Grizzly Fury

“God,” Wendy said.

“Bethany,” Fargo said softly. “I’m afraid it’s just the three of us—” He got no further.

The girl’s face disappeared and racking sobs came out of the hole. “No, no, no, no, no.”

Wendy sat on a small boulder and leaned on his elephant gun. “I’ve never wanted to kill anything as much as I do this bloody beast.”

Fargo waited for Beth to cry herself out. It was a long wait. When all he heard were sniffles, he turned to the hole. “Bethany? You need to come out now.”

She didn’t respond.

“Please.”

“Go away,” Bethany said.

“Not without you. You can’t stay here by yourself. You’ll starve or the bear will get you.”

“I don’t care.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“Ma is gone. Abner’s gone. Thomas is gone.” Bethany mewed in despair. “I’m all alone.”

“There is Wendy and me. We’ll see to it that you get to town and we’ll find someone to look after you.”

“Who? There’s no one left but me.”

“Come on out.”

“No.”

Fargo sat back. He was trying to be patient with her but Brain Eater was out there somewhere. “Bethany, your ma wouldn’t want you to do this. She didn’t tell you to run so you could hide in a hole and die. She wanted you to live.”

“What’s the use?” the girl said plaintively.

“You die and there will be no one to remember your ma. How good she was. How much she cared for you. There will be no one to remember Abner and Thomas. Is that what you want?”

“I loved my ma.”

“And she loved you.”

“I loved my brothers too.”

Her face reappeared, her cheeks and chin wet from her crying. “You won’t let the bear kill me, will you? It tried and tried but couldn’t reach me.”

Fargo glanced at the crushed vegetation below. That explained the grizzly’s tantrum. “We’ll do all we can to protect you.” He spread his arms and smiled. “Please come out.”

Suddenly she was pressed to his chest and sobbing anew. She clung to him with her face in his shirt, her small frame racked by violent shaking.

Wendy coughed and looked away.

Fargo held her until she became quiet and still. “Beth?” he said softly.

She didn’t reply.

Fargo leaned down. Exhaustion and hunger and sorrow had taken their toll; she was sound asleep.

“I’ll be,” Wendy said.

“This changes everything.”

Wendy nodded. “We can’t very well go off after the bear with her to look after. We’ll have to take her to town and come back.” He sighed. “It could be weeks before we find the bear again.”

“It can’t be helped,” Fargo said.

“Any idea who you can leave her with?”

“There’s a church. Maybe the parson will know of someone.” Fargo carried her down the knoll. He had Wendy hold her while he mounted, then the Brit handed her up. She was so small that he could hold her in one arm.

“Look at her,” Wendy said, smiling. “The little angel.”

Fargo reined around.

“You know,” Wendy said as they rode. “Since we’re going back anyway, we might as well spend a few days resting up. I can have that bath. Is there anything you’d like to do?”

Fargo thought of Fanny. “Yes.”

“We’ll buy more supplies and return to the fray refreshed. What do you say?”

By then they had reached the meadow. Wisps of smoke rose from the embers of their fire. The third horse was where they had left it, grazing.

Behind the horse, just coming out of the trees, was Brain Eater.

The very instant that Fargo set eyes on the giant grizzly, she roared and charged. The sorrel burst into flight. For a split second only the picket pin slowed her. But that moment proved costly. The pin came out and the sorrel was in flight but the bear was on her. Iron jaws ripped her flank. A front paw caught her rear leg. The sorrel stumbled and the bear was on her. The horse squealed at the impact. Meat-eater and prey crashed to the ground. Frantic, the sorrel tried to rise but the bear’s maw closed on her throat.

Fargo’s Sharps was in his saddle scabbard and he couldn’t grab it with Bethany in his arm.

Wendy, though, snapped the elephant gun to his shoulder. He took careful aim, saying, “I’ve got you now, you ungodly brute.”

Brain Eater hadn’t noticed them yet. She was tearing and ripping at the sorrel. Blood spurted like rain, soaking the bear’s head and hump.

Tiny fingers clutched at Fargo’s buckskin shirt. Bethany was awake and frozen in terror.

Fargo wondered what Wendy was waiting for; he probably wanted to be sure of a kill shot. But if he took too long and the grizzly spotted them—

Brain Eater looked right at them and let out a loud woof of surprise. A chunk of horseflesh and hide hung from her mouth. Dropping it, she started over the horse toward them.

Wendy fired. The two-bore boomed and bucked, and so did his mount. He grabbed at the saddle to keep from being thrown and almost dropped the elephant gun.

Fargo’s gaze was glued to the bear. She had stopped as if she’d slammed into a wall. He thought the slug hit her in the chest but he couldn’t be sure. She looked down at herself and then at them. Roaring, she charged.