The Battle of Fangs and Claws

Willow awoke from her slumber to the sound of squeaking birds and unfamiliar sounds. The whistle of the wind, the creak of the trees and the rustle of the leaves as they rubbed against the breeze. The sounds filled her ears, as if they were a song or tune to wake her up.

Let's get up. She encouraged herself. Willow wriggled and lay back, staring up at the roof of the tent above her head. She now remembered where she was. She had slept in the tent Luke had erected on a flat patch of land last night. It was small and a bit stuffy, but she shouldn't complain. Because it was better to be in that tent than outside in the icy rain.

Last night, Luke lay down next to her and immediately fell asleep without talking to her again. However, this time it was empty next to her and it made her uneasy. Willow was a little surprised by her feelings. Why should she be anxious when she couldn't find Luke nearby? There was no way she could be comfortable around him now.

"Luke?" Willow crept out of the tent thinking she would see Luke outside doing something. But there was no one outside the tent. She got up and stretched. Her hands interlocked behind her head and her back arched. Her back was a little sore from sleeping on the hard ground.

Even so, she slept well last night, though only for a few hours. Her fear was still there. She was afraid that Lowell's flock would find her. However, at least there was no Boris anymore. She still remembered Boris' transformation into a wolf and it made her shudder. Hopefully Boris was dead and wouldn't bother her again.

She looked around the tent she was standing in. It was all trees, nothing else. Trees with huge trunks and standing close to each other like they were encircling her. The more he gazed into the distance, the closer the trees seemed to get. With one hand on her chest, she tried to suppress the panic that began to emerge. Hoping Luke would show up soon.

While trying to tidy up her ponytails, she noticed a bad smell from her own body. She looked down and sniffed. Her clothes smelled musty, and so did her hair. She realized that she hadn't showered since their escape from her home. Suddenly Willow longed for warm water, soap and bath salts. They would probably help her cope better with this adventure. She remembered the large bathtub at home where she often soaked when she was tired. Willow let out a sad sigh.

Then she heard voices and saw Luke emerge from behind the bushes with a pile of tree branches and twigs in his hands. "Good morning," Luke greeted her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, pretty good," Willow replied. "What are those branches for?"

"To make a fire," Luke said. "I caught some fish in a little stream not far from here. We're going to grill the fish for breakfast."

Willow frowned.

"Why?" asked Luke calmly. "We utilize the food available in nature. Have you ever had grilled fish? We need energy to continue our journey, Willow. And eating is a must."

Luke stepped past her to a large rock near the tent. Willow now saw two sizable fish that had been lying there. "I had grilled fish at a campout when I was in middle school," he said. Willow remembered the sweet taste of fresh grilled fish. Immediately, saliva gathered in her mouth. However, something else Luke had just said bothered her. "Luke, did you say there was a small river?"

"Yes. Not far from here." Luke dropped the branches for his firewood and pointed toward the forest from which he had come. "That way there's a small path that animals might have made. Why?"

"I need a shower."

"We're in the wild now. You should get used to getting dirty."

"I still need to bathe if there's any water possible." Willow insisted. "I also want to wash my clothes."

"Wash clothes?" Luke gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously."

"My clothes are dirty and I can't take it anymore."

"You mean you're going to wear them wet after you wash them?" Luke shook his head. "You'll instantly get hypothermia."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" asked Willow irritably. "There's no way I'm going to be naked waiting for my clothes to dry." What's wrong with this guy? Wouldn't she be more comfortable with someone who didn't stink?

"Didn't you check your backpack?" asked Luke. "Take a look."

Willow had not once checked the contents of the backpack she was carrying. She hurried to the tent to get her backpack and carried it outside. She opened the backpack and peeked inside. Inside the backpack were a few packets of biscuits, bottled water, and a few pieces of clothing. The clothes were just some plain t-shirts, jeans and underwear.

"I hope they fit you, I'm just guessing."

Willow looked up and looked at Luke. The reality was that it did fit. How could she have guessed the right size? How long had he been stalking Willow for?

The clothes were new, but there were no tags. "Where did you get these clothes?"

Luke shrugged. "That's not important," he replied.

Willow was still wondering but she knew Luke wouldn't give her a satisfactory answer if she pressed him. Better to leave it at that. Whether Luke bought it or stole it at the moment wasn't the most important thing. They were on the run. She had to see her father soon.

"I'm going to go to the river and take a shower," Willow said. She selected a change of clothes from her backpack and headed down the path Luke had indicated. The man didn't respond and began to busy himself lighting firewood. "Luke?" called Willow.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for getting that backpack ready."

Luke simply nodded and rearranged his firewood, and Willow knew that was the only response she could get from the mysterious man. With quick steps, she followed the path into the forest. Soon she heard the small rumble of running water. Luke was right, the stream was not far from the tent.

***

The cold river water did not discourage him from washing off all the dirt on his body. However, when he decided to finish his bath quickly and stepped out of the river, his body began to shiver from the cold. He had to get dressed quickly before he got hypothermia. He had read about people dying from the cold. She placed her clothes on a tree stump by the river. Hugging her body with both arms, she hurried over to where her clothes were and started putting them on one by one.

