"Britt,” Jude said softly. "Look around. You're alive. You're doing pretty great at surviving, and you've even saved our lives a couple times. You're going to see your dad and brother again. I'd tell you that I'm going to see to it, but I don't have to. You're going to make sure you do all on your own. Because it's what you've been doing every step of the way."
I drew my fingers under my eyes, drying them. "If I had known things would turn out this way, I would have trained harder. I would have learned to take care of myself. But I guess that's the point, isn't it? You never know what you're going to have to face, so you'd better be prepared."
Jude looked ready to agree, when his eyes drifted from my face. And then he swore under his breath.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I heard the bear before I saw it.
Huffing and snorting, it pawed the ground only a few dozen yards away. In the moonlight, its bushy coat glistened with streaks of silver. Rising on its short, powerfully built hind legs, the grizzly sniffed the wind and angled its large head for a better look at us.
With a guttural growl, it dropped on all fours. Holding its ears back, it warned us we'd come too close. Swinging its head side to side, it snapped its teeth aggressively.
In my mind, I scanned every guidebook. Ever paragraph, sentence, caption, bullet point, and chapter summary on bear attacks. "Run back to camp,” Jude told me in a low, soft voice. "Put the fire between you and the bear and make a torch if you can. I'll yell and make noise to draw him away from you."
I grappled for his hand, squeezing his fingers to keep him by my side. "No,” I said in an equally low but trembling voice. Running triggers a grizzly to charge. Yelling triggers a grizzly to charge. I knew Jude was only trying to protect me, but his plan might get us both mauled or killed.
"Britt . . . ,” Jude warned.
"We're going to do what we're supposed to do."Stand still. Don't make eye contact. I licked my dry lips. "Back away slowly. Speak in a soft, nonthreatening-"
The grizzly charged. Woonng and snorting, it ran directly at us, muscles rippling beneath its satiny fur. My stomach cramped and my throat went dry. It was hard to gauge the bear's size in the dark, but it was definitely much larger than the wolverine, which now seemed like a harmless pet in comparison.
"Run,” Jude insisted sharply, shoving me away.
I squeezed his fingers tighter, pressing into him. My heart pounded so hard, I could feel blood swarming my legs. The grizzly rushed violently at us, its enormous paws kicking up snow.
With a loud bark, the grizzly made a bluff pass, but not before brushing my coat sleeve. The hairs on my scalp tingled as each bristle of fur scraped over the fabric. I shut my eyes, trying to erase the bear's bottomless black eyes.
"Turn around and face it,” I told Jude, barely audibly. Never turn your back on a bear.
The moment we turned, it charged again, huffing and growling, eyes locked on us. This time, it stopped abruptly in front of Jude. It jerked its snout around Jude's face, picking up the scent of him. I felt Jude's body stiffen beside me. His breath came in short pants, and his face had blanched.
The bear swung its paw, knocking Jude over. As Jude fell into the snow, I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Very slowly, I lowered myself beside him, flat on my stomach, and clasped my hands over the back of my neck. I hardly felt the snow that wormed down my collar and shoved up the wrists of my gloves. The cold was a remote worry. My mind throbbed with only one piercing thought: Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic.
The grizzly let out another roar. Unable to stop myself from peering upward, I saw fangs flash in the moonlight. The bear's wild, silvery-brown coat rippled as it stamped impatiently.
Protect your head, I thought at Jude, tucking my chin and hoping he mimicked the gesture.
The grizzly's nose nudged and inspected my slightly spread arms and legs. With a single powerful swat of its massive paw, the bear rolled me over.
"If I kick him, and run in the opposite direction to lure him away, will you run back to camp?" Jude asked softly.
"Please do what I ask,” I returned in a shaky voice. "I have a plan."
The grizzly roared, inches from my face. paralyzed, I lay there while its breath blasted me like a damp gust of wind. It bounded from side to side, lifting its head up at intervals, clearly agitated.
"Your plan isn't working,” Jude whispered.
"Dear God,” I murmured, so softly even Jude couldn't hear me, "just tell me what to do."
A bear might bluff-charge several times before retreating. Hold position.
The grizzly swung its massive body toward Jude, repeatedly crashing its front legs down in the snow, as if challenging Jude to engage. Jude lay motionless. The bear swiped its paw at Jude, further trying to intimidate him into action. Clamping its muzzle down on Jude's leg, the bear shook him, but the bite could not have been severe; Jude remained motionless and made no sound.
And then, miraculously, either growing bored or no longer perceiving us as a threat, the bear lumbered off, disappearing into the trees.
I raised my head cautiously, peering into the darkness where it had vanished. My whole body was shaking with fright. I wiped my hand across my cheek, realizing only now that it was wet with bear drool.
Jude dragged me up to my knees and into his arms. He cradled my head against his chest and I could hear the throb of his rapid heartbeat. "I was so scared he was going to attack you,” he said in my ear, his voice rough with emotion.
I slumped into him, suddenly exhausted. "I know you wanted me to run to keep me safe, but if you died, Jude, if something happened to you and I was left out here alone-" I choked off, unable to finish. The weight of that dark possibility seemed to press down, crushing me. The isolation and hopelessness, the sheer odds mounted against me . . .
"No, you were right,” Jude said huskily, squeezing me tighter. "You saved my life. We're a team. We're in this together." He laughed, a short, painful sound of relief. "It's you and me, Britt."
Back at camp, in the light of the fire, Jude rolled his jeans to his knee, revealing fresh blood.
"You're bleeding!" I exclaimed. "You need first aid. Do we have a first aid kit?"
He winced, reaching for his pack. "We've got moonshine and gauze. I'll be fine."
"What if it gets infected?"
He looked directly at me. "Then I won't be fine."
"You need medical attention." As soon as I said it, I realized how pointless a remark it was. Where were we going to find a hospital, let alone a doctor?