Chapter Eight – Kirk
Into the forest, we go! Kirk’s bear roared with delight.
I’m not sure who is more excited, you or Percy, Kirk said as he handed Percy a basket for whatever edible treasures they found.
Percy’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he clutched the basket. “Are we going on a real adventure now?”
“The realest kind,” Kirk promised, leading them toward the tree line where the cultivated land gave way to wilderness.
Now we’re talking! his bear practically sang. This is our element!
Kirk smiled to himself. The forest called to both of them in a way nothing else could.
“What kind of food will we find?” Percy asked, skipping alongside him.
“All sorts,” Kirk replied. “Wild herbs that taste better than anything in a store, berries sweeter than candy, and maybe even some mushrooms if we’re lucky.”
Isla followed a few steps behind, her pace more cautious than Percy’s. Kirk glanced back, catching her uncertain expression as she eyed the dense wall of trees ahead.
“It’s perfectly safe,” he assured her. “I know these woods like the back of my hand.”
“I trust you,” she said, and those three simple words meant more to him than anything they might find in the forest.
We’re winning her over, his bear said smugly.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, Kirk cautioned, even as hope flickered inside him.
I already am, his bear replied, dreaming of walking through this same trail with Isla and Percy on either side of him, their fingers buried in his fur.
They stepped beneath the towering pines, and immediately the world changed. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in golden shafts, dappling the forest floor. The temperature dropped several degrees, and the air grew richer, denser with the scent of pine needles and damp earth.
We’re home, his bear sighed contentedly.
Percy gasped beside him. “It smells different in here!”
“Good different or bad different?” Kirk asked, curious about the boy’s perception.
“Good, different,” Percy decided after a moment of serious consideration. “Like Christmas trees and rain and... and secret places.”
Kirk chuckled. “Secret places is exactly right.”
He chose the easiest path, one that wound between the massive trunks without much incline or rough ground. Percy’s legs were short, and Kirk didn’t want to exhaust him. More importantly, he wanted Isla to feel at ease here, to see the forest as welcoming rather than intimidating.
His bear, naturally, had other ideas. We could show them the ridge trail! The waterfall! The old bear den!
One step at a time, Kirk replied silently. Let’s not scare them off with a ten-mile hike on their first day.
Fine, his bear grumbled. But next time…
If there is a next time.
There will be a next time, his bear insisted with utter certainty.
Kirk felt the weight of Isla’s gaze on his back as they walked deeper into the forest. Here, among the wild things, he felt more himself than anywhere else. Except perhaps when he shifted, but that was a revelation for another day.
She’s watching how you move, his bear observed. Show her how at home we are here. Show her what a good provider you can be.
Kirk deliberately relaxed his shoulders, letting his steps fall into the natural rhythm he always found in the forest. Not rushing, not hesitating, simply moving with the easy rhythm the forest always gave him.
“Is this a treasure hunt?” Percy asked suddenly, peering into his empty basket with expectation.
Kirk glanced down at the boy’s eager face and smiled. “It absolutely is. The forest hides its treasures well, though. You have to know where to look.”
Percy’s eyes widened with delight. “Like a real-life video game!”
“Even better,” Kirk said, crouching down beside a small clearing just ahead. “Come see what I found.”
Percy darted over, Isla following more slowly behind him. Kirk pointed to a small patch of wild thyme growing between two rocks, its tiny leaves releasing their fragrance as the breeze stirred them.
“What is it?” Percy asked, kneeling beside Kirk.
“Wild thyme,” Kirk explained. “Smell it.”
He gently pinched a leaf between his fingers, releasing its aromatic oils, then held it under Percy’s nose. The boy inhaled deeply, his eyes growing round with surprise.
“It smells like the spaghetti sauce Mom makes!”
Kirk chuckled. “That’s probably because she uses thyme in it. This wild version has even more flavor than the kind you’d buy in a shop. Want to pick some for our basket?”
“Yes!” Percy reached for the plant, then hesitated, looking up at Kirk. “How do I do it without hurting it?”
Kirk hid a smile, charmed by the boy’s thoughtfulness. “That’s a great question. You want to pinch the stems, like this…” He demonstrated, carefully taking just a few sprigs from the plant. “Never take all of it. We leave plenty so it can keep growing.”
