Chapter 12 #2
The can of bear spray from Monty. It was in the open side pocket of my backpack. I twisted my hand around, fumbling for it.
The bear observed me and, to my horror, began strolling my way.
I grasped the can and pointed it at the animal.
“I wouldn’t come closer if I were you,” I said with zero confidence.
Except the spray didn’t work. The trigger didn’t budge, no matter how hard I pressed it. What was I supposed to do now?
The bear paused, looked left and right, and sniffed again.
Heart pounding, I lifted my arms above my head and shouted.
“Buaaaaah! Aaaaargh!”
I must have sounded ridiculous. I jumped up and down like a clown.
“Go away! Huaaaa! Leave! Go!”
To my surprise, the beast listened. Chunky butt swaying, it walked off into the bushes. The sound of cracking branches and heavy stomps faded away.
I let out a bewildered laugh.
I made it. I scared off a bear. Look at me, mountaineering like a pro.
No way was I going further up, though. I’d had enough adventure for one day.
I turned around and—
“Fuck!”
Another one? It was twice as big! And brown.
I was going to puke.
Lie down, cover your head, and wait for Death to finish the job.
Except before I could pass out in my own vomit, this bear shrank right in front of my eyes. Limbs rearranging in a wildly disturbing way, fur disappearing, the animal transformed until a naked Monty straightened before me.
“Hiya,” he sang. He covered his groin with both hands. “Sorry about that. Didn’t bring an extra pair of undies.”
My heart stuttered and restarted.
“You scared the shit out of me!”
Monty adjusted the grip on his junk and pointed a finger at the bear spray in my hand. “The safety clip. You have to poke it away with your thumb.”
Oh. I’d forgotten about that.
“In case it wasn’t clear, I was busy panicking.”
With adrenaline still surging through my body, I took the scenic route from Monty’s immense shoulders, along the furry arrow over his round but firm stomach, and to his thick, sculpted thighs and calves.
And I now knew how fat that dick was when hard.
Montgomery Wolf looked like a snack, a dinner, and a dessert.
But then something clicked in my brain. I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Did you follow me?”
“Not from the start, no. I was at the grocery store and met Morris, and he said that Chickie had smelled a black bear in the woods behind the school this morning and was about to track it down and scare it off. Knowing you were headed on a hike, I got worried about you. I found the note you left and went to find you.”
My usual reaction to something like that would be to sulk, but I couldn’t be mad at him, could I?
“Good call, I guess.” I still sounded grumpy as hell. “I thought I managed to intimidate it, but I didn’t, did I?”
Monty squared his shoulders, his expression turning serious. “You were doing an outstanding job.”
“But it only left because you appeared.”
“Maybe.” He smiled sheepishly and hopped from foot to foot.
“Aren’t you freezing?”
“I’m good.”
“You can change back, it’s okay. I won’t freak out when I know it’s you.”
“You should come back, though. I’ll let Chickie know we’ve seen the bear up here. He’ll chase it off.”
“I was about to go down anyway. I’m done for today.”
Monty waggled his eyebrows. “Want a ride?”
Did he have a car somewhere close? The map didn’t show any roads around here. “How?”
“I’ll take you to the edge of town before I go find Chickie. Hop on.”
And he burst into fur. The giant bear turned his back to me and dropped on all fours. Then he wiggled his butt, his little tail swaying.
I let out a shuddering breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Monty, the grizzly, looked over his shoulder and winked.
So, I walked up to him and, holding on to lumps of fur on his neck, I climbed up. He was nearly as tall as a damned horse.
He let out a grunt that sounded strangely affirming and began walking down the path.
“Fuck me,” I muttered. “Bear riding is a thing?”
Monty’s barrel chest rumbled with a choppy growl. Was he laughing?
“I didn’t mean that kind of riding. I know that is a thing. I’m friends with Calvin, remember?”
Another rumbling laugh. His enormous body swayed with his heavy steps, rocking me, but nothing too bad. I could sit quite comfortably.
Look at me. I’m sitting on a giant grizzly. My cheeks hurt from grinning so wide.
The warmth from him radiated through my hiking pants and thin gloves, and I had to resist the temptation to lean forward, lie down on top of him, and soak up the heat.
Instead, I held on and enjoyed the scenery.
Like this, I saw the forest from a different angle, rows of trees like endless pathways crisscrossing the ground.
I ducked under a branch and locked gazes with a confused squirrel who held on to a tree trunk, staring at me from a few feet away.
I’m just as stunned as you are, buddy.
I could get used to this way of traveling, though. The view was excellent from up here, and my butt was cozy and warm.
Monty carried me to the first cabin on the edge of town. There, he shimmied, so I took the hint and slid off his back, my thighs suddenly chilly. I ruffled the fur behind his ear.
“Thanks, man. Best cab ride ever.”
Monty bumped his nose against the side of my face, and before I could react to what felt almost like a kiss on the cheek, he was off.
Damn, he was fast. How could that giant muscle machine run like a cheetah?
Still amazed by my adventure, I crossed the street, and my stomach growled. The sandwich and chocolate bar I’d wanted to eat at the viewpoint remained untouched in my backpack. I considered unwrapping them as I walked, but then I saw a sign on the sidewalk. Waffles and blueberry jam.
Deciding to brave the good folks of Beauville, I headed straight for the diner. When I walked in, even with the bell above the door screaming bloody murder, nobody blinked an eye.
A couple of shifters I remembered vaguely from the pub nodded at me in greeting, but other than that, everyone left me alone.
I ate my waffles and drank my coffee as if I were just anyone.
The experience was bizarre, absolutely fantastic, and a little suspicious.