A Bear of Her Own

by Fay Walsh

  Travis pursed his lips, wondering if he should do this. Finally, he sighed, nodding.

  “Fair enough. I'll talk to her, and we’ll see where this goes,” he said.

  “Anyways, I found out some interesting information that I feel is more relevant to matters of the clan than your love life,” Darren said.

  "Well then what is it?” Travis said with a curt tone of voice, bringing the conversation back to matters of the clan.

  “Remember Dale? The farmer down the road? Well, it seems that his cows were torn apart, brutally murdered last night. The police have been around there today, trying to figure it out, and I managed to get permission to head over there later on to investigate,” Darren said.

  “Shit, so there have been more attacks. That’s the third this month. And it seems the police aren’t doing jack shit about it,” he said.

  “Nope. However we can look. I've talked with the Police Chief, and it seems that he’s desperate to figure this out,” Darren replied.

  After they finished dinner, the clan headed on out to where the scene of the crime was. A lone officer was there, and when Travis stepped forward, showing the papers he had Darren put together, the man nodded.

  “You may take a look, but don’t tamper with the crime scene,” he stated.

  They walked over, looking at the remains. Blood and guts decorated the grass and hay in the area, entrails ripped apart, but they all noticed there were parts missing.

  “Looks like an animal got it,” Sven said.

  “Yeah, seems like this wasn’t the work of any animal though," Travis said.

  He leaned down, noticing that there were marks on the skin there. The teeth marks were quite familiar, and a shiver ghosted down his spine.

  “Shit. These are wolf marks,” he said.

  The group took notes and headed back. Travis felt ill at ease though, unable to sleep, so he took a walk outside.

  Who is attacking all these farmers? What can I do to fix this, without drawing attention to who I am? This is--

  As Travis mulled over his thoughts, he felt his body hit another, and a cry in a familiar voice. He looked over, seeing Alana there.

  “Alana!”

  “Hey, Travis. What are you doing out here?’

  He kept his expression as neutral as possible before speaking.

  “I needed to take a walk. Couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know you lived so close to me.”

  Crap, that definitely won’t be good. She doesn’t need to know.

  “Oh, I don’t. I actually live a few blocks down. I needed a walk though. It’s nice to live in a place safe enough to do this,” Alana said.

  “It’s not totally safe, but safer than the city. Anyways, there was something I wanted to ask you,” he said.

  She turned her head slightly, looking at Travis with a glance of confusion.

  “What is it?”

  He tensed, feeling his palms sweat a bit. He took a deep breath and then spoke.

  “Would you be interested in meeting up sometime soon? When your house is ready of course,” he said.

  She smiled at him and then nodded.

  “I'd love that. How about, in about three days? I should have most everything set up then,” she replied.

  “That sounds good to me,” he said.

  Travis gave her his number, and she texted him the address. The two parted ways, and Travis immediately relaxed.

  I have a date with her. I can’t believe it.

  He went back and slept soundly that night, feeling excited about what was to come. The next three days went by fast, with Travis feeling lighter for some reason. He went to her house early that afternoon, and after knocking, he heard the patter of feet as she opened the door.

  “Oh, there you are,” she said.

  “Sorry I’m late. Roommates,” he said.

  Travis walked in, noticing that the home was simple, but super cute. He looked at the pictures on the wall, different wolves, skeletons, fairies, and even some strange monsters.

  “The art you have is quite pretty,” he said.

  “Thanks! I found most of it a long time ago, but I definitely love showing it off still,” she said.

  Travis looked around, and then, he noticed the bookshelf. On it were dozens of books, but each one had a word on it that made Travis's hairs stand on end, and if he was in bear form, he would feel his fur grow stiff too.

  “Lots of books there,” he said.

  “Yeah, I really like the paranormal,” she said.

  He took a moment to figure out what to say.

  Fuck, how do I tell her that it’s cool without giving it away? She seems curious, and the last thing I want is for her to find out anything.

  Finally, after what felt like hours, but was maybe about five seconds, he spoke.

  “That seems interesting. I didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah, I've always been interested in it. Like, it’s something that, if I could study it, I would love to do so,” she said.

  Travis took a moment to process everything. He knew today would be the test, and he would have to figure out whether or not he should tell her everything, or leave it at bay.

  He couldn't let her know the truth, even though right now it was sitting there on the tip of his tongue.

  Chapter 3

  Alana looked at Travis as he pored over the book. She didn’t know if he was reading it, or if he was just hiding his true feelings. However, when she told him she had an interest in the paranormal, she noticed the change.

  When he arrived he was relaxed and friendly, but now, he walled himself up again, holding back his true feelings. Alana walked into the kitchen to get some food for them, her mind racing.

  Did I do something wrong? He’s been acting weird ever since I mentioned I like the paranormal. Am I too weird for him?

  Alana took a deep breath, bringing the plates with two wraps onto the coffee table.

  “Here, I thought you might be hungry,” she said.

  “Oh thank you.”

  He ate the food, and Alana was surprised at how he wolfed it all down. He looked at her, smiling.

