28 MMA Bears Four - Part 1

Sharon had been driving for nearly an hour, and the landscape had barely changed. All around her were the trees, mountains and valleys of the midwest. For five years she had lived in those mountains, driving down to the nearest town on occasion. She had never regretted it. Until that day.

Her six year old son, Tom lay in the passenger seat next to her. He'd always had a slight touch of asthma, but with inhalers and other medications it had always been kept in check. Indeed, when she worried that he might one day have a terrible asthma attack miles away from medical help, the doctors said it was unlikely.

And yet, there he was. Her little boy, whose cheeks were usually tinted red and rosy, now pale, almost turning blue, his chest falling and rising in short broken steps as he tried relentlessly to catch a life-giving breath. Nothing was helping, his inhaler gave him only moments of reprieve before the asthma attack would grip his lungs once more, forcing the air out of him.

Sharon scanned the road ahead, it curved around the side of a large stone peak. She'd always hated that road. It was narrow, and on the other side there was a huge cliff which dropped into the valley below. Hundreds of feet which could not be survived. Most of the area was covered in woodland, a thick web of evergreen trees which shrouded everything from the outside world. Yet that piece of road which clung to the side of the mountain was more barren than anywhere else, the mountain providing little soil for anything to grow, just sharp rocks which gazed down at the world ominously.

"Mom…" Tom wheezed, his voice sounding like it would soon lose all strength.

Sharon was powerless to help. All she could do was drive as fast she could to get to the nearest town, where hopefully the doctor there could save his life. But while Sharon hoped for the best, as her son's lips turned a stark blue, she felt the torturous anguish which only a parent watching their child dying can understand.

"Hold on Tom! Please, Honey!"

As if the landscape felt her pain, suddenly a loud crack sounded, filling the epic scenery around Sharon and her world. Sharon screamed as she watched a piece of the mountainside crumble up ahead. A shower of rocks and boulders bombarded the road just ahead, filing it with unmeasured tons of ancient stone. She slammed on her brakes, the car screeched to a halt, but just as she put the car into reverse, another landslide galloped down the mountainside. Looking in disbelief, Sharon attempted to reverse as quickly as possible to get her car, her son, and herself out of the way, but it was too late. A huge boulder crashed into the hood, crushing the front of the car with an ear shattering clatter. Steam hissed out, as gas oozed from the fuel line.

More rocks fell from the mountain, smaller yet in greater number like a tsunami of stone. It pushed and heaved at the car. Then she heard a thumping, as if the mountain itself were running around her. The noise vibrated through the dashboard, but it was not caused by rock or stone. In front of the car, through steam and over boulder, Sharon could see a huge bear galloping towards her car.

The rocks continued to fall, but the bear was so huge and strong that it was able to batter them away as it hurtled towards the car. The bear tore at the side of the car as it was being pushed quickly towards the edge of the road, towards a fatal plunge into the valley below. Sharon screamed, and grabbed Tom from the passenger seat, holding him in her arms.

Metal twisted and shrieked as the bear smashed the passenger window and tore the door clean from its hinges. Sharon held onto Tom for dear life. The bear was the biggest she'd ever seen, and was clearly aiming for her and her son as a meal. As the bear thrust its head into the passenger side, Sharon opened the driver's door, Tom now unconscious and barely breathing in her hands. As she did so, she opened it to nothing but the cold air of the mountain. Below her, nothing but the valley hundreds of feet beneath.

The car was going over the side.

It convulsed and let out a hideous metal squeal as the rocks pounded it into freefall. Yet when she turned to try and escape, there was no hideous bear inside her car. Instead, a muscular man with deep blue eyes was grabbing her by the hand. His face strained with unbelievable effort as he pulled Sharon and Tom from the car, just as it fell from the edge.

Lifting them in his arms, he ran along the road, dodging the falling rocks and leaping over any obstacles in his way. Finally, they were clear, Sharon stared at the man, his brown hair ruffling in the wind. He was looking at Tom intently, who was still alive… Barely.

"I can help your son. We must move quickly."

"He needs a doctor!" Sharon cried, still trying to catch her breath from the almost-fall.

The man looked up at her, and smiled, his eyes deep, blue, and kind. "I know, but the road is blocked, and he would not survive long enough in any case. Come. We must get to the woods."

Sharon had no choice, and within moments they were running alongside the mountainside, hoping that Tom could hold on for a while longer.

* * *

The town of Swiftclaw was silent. It lay there, nestled between the countless trees and the foot of a large mountain. The only sound which never relented to the night, was that of the river which marked the boundary between Swiftclaw and the forest. No one was stirring, that is, but for Erin.

