Her Wild Bear by Heather West

from his grasp.
     
    “Poachers,” he growled ferociously, spinning around and darting deeper into the thicket and out of view. A minute later the numbness in his right arm ebbed, and he flexed to work more feeling back into it. And then it hurt.
     
    He crouched as he made his way briskly in a large circle around the hunter, at last positioning himself downwind. Once he was able to smell the man, he was easy to track.
     
    Matt peered around the large tree trunks, creeping near the intruder as quietly as possible. But as the man turned, Matt recognized him as the young man Tawny had been with at the fireside.
     
    Kyle spun and fired another round and Matt heard it whistle past him. Ducking behind a thick cedar, Matt fought to catch his breath.
     
    “Why are you shooting at me?” Matt called out. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
     
    Kyle was quiet for a second as he reloaded, then stepped toward the tree. “You were the one who came to the camp the other day, aren’t you?” he asked menacingly. “You said you were going to help find Tawny.”
     
    Matt felt sick. “Yes, that was me. And I swear I’m still trying to find her. I only want to help.”
     
    “Bullshit!” Kyle snapped. “I heard her in your cabin last night. I heard her screaming. By god, I’m going to see you dead!”
     
    Matt’s stomach twisted into knots, and he felt the blood drain from his face. “It’s not what you think, I swear.”
     
    “You swear a lot, don’t you?” Kyle sneered. “You’re lying. But what the hell — you kidnapped my girlfriend, so what’s a little lie between mortal enemies?”
     
    “I’m not hurting her! You have to believe me!” Matt pleaded.
     
    “I don’t have to believe anything you say,” Kyle spat. He moved around the tree where Matt was hiding, staying a safe distance away.
     
    Matt squirmed around the trunk, keeping out of Kyle’s sight. “We can go there now; I’ll show you. She’s fine. In fact, she’s happy.”
     
    “I’ve been waiting out here all night long,” Kyle gloated. “I’ve been waiting for you to be out here alone, far enough from Tawny that you can’t hurt her. I have you now, you sick, deranged mountain man. The only thing I’m going to do now is shoot you in the face and take Tawny home.”
     
    Matt ground his teeth angrily, the thought of letting Tawny leave ripping at his heart. “You don’t understand. I haven’t done anything to hurt her,” he growled. “Put your gun down, or you’re going to regret it.”
     
    Kyle laughed, still moving slowly around the tree as Matt kept to the opposite side.
     
    “I think you misunderstand your situation,” Kyle said. “The only thing I’m going to regret is killing you too quickly.”
     
    “Fine,” Matt muttered to himself as he slid his shirt over his head and pushed his pants down. He grabbed a thick stick from the mud and ran it through the sleeves of his shirt, in one side and out the other. In one quick movement, he thrust the shirt out past the edge of the tree trunk, holding it in the air with the stick like a flag.
     
    Another shot cracked through the morning quiet, and the shirt rustled as the bullet tore through it. Matt swung around the tree on the other side, not giving Kyle the chance to reload. He sprang at him, shifting partly into bear form mid-step, leaving himself a gruesome, gory mix of human and animal.
     
    Kyle screamed and dropped his gun as Matt pounced on him, swiftly pinning him to the ground. Matt dug his claws lightly into Kyle’s shoulders and glared at him with wicked eyes, drool dripping from his fangs and onto Kyle’s neck.
     
    Kyle’s face was a ghastly white, his eyes large as saucers. “No!” he pleaded. “No, please don’t kill me!”
     
    “You’re going to leave now,” Matt hissed. “You’re going to go home and leave us alone. Tawny is fine, and I have no intention of hurting her. What you heard last night isn’t what you think. I’ll be