  “Sorry, I was a little hungry," he said.

  “You’re good Travis. By the way, is there anything bothering you? I kind of noticed you got a little put off by the whole me liking the paranormal thing earlier. It’s just a personal interest, you don’t have to worry about me going ghost hunting, or any of that shit. I just find it fascinating, and since I am a paranormal author, I do like to do my research on it,” she said.

  “Oh, very nice. Can I see some of your work,” he said.

  “Sure,” Alana said.

  She grabbed her laptop, showing Travis a few of the books. After a bit he looked up at her, smiling.

  “This is really good.”

  Alana grinned. “Thanks! That means a lot.”

  “I do want to say though, bear fur is a lot softer than you’d think, so when you write it, talk about that, and also talk about how their teeth are big and snarly,” Travis replied.

  There was another awkward pause as Alana took this in.

  “How do you know so much about bears? Had an encounter with one?”

  “You could say that. I just know a lot about bears. I have had some experiences, as you may say,” he told her.

  The tension in his voice was obvious, and she noticed his jaw clenching as he said those words. Alana turned her gaze downwards, feeling a heaviness in her heart.

  “Sorry if I... offended you or anything,” she said.

  “No, it’s not that. I just wanted to help you with your writing. You seem to be doing well with this.”

  “I am. I'm an award-winning author. You know Travis, you’ve changed a little bit. I remember back in high school you were more open, always flirting with the girls, but you seem more subdued. Did something happen?” she asked.

  She then noticed him stiffen. He didn’t say much, other than sigh for a second.

  “It’s a bit more complicated tha
n you think. However, you should appreciate what you have Alana. And keep yourself safe. You do mean a lot to me, even though I hadn’t sought you out all this time. I have my reasons for this, though,” he said.

  “Yeah, I know, you’ve been acting weird. I'm not bothering you, right? Because I can just go back to pretending you don’t exist if that’s what you want.”

  I mean, it’s not like I hadn’t done that for years. I thought I would never see you again.

  “No, it’s not that. I'll give you my address too. I wouldn’t mind you coming over at some point to meet the roommates. Just... make sure that you give me a heads up,” he said.

  “Very well. I'll make sure,” she replied.

  Alana noticed the dark, brooding look his face as he said those words. The time spent at her home was nice, but she couldn't shake the awkward air that lingered. The two of them watched movies and talked for a little longer about the old days. As long as the conversation didn't involve the paranormal or their relationship, everything felt right. Alana could feel the cold darkness that was there however, and she wondered why it was even present.

  Maybe there was more to Travis than she thought.

  At around eight or so, Travis got up, smiling at Alana.

  “I had a great time with you today. I'm sorry that I've been a little bit quiet. I'm just... going through a lot of changes right now. Plus, I do like you a lot,” he said.

  Alana smiled. “The feeling is mutual. You’ve grown quite attractive, Travis,” she said.

  She couldn't stop eying him for most of the afternoon, wanting more than anything to get in his pants. However, this was kind of their first date, and she didn’t know if he fucked on the first date, so she kept her hands to herself.

  “Thank you. I have to say, that you’ve grown quite attractive too. You’ve turned into a wonderful woman, one that I'm happy to have met,” he said.

  She blushed. “Thanks, Travis. By the way, whenever you’re free, I'd love to come over and meet the roommates. It sounds like you have a tight-knit team,” she said.

  “Yeah. We do. Even so, don’t worry too much about it. I'm taking care of everything. I don't want you getting too involved right now.”

  Alana watched as he left, a feeling of worry coming over her body.

  “Why Travis? Why shouldn’t I worry about you?”

  He turned to her, gazing into her eyes in a penetrating, serious manner.

  "Because right now, I don’t want you getting more involved.”

  With those words, he left, and she immediately felt more confused than before.

  Why is he being so aloof? What the hell?

  Alana sat in the living room for over an hour, trying to clear her mind. However, her thoughts kept going back to Travis. There was something about all of this that bothered her.

  He was interested, but there was that air of coldness that hung over the area, making everything uncomfortable. She wanted the truth, and she could tell that Travis may not be ready for it, but she wasn’t going to go without answers.

  “I can’t keep playing this game anymore,” she said to herself. She couldn't stop thinking about Travis, and his behavior was getting to her. After finally deciding to go and see him, she started her car. It was about nine at night, and the streets were dead. Small towns had the added benefit, and drawback, of all the businesses closing at six, which meant she didn't need to fight traffic, but the eerie darkness that covered the town made her skin prickle.

  Alana got Travis’ address before they parted ways, and when she pulled up to the ranch house with a barn in the back, she could tell that something was amiss. She stepped forward, and the first thing that she noticed was the lights in the house were off. Something felt off. She stepped forward, looking in the driveway, and that’s when she noticed it.

  Claw marks.

  They didn’t look like anything that lived around here, which bothered her. She also noticed another set of claw marks there, which resembled a wolf. So why were there mysterious animal marks, both an unknown animal, and a wolf?

  She felt the urge to move forward, looking for signs.

