Beastly Little Boy

Chapter 6

Bernard's movements became increasingly sluggish as winter approached. After spending days expanding his den, he struggled to stay awake. Thankfully, he stayed focused on the strenuous work of prying rocks loose and sending them rolling down the hill.

While the small stones were easy to handle, the larger rocks proved to be much more challenging to deal with. Many of them were packed tightly together, leaving only thin cracks for Bernard to stick his claws into. Dislodging them was by far the most difficult part of the endeavor. Even after widening the entrance to the cave to the point where his shoulders wouldn't get stuck, Bernard had a tough time clearing out the largest rocks at the very back of the den.

As the sun shined through a gap in the clouds overhead, he marched toward his final obstacle. Bernard's head lightly brushed against the ceiling of the den, forcing him to crouch down. He hadn't had the chance to expand the entire den to a more suitable height yet. Once he made sure his shelter was large enough to hibernate in, he'd work on making it roomier if he had time to spare.

Although he was far from comfortable, Bernard still had enough room to try to pry the rocks from the back wall. Before beginning in earnest, he lightly clawed at the rocks surrounding a fairly large crack in the formidable wall of stone to check their stability. They barely budged as his claws clicked against them. Although this signaled a need for more intense work, Bernard was relieved.

Earlier on in the expansion process, he had accidentally loosened some of the rocks overhead. Stones had showered down on him until he had felt bruises forming all over his back. It had taken the rest of the day to clear away the freshly fallen debris, leaving him gasping for breath with little to show for it. Who was to say the next accident wouldn't be worse?

Satisfied that the wall was stable, Bernard stuck as much of his paw as he could into the crack. Firmly bracing his other paws, Bernard yanked at one of the less massive rocks. He successfully jammed his claws behind it, but it only shifted slightly before refusing to move another millimeter.

Bernard tugged at the rock with all his might until he managed to pry it halfway out of the den's wall. Pulling his paw out to reposition his claws, he winced as he scraped his paw pad. Blood trickled out of the wound as the irritated skin around it ached along with his claws. Bernard licked the dust from his paw before going outside and thrusting it into the snow. The cold numbed the pain, but his paw pad remained tender.

Deciding to take a break, Bernard searched for his lunch. Paw prints from various species dotted the otherwise pristine snow. Perhaps one of these trails would lead him to a food source. After all, other animals had to eat too. He had to choose wisely. The constantly falling snow would hide all traces of these shallow trails by the time he finished following one of them.

After examining the different types of paw prints and sniffing each trail, Bernard trotted down the freshest smelling one. Its paw prints vaguely reminded him of those of a dog except the animal's toes seemed to spread apart more when it walked. The musky smell that lingered around them invigorated Bernard. Despite his soreness, it felt amazing to stretch his legs and pursue a short-term goal for a change.

Minutes before the falling snow hid the winding trail, Bernard detected the faint smell of meat beneath the snow. He dug toward its source until he revealed the animal's secret cache: some rabbits, a few lemmings, and a handful of unidentifiable chunks of meat that carried the faint smell of another bear. The cold meat tasted fine when Bernard gave it an experimental lick.

Bernard gulped down what he assumed was the scavenged remains of another bear's kill, barely tasting the meat as it flew down his throat. He stared at the rabbits and lemmings in the hole. What he had just eaten had been stolen. Whoever had stored this feast hadn't rightfully earned that meat. These rabbits and lemmings were another story. Was it okay to take them too, or would eating them be just as bad as what the cache's owner had done?

Scanning the horizon, Bernard didn't see any sign of the animal. He doubted it would return to its stash now that his scent was all over the area, and it would be a shame to let the meat it had gathered go to waste. Besides, that creature seemed resourceful. Since it had been smart enough to make one stash, there was no telling how many others it had.

"Sorry," Bernard whispered before devouring the rabbits. They tasted dry and stringy. The lemmings were little better. It served him right for stealing.

With renewed energy and a full stomach, Bernard returned to the den and got back to working on the stone, grunting with effort as he struggled to free it. Just when he was about ready to try his luck in another spot, the stone popped free of the wall and fell to the floor of the den. Bernard shoved it outside, sending it clattering down the hill as he turned back to the wall.

He spent hours working on the other stones surrounding the crack, occasionally pausing to catch his breath. By the time he finished off that layer, Bernard's sides were heaving. Before he got the chance to lie down, he caught a whiff of the musky scent from earlier. It was growing stronger by the second.

Bernard turned to face the entrance of his den as a wolverine ran toward it.

The dog-sized carnivore rushed past Bernard and began sniffing around the back of the den. When Bernard turned to face it, it bared its teeth and met his stare. "I did not expand this den just for someone to take it from me," said Bernard. His hackles rose. "Get out of here before I make you!" He growled at the intruder.

The wolverine launched itself at Bernard's leg, sinking its teeth into his flesh. Bernard screamed and tried to shake his attacker off. Letting go, the wolverine sprang for Bernard's neck. He swung his head down and grabbed his attacker in his jaws. Claws slashed at his face as he shook his head. Finally, he threw the screaming creature outside.

The wolverine snarled at him before fleeing. Its blood left a trail in the snow as it ran.

Bernard dragged himself outside to put snow on his injured leg and spat out a bloody chunk of brown fur. After going back inside, gagging at the stench the wolverine had left behind, he immediately collapsed onto the floor and curled into a ball. He struggled to catch his breath as his exhaustion caught up with him. Every single muscle in his forelimbs hurt. The cuts on his face stung.

Nonetheless, Bernard found himself grinning. For once, he had been able to stand up for himself. Nobody could take that from him.

Yawning, Bernard allowed his eyelids to droop closed. The stone floor felt strangely comforting as he rested. Memories that weren't his own flowed into Bernard's mind as he the coolness of the stone floor lulled him to sleep.