Darla looked up from the hunting pit and screamed in terror. Above her were at least seven Were-Bears, all in hybrid form. At least that's what she assumed they were. No one had told her that there really was other Were races out there. It made sense though, considering what she now knew was out there. Darla frantically searched for Aideen in the forest before her attention was jerked back to the Weres above her when one of them stepped forward. She found herself studying the one that stepped forward. It was a he obviously; the furred pouch kind of gave that "little" detail away. He has a wide furred face that looked incomplete, like most Werewolves in hybrid form. Though the bear muzzle made it look more incomplete than usual. It wasn't as long as a wolf's muzzle. His teeth looked shorter and thicker but just as sharp and wicked looking. The eyes were wider and mocha brown. Quickly looking at the others behind him, Darla could tell that all their eyes were brown, different shades and textures depending on the bear. She abruptly realized that he was talking to her.
"Why are you in that hole, little one? It is for catching wild bears and hunters, which you are neither," he said with a fatherly tone to his voice.
Darla nervously licked her dry lips, trying to think of how much to tell them. "I...I...I was just taking a walk to think. Then I tripped over something and here I am, in a stupid hole, bleeding. Will you help me out here and back to my friends? Or are you going to eat me?" she was horrified to realize that tears had started to leak out from beneath her lashes and down her cheeks.
"Oh, we will get you out of that stinking hole. As for eating you...you don't seem to be any condition for that, what with you bleeding all over the place. And my bear is too close to the surface, sweet human, from the smell of your blood for me to allow myself anywhere near such tender parts," he replied, losing the fatherly tone in favour of a deeper, sensual voice. "My name is Erik, and I will get you out of there. But you will not be returned to your friends. No, you, I will keep for myself. You are too delectable to let go."
Darla was at a loss for words. The arrogance and... and... gall of the man...bear...whatever he bloody well was, she thought to herself. Just as her brain was able to get a coherent sentence out of her mouth, he jumped down into the pit. Darla reared back only to find that the bone through her middle prevented her from going very far.
"I don't know who you think you are, but I am not going anywhere with you," she replied.
"And what will you do my dear? Sit in this hole, hoping that you bleed to death before the wild animals come and eat the flesh off of your body? I think not, sweet one," Erik shot back.
With that statement he leaned down, ignoring her attempts to back away, and wrapped his arms around her body. In one smooth motion that spoke of his strength, Erik pulled her off the spear-like bone and completely into his arms. Darla screamed from the pain and suddenness of his movements. As even more of her blood gushed out from her body, she lost consciousness.
The Were-Bear tore off her shirt and pressed it into the bleeding wound to preserve what little was left in her body. As he cradled her closer to his body, preparing to leap out of the pit and get her medical attention, he couldn't stop his bear from smelling her blood and he licked the blood that had spurted onto her face before he could push the bear back. She tasted so good to him and smelled so sweet beneath the stench of dirt and residual death from the pit.
Erik leapt out of the pit without jarring her wound to stand before the others from his family. He let them all see that this unexpected treasure was under his protection. I will give her a choice later, but right now there is no choice. I either claim her as mine or she will wake up to being raped by the young cubs. I hope she will forgive me this small conceit, he thought sadly to himself. He nodded to his family and they headed back to their den.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once again Darla found herself waking up in a strange place, with strange people watching her.
"OK, where am I now? And who do I talk to about getting out of here?" she asked the men and women that were watching her.
They seemed to be completely ignoring her, but just as she was about to open her mouth and ask again, less politely this time, the fur blanket next to her moved and the "man" Erik smiled up at her.