Percy nodded seriously, his small face intent with concentration as he mimicked Kirk’s movements. His fingers were clumsy compared to Kirk’s practiced ones, but he was gentle and careful.
Kirk’s first instinct was to help, to guide Percy’s hands more directly, but he held back. The boy needed to learn by doing, to feel the satisfaction of getting it right for himself. Besides, plants were resilient. A few broken stems wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
“Look, Mom!” Percy called, holding up his small handful of thyme. “I did it!”
“You did,” Isla agreed, stepping closer. “That was very gentle.”
Kirk glanced up and found her watching them, her expression soft with something he couldn’t quite name. Their eyes met, and for a moment, he wondered if he’d done something wrong. Was he overstepping by teaching her son? Should he have asked permission first?
But then she smiled, and the knot in his chest loosened.
“You’re good with him,” she whispered, echoing the words he’d said to her the day before.
Heat flushed Kirk’s cheeks. “He makes it easy. He’s curious about everything.”
“Like his mom,” Isla admitted with a small laugh. “I’ve always had too many questions.”
“There’s no such thing as too many questions in my book,” Kirk replied, standing up. He brushed the dirt from his knees and glanced ahead, spotting the berry patch he knew was coming up. His mouth quirked in a small smile as he considered how to handle it.
Tell them! his bear urged excitedly. Berries are the best part!
No, let’s make it more fun than that, Kirk countered.
As they continued along the path, Kirk deliberately slowed his pace, giving Percy time to explore. The boy darted from tree to tree, examining interesting rocks and fallen branches, occasionally asking questions about the things he found.
“Hey Percy,” Kirk called when they were about twenty feet from the berry patch, “do you see anything unusual up ahead? Something with color?”
Percy squinted in the direction Kirk was looking, his face scrunched in concentration. Kirk held his breath, hoping the boy would spot the blue-purple flash among the green.
“I don’t…” Percy began, then suddenly gasped. “Berries!” he shouted, pointing excitedly. “I see berries!”
Kirk couldn’t help but laugh at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Good eye! Let’s check them out.”
Percy raced ahead, stopping just short of the bushes laden with plump blueberries. Kirk followed quickly, not wanting the boy to eat anything before he’d confirmed it was safe.
“Are they the eating kind?” Percy asked, looking up at Kirk with wide eyes. “Or the poisonous kind?”
“Definitely the eating kind,” Kirk assured him, plucking one and holding it up. “These are wild blueberries. Smaller than the ones in stores, but much sweeter.”
“Can I try one?” Percy asked, practically vibrating with excitement.
“First, let’s check if they’re ripe,” Kirk said, showing Percy how to gently tug at a berry. “If it comes off easily, it’s ready to eat. If you have to pull hard, leave it to ripen more.”
Percy tested a berry, and his face brightened when it came away easily in his fingers. He popped it into his mouth, and delight spread across his face.
“Mom! Mom, you have to try these!” he called, waving Isla over urgently. “They taste like... like blueberry but with extra blue!”
Isla laughed, kneeling beside Percy. “Extra blue, huh? That’s quite a flavor.”
She accepted a berry from Percy’s outstretched palm and tasted it, her eyes widening slightly. “Wow. You’re right. These are incredible.”
Kirk watched them together, mother and son kneeling in a patch of sunlight, heads bent close as they picked berries.
Something fierce and protective rose in him so suddenly that he had to steady his breathing.
Filtered sunlight caught in Isla’s hair, while Percy’s small hands carefully chose the ripest berries for their basket.
They look right here, his bear murmured. Like they belong.
That’s the problem, Kirk thought as the realization hit him with unexpected force. He didn’t just want Isla and Percy to enjoy this afternoon in his forest or appreciate the wild treasures he was showing them.
He wanted them to stay. To belong here, with him, permanently.
The force of that feeling terrified him—not just because they’d only just met, but because it meant risking rejection. Of offering his heart, his home, his world… and having it turned away.
But it was already too late for caution. Isla was his mate. There would never be another. So he would have to risk it all.
All for love, his bear said.
“What else can we find?” Percy asked, looking up at Kirk with absolute trust.
“So much more,” Kirk promised, his voice slightly rough with emotion. “The forest has endless treasures if you know where to look.”
And apparently, so did his heart. Until Isla and Percy, he hadn’t known what it had been waiting for.