Dipped in Blood

The Bear of the Night

To say it hurt would have been an understatement, it actually burned. I felt like my heart was ripped from my body and trampled on by horses. But the feeling was as real as the scar, it went from my forehead to the edge of my face, thanks to the teddy bear. When I had placed my hand on his the reaction I got was a revealed claw and a jagged mark to remember him by.

I glare at the teddy bear, "What was that for?" I exclaimed, touching the scar to reveal a smudge of blood on my hands. It didn't hear my statement because it was walking away and because of my stubborn trait, I jumped on its back. The bear was mad and tried to swing me off but failed so instead he reached up and threw me off. I landed painfully on the roots of a tree that would leave bruises for days. The bear walked towards me, its teeth was bared and metal claws were out, its eyes turned a light green revealing the creature that I had feared. The fear crept on me before making my stomach churn, I swallowed the fear and jumped on the bear.

We both fell onto the ground with me on top and the bear bellow, then our hearts touched and everything stopped. The sense of calm washed over me like the waves of the ocean as I rolled of the bear and lay next to him. The night seemed to brighten as we lay there side by side without a word, there was no need for words.

I agree.

I sit up quickly to see were the masculine voice was coming from but nobody spoke. I glance cautiously at the bear to see all its metal assets had disappeared and left the neglected bear.

I am Ripply Jumbo.

I look at the bear harder trying to crack the coded look he gave me. My eyebrows scrunch in concentration and my eyes squint with anticipation, and my concentration was rewarded when he sends me a irrational look. I gasp before getting up.

"You can read my mind!"

Yes.

"How?"

The bond.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

You ask too many questions.

"How can a I not? This is marvelous! You can be my friend and help me with many things. I will finally have someone who understands me," I say staring off into the distance with sad look, only realizing how dangerous this would be to the townsfolk. They may never had gone into the forest but if they knew about the creatures the forest would be burned, and I couldn't risk that. All this time I had been running from reality and then suddenly the reality became a life I always had.

The truth was more painful than the scratch. Ripply sensed my sudden change of mood as he sat beside me with his cute bow.

I'm not cute.

"Definitely a guy," I mutter to myself before removing my backpack. The backpack seemed flattened because it blocked most of the damage that could have been done when I was throw to the tree.

Sorry about that, defence mechanism.

"It's fine," I pull out a piece of thread and a needle that Benith had packed. He said it was for deep wounds that we would have to fix ourselves if anything happened. I walk towards the bear before reaching to sow the rips but Ripply didn't have any of that and jumped to hide behind a bush. I laugh and chased him until he collapsed in a big cuddly mess on a stump.

No needles. My rips make me look scary.

"You are already scary enough. If you were anymore scary anyone who saw you would poop themselves," I joke before piercing the needle into his fur.

*

I look at the river begrudgingly before clutching Ripply's soft hand in mine. The river was jagged and rough, like a relentless fight. The water was a deep blue under the moonlight allowing it to feel dark and dangerous under the white sprays. Small snow flakes scattered Ripply's new stiches and danced around us, this lead me to believe the water was also cold.

Are you going to chicken out?

"No," I said while my hands unconsciously tightened around his.

Yeah, right.

"Don't mock me," I say, letting go of Ripply's hand and turning to face him. No matter how much he was a rude prick, I knew he'd miss me. I don't know how I'd stay sane in the town without him and mystery of my mother and father was yet to be solved but I knew I had to find a way. But encase I fail at that my other option was to tumble back into the forest, like I had the first time.

"What am I going to say about Eden."

Just don't say anything.

"So practical," I say, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

You'd better hurry, Benith is closing in fast.

I look confusedly at Ripply. What was my father doing so close to the outer border? I didn't have time to process this information because Ripply wrapped his arms around me. I smiled, anyone in the world could hug a bear but my bear could hug back and with that I squeezed him. But the moment didn't last long because I was thrown into the water. When I resurfaced, Ripply stood at the edge, watching me drift under the pounding waves before I went under completely.

***

I was close to drowning that night but miraculously I only came close. But the feeling I got when I woke up in a hospital bed was worse than death. My lungs burned while it felt like my toes had frozen and was about to fall off. The room was cold because of the open window and nobody was in the room to welcome me like I had imagined they would but the thought completely removed itself when three bodies shoved through the door at once.

Lucas was the first to attack me and nearly squeeze me to death but removed himself when he realized he seemed to eager. The second person wasn't top happy to see me (Mr Haude) and the third was the woman who I had thought was Eden's mother.

Mr Haude spoke first, "I hope you know the consequences of your actions, Miss Wendilin?"

The woman spoke second, "Where is Eden?" I look down sadly and shook my head, my acting wasn't the best but it was convincible.

"Couldn't find her."

Lucas spoke last with a question that left me a tough position, "Is the legend real?"

I contemplated that one a bit. After being drugged, spooked, scratched, bruised, traumatised, hunted and shocked all I could be was teasingly blunt.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?"