sharp. It had to have been a gun.
He growled and pushed through the undergrowth, making no effort to lessen his impact or the sound of his coming. Around another aisle of cedars he could finally make out a small human form. There were two of them, and one of them was limping. Sam hoped it was from the crash of the plane, and not from Emily. If she had accidentally wounded them when she was running away, they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her.
From his vantage point it looked as if they’d cornered her against a small bluff. She was fully in Bear form and making a pitiful growling sound as she tried in vain to scale the stone escarpment, only to fall back down again. Anger bubbled up in Sam when he saw one of the hunters with a thin mustache and sideburns raise the barrel of his rifle toward her.
“You brown bitch!” He shouted. “This is for taking the girl!”
Emily turned, her big brown eyes full of fear. She seemed to cower back against the wall, expecting the worst – to die alone, here, at the hands of two hunters. She made a small growling sound that tore at Sam’s heart. Emily, I’m here, he wanted to shout, but instead it came out as a muffled bark. He was close enough that both hunters turned in their boots toward the sound.
What they saw was a massive dark shape lumber tirelessly out of the thicket, its black eyes locked on them with murderous intent. One of the hunters tripped backward and as he did the gun flew from his hand, hitting the stones beside him and going off. A terrific boom rocketed the small alcove. Both hunters cringed at the sound, as did Emily, who hid her head with her paws. The only one who didn’t flinch in the slightest was Sam. The bullet whizzed past his left ear, burying into a dead tree behind him.
“Christ, what the hell is it?” One of the hunter’s shouted.
Sam let out a low blood-curdling growl.
“Shoot it.” The other hunter said to his friend.
His friend fumbled for the other gun, and Sam’s head turned toward him. He was on top of the hunter in moments, his giant paw scattering the gun into the bush. The hunter wept as Sam leaned over him, his jaw open and teeth bared, his snout pulled back in a grizzled sneer.
Sam took one step back, allowing the hunter to scurry out from under him. Then, as if emphasizing his domain, Sam stood up. His massive black haunches buried into the dirt as he stood up on his hind legs and opened his wide paws and growled. It was a growl unlike anything the hunters had ever experienced. It ripped from Sam’s throat like the thunder above, and a thin drizzle of rain plummeted down from the skies as he bellowed, long and hard.
When he fell back on all fours, the hunters had taken the hint and ran back the way they’d come, tears in their eyes. Sam waited until they were gone and only then slowly approached Emily who was still shaking in her Bear form. He nudged her gently, and she relaxed, all her muscles collapsing at once, partly in relief, partly in exhaustion. In a moment she had reverted to human form. Sam watched her from behind his big black eyes – her naked form strewn elf-like on the moss, the small cut on her forehead, her eyes shut tightly. Still in Form, he nudged her naked body gently until he managed to drape her over his broad furred back. She instinctively clung to his fur, her fingers strung through the brown hair.
Rain started to come down again, and Sam loped slowly and dutifully on all fours deeper into the woods.
CHAPTER SIX
When Emily awoke, it was very dark. She had to blink several times to ascertain where she was. The dank smell of granite inundated her, and past her feet she could make out a lighter circular hole, and it took her almost a minute to realize it was the entrance to a cave. Outside, fresh green scent of cedar lilted in like a perfume, and a steady sizzle of rain was beating down on the forest.
She turned on her side and realized she was naked but somehow the inside of the cave was warm. Someone had dragged a long carpet of moss and put it underneath her. She felt her elbow sink into is as she tried to sit up.
“Go easy.” She heard a voice whisper from behind her, “you bumped your head.”
In the dark she could make out the silhouette of a man, and she knew almost at once that it was Sam. She touched her forehead where a very thin shallow cut had already scabbed over, and it all came flooding back to her. The plane had suddenly run into trouble – Al had shouted at them to take cover and brace for impact. It was all a flurry of images and sensations after that. Then, a horrible crashing sound as they dragged across the ground, then the dashboard rising to meet her. Then, fear.
“What… what happened?” She murmured.
Sam moved closer, and she saw that he too was naked. He reached toward her and rubbed her cheek and she felt like crying. “You crashed and then you turned. The hunters with you… they thought, you were a Bear. I mean, a wild one. They tried to hunt you down.”
She nodded. Slowly it was coming ba
ck, like dredging memories from the bottom of her subconscious, waterlogged images that floated toward the surface of vision. “I remember… running. I was afraid. Someone was chasing me,” she looked up suddenly at Sam and saw his eyes glint even in the darkness. “They were going to shoot me! But… you stopped them. You saved me.”
He bent low and kissed her forehead gently. “Always.”
She suddenly panicked and sat up straight, her back poised. “What about the hunters?! And Al??”
“It’s okay,” Sam said, holding out his hands, “I scared them but that’s it. I saw them head back toward the crash site. And Al’s okay, too. The search and rescue team are on their way. They’ll all be okay.”
She shook her head. “How… how did you find me?”
Without a word he scooted forward on his knees and touched her bare shoulder. His touch was warm, familiar, and all the terror she had felt before suddenly dissolved like sugar in water, and she leaned against his broad chest. He smelled like the rest of the cave, damp and warm and safe. He held her, both arms wrapped around the curve of her back, for long moments. Outside the rain rose in a sustained shush, and she closed her eyes.