The Viking's Mate Hunt

CHAPTER 158

The light and soft sound of a bird's morning song.

Warmth pricked on my cold skin, and the taste of the crisp morning air filled my mouth.

It was so foggy, like I dazed off in a thick haze. Slowly, the song's volume grew, the sun's golden fingers stretched further, and the grey mist cleared in my head.

The light and dancing sound of chirping birds- for a second, it was all there was. It was like a song, like music that left my heart feeling content and my shoulders relaxed.

I woke up with a smile.

I smiled even if the leather rope was uncomfortably tight around my waist, pressed and scraped against my stomach. I felt rested and happy. Falling asleep to the night sky decorated with stars and waking up to promises of a beautiful day had to be the perfect recipe I've been looking for my entire life. Despite how cold I felt when my limbs woke up, the gentle touch of the rising sun made it all feel fresh. It was okay; I was OK. A little cold doesn't bother me; in fact, right now, it feels like nothing can. In pitch darkness, the light gives hope. In the ice-cold winter, the early spring sun offers better times and warmer days. All the negatives in this natural world have a positive counterweight. Balance. It is a world in balance, and for the first time, I knew I could have this one day. My negatives will find a positive. My darkness will lure in a light. I have accepted this new world; I will accept the balance. Like life and death, karma, whatever you call it, I take it. This is where I will find the counterpart to my lost soul.

The delightful popping sound down my neck, shoulders, and back as I stretched my hands above my, let an army of goosebumps loose on my skin. Still squinting toward the bright, rising sun, I heard myself laugh. I am sitting here, tied to a tree in the middle of a jungle. I am all alone, cold, hungry, and, most likely, lost. But I can't remember waking up feeling better than right now! I can't remember feeling so good about myself. Waking up like this, without a doubt, grinding inside my head. Without feeling the stress pulling me in all directions. Feeling helpless, little, lost, and worthless. I felt light and free. Content and relaxed.

My body froze. Muscles, breathing, I even think my heart stopped for a second as a low growl pierced through my thick dream state bliss. Holding my breath, I listened, and a cold lightning bolt shot down my spine. Heavy steps, bushes, and twigs breaking. Grunts and mumbling growls. Rustling leaves, and there it was again: that rumbling grunt. Almost like a growl, deep and unsettling, especially now. My body felt stiff, all the content and bliss gone in a second. Left behind was a stiff, cold, and mechanical body. As carefully as I could, I looked down. Nothing, nobody. My pulse rushed through my veins, pumped through my ears, and I had to force myself to breathe deep and steady as my eyes scanned the forest ground. Nothing, then why did I feel so anxious? Because I still heard everything.

I didn't dare move my head, so I forced my eyes to the point it felt like I rolled them up and away into my skull. I looked as far to the sides as possible, but there was still nothing. But there was someone here; I could hear it. So clear, like it was... Fuck. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tree trunk like it was right below me. Deep breaths, deep and calm! My back ached, my ass felt like a numb, heavy stone riddled with pain after sitting on this cold wood all night. With the energy I had left after fighting against my heart that wanted to beat up my throat, I shifted gently to the side. Quiet. I have to stay quiet. Careful and quiet, I then leaned a little to the side, just enough for me to look past the branch I sat on.

Bear! Bears! Right beneath me, two massive bears stomped around. One rubbing against the tree, the other scraping the ground with its giant paws. The claws, so long they looked unnatural, scraped the top of the dry dirt off with ease so the beast could lean down and sniff it. Deep, almost manic sniffs. Like the bear was trying to inhale the entire world from just this one spot.

The massive tree moaned and moved when the giant beast pressed its weight against it. Like a bad dream, like a nightmare coming to life, the tree started swaying from one side to the other. I leaned back again, looking up towards the sky. The beautiful image I felt inside me only seconds ago, I wanted to shout and cry out my despair. The cruelty, I felt so betrayed. The gorgeous, calm, and comfortable I just felt in this light and stunning beauty it had tricked me and made a fool of me, luring me into the deathly trap of a fury killer on four legs. Bears, I've never met a bear. Not even back on earth. I never visited any zoo or park. I've seen pictures and movies, but never like this. I knew there were bears here, but I never met any. I never saw any, not even a trace of them being here at one point.

A little string of hope ignited, but it dimmed as fast as it lit. Bears, here they were, bear shifters, werebears, I guess? But then it hit me: that isn't necessarily a positive thing. Yes, a shifter, there would be a chance to speak to them. Explain, and all that, but that means they are human too. Humans suck. They are driven by greed, hatred, and cruelty. Mix that with the animal's feral reactions, and shifters would actually be the worst!

It felt like I was suffocating. My erratic heartbeats forced up my throat and claimed all room, refusing to let air down quickly. My nails dug into the hard bark, and my hands shook. No, no, not now! Desperately, I tried to get control of myself. Get control back over my trembling muscles while I pressed my eyes shut, refusing to cry. My lungs burned, my throat burned, and my eyes burned as warm, traitorous liquor pressed through. Tears spilled down over my cold cheeks as the tree swayed. The deep moaning inside the tree trunk turned to crackling sounds, breaking, and I swear I heard it snap. I didn't fall. The tree didn't break, and it didn't snap in two, not yet. However, the bear kept pressing all its weight against the poor tree. The movements were so big now that I had to wrap my feet around the branch, and in the spur of the moment, as I swayed from one side to the other, I looked down.

One bear pressed and rubbed against the massive tree while the other stared at me. Pitch black, round, and small eyes glued to me. They knew.