I’m not sure who is more excited, you or Percy,Kirk said as he handed Percy a basket for whatever edible treasures they found.
Percy’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he clutched the basket. “Are we going on a real adventure now?”
“The realest kind,” Kirk promised, leading them toward the tree line where the cultivated land gave way to wilderness.
Now we’re talking!his bear practically sang.This is our element!
Kirk smiled to himself. The forest called to both of them in a way nothing else could.
“What kind of food will we find?” Percy asked, skipping alongside him.
“All sorts,” Kirk replied. “Wild herbs that taste better than anything in a store, berries sweeter than candy, and maybe even some mushrooms if we’re lucky.”
Isla followed a few steps behind, her pace more cautious than Percy’s. Kirk glanced back, catching her uncertain expression as she eyed the dense wall of trees ahead.
“It’s perfectly safe,” he assured her. “I know these woods like the back of my hand.”
“I trust you,” she said, and those three simple words meant more to him than anything they might find in the forest.
We’re winning her over,his bear said smugly.
Don’t get ahead of yourself,Kirk cautioned, even as hope flickered inside him.
I already am,his bear replied, dreaming of walking through this same trail with Isla and Percy on either side of him, their fingers buried in his fur.
They stepped beneath the towering pines, and immediately the world changed. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in golden shafts, dappling the forest floor. The temperature dropped several degrees, and the air grew richer, denser with the scent of pine needles and damp earth.
We’re home,his bear sighed contentedly.
Percy gasped beside him. “It smells different in here!”
“Good different or bad different?” Kirk asked, curious about the boy’s perception.
“Good, different,” Percy decided after a moment of serious consideration. “Like Christmas trees and rain and... and secret places.”
Kirk chuckled. “Secret places is exactly right.”
He chose the easiest path, one that wound between the massive trunks without much incline or rough ground. Percy’s legs were short, and Kirk didn’t want to exhaust him. More importantly, he wanted Isla to feel at ease here, to see the forest as welcoming rather than intimidating.
His bear, naturally, had other ideas.We could show them the ridge trail! The waterfall! The old bear den!
One step at a time,Kirk replied silently.Let’s not scare them off with a ten-mile hike on their first day.
Fine,his bear grumbled.But next time…
If there is a next time.
Therewillbe a next time,his bear insisted with utter certainty.
Kirk felt the weight of Isla’s gaze on his back as they walked deeper into the forest. Here, among the wild things, he felt more himself than anywhere else. Except perhaps when he shifted, but that was a revelation for another day.
She’s watching how you move,his bear observed.Show her how at home we are here. Show her what a good provider you can be.
Kirk deliberately relaxed his shoulders, letting his steps fall into the natural rhythm he always found in the forest. Not rushing, not hesitating, simply moving with the easy rhythm the forest always gave him.
“Is this a treasure hunt?” Percy asked suddenly, peering into his empty basket with expectation.
Kirk glanced down at the boy’s eager face and smiled. “It absolutely is. The forest hides its treasures well, though. You have to know where to look.”
