Chapter 2: Is it a bear?

She wanted to scream, but couldn't. How much ever she tried, the sound just wouldn't come out from her throat. Something heavy weighed down on her chest, and it was choking her. Tears slid down her eyes as she desperately tried to push herself away from the bloody mess. The scent of blood was everywhere, and she couldn't escape it. Eve struggled against the slimy mess.

'Mommy! Help!' She screamed inside.

"Eve! Eve!" Her mother's desperate voice came from somewhere around her.

But she couldn't understand where. She was feeling sick to her stomach. She didn't know what it was that she was lying on. Was it dead? Oh god! Please, let it be dead. She prayed, whimpering quietly as she struggled. Her stomach churned from the stench of blood, but she resisted the urge to puke. She didn't want to be covered in her filth, she thought as she pushed her little hands against the furry surface.

Suddenly, the thing moved. Eve fell to the forest floor as the furry thing raised a paw, shivering in pain. It was huge- unlike anything that she had seen before. Was this a bear? She thought, trying to register the animal in her head. A voice that sounded much like a whimper escaped the beast's body.

As it struggled to open its eyes, she caught a glimpse of a pair of burning golden globes narrowed into slits. For a moment, her heart stilled. Not out of fear, but out of awe. Like a firefly caught in the glory of a burning lamp, she watched the beast rise in astonishment.

"Eve!" Her mother's horrified scream rose from behind the beast.

The beast's head snapped towards her mother with the same burning rage that it was staring at her only a moment ago. It thumped its foot against the forest floor in irritation, as if in a warning. Eve's eyes widened in panic, her fear slapping her back into reality.

"Mommy, no!" She screamed, finally finding her voice.

The beast's head snapped back towards her, a low growl emitting from its chest. Eve raised a shaky hand towards the animal's burning eyes, summoning all her bravery.

"S-Stay away f-from h-her." She stuttered, her tiny frame shuddering with the thought of its bloody paws against her throat.

The creature snarled, baring its sharp fangs at her. Its eyes bore into her being as it inched towards her. It was then that she realized that the animal had something similar to her. They both were scared. She could see the fear in its eyes that was mixed with rage.

"Eve, steady. It's scared. Don't provoke it." Her mother warned, echoing her thoughts.

Eve nodded, lowering her bloodstained hands in an act of submission. Her eyes never left the beast, who seemed to follow her hands until it rested shakily on her faded blue dress. It grunted in satisfaction when it finally understood that she was of no threat to it.

The little girl stared at its dark mane, her eyes following its elongated body as it struggled to breathe. There were many patches on its body that were matted with blood. The worst was a large gash running along its chest, following all the way up to the side of its neck. She could see thick blood oozing out of it under the light of the full moon.

Eve looked back at her mother with fearful eyes. Meredith smiled at her daughter reassuringly.

"Now Eve, slowly move towards mommy." Her mother whispered encouragingly. "No sudden movements, okay?" She added, glancing between her and the animal.

Eve took a deep breath, shuddering as she did, and took a small step towards her left. The beast made no move towards her, but its sharp gaze followed her. Reflected by the moonlight, it looked like pure gold. Reassured by the beast's demeanor, she took a few more hushed steps until she finally reached her mother, her eyes never leaving the creature.

The moment she felt her mother's reassuring grip on her shoulder, Eve let out a sigh of relief. The beast, now facing the both of them, let out a slight growl. But this time, it lacked the vigor of its first warning.

"I-Is it a bear?" Eve asked, risking a glance at her mother.

Meredith smiled, shaking her head subtly as she patted her shoulder with shaky hands. Although not as distressed as the beast's pained breaths, which were growing heavier by the minute, her mother was still struggling to keep herself grounded.

Turning back towards the creature, Meredith forced a smile on her lips. Eve watched her mother trying to hold its gaze as her hand slowly slid down her dull gray dress towards the patched-up leather bag where she kept all her herbs and tools. The little girl wondered what was going through her mother's mind.

It was obvious that the creature was wounded. But would it be wise for her mother to try and attack it with that almost blunt knife that she carried around with her? She thought as she watched her mother insert her hand inside the bag and slowly take something out.

But what came out surprised her. Meredith had taken out a handful of herbs rather than the knife. The beast thumped the ground next to it in response, its suspicious eyes narrowing into slits. Blood dripped out of its mouth as it bared its fangs at her, the attempted growl coming out merely as a whimper.

"Hey, hey. It's okay." Meredith said, extending her hand towards it. "It's only medicine. It won't harm you." She said as she started grinding the leaves between her palms.

The creature huffed, swaying to the sides as it struggled to swing a paw at her mother. Eve gasped, jumping backward in shock, clutching the edge of her mother's dress in an attempt to move her out of the way. But she was pulled forward as her mother launched at the beast, with her hands outstretched like a warrior.

Eve grunted in pain as her knees scraped the forest floor. But the sound was muted by a bigger one. With a loud thump, the creature's body hit the ground, dragging her mother along with it. Before she even understood what was happening, Meredith pushed herself off of the unconscious creature with a smug smile on her face.

The little girl stared at her mother with her mouth wide open as she leaned towards her with an outstretched hand. Meredith was uninjured and appeared elated. Eve turned towards the unconscious creature in astonishment.

The beast was flat out. Its black fur shone blue under the moonlight, except for those areas matted by its blood. Now that it was unconscious, she was able to see its full magnificence. Her mother was right, this was not a bear. But what was it then? Her mind was all over the place.

She did not understand what happened in those few seconds that she almost fell face down on the forest floor. How did her mother manage to render that beast unconscious? And when did she become so brave? Meredith never even killed a chicken at home, often telling her father that she was scared of blood.

Eve cleared her throat, turning back to her mother with a confused expression. "What do we-"

Meredith chuckled, interrupting her question. "Let's take the poor thing home." Her mother said, offering her a mischievous smile.