She'd been there now for several months, asking for sanctuary from the Cabal. As far as the Elder was concerned she could be trusted. Erin had fallen in love with Marlow, and Marlow was the smartest of his clan. Yet, love can blind even the strongest of intellects, and with Marlow and Erin there was something dangerous hidden in plain sight.

Erin had told them. She'd told them that her family had connections to the Cabal, that was why she'd worked with Marlow there. Yet no one had thought to ask exactly who her family was. Unbeknownst to everyone in Swiftclaw, Erin's family consisted of many in the Cabal, none more notorious than Charles Whitmore, one of the highest ranking members of the Cabal.

It hadn't been planned. Erin was indeed attracted to Marlow, she did care for him. That created conflict, but in her heart she knew that she had to protect her family, that she had to do as her uncle Charles had asked. She was now, planned or not, in a prized position to tell the Cabal all they needed to know about Swiftclaw town and its residents. Enough to help the Cabal bring it to its knees so that they could get their hands on their prize.

She'd been able to sneak out several times. Marlow was a deep sleeper, and barely stirred at all during the night. Erin put on some clothes, left the room above Elizabeth's doctor's office where she was staying, and then headed out onto the main street. There, crickets chirped and no one walked. The stars twinkled above in the waning summer as a colder breeze began to drift in from the mountains.

When Erin reached Swiftclaw bridge, the town now behind her, she crossed it and headed for the treeline of the forest. There, a large lumbering figure on all fours met her, shrouded in darkness. Its eyes glistened golden in the black of night, its hair as dark as the world around it.

"Hello, LoHawk," Erin said quietly.

"Enough of the pleasantries, Erin," said LoHawk, his voice growling in bear form. "Now that I know you're in on our little game, I'm happy to deal with you if it means I can rid my clan of dirty, human interference, but know that I'd happily watch you burn with the rest of your kind."

"We're not that dirty…"

"Oh but you are," said LoHawk, his white teeth shining in the night. "Purebloods like yourself are scum, you taint all you touch, but unfortunately the Elder has a soft spot for you all. The old fool. My men and I are ready to cleanse Swiftclaw to keep its purity…"

"You can't do that until the Elder is out of the way, and since he met with the boar shifter White Tusk, he's refused to leave the town," Erin said coldly.

Lohawk paced up and down. "Ah… I wish I could just poison him and be done with it…"

"No!" Erin said angrily, before realizing that she needed to keep her voice quiet. "The Cabal needs him alive and unspoiled… Everything depends on it… But he's surrounded by your clan's best fighters. My uncle Charles wants to ensure that when he's taken, there's an air of legitimacy about it. As far as the other shifter clans are concerned, the Cabal is neutral, here to help keep peace between the shifters of the world."

"I'm sure my men could grab him…"

"No, you couldn't. You overestimate your power, LoHawk. Not only are the Elder's strengths an unknown quantity because he is last of the blackbloods, but he also has Bran, the current champion of the Tournament, and Gage, the longest running champion we've ever seen. They are both incredibly popular among some of the other shifter clans. We don't want this to get messy…

"Then what do you suggest?" LoHawk eyed Erin with suspicion.

"I've spoken to Uncle Charles, he and the other Cabal board members are going to create a reason for the Elder to leave Swiftclaw town. He'll have no choice. He'll leave Bran and Gage to defend the town with the members of your clan not allied to you, LoHawk. You need to keep as many of your men away from the town as possible tomorrow, this should weaken their numbers. When this happens, the Elder will be the Cabal's, and you will be left with Swiftclaw to do with as you please."

"Your uncle Charles better keep up his side of the bargain. Once I'm leader of swiftclaw, I don't want to hear from the Cabal or any other human ever again." LoHawk started walking back towards town.

"You won't…" Erin waited until LoHawk was out of sight before heading for main street. Once there, she sneaked back into her room above the doctor's office where Marlow was still sound asleep in bed. She climbed in beside him, his warmth comforting and reassuring.

She really did care for Marlow, but her family had been in the Cabal for a thousand years, and if they did not get their hands on the Elder, then all would be lost.

LoHawk returned to his home. It sat at the back of the town at the foot of a tall mountain. There, he woke up some of his men and told them that at first light, they should all leave the town on a hunting trip.

"You'll need to do this in as small groups as possible, so that we do not provoke suspicion. The following day we will return, and Swiftclaw will be ours." LoHawk went to sleep, happy to know that after all these years his scheming was finally coming to fruition.