Instincts

Osric peeks out from behind a tree at the moss' edge, examining the thicketbear. His eyes narrow.

Its head resting between its two massive paws, protruding slightly from the den. its deep green fur blends into the moss, the camouflage only blown by the slight sheen of its coat. Its stomach rises and falls with each deep breath as it sleeps.

Osric scratches his chin, watching. I think it might be hibernating. It is getting close to winter.

"This thing's a monster, not an animal," he whispers. "Meaning it can sense changes in the mana around it. If I start casting a spell, it might wake up. So I think we're better off using this."

He pulls out the wooden-hilted kitchen knife stuffed into his belt.

He glances to his left. "Alright, Elayne, I want you to—"

She's not there.

His head snaps back toward the bear. Elayne is tiptoeing through the moss, already halfway to it.

"What are you doing?" he hisses, trying not to break his whisper.

She doesn’t respond and keeps moving toward the bear. A faint snap echoes beneath her feet. Elayne looks down — she’s stepped on a twig.

The thicketbear’s eyes snap open and lock onto Elayne.

"Run!" Osric screams.

Elayne spins around, bolting toward the sea of trees. The bear lumbers to its feet, still seemingly dazed from its slumber. It takes only a few steps out of the hole before vines sprout from its back.

The vines shoot out at Elayne, easily wrapping around her. She's lifted into the air. The vines begin retracting into the bear's fur. Its jaw opens slowly, revealing pointed fangs dripping in saliva.

"Uhaaaah!" Elayne screams, squirming — but the vines only tighten.

Crap! What do I do? Shoot a fireball? I might burn down the whole forest! Osric bites his lip, forcing his mind to think faster. The chin-scratching isn't enough. Whatever — I have to do it.

He points his hand at the thicketbear.

He begins chanting. A fireball spins into existence in his palm.

"Divine wisdom, light this—"

The bear flicks its head toward him. Startled, he stops his incantation. The fireball disappears.

With the bear plodding toward him, Osric's about to restart his incantation again when he notices Elayne.

Held in the air by the bear's vines, she manages to reach a one just below her shoulder. She gnaws through it, shimmying her elbow, freeing her right arm.

Grabbing a handful of vines, she shoves them in her mouth. She snaps through them, freeing her upper body. With nothing holding her torso up, gravity takes over — she flips, now dangling upside down. Her legs still tied, Elayne tries to bend at the waist, straining her neck to chomp at the vines — but she can’t reach. She tries grabbing them, pulling them toward her mouth, but they’re too taut.

The bear, almost to the trees, stops. It looks up at Elayne, who’s slowly swinging. More vines pop out of its back, reaching for her.

"Elayne!" Osric shouts, grabbing at the knife in his belt again.

He tosses it to her. Her eyes follow as it flips through the air. Stretching an arm out, she grabs it by the blade.

With dribbles of blood landing on her face, she saws at the vines, freeing herself before the next wave can reach her.

She falls, bouncing off of the bear's back. Groaning in pain, her back slams into the mossy ground.

The bear growls. It lifts a paw. Thrusting downwards, it tries to pin her legs. Elayne rolls, dodging it. She hops to her feet, bolting toward Osric.

The bear, now galloping, follows.

She makes it to the trees, sprinting straight past Osric.

He follows, the two racing back the way they came. Behind them, thudding and crackling vibrate the forest floor behind them.

The bear’s wide body, too big to fit between two trees, gets stuck. It shakes and thrashes violently. Pushing forward with its hind legs, the smaller of the two trees begins to uproot, toppling toward them.

He grabs Elayne's arm, tossing her out of the way. He tries to leap to the side himself — but it's too late. The tree slams onto his leg, pinning him.

Crunch!

"Aaah!" he screams in pain, feeling and hearing his femur snap under the tree.

The drumming of bear's heavy gallop grows closer.

"Elayne!" he screams, looking around.

He can't find her.

He lets the muscles in his neck give out, his head sinking into dead leaves. Did she run away? That's what I would do. I mean, If I die, that collar around her neck breaks, and she's free, he thinks, closing his eyes.

