The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

Scarier than an Injured Bear

As Bart stood facing the animal, his hands began to shake. His knees knocked. It had never occurred to him before that he could be so unnerved. He reached for the strap that held his rifle which hung down his back. He was so panicky, scared, petrified even that he kept missing the strap that he had countless times before grabbed without thinking. By the time he finally pulled the gun up over his head and brought it out front, the animal had taken on an aggressive posture. Bart figured he'd better hurry. However, the more he hurried the worst results he got. He fumbled his gun as if he were going to twirl a baton, albeit very poorly. The animal raised up on its hind legs and stood more than double in height of Bart, who was 6 feet-ish before he began to stoop a bit with age.

The animal, which Bart had determined was a mix between a grizzly and an Alaskan Kodiak, let out a roar that caused Bart's hat to fly off.

Bart thought to himself, "I'd better make this first shot count. I am going to need more than one shot to stop him. If the first one doesn't stall him long enough for me to get the second and third off, we might both become food for the scavengers."

As Bart raised his rifle to his shoulder and started to take aim the humongous animal took a step towards him from the standing position. To Bart's amazement, the creature stumbled. It's left hind leg gave way and the bear fell and rolled on its side. Bart crept up more closely planning to shoot the bear in the face, or throat or in the chest area where its heart was. He had no clear shot at all with the bear on its side.

Blood was spilling out from the bear's leg. The beast had been caught in a trap that was still biting into its leg. As Bart approached cautiously. The bear rolled completely over and raised itself up as if it were doing a push-up. Its right hind leg dug in, then its left. The left leg crumpled again under the bear's weight.

Bart got to just outside of swiping distance of either of the bear's front paws. One claw was as long as the tip of his middle finger to his wrist.

Bart heard a sound come from the bear that he hadn't reckoned on. The noise wasn't a growl. It was, later when Bart told the story, a whimper. The bear clearly was in pain. The trap was biting into its leg. There were teeth marks in its leg as well. Apparently the bear had thought to gnaw off its one leg in hopes of setting itself free. But after a few chomps had given up.

Bart walked slowly around the bear keeping his distance. After one lap Bart returned to face the bear, looking deep into its eyes.

"Why, this guy is ... I can't believe it ... he's just a ..."

Bart stopped talking himself, stood upright, raised his gun to the ready position and took the lookout position while scanning in a full circle. Once he was convinced there were no other bears nearby he finished his previous thought.

"You are just a cub. Gosh. As big as you are I can't imagine how big your parents must be. I don't think I want to know either.

"Hang on there big fella. Let me see if I can ..."

The bear kicked. The claws from its right hind leg nearly sliced into Bart as if he were a warm loaf of bread.

Bart, undeterred, took a different tack to get near the bear's left hind leg.

"That was close."

Bart grabbed the trap on the bear's left leg and pulled with all his might. Immediately it appeared as if the bear felt relief from the pain. Bart held the trap open and the bear yanked itself free. Faster than anyone would think such an animal could move the bear was free. The bear took three might leaps on its three good legs and had already separated itself from Bart by 30 good paces. The bear turned to look back where it had just come from and where Bart was still standing, gun at his side instead of the firing position.

Bart gaped at the bear as the behemoth turned and sat as if it were waiting at table to be served a sandwich. The giant creature raised its left leg up to its vice-like jaws and began to lick the wound. Bart stood motionless drinking the site in.

Bart watched for a long time. Who times themselves while watching a bear big enough to gulp down half a human? The bleeding finally stopped. The bear righted itself into the all fours position. The wounded leg was placed very tentatively on the ground but unmistakably took some weight. Bart knew that the bear also sensed that the immediate and excruciating pain was gone and that he would now mend. Perhaps the bear also realized that it was Bart that helped free him from the pain but not knowing that it was another Bart-like creature that caused the pain in the first place.

The bear took a few steps away from Bart and neared the edge of some tree covering. The bear turned around to face Bart, stood up on its hind legs and raised both front paws high above its head into the attack position. He spread out his mighty paws so that all razor sharp claws were individually visible. However, instead of letting out a ferocious roar, the bear simply bowed its head. Slowly returning to its usual walking position, the bear turned and disappeared as it limped into the woods.

"Bart!!"

Bart was so startled his feet left the ground.

"Bart!! It's good to see you my friend."

Bart's friend, Zeke, came into the clearing where Bart had been standing. Just moments Bart's new friend, the bear, had vanished.

"Bart. What are you up to? It's been a while since we ran into one another."

"I ... I ... I ... " Bart's head flipped left and right alternatively looking at Zeke and the spot where the humongous bear had slipped away.

"What's wrong, Bart? A bear got your tongue?" Zeke laughed heartily at what he thought was a clever twist on an old idiom.

"I just had the most incredible experience."

Zeke ignored him. "You didn't happen to see a wounded animal around here, did you? One of my bear traps has gone missing."

Bart wanted to tell Zeke about his unbelievable encounter but quickly remembered there was something even more pressing that he needed to tell him.

You might wonder, "What could be more pressing than telling a friend you had just survived being eaten by rescuing your predator from anguish?"

Answer is, telling your friend that you are in desperate search of someone you love, someone who is lost.

"Zeke. Artie has gone missing. I need your help. I need your help and the help of others. Please help me gather some others and launch a search party to find him."

"Sure thing!" Zeke replied without bothering to pry for details.

"I am afraid Artie might end up being dinner for ..." Bart caught himself mid sentence realizing he may just have freed the very animal that would enjoy a meal of young boy.

"What have I done?"

Zeke, "Done about what?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Please help me gather some folks to hunt for Artie before it's too late.

As Zeke and Bart headed off to find help, Bart looked back over his shoulder and was unable to find the exact spot where the bear had reentered the giant forest.