Chapter 1...The Bear

That damned bear!!!

The snow was coming down in torrents in this God forsaken Canadian backwoods wilderness, I could barely see two inches in front of me. One hand held the rifle, the other feeling my way forward.

Something soft collided with me. I felt the fur, the sinewy soft underbelly of the damnable and cunning bear. A rare white black bear, a spirit bear, invisible in the whiteness of the world around me. I tried to fire the rifle; it went flying. I was no match for the evil creature as it pounced upon me, sinking its claws deep into my flesh, ripping and tearing my body almost to shreds. The only way to save my life was to play dead and hope that it was not starving and desperate, for food was scarce at this time of the year.

It bellowed in triumph as I stopped fighting, lying still as death, hoping that mercifully, it had lost interest in me. It paused, sniffed the air and plodded away as my blood seeped out. I watched the snowflakes play with the leafless branches of the trees as they swayed beneath the weight of the snow, and my life substance painting the ground ruby red.

I thought of my son watching, waiting for me to return before nightfall. I had left him all alone, at sixteen years old, with uncouth, life hardened and cruel men. One who hated me.

I couldn't die this day. I had a reason to live.