Read Online Savage Hero by Cassie Edwards - Free Book Online Page B

bear.
    Brave Wolf grabbed an arrow from his quiver and quickly notched it to his bowstring.
    They traveled onward at a much slower gait until the bear came into sight a short distance away, straight ahead of them. Mary Beth froze with fear as Brave Wolf raised a hand in a silent command to stop.
    As everyone held still, the large bear lumberedpast them, oblivious to the fact that it was being observed.
    Mary Beth waited for Brave Wolf to shoot, and was surprised when he didn’t.
    â€œAren’t you going to kill it?” she whispered to him, hoping the bear would not hear her.
    â€œI never kill needlessly,” Brave Wolf replied softly. “The bear has not seen us. It is minding its business. So shall we mind ours.”
    â€œBut when it sees us, we will be his business,” Mary Beth argued. “We will be his meal, especially if you have this strange notion that you shouldn’t kill it.”
    â€œIf it becomes a threat, I will not hesitate to send an arrow into its heart,” Brave Wolf said, frowning at her. “But until he is a threat, be still and just watch.”
    â€œBut he doesn’t have to
see
us,” Mary Beth said. “Surely he can smell us.”
    â€œNot while the wind takes our smell away from him,” Brave Wolf said. “Relax. It is best that you let me do what must be done,
if
it is required.”
    Mary Beth nodded and swallowed hard, still gazing anxiously at the bear.
    Brave Wolf brought his horse closer to Mary Beth’s. “Do you see how the bear’s head is down?” he asked, having decided that if he explained things to her, she might understand better.
    Mary Beth nodded.
    â€œThat is an indication that he is looking for rodents and insects,” Brave Wolf said, again watching the bear. “See how he occasionally flips over a slabof rock? I imagine he is looking for ants to lick up.”
    â€œAnts?” Mary Beth said, shuddering. “How horrible.”
    She stiffened when the bear began walking toward them on all fours in a strange swaying motion, not looking forward but from side to side.
    Then the creature suddenly stopped.
    Mary Beth saw why. There were some remains of a dead deer partially hidden amid the tall grass.
    The bear rolled the carcass over, sniffed it, then began to dig a hole with its sharp claws and large paws. To Mary Beth’s surprise, it soon buried it find.
    The bear then used its large paws to scrape the dirt over the deer, totally covering it.
    â€œThe bear has buried his find to let it spoil for a while before coming back to feast upon it,” Brave Wolf explained.
    â€œTruly? It prefers spoiled meat over fresh?” Mary Beth said.
    Then she sighed with relief as the bear made a wide turn and sauntered away, soon hidden from view in the thickness of the trees.
    â€œWe must wait for the bear to get ahead of us before resuming our journey,” Brave Wolf said, watching intently for a possible return of the animal.
    Then, finally, they were able to move onward. After some miles they came to a wide, treeless plain, the last straight stretch of land they wouldtraverse before starting the climb into the mountains.
    Mary Beth now guessed that Brave Wolf had a set destination, for he seemed to know where he was going.
    She hoped he would reach it before too much longer. Only then could she see light at the end of her tunnel, for until Brave Wolf found his brother, she would be forced to travel with him, instead of being able to search for her son.
    â€œDavid,” she whispered, and his name caused that terrible ache to begin inside her heart anew.
    She was so afraid that she might never see him again. If only he had been fortunate enough to have been seen by a contingent of roaming cavalry and saved by them! She would continue thinking that, for only in doing so could she keep her sanity.
    She slumped in the saddle as they rode onward toward the mountain slope. Again she was feeling