Pansy by Charles Hayes

five hundred yards away, she could see Nellie standing still in the middle of the path.
    “There they are,” Mandy said, pointing. “Right up there just before the crest.”
    “I see, but only one,” Nadia said.
    “Yes, but if Nellie is there, Pansy can’t be far.”
    Mandy started to run but then stopped. She wasn’t sure Nadia was dressed for it. This was not exactly a planned outing. She dropped back to a fast walk and was relieved that Nadia was keeping up. The farther they went, the steeper the incline, and the harder it was to walk. By the time they reached the spot where they had seen Nellie, they were breathless and no cows were in sight.
    As loud as she could, Mandy began yelling, “Pansy, Pansy, Pansy.”
    Nothing. No sounds. And then, bursting from the woods, Nellie headed straight toward them, running hard. When she got near, she gave them wide berth and ran into the woods on the other side of the path. Just as she disappeared, another commotion sprang from the woods where Nellie had been. It was the blond grizzly bear. As soon as he saw Mandy and Nadia, he roared back on his hind legs and stood erect. His ears flattened, and his teeth made an unnatural clicking sound like a machine.
    Mandy and Nadia froze, speechless. In an instant, the bear dropped to all fours and bolted toward them. Stepping backward, Mandy raised the rifle and nearly fell down firing a shot. The bear stopped. He stood still for a moment, then wheeled about and headed back into the woods in the direction he’d come.
    Watching the woods, transfixed, the girls heard someone calling their names. Randy and Ed were running up the mountain as fast as they could. Out of breath, Ed shouted, “What was that shot about, and what in God’s name are you two doing out here at this time of day?”
    “Mandy shoot the bear,” said Nadia before Mandy could speak.
    “Where is the bear?” Randy asked, looking in all directions. Both girls pointed to the woods.
    Ed stepped closer. “Where was he when you fired?”
    Nadia gestured toward a spot closer to the woods.
    Ed walked forward, looking at the ground. Then he stopped, knelt down, and studied one patch of dirt for what seemed like a long time before speaking. “Well, you hit him. Do you know where?” he asked, looking at Mandy.
    “No. I almost fell down when I fired the rifle.”
    “Randy, take Mandy and Nadia back to the house,” said Ed. “I’m going to go find the bear.”
    “Not a chance,” said Randy. “Nadia, you and Mandy go down the mountain. Our four-wheelers are parked near the first big ridge. You can go back on one of them, and we’ll follow in a while.”
    “But it’s going to be dark soon. Can’t you go in the morning?” Mandy asked.
    “No, we need to get him now,” said Ed. “He's been hit, and we need to find him before he hurts someone.”
    “Go on now. We’ll be there soon enough.” Randy kissed Nadia on the cheek. She looked terrified. How he hated this mess, not being able to talk to anyone about her secret. Imagining what could go wrong was getting unbearable. He would rather face the grizzly, armed with only a club.

Valor
     
    Ed had a flashlight and extra batteries in his backpack, but he wanted to find Methuselah before he needed them. Things were happening so fast, he had lost track of time. At least two hours had passed since they had discovered the girls had run into the woods looking for the cows. Darkness came earlier these days; soon only the long twilight would remain. Not much of a blood trail was evident, but he could tell the bear had been in such a hurry to flee that he’d broken through small brush instead of going around it. Enough of the woods stood between them and the drop-off of the mountain that the bear could go anywhere, even back toward the house, and that was indeed worrisome. If they were following the right track, the beast appeared to have doubled back down the mountain, which meant it could be going in the direction the