My poor friend had three people protesting her announcement, myself included.

  “I can handle walking!” I insisted.

  “And we can handle helping you!” Jin spoke up.

  “And Father says to watch over you and your friend most especially,” Dian added. The last announcement gave everyone pause and we all slowly turned to face him. Dian shrank back from the attention and shrugged. “What did I say?”

  Arian eyed him with a sharp look, at least a sharp one for my mild-mannered friend. “Why must we be watched over?”

  “There’s a rumor that a scouting party was spotted outside of the city earlier today,” Dian revealed as he pushed off from the door frame. “Father doesn’t want either of you going outside of the city without an escort.”

  “Then we shall remain within the confines of the city and will have no need of an escort,” she countered.

  “But many of the best views are outside the city,” Jin spoke up as he gave his male compatriot a pointed look.

  Dian bobbed his head. “He’s right! You can’t see the whole place without climbing above the cave cliffs!”

  Arian lifted her chin. “Then we will-”

  “Go immediately to the top of the cliffs with us as escort,” Jin finished for her as he looped an arm around her free one.

  Dian did the same to my other arm and nodded. “And we should hurry before it gets too dark to see anything!”

  The pair turned a sharp left and dragged us down the hall with Arian and me squished against one another. We stepped out the back door and were presented with a view of the narrow rear of the valley. The sun had begun its descent an hour earlier and long shadows stretched across the sparse woods. The stone toss field was empty and only a few birds flitted here and there, preparing for the coming night.

  A set of steps led off the wraparound porch and to the ground. The boys practically dragged us down, both with broad, proud grins on their faces.

  “Release us at once!” Arian demanded as she wriggled in her captor’s grasp.

  “Most certainly,” Jin replied as we hopped onto the grassy ground.

  The men began to transform the moment their feet touched the ground. Their clothes ripped off as their muscles expanded and fur sprouted all over their bodies. Jin and Dian tossed Arian and me, respectively, onto their backs. We instinctively clung to their coarse fur, one a mix of brown and black and the other purely brown, and I could feel the taut rippling muscles beneath my hands.

  Arian glared at the pair. “Do not dare-”

  Jin let out a humph to his cohort and the pair dashed forward, forcing us to cling to them or be thrown off. We were hauled through the woods and up the mountainside. A wide bear path wound its way up the steep incline toward the craggy peaks.

  I risked a glance over my shoulder and watched the valley become a distant, and small, memory. The houses spread out down the floodplain, soft white smoke billowing from their chimneys and people moving to and fro to finish the day’s errands. It looked so peaceful. So calm.

  So without what I was looking for.

  I know what you’re looking for.

  I rolled my eyes. Of course you do. You’re me.

  Then why won’t you admit it to yourself? the voice asked me. You know you never stop thinking about him. Just now you weren’t thinking about strong bear muscles, were you? You were thinking about something less hairy, right?

  I sank low against Dian’s back as the incline steepened. There was no denying what the voice told me. I hadn’t been thinking about Dian at all as I felt those muscles. There really was only one man I thought about and who gave me a twinge in my heart.

  A heavy sigh escaped me, one large enough to catch the attention of my vehicle. Dian slowed his pace enough to twist his head back. His bright yellow eyes showed his worry.

  I managed a smile and shook my head. “I’m fine. Just tired, I guess.” Tired, and a really bad liar.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He nodded his head in the direction of the city and, most importantly, the stately home of the bear clan leaders.

  I patted his shoulder. “I’ll be alright. Besides, we’ve gone this far and I want to see the view from up high.”

  Dian gave an affirmative nod and quickened his pace. Jin matched it and Arian growled at him. “You both will be the death of us! Could you not have waited until tomorrow to carry us up the hill?”

  The bears glanced at each other before they both shook their heads. Arian rolled her eyes but I had to shove my face into Dian’s fur to stifle my laugh.

  The pair toiled up the ever steeper mountainside and we had gone a good two miles before they turned leftward. A narrow curve in the otherwise steep cliff slope allowed them to crawl over rocky rubble and broken trees, remnants of some minor landslide, and up to a plateau above the sheer wall. The plain stretched for most of the length of the rock hill and was abutted on our right by a steep slope that ran up another half mile to the foggy tops of the mountain range. Bright green grass covered the ground and a few stubby flowers dotted the field. A small grove of trees provided shade but it wasn’t needed as the setting sun shone just above the horizon.