Why do slave collars have such a glaring bug? He exhales deeply. The drumming shaking his body.

Shink!

The sharp, distinct sound of a blade stabbing. The galloping stops.

Osric opens his eyes. Elayne, on all fours, glares at the bear, her rear raised as she carefully maneuvers sideways. Taking long strides on the balls of her feet and the palms of her hands, she keeps herself in the bear’s line of sight. Her tail sticks straight out — no movement, taut as if pulled by an invisible string. Bearing her fangs, she growls.

Am I watching a dance? the thought pops into Osric’s mind as he struggles to process what he’s seeing.

Keeping a good distance from her, the bear circles her quietly. Osric notices the kitchen knife stuck deep in its left front leg.

This is my chance! he realizes. His arm feels like lead. Shakily, he raises it, trying to point it at the bear.

With his vision going blurry, he chants: "Divine wisdom, light this flame, ignis pila!"

A fireball appears in his palm — a small one, not much bigger than his head. It fires just as his arm gives out.

 His vision worsening, he sees the bright orange blob collide with the green one. In a flash of orange light, he can barely make out flames rising off the bear.

The bear lets out two guttural huffs. It spins, trying to look at its burning butt — Then with more huffing, It gives up, and gallops away.

Osric lets out a sigh of relief. His eyelids are too heavy, they close.

"Hrrnnngh!" The sound of Elayne's straining voice wakes him.

Bent at the knees, her hands under the log, she pulls, trying to lift it.

"There’s no way you can lift that. Grab a big stick or something and use it as a lever," Osric says.

"A lever?"

"Go find a big stick," he repeats.

She trots off.

Osric starts breathing deeply, trying to make the pain bearable.

Elayne returns, carrying a large, thick branch — taller than she is.

"Wedge it under the tree and push down!" he croaks between breaths.

She stabs the stick several times, digging it into the ground at an angle. Bracing herself, she pulls down on it.

“Uuugh!” Elayne lets out another straining grunt.

I don't think this is gonna work. I'm stuck, he thinks, grimacing through the pain.

To his surprise, the log lifts slightly off his leg.

He shimmies his leg out from under the tree — but the pain is too much. Everything goes black again.

>>>

Osric sniffs. This smell… I know this smell.

He opens his eyes. The only thing he can see is Elayne’s long, flowing dark hair. He’s on her back — she’s carrying him through the forest.

"I think it's time you take a bath again, Elayne."

She starts shaking him. Pain radiates from his broken leg.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! stop!"

He lifts his head as the sunlight grows brighter. They’re finally out of the forest. Elayne keeps going, heading down the dirt path.

"For a second there, I thought you’d abandoned me," he admits.

"Mama would get mad at me. She told me I have to help you."

"Right, of course," he says, resting his aching neck by leaning his head against hers.

"I can’t leave the person who saved my mama."

He can’t stop the smile spreading across his face, or the pangs in his chest.

"How did you manage to intimidate the thicketbear like that?" he asks.

"Like what?" she replies.

"You were down on all fours, growling at it — it looked scared."

"I don’t know. My body just did it."

Is that like her instincts kicking? he thinks, gazing out at the vast meadow beyond the path.

>>>

"Osric? Osric, where are you? Elayne?" Catalina's voice echoes.

Osric pops his head up. Down the path, just coming into view, Catalina frantically searches for them, her head swiveling as she bolts toward them.

Her head stops on them.

"Oh my goodness! What were you two doing? Are you all right?" she rushes over.

Kneeling down, she looks at Osric’s leg, swaying at mid-thigh.

"Oh, it’s broken! That must be so painful dear! We need to get you to the priest right away!"

She scoops him off Elayne’s back. Holding him in her arms, she sprints down the path, her breathing quickening.

"I told you not to go outside yesterday, didn’t I? There have been thicketbear sightings! Why would you go into the forest?" she yells between gasps.

She needs to calm down, an injury like this is nothing when you have healing magic. he thinks.

The jostling from running makes his leg hurt even more. He squints and grits his teeth as the pain intensifies.