  She walked over to the side of the house, noticing Travis’ truck there. And then, in the field nearby, she noticed two forms. They seemed to be fighting, a skirmish that got her attention.

  Alana moved forward, hiding behind the barn and watching the sight. She looked at the two forms, one of them a wolf, the other one a bear. He had beautiful brown fur, and she couldn't stop thinking about wanting to pet him. However, there was something familiar about him, something that made her feel confused as she stared at the sight.

  The bear looked familiar.

  Why did this damn bear look so familiar? It’s not like I would seek out bears, and they didn’t live in this area, so why was I—oh.

  Alana couldn’t believe her thoughts. She then took a deep breath, calling the only name that kept coming to her mind.

  “Travis?”

  Suddenly, the two forms stopped, both of them looking at one another. The wolf howled, and she heard the sound of its voice.

  “Fuck, a human! I'm getting out of here,” the wolf said.

  “Hey, come back!” The bear replied.

  Alana looked at the bear form, the familiar voice confirming who it was.

  * * *

  Alana stared at the creature, the realization setting in as they locked eyes. Her body was torn: on the one hand, she felt the urge to run away, to get away from this guy and never speak to him again. But, there was another desire within her, something that surprised even her.

  She wanted to touch him.

  His chocolate brown fur looked soft, almost plush, and even though he had the face of a killer bear, there was something holding her there, planting her in the position she was in. By the time Travis noticed it, he grimaced, realizing what she was doing.

  “Travis?”

  There wasn’t any response. It was as if Travis was ignoring her, and she felt frustrated by it. She took a deep breath, trying again.

  “Travis, what-”

  “Leave this place.”

  "But why?” she asked.

  “This isn’t your place, and I know for a fact that if you knew about this, you’d feel worse. I don't want you to get involved,” he said.

  Alana wanted to run. She wanted to forget everything that was uttered here. She didn’t really want to get caught up in this fucking mess either. Instead, she stayed there for a moment, looking at the other figure. Travis bore his fangs, his teeth glaring at her, a growl escaping his face.

  "What did I tell you? Leave now!” he cried out.

  She got up, slightly fearful of what he was about to do, and then, she started to walk away. She got up, running away from all of this, finally heading back to her home. When she got there, she closed the door, sighing in displeasure at what just happened.

  "I wish he would be honest with me. That’s really all I ask for,” she said to herself.

  Alana felt confused, unsure of what to do about any of this, but most of all ready to just leave things as they were. She wanted to learn more about him, however she also knew that getting in too deep could mean a lot more trouble than she felt it was worth, and Alana knew for a fact that he was hiding this for a good reason, and the fact that he didn’t want her to know said a lot about the type of person that he was.

  Chapter 4

  Travis stood there, his face frozen as he thought about what had just happened. He was in half-bear form, with his hind legs in the shape of a bear, but his torso in that of a human form. Travis grimaced as he looked at the sight in front of him, the fact that Alana didn’t run away making him wonder what he should do.

  "I have to talk to the others,” he said.

  He walked inside, and Darren immediately tensed up at the look on Travis' face.

  "You look tense,” he said.

  "Yeah, you definitely don’t look so hot right now," Benjamin pointed out.

  "What’s happened?" Billy ask
ed.

  He looked at the clan, his brothers, and after a moment he took a deep breath, fearing what they might say.

  "Someone saw me,” he said.

  "Shit,” Darren said.

  “Oh no. And I thought I was the one who would have to worry,” Benjamin said.

  “Don’t act like you don’t get in trouble here, Ben. It’s obvious that whoever saw is making one hell of a mess in Travis’s mind,” Billy pointed out.

  There was a pause, and then, Travis spoke.

  "It’s that girl that I met the other day, Alana. She saw me in my form. When I went to deal with the person in the barn, hurting my cows, she saw me in bear form. I growled at her, telling her to leave. She finally did, but I realized that what was happening was bigger than I thought. She didn’t run away in fear, but instead, she wanted to stay. I had to force her to leave because I don’t want people to know,” he said to them.

  "Shit,” Benjamin said.

  "I'm trying to figure out what to do right now,” Travis said.

  He did consider taking the more extreme option, leaving their farm, but there was something stopping him from doing that. As if on cue, Darren looked at him for a moment before speaking.

  "We could leave. Pretend we weren’t even here. I can erase all traces of us if that’s what you feel is right,” he said.

  Travis shook his head.

  "You don’t need to do that. I don’t want you to worry about that,” he said.

  "Are you... sure?” Darren asked.

  He was torn on this.

  "Yeah, for now, I want to watch the situation and see where it leads to. In truth, I don’t know how she’s going to react, but I have a feeling that she’s probably going to ignore me for now. I've a feeling that it will play out like this,” he said.

  “Do you think so? I'd probably run for the hills if I were you. Especially since she doesn’t mind her own business. She sounds like trouble,” Benjamin said.

  Travis nodded. "It’s not ideal, but I'll be watching the situation, and acting accordingly. I don’t want to jeopardize what we have here. Plus, I noticed that the person in the farm area was doing something, and I want to find out what the hell is going on" Travis said.