to give her hope that they were here…somewhere.
Bloo arrived at her side as Tawny’s lithe, muscular body stretched up into her human form. The others followed her lead quickly. As their bones finished the change, their faces compacting, Jal and Motis eyed the bears with wary glances.
“Where are they?” Bloo asked, shielding her eyes with her hand as she twisted her body and searched.
Tawny kicked the snow where Red had fallen, revealing bright red bloodstains. Nothing more. “They’re gone? How can that be?” she asked the winds, trying to understand.
“Was there another attack? Another grizzly?” Motis kicked the snow in a larger circle, searching for more blood. Jal helped him, but they found no sign.
Bloo threw up her hands. “They left! Isn’t that what’s happened here? They left together? Can they have done such a stupid thing?”
Tawny shot a look from the corners of narrowed eyes. “We didn’t pass them on the way here.”
Jal blinked snowflakes from his eyelashes. “They could have tried another route! You said Red dropped Ali over the rocks…”
Bloo finished, catching on, “…so maybe they tried another way to cross! Someplace less dangerous.” She scanned the ground, searching for prints that could in no way still be there. “It is possible. Should we search?”
Motis announced, “Red would not abandon us without goodbye.”
Tawny’s doubting gaze shifted from brother to brother. She didn’t want to tell them, for love? People do things you’d never think they would , so instead, she offered, “Let’s search for footprints.”
“With this snow?” Jal complained. “There is nothing!”
“We must try!”
The four of them spread out, but enough time had passed that no evidence was left. Through the flurry of wind, a horrible noise sounded. Four pairs of eyes latched onto the baby grizzly as it cried out with longing and need. The females blanched. Bloo shot a glance around the werewolves. “What do we do with the baby?”
As his eyes flashed, Motis snorted. “We eat it!”
Tawny looked at the small beast and felt a pang. She ached for cubs of her own, and the scene was awful, mother and child. “We will not kill it! We will take it back with us and save it.”
Bloo’s gray-eyes grew soft. “We find another answer. Agreed.”
“In these months when food is scarce,” Motis exploded, “you would have us let it live?”
Tawny wiped her face of snow so she could see. A verbal threat to fight him played on her tongue but she bit it back, struggling against the old habit. “You know I am a hunter, Motis. If I ask this of you, can you not give it to me?! I will not see that cub killed. I will not!”
Bloo shouted, throwing her arm to point. “There is the larger bear for food. We have already taken her life and so we shall not waste the resources of that kill. It is our way, at least with my pack.”
Jal held out a hand to stay his brother’s temper as he somberly agreed, “As with ours.”
Motis glared. “Fine.”
“Good. Now we must think.”
An outburst of wind shot through the air. Bloo paused before calling out over it, “If Red and Ali found another way to get to your den, they will be there when we return. But if they did not…”
Motis exploded, “What makes you think they left together? He would not leave our pack. Not like this!”
Tawny stepped forward, impatient. “You saw his face when she showed up at our den! He could hardly see or think!” Motis’s stubbornness flickered. He had seen that, though he didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself. Tawny continued, shouting over the weather. “Red is a great alpha, and he has been honorable in every way. But he loves the female. He just does.”
The brothers exchanged a look as the gusts of snow and sleet whipped between them. No one spoke, and that time felt like an eternity.
Motis snarled, “We search!”
Tawny rolled her eyes and joined the other three as they shifted to
Bloo arrived at her side as Tawny’s lithe, muscular body stretched up into her human form. The others followed her lead quickly. As their bones finished the change, their faces compacting, Jal and Motis eyed the bears with wary glances.
“Where are they?” Bloo asked, shielding her eyes with her hand as she twisted her body and searched.
Tawny kicked the snow where Red had fallen, revealing bright red bloodstains. Nothing more. “They’re gone? How can that be?” she asked the winds, trying to understand.
“Was there another attack? Another grizzly?” Motis kicked the snow in a larger circle, searching for more blood. Jal helped him, but they found no sign.
Bloo threw up her hands. “They left! Isn’t that what’s happened here? They left together? Can they have done such a stupid thing?”
Tawny shot a look from the corners of narrowed eyes. “We didn’t pass them on the way here.”
Jal blinked snowflakes from his eyelashes. “They could have tried another route! You said Red dropped Ali over the rocks…”
Bloo finished, catching on, “…so maybe they tried another way to cross! Someplace less dangerous.” She scanned the ground, searching for prints that could in no way still be there. “It is possible. Should we search?”
Motis announced, “Red would not abandon us without goodbye.”
Tawny’s doubting gaze shifted from brother to brother. She didn’t want to tell them, for love? People do things you’d never think they would , so instead, she offered, “Let’s search for footprints.”
“With this snow?” Jal complained. “There is nothing!”
“We must try!”
The four of them spread out, but enough time had passed that no evidence was left. Through the flurry of wind, a horrible noise sounded. Four pairs of eyes latched onto the baby grizzly as it cried out with longing and need. The females blanched. Bloo shot a glance around the werewolves. “What do we do with the baby?”
As his eyes flashed, Motis snorted. “We eat it!”
Tawny looked at the small beast and felt a pang. She ached for cubs of her own, and the scene was awful, mother and child. “We will not kill it! We will take it back with us and save it.”
Bloo’s gray-eyes grew soft. “We find another answer. Agreed.”
“In these months when food is scarce,” Motis exploded, “you would have us let it live?”
Tawny wiped her face of snow so she could see. A verbal threat to fight him played on her tongue but she bit it back, struggling against the old habit. “You know I am a hunter, Motis. If I ask this of you, can you not give it to me?! I will not see that cub killed. I will not!”
Bloo shouted, throwing her arm to point. “There is the larger bear for food. We have already taken her life and so we shall not waste the resources of that kill. It is our way, at least with my pack.”
Jal held out a hand to stay his brother’s temper as he somberly agreed, “As with ours.”
Motis glared. “Fine.”
“Good. Now we must think.”
An outburst of wind shot through the air. Bloo paused before calling out over it, “If Red and Ali found another way to get to your den, they will be there when we return. But if they did not…”
Motis exploded, “What makes you think they left together? He would not leave our pack. Not like this!”
Tawny stepped forward, impatient. “You saw his face when she showed up at our den! He could hardly see or think!” Motis’s stubbornness flickered. He had seen that, though he didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself. Tawny continued, shouting over the weather. “Red is a great alpha, and he has been honorable in every way. But he loves the female. He just does.”
The brothers exchanged a look as the gusts of snow and sleet whipped between them. No one spoke, and that time felt like an eternity.
Motis snarled, “We search!”
Tawny rolled her eyes and joined the other three as they shifted to
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