I was instantly put off by the thought, disgusted for even having it. Bear wouldn't do something like that. Even with his confusing attitude, I knew that much. Somebody with hands that kind, hands that healed and soothed and protected, wasn't capable of such cruelty.
The next time Bear came over to apply a new layer of healing herbs, I mustered up the courage to ask him.
"Hey. How many days has it been since I've been here?"
Bear wiped the last of the poultice on my skin before replying, "Two days."
How had only two days passed? It felt like so much longer, but also like my run in with the mountain lion only happened a few hours ago. I remembered the first night, but not the second.
As if reading my thoughts, Bear signed, "Don't be alarmed. You've been sleeping a lot. That's good."
I nodded, though I was still dazed. Maybe the injuries were worse than I thought and were making me delirious.
I glanced down at my sides. The parallel lines were scabbed over in an ugly shade of brown. It looked rough, but at least they weren't pouring blood anymore. Bear's poultices were working.
Bear met my eye. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm okay. I'm just thinking about my family."
Bear's expression took on that hard edge it always did when I brought them up, but I didn't want to lie to him. The truth was that I was confused as fuck as to why nobody had come looking for me yet, especially since I stormed off in such a huff. It wasn't like them to ignore any opportunity to stick their nose in my business.
Bear’s face softened, as if he'd forced himself to calm down. "They should be trying to find you."
He phrased it like a statement, not a question. He must've realized how much they cared about me, how important we were to each other.
"Yeah," I said.
Bear zoned out for a moment. "I'm sure they'll come soon." He frowned seriously. "But please don't leave the hollow alone. That mountain lion's den is around here and she'll smell out an injured deer in no time."
I knew he was right. Despite my progress, I was in no condition to go anywhere, let alone tiptoe my way through a forest teaming with predators who wanted to eat me.
But what if I wasn't alone? What if Bear came with me?
The idea popped into my head so suddenly that I wondered why I hadn't thought of it before.
"What if we went together?" I asked.
Bear looked confused."Together where?"
"Well, back to my family."
Isn't that what Bear wanted? For me to go back home and let him get back to his own life?
A shadow fell over Bear’s face. It was like I'd flicked a switch, completely shutting him down.
His gestures were hard and fast."You want to go? Okay."He stood and offered me a hand. He wasn't being aggressive at all, but I sensed the cold stiffness emanating from him.
"I thought you wanted me to leave," I said, baffled at his sudden change in demeanour.
Bear blinked as if he got an electric jolt. He shook his head. "Where did you get that idea?"
Both of us stared at each other in mutual confusion. I got the sense we had a big misunderstanding somewhere along the line.
"You seem distracted, and you keep looking out of the hollow like you'd rather be somewhere else," I said. "And I mean, you didn't sign up to be my caretaker. It's not your fault I got hurt, so it's not your responsibility to heal me."
Flustered, Bear began to sign. He kept starting and stopping halfway into statements, as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to say, then threw his hands to his sides. He growled in frustration and paced.
"It's not you," he finally signed. "There's something I have to do, but it can wait until you're better."
