Alpha Gideon’s deception

A dangerous encounter in the forest

It's not a mere twig she hears, not the sound of a squirrel or some other innocent critter.

No, it's a heavy branch from a tree, snapping in half.

The sound is alarmingly close to her.

Her werewolf hearing would have detected sounds far earlier on, but without Amethyst, Jesse is limited to her human abilities only, which don’t have anywhere near the same range. Her senses failed her today — this is not a sound to be ignored.

She knows only two creatures that can break a branch that thick simply by stepping on it, only two that would move through this forest so carelessly. Two types of animals who can move noisily, casually, since they are the only two without any natural predators.

Werewolves, and bears.

If it’s a werewolf, she will be safe. If it’s a werewolf, it could be someone from her own pack; a friend, an acquaintance, maybe a family member. Someone who will recognize her and pass by without question. Wolves pose no threat to a fellow werewolf.

However.

If it’s a bear, she’s in trouble.

Bears don’t commonly go inside these woods. Most live further away, in the much more expansive woods to the north — unclaimed land where no wolves live and nature grows freely, undisturbed. It’s not out of the question, however, for the occasional wanderer to make its way here, especially during mating season or during periods of starvation.

It could be a bear. She's acutely aware of the possibility.

Jesse stares in the direction of the noise, bracing herself, repeating a silent mantra in her head. Let it be a wolf, let it be a wolf. Please, let it be a wolf.

The rustling grows louder as nearby tree branches move out of the way. They reveal a big, brown snout, followed by the curious-looking face of a brown bear. She holds her breath, trying not to panic. The creature is about a hundred meters away — not very close, but too close.

Jesse has encountered bears before, most werewolves do during their lifetime. While it’s recommended to avoid bears where possible, most wolves do not fear the creatures. The bears that live in this area are no match for a fully grown werewolf, especially not for an Alpha like Jesse. While it’s not uncommon to come out of a bear fight with scratches or more serious wounds, most adult wolves can kill a bear with relative ease, even if they may get hurt in the process. But most of the time, fights aren’t necessary; the average bear will flee or submit and choose to avoid a confrontation.

Jesse has learned what to do when facing a bear: shift immediately, fight if necessary. But she’s never been taught how to deal with a bear in her human form. Should she play dead? Stay still and hope the bear will ignore her? Try to outrun it? Fight, hurt it as best as she can, without claws or any real weapons? Is this an encounter she can expect to survive, or is she already doomed?

She takes a moment, trying to figure out if the bear has noticed her. Staying completely still, not making a noise, she observes it from a distance, hoping it will move away from her.

To her horror, it does not. It moves its head slowly in her direction, sniffing her scent — then, it notices her, staring straight at her. As it moves into the forest path completely, Jesse can see the bear is skinny, rib bones poking against its matted fur. It’s starving, in search of prey. Does it think of her as its next meal? If it’s hungry enough, it might just.

Her primal instincts kick in, panic setting in and adrenaline pumping through her body. Her thirst temporarily forgotten, she turns around and starts to run away, going as fast as she can. Behind her, she can hear the bear following, loud thumps of its heavy legs on the soft forest floor as it chases her. Jesse runs straight ahead, desperately trying to create distance between herself and the creature. She is getting closer and closer towards the lake, the exact area she had intended to avoid.

Once she reaches that area of the forest, there will be no choice but to face the lake and the pointy rock barrier surrounding it, in itself a potentially lethal danger. Still, she continues to run in the direction, panic driving her blindly forwards.The bear is chasing her closely, bridging the gap meter by meter. It’s much faster than she was expecting, and she’s trying not to think about what happens if it catches up to her.

In a snapshot decision, Jesse decides to choose the hazard of the lake over the danger of the predator right behind her. She hopes the dangerous terrain will repel the bear, too, and it will leave her once she reaches the water. It’s her only real hope of survival.

As she gets closer and closer to the lakeside, she picks up speed, preparing herself for the jump. If she can jump far enough, she’ll hit the water and miss the rocks. Going faster and faster, then suddenly bracing herself, she launches herself forward.

It’s a good jump. It’s fast with a lot of momentum, taking her quite far. Jesse feels hopeful as she can see the water getting closer and closer to her. Will she make a graceful landing, as promised? But as the lake glistens at her, oh so beautifully, from only a meter away, she starts to lose her speed and velocity, crashing down on the sharp rocks just inches away from the safety of the water. The rocks here are smaller, but they’re spiked still, grazing her skin and cutting into her leg as she falls down. The pain shocks her and causes her to freeze momentarily, but she has no time to focus on the discomfort. Glancing behind her, eyeing the predator hunting her, she realizes she will have to move fast. The rocks didn’t do much to repel the bear, they merely slowed it down.

Jesse crawls down from the rocks into the water, her wounds leaving a trail of blood behind her as she moves. The blood only serves to attract the bear further, the scent spurring it on. Reaching deeper water, she starts to swim as fast as she can muster, adopting a breast stroke. The other side of the narrow lake is getting closer and closer, but she can hear the bear catching up to her still.

Jesse doesn’t know much about bears. Had she paid more attention, she might have observed them catching salmon in fast-flowing, unpredictable rivers. Bears are excellent swimmers, faster than humans, and this one is hell-bent on catching its intended prey.

Jesse knows she won’t be able to outrun the creature once she reaches the shore; her only chance now is to fight it to the best of her ability. She knows the chances of victory are slim, but she has to at least try. Reaching the other side of the lake, she pulls herself up and crawls onto the painful surface. On this lakeside, small shrubs and trees grow in between the rocks. Standing on her toes, she reaches for a nearby tree branch, pulling on it with all her might as she tries to break it off. A weapon will give her a fighting chance.

But as she’s pulling on the branch, she can see the bear climbing onto the shore, only a meter away from her now. She is running out of time and out of chances, but still the branch won’t break…

Jesse tugs on the branch desperately, waiting for the inevitable blow as the bear gets ready to attack her…