  However, the left was where our attention really lay. Our rides sauntered over to the edge and dropped onto their stomachs with such force that Arian and I were almost dismounted. I eased myself off my bear while Arian hopped off hers. I moved toward the precipice and my breath caught in my throat.

  The huge valley stretched out before me. Miles upon miles of the winding river away on my left and an expansive plain on my right, and tucked in between was the green home of the bears. The river sparkled in the last rays of the sun and torches illuminated the meandering streets of the city, creating a starry sky on the ground.

  I sat down with one foot dangling over and watched the last rays of the sun set behind the horizon. “Wow.”

  Dian sauntered up to me and plopped his bear butt on the grass beside me. His bright eyes studied the view before he turned his head to me. He used a clawed paw to gesture to the view.

  I smiled and nodded. “It was worth the ride. Thank you.”

  Arian and Jin joined us, and we watched as the stars above popped out one by one until a sea sparkled above us. I fell onto my back and admired those brilliant lights. A waning moon rose out of the opposite horizon and overshadowed the stars, bringing with it its own weak light that shone down on our little group.

  We admired the view for several minutes before a soft breeze blew down from the mountain at our backs. The wind brought with it all the chilliness of the high peaks and all the dampness of the impenetrable fog. I sat up and shivered.

  Arian was by my side in a moment and Dian climbed to his feet in alarm. “We should get you back home before you catch a cold.”

  “I’m fine,” I assured her even as I felt a twinge of exhaustion touch all the corners of my body. I wasn’t as fine as I wanted to be.

  Arian practically picked me off the ground. Another wind drifted over us, but this one was different. It came from down the valley in the direction of the barren feld. A strange sound rode its chilly air. It sounded like the mournful cry of a man.

  I froze and whipped my head around. “Did you hear that?”

  Arian blinked at me. “Hear what?”

  I drew myself out of her hold and moved toward the sound. With each step I heard it grow louder. “That sound. It sounds like-ah!”

  I had approached the precipice without noticing and my lead foot slipped on the edge. The world spun around me as I twisted around to save myself only to topple backward. My arms flailed, grasping for something that wasn’t there as I fell toward the abyss.

  A claw shot out and looped around my backside, drawing me away from danger. I couldn’t have been happier to be pressed against Dian’s warm chest. My heart pounded much faster and harder than his as he hugged me against him.

  Arian appeared at his side, her face an unhealthy ashen color. “Are you alright?”

  I nodded. “Y-yeah.”

  Arian grasped my shoulders and extracted me from her brother’s arms. “We must get you home.”

  Dian stooped and Arian helped me onto his back. She climbed aboard Jin and together we set off on the downhill climb. It was a little more unnerving than the uphill as now I could see exactly how steep of a hill we had followed. I also didn’t have a saddle to keep me from sliding across the smooth fur that covered Dian’s back.

  A yelp escaped me when I found myself sliding forward. I tightened my grip on his fur but my butt didn’t care, it kept pushing against my upper half and threatening to topple over over the front.

  “Pin your legs against his sides!” Arian shouted at me.

  Easier said than done. Dian wasn’t exactly a narrow-bodied bear. My legs couldn’t stretch that far so I was forced to use my heels and dig them into his ribs. He ‘humphed’ and twisted his head around to give me a disapproving glare.

  I sheepishly smiled and shrugged. “Sorry.”

  We finally reached the bottom and I couldn’t have been happier for level ground. The sweet scent of the woods surrounded us and the twinkling torches welcomed us as we reached the home. The pair of bears stooped and let us down.

  I slid off and my shaky legs almost collapsed beneath me. I grabbed hold of Dian and used him as support until my legs stopped squabbling with the rest of my body. He playfully nudged his head against me and his eyes twinkled with mischief.

  I patted his head before I pushed off from him. “Thanks for the ride. I’m sorry I don’t have a tip to give to you.”

  His eyes lit up and he drew his lips back as far as he could manage. The toothy grin was impressive and terrifying to behold.

  Arian marched up to us and snatched my hand while she offered her brother a hot glare. “Clean your mind and get some clothes on!” She dragged me away from the pair as the bears burst into chortling laughter. At least, I think it was laughter.