Just as she was putting on her underwear, she heard a twig snap somewhere in the nearby trees.

She froze and scanned his surroundings to find out what had made the sound, but he saw nothing.

"Luke, don't tell me you're hiding in the bushes like a pervert." Willow looked left and right. However, no one answered.

Willow thought she was too frightened to hear a voice that didn't exist. She hurried to grab her clothes and put them on as quickly as possible. However, just as she was about to grab a clean pair of jeans and put them on, she heard what sounded like a growl. The tone was low and deep, making her body instantly shiver. She was stunned for a moment and the growl sounded again right from behind her.

Willow turned around and was shocked to see a large black bear on the other side of the river. "Oh, no," she hissed shakily. "Please don't come here. Please, don't cross here."

She wanted to run away, but her body was suddenly stiff as a log. She couldn't move, could only wait and see what the bear would do. Sniffing and scratching at the ground, the bear wandered across the riverbank. Willow expected it to leave soon, to go back into the forest.

That didn't happen. Instead, the bear entered the water and began wagging its wet fur while its snout occasionally dipped into the water. His anxiety grew worse and he forced himself to move. She had to get away from that place, run back to her tent. At least there was Luke.

But it was too late. The bear suddenly sniffed the air and looked up. And Willow realized that the animal had noticed her. The bear growled again and this time it was louder and more frightening. It stood on its hind legs, seven feet tall. The animal roared as if it were challenging her.

Am I going to die now? Willow thought to herself. Death by bear had never crossed her mind as her destiny. And it would not be an easy death. Willow shuddered at the thought that her body might be ripped apart with unbearable pain before she finally met her end.

The bear crawled forward towards her, faster this time, showing no signs of hesitation or fear of Willow. She backed away hastily, forgetting the wooden stump on which she had placed her clothes. Her foot hit the stump and she fell backwards. Her body landed on the ground on her back.

The bear planted its front paws on the stump and roared at her, while the foam dripped from its jaws. The distance was only a few meters now. The bear could easily reach out and cut her with its claws.

"Go away...." Willow whispered shakily, though she knew the bear wouldn't understand.

Just as she was getting desperate and resigned to the horrible fate that was about to happen, Willow felt something behind her leap up and pounce on the bear. She squealed, seeing a brown wolf biting into the bear's neck, and the two animals began to fight.

The bear roared with a voice full of anger and pain. The animal grabbed the wolf with both paws and lifted it up before throwing it into a nearby tree.

The wolf whimpered and struggled to get back to its feet, then quickly moved to place himself between Willow and the bear. It stared at the bear in a defiant manner and bared its sharp teeth. The bear roared and charged forward. The teeth and claws of the two animals clashed again.

Willow fled to the safety of the tree line. She hugged the trunk of a cedar tree while the two animals fought. She was surprised where the wolf had come from, and why it was protecting her.

In front of him the wolf was fighting the bear. Now he jumped up and sank his teeth into the bear's shoulder, while his four legs dug their claws into the bear's body.

But the bear had his own tactics. It leaned forward and used its jaws to bite the wolf's left leg, causing the animal to release its bite. The bear then swung the wolf by its jaws and threw it into the muddy riverbank. He swung his arms, getting ready to hit the wolf.

"No!" Willow exclaimed. She grabbed a rock on the ground and stepped out from behind a tree. She threw the rock at the bear so that the animal wouldn't hit the wolf. However, something terrible happened. The bear turned to her and was now heading towards her.

"Damn!" Willow returned to her shelter behind the cedar in a hurry, pressing her back against the thick trunk. She could hear the large animal approaching. Her breath caught in her throat and her chest tightened.

Suddenly, a black, knife-sharp claw wrapped around the trunk of the tree she was hiding in. Willow screamed as she left the tree and ran to the river. One glance over her shoulder confirmed that the bear was in pursuit. But at the same time, she caught a glimpse of something else.

The wolf leapt into the air and landed right on top of the bear's back before returning to bite its neck. The bear tried to throw the wolf, but he managed to find the right spot on the bear's back so that he couldn't reach him. He bit and clawed at the big furry beast until it began a hasty retreat into the forest. It was then that the wolf jumped off the bear and landed so that he was right between Willow and her opponent.

The bear then stopped and looked back at the wolf. For a moment, Willow thought the bear would continue the fight, but then turned and staggered into the forest, bleeding from multiple wounds.

Once the bear was out of sight, the wolf turned to face Willow. It went from brown wolf back to the young man Willow knew.

"Luke?" Willow gasped, as Luke slowly got to his feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Still a little shaken, Willow just nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Well, then you should get fully dressed," he said, taking his eyes off her.

Willow looked down. She was too frightened to forget that she hadn't put on her jeans. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it down as much as she could to hide her panties. Her cheeks suddenly warmed even in the midst of the biting cold. Seeing his jeans on the ground near the stump, he hurriedly picked them up and put them on.

"Let's go back to camp." Luke stepped in front of Willow, but suddenly winced and collapsed.

"Luke!" cried Willow and rushed over to him. "Are you in a lot of pain? Let me see." She moved her hand to the side to see the deep puncture wound from where the bear had sunk its teeth.

"Oh, no," she muttered. "Your wounds are pretty bad."

***