Winds Of Fate and Change.

Aftermath.

Perina and I cleaned up and stacked a large pile of branches and logs before lighting it on fire with dry grass.

Before the flames grew too high, we threw the bodies of the dead on top of it.

The people who'd claimed to be slaves helped.

"What shall we do now, sir?" One asked.

I was about to tell them to leave for the area that they came from.

"You can come with us, if you'll prove loyal.

Otherwise, you will die like them." Perina said, pointing to the now roaring fire.

"We'll do everything we can for you, whether or not we might die." He said.

"Then, you'll stop acting like slaves and start taking life more seriously." My father said, startling them.

He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud roar.

We turned to see a bear charging toward us and my body just took over.

I ran toward the massive beast with murderous intent, despite my family shouting for me to run away.

Jumping, I went over the bear and landed on its back.

I pulled my shotgun and put two rounds between it's shoulder blades.

If one of the rounds hadn't gone between the vertebrae, I don't know what would have happened.

It was a simple fortunate circumstance and I can't imagine a better outcome.

My father ran over to me and shouted.

"Do you realize what you did?" He held his arms out.

"I killed the bear." I said.

"You just jumped more than seventy feet up and landed on top of an animal that people were terrified of when they were still smaller than that SUV!

Son. They were difficult enough to kill, then. What you did should have been impossible!" He shouted as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Dad... I'm sorry for scaring you."

"IMBICIL!" Perina shrieked and pinned me to the ground.

"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should!

Tell me, Carl.

What are you going to do with that bear's carcass?

You can't leave it laying there to putrify.

Also, if you scare me like that again, I'll injure you and leave you in bed to heal on your own!" She was actively trying to disguise how terrified she was.

I stepped toward her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, love. It won't happen again." I said softly.

She hugged me back and I felt her tears hit my back.

"Seriously, though.

We need to figure out what to do with that bear." She said.

My dad smiled.

"Most of that thing will go to waste, but, leather and fur are invaluable.

Son. I need you to prepare a runner line high enough to keep the skin off of the ground and out of reach of other animals.

You three. Uh... what are your names?"

"I'm Dog." One said.

The woman stepped forward.