Gabriel

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gabe and his parents had taken shifts at the hospital. Each one leaving for at least a few hours to sleep and shower and force some food down. It was now closing in on the 24-hour mark. An important one, according to the doctors. If Austin made it past 24 hours, he’d likely survive and would eventually recover.

Gabe had gone home to his parent’s house late in the night to get some sleep. They thought it would be easier if he stayed with them for a few days so they would all be close to each other. He was still behind on sleep by a few hours from the night before, and the day’s emotions had taken a toll on him. It was around 11 when he got home, forced down a protein shake, and crawled into bed in his old room.

His sleep was fitful and he woke often. At 3 a.m., when his parents came home, he heard them come in the door. At first, to his half-awake mind, it seemed perfectly normal for his parents to come in late, talking in hushed whispers. But then, the reality of the situation kicked in and he sat up.

He threw back the covers and padded quickly to the kitchen. He saw his father with his arms around his mother, who was weeping quietly against his chest. Gabe’s stomach dropped.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

His father lifted his head to look at Gabe, his own eyes swimming with tears. “He’s gone.” He held out an arm to Gabe, who just stared at him.

“Gone? Where? They moved him to another hospital or something?”

“No, son, just gone.”

Gabe shook his head. He couldn’t believe that. Gone. Dead. He’d never wake up, never come home. That was not acceptable.

“How can he be dead? He was at the hospital. They’re supposed to keep people alive.”

“They did the best they could.”

“Well, I guess it wasn’t good enough!” Gabe slammed a fist down on the counter and the sudden sound made his mother jump.

She turned to him and came to hug him. “I know you’re angry. We’re all very shaken and upset by this.”

Gabe shook his head and stepped back from his mother. “No, I just need to find who was responsible for this.” He marched back to his old bedroom, grabbed his keys, and headed for the door.

“Gabriel, stop.” His father came to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Where are you going?”

“First, to the hospital. I’m going to find out who failed to keep my brother alive. Then, I’m going to start hunting whoever it was that did this to Austin. I got enough of his scent, I think. I will find him.”

“Please don’t do this. It won’t make anything better. Come for a run with me. Let’s go out into the woods like we used to.”

Gabe stepped closer to the door. “It was a human who did this, it’ll be as a human that I fight this.”

Gabe’s dad quickly pulled his shirt over his head and stepped out of his pants, then shifted into bear form right in the entryway. He looked at Gabe and roared.

In bear form, his father had some power over him. There was more of the animal instinct there, and animals obeyed their elders better than humans did. Gabe could feel an almost involuntary reaction start in his chest. His bear, struggling to break free.

Before he could tear his clothing, Gabe yanked off his shirt and had just gotten his shorts off when the bear in him tore free.

The feeling started in his chest. Something like the feeling of high anxiety, where you wanted to burst from your own skin. Except in the case of a shifter, that was exactly what happened next. The internal change happened as the external one did. His rib cage moved first, then his spine stretched. His skin broke out in shocks of black hair. The bones of his arms and legs lengthened and shortened as claws popped from his fingertips. His head was the last thing. His human ears flattened in as they moved to the top of his head, his nose and mouth stretched out in front of him into a snout and his sharp bear teeth descended. Then his transformation was complete. The whole process took less than a second.

Gabe followed his father to the back door, where his mother had already opened the glass door that led to the porch. They ran down the porch and into the woods. In the cover of the trees, they took off at a fast run. They pushed themselves hard, running fast to get out the emotions.

Gabe laughed to himself. He had been told by Coach to do a bear run today anyhow. Gabe, with his toned and trained body, quickly caught and surpassed his father. He ran ahead a few miles, then circled back to catch him again. They crossed over the stream, crushed a few small trees for fun, and paused at the edge of the orchard, where there were always a few stray berries to nibble on.

This was a run they’d done plenty of times. The whole family, or just one parent with him and Austin, or just him and Austin on their own. But Austin would never make this run again. He’d never sit with them under these trees, sniffing the ground for berries. He was gone.

Gabe sat down on his hind legs. Bears didn’t cry. But they did lament in howls. He sat and howled at the sky. It was still dark, the moon in a sliver overhead. The stars winked back at him as he let the grief tear through his chest, into the night air.

His father sat beside him and joined in the howl. For a long time, the two of them lamented together, their grief audible for miles.

When they eventually headed back, Gabe walked. He didn’t have the strength to run again. He didn’t have the desire. Nothing seemed like it had any point any longer. What would he do without his brother? His best friend? Who would be there to cheer him on from the stands and go out drinking with him after to celebrate a good game or drown the frustration of a lost one?

Though Austin was younger, Gabe didn’t remember a time in his life when he wasn’t there. They’d been cubs together, learning how to shift and how not to. How to be a bear and a human. His only sibling. Now gone forever.

His steps became a slow lumber. He didn’t think he could keep walking. His steps slowed and his feet dragged. He sat down, then rolled over on the ground, letting his head fall to the earth. He stayed there, no longer having the will to go on.

His father realized he’d stopped walking and came back to him. He sat beside him for a minute, letting him rest. But then, he pushed his nose into him, trying to get him to his feet. Gabe refused.

His father pushed with his whole body and growled at him. Gabe didn’t move. Finally, his father dug his teeth into the scruff of Gabe’s neck and tugged. The sharp pain made him yelp and get to his feet. Then, his father bounded into him, forcing him forward.

Gabe trudged on, until the house was in sight. Then, he shifted back to human form, not caring that he was naked in the backyard. He walked to the house with his head down, went straight back to his bedroom, and got into bed. He pulled the covers high and closed out the world.