Chapter 2 - A Bear and My Compass?

Sounds of heavy paws falling into the snowy ground outside the cave made me jolt my eyes open and sit up quickly. My body didn't really like that as the speed gave me a short splitting headache, but I ignored it as I looked outside the cave to see what was making the crunching sounds.

My eyes widened at the probably 168 kg black bear sniffing around right outside the cave. I quickly grabbed the hunting knife that was still gracefully laying inside my hunting pack, thinking how foolish it was for me to even forget to re-tie it to my leg yesterday and then thinking how more foolish it was of me to sleep in a cave two nights in a row when it was probably home to some wild animal.

This bear could've easily entered the cave in my sleep and slashed my throat out. Shivering at the thought, I was thankful it hadn't done that and that I didn't see me and attack me straight away. I had time to get my hunting knife out.

Slowly glancing around the cave, not seeing any high tail signs that this cave was inhabited in the last few months, I mentally sighed in relief, knowing that this was not the bear's home. I returned my gaze back to the furry black bear, wondering why, in the first place, it wasn't hibernating in the middle of winter.

Grabbing my hunting pack and slipping it over my shoulder, so it rested perfectly on my hip, I furrowed my brows at the bear. If it was awake, that means it was most likely hungry, and I'm sure it wouldn't stop to think about not eating me. I knew my knife would do little damage in protecting myself, but it was my only weapon.

Leaving on this hunting trip, I didn't really consider the need to bring anything when I could easily make hunting traps or spear, as it was my specialty, and my handiness with a bow was abysmal. Sadly, I lost the spear I made in my tiredness the day before, and yesterday, I was too sore to go out to find the perfect stick to make another one.

Speaking of pain, I noticed that I was no longer sore everywhere in my body. Instead, I felt strong and energized. It's likely due to the adrenaline caused by a bear sniffing outside my resting place, but I wasn't going to think too much about it, considering there was a bear sniffing outside my shelter.

I reached my hand back into my hunting pack, looking for the dried jerky that I made for meals before I went hunting. I was a little surprised the bear couldn't smell the tantalizing meat, but didn't question it as it would now be my saving grace.

Quietly, I pulled out the meat and took it out of it's package. The bear outside started sniffing the air before turning it's broad head toward me. It sniffing inside the cave as the tiny black beads that were it's eyes gazed hungerly at my hand, holding the jerky. I had a good handful, so hopefully, if I threw it to the other side of the cave, it would be distracted enough for me to slip out.

I tossed the jerky to the far right side of the cave. The bear, bringing it's head to the ground, sniffed and started walking towards the scrumptious meat. Knowing not to get distracted, I picked up the mysterious pelt that I had claimed my own, and softly padded the left side of the cave until I reached the cave entrance before stepping out into the soft fluffy snow, my back turned outside so I had a constant eye on the bear.

Once I was far enough from the cave entrance and seeing the bear making no moves to leave, I let out the breath I had been holding ever since I woke up. I looked down into my arms at the thick pelt and decided it wouldn't hurt to keep it. I mean, who knew how long I'd be out in this freezing forest. Better have this to keep me warm than the failure of my own clothes, which I grimanced when I looked at them.

My clothes had a few rips in them, but I grimanced at the fact of how disgusting they were. I didn't realize it before, but now, looking at them, I realized I had soiled my pants. Now thinking about it, I probably hadn't done any business while conscious in the last two days. How disgusting I felt, but I didn't bring a change of clothes and I'd rather suffer in them than freeze without. The smell would help make sure every animal in a two mile radius ran from me and pretators to hunt me.

Just great…. I thought to myself as I wrapped the pelt like a coat around my shoulders. To my great pleasure, the pelt was actually a fur coat, and I took sweet, sweet bliss, putting my arms through the coat sleeves. I wrapped it around me fully and how wonderfully perfect it was. It reached all the way down to mid calf, leaving my boots showing and taking most of the snow damage. It had slip buttons in the front to close it up. This was a perfect fur coat. I'm thankful I took ownership of it and blissfully forgetting the fact that it appeared out of nowhere.

Digging my bare hands deep into the coats pockets, I let out a little gasp when I felt something hard and cold. I pulled out my hand, and my eyes widened at the sight of my great-grandfather's compass. I quickly opened it up to make sure it wasn't an illusion, but no. It was actually the compass, with the same engraving inside saying, "Every great adventure needs a compass for any journey he takes."

I held it up to the sky and said, "Thank god I found you!" I could actually get home now. For a second, though, I did look at it suspiciously, and then at the coat, because how on earth did the compass that I mysteriously lost get into this strang mysterious coat. I shrugged off the foreboding thoughts and opened my compass so I could find the right direction to go. It was pointing east to the southeast, so I made the dial point north to north west and headed in that direction, for that is where my home was.

Taking out my water flask, I drank half of what was in there, put it away, and gave myself a reminder to boil up some snow for fresh water later. I wasn't quite yet hungry due to the adrenaline I got from that bear, so I forewent eating my jerky. Also, I do not want to draw any more attention to myself from other wild animals.

Taking a quick glance up at the sky, I took note of the lighter colored clouds blanketing the sky, telling me it wasn't going to snow endlessly as I traveled today. That was a good thing. Meant I wouldn't get heavy with wet clothes from all the snow. I let out a happy sigh as I turned my head straight in the direction I wanted to go.

Resituating my new coat on my shoulders to lay more comfortably, I took my first step forward and then the next. I marched on with a new skip in my step. I rechecked the compass that I was going in the right direction and smiled in glee. A felt a strong new river coursing through my veins. I was finally going to get out of this godforsaken forest, and I wasn't going to die before then.

My legs kept up strong as I marched on, and I my chest breathed clear, without a sign of shortness. My, was this a good day. I avoided getting mauled by a bear, and I found my great-grandfather's compass. Snow wasn't going to be pouring endlessly from the sky, and I could make great distance without the extra weight of wet clothes. This was going to be a good day, indeed.