The Grizzly

98 9 1
                                    

Gilles, smelling the cheese and the sheep, his skin and clothes impregnated, it drove the bear crazy.

He had long since sniffed out the shepherd's passage and was determined to take action.

The shepherd scraped the sharp stones to reach the saving passage at full speed.

But the bear was agile and fast...

Behind him, the bear.

To his right, the path leading upwards and pastures, to his left, a steep path, from which most of the stones broke off and fell into the ravine below.

He took his courage in both hands and ran away without asking for the rest.

The Bear, having understood that it was a dead end, got up to frighten the unfortunate man even more, so that he would not be tempted to take the right-hand escape route.

The next moment it was too late to change his mind.

The bear had passed the alternative passage.

The ground being extremely damaged, he had to continue on all fours, tearing his skin on the sharp stones.

It was his last day, he thought to himself.

It was because of the wyverns that chased the bear around here.

Again and again their fault...

Gilles was crying as he climbed up the dead tree trunk, bleached by the years of rain that had once been used as a passageway. Was he going to give in under the weight of the bear?

That was his only plan, fear and panic preventing him from realizing his situation and thinking of a plan B.

The bear knew what he was doing by panicking his prey, not giving him time to think.

The bear knew what he was doing by panicking his prey, not giving him time to think

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Already they smelled like carnivore breath.

He started screaming and calling for help:

"Please, if there's anyone... ...come to my rescue!"

GROOAARR acted like a bear!

"Somebody, anything, even a dragon!!! PLEASE STAY TO STAY.

He backed up, fell backwards and pushed himself with his heels as he watched the bear cross the stronger trunk. But the trunk fell without the bear.

The bear was on the side of the shepherd now and if he didn't kill the man now, hunger would make him eat the human stuck with him on the headland first.

Putting himself under a small burst of water in a last effort to mask his smell and deceive the predator, the shepherd curled up, almost in a fetal position, to better resist the monster's fangs and claws, but it was a lost cause

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Putting himself under a small burst of water in a last effort to mask his smell and deceive the predator, the shepherd curled up, almost in a fetal position, to better resist the monster's fangs and claws, but it was a lost cause.

The bear advanced and yelled one last time at the man before closing its powerful jaws on the unfortunate man.

As the bear closed its teeth, a sheaf of blood was vomited on the shepherd.

The bear had just been impaled by my caudal sword. Instant death, he was caught in the void, ejected into the air and he fell back into my mouth and the shepherd could see the bear being bitten in half like chips in 2-3 bites.

But the shepherd was still stuck. If he wasn't found, he would starve to death. A trickle of water falling down, he wouldn't die of thirst.

Now the shepherd was afraid of me.

He had a great predator in front of him...

I then landed above the overhang, my head with its long neck reaching up to him and talking to him.

"Shepherd! You're out of danger. I mean you no harm!

Do you want me to help you?"

The shepherd cried out in terror. He couldn't realize it. The pressure was too great.

"Shepherd! I heard your cry for help. I want to taste your cheese."

Then I flew away and left the shepherd. Then I flew down to the valley to the lower pastures, chasing the scattered sheep to the sheepfold. Then I flew away and hid in the woods.

But Dirk, with his long pocket-eye view had seen me kill the bear, lean over to the shepherd and chase the sheep down, just as a dragon would do to chase away its prey except that I didn't kill any. He then walked up the path and saw that the passage had collapsed and the shepherd was trapped.

Dirk : "Gilles? Gilles, are you all right?"

Gilles: "The monster was there." I was so scared I heard voices... The monster was talking to me. A talking monster!!! That's impossible, isn't it? Lord Dirk!????"

The horseman didn't answer, so as not to make things worse.

Dirk finally threw the rope to the shepherd who tied it around his hips and Dirk pulled it so that he wouldn't fall into the ravine.

There were no more bear tracks. He had completely disappeared.

After a good hour of effort, knots and makeshift ties, the unfortunate man was able to come down and join his wife.

The reunion was warm and heartbreaking at the same time.

Even the dog celebrated.

Then with a good fire, good wine, bread, sausage and cheese, the four humans spent the night together.

Then the shepherd told the story of his adventure.

"Yes, the bear was as big as the mountain!"

Dirk: "Yes, it's true, I saw it with my long eyesight!"

Gilles: "Yes, it was terrible! Terrible! Then I called for help and it was all red. It was huge, the dragon..."

pause...

"Yes, he spoke, I think... But...it's not possible, is it? Lord???"

"My friend, just Dirk, this is your home, not the castle... A talking dragon!!! That's the first time...!!!!

And what did it say?"

"I heard your cry for help, and that he wanted to taste my cheese or hurt me..."

Dirk didn't really believe it, but he wanted to try something anyway.

"My friend, you know what we're going to do? "

Astonished, Gilles looked at his lord who was pensive.

Malika: "We should make a basket of cheese and put it on the headland to see if the dragon wants the cheese, that might be fun, no?"

Dirk: "Your recklessness may one day be your downfall!

It's a miracle that Gilles is alive! The dragon chose the bear over the human, but now you're the one who might end up in his stomach."

Pissed off, Malika almost betrayed me. "I wouldn't even..." She stopped, swallowed, then made up for it: "I don't think it's a bad beast! She could have attacked long ago.

Dirk: "You're lucky because they're just settling in... but when they're well, they'll be watching their hunting territory and people, game and cattle, everything will be there!

Malika was pouting.

"Then I'll go and carry the cheese by myself!"

Dirk: "Come on, be reasonable."

Gilles: "He saved my life... It's my turn to thank him!

Malika wanted to intervene but Dirk stopped her.

His wife went with him, not wanting to lose him or be separated.

Malika got excited, but Dirk held her by the wrist: "Let them go!"


JAWS (TOME 9 of the TIAMAT'S WARS SERIE)Where stories live. Discover now