"We will be. We'll tell you when we've left the area so you'll know we're okay."
"Good. Talk to you later."
Kendra put her phone away.
"Do you want to return to the other trail?" Grayson asked Kendra.
"I want to keep looking for the men. We might run into the sow before we find them. But I want to keep looking just in case we can steer them back to the other trail."
"I agree. Despite the premonition?"
"Yeah, it could be that it happens at some other time. Her premonitions are not complete. So we're on a trail in the forest, but it could be later when we're on another hike."
They continued to move along the trail, listening for any sounds of anyone in the woods, when Grayson suddenly stopped, grabbed Kendra's arm, and pulled her close. "A cub is over there in the blackberry shrub."
"Where's the mom? Crap, she's on the other side of the trail, and we're in between her and her cub."
"There's another cub out there, no two more."
The mother rose on her hind legs, which didn’t necessarily mean she was threatening them; she could just want a better view.
"Let's move back on the trail, out of the path. Don't turn your back on her, but just keep moving," Kendra said, her heart and his racing.
They moved as quickly as they could without running, praying once they were out of her way, she wouldn't believe they were a threat to the cubs. She bared her teeth at them and ran at them.
They continued to move away. The desire to run filled Kendra, but they kept putting the distance between them while Grayson pulled out the can of bear spray. She got hers ready too.
"Omigod, the men are behind the sow," Kendra said, as she finally saw them standing on the trail, not knowing what to do. "Go the other way. If you come this way, you'll be closer to the momma bear's cubs. Go! You should have paid attention to the ranger's warnings. It wasn't a suggestion but an order."
"Don't run," Grayson said to the men, sounding irritated with them. "Whatever you do. If you run and separate from each other, she'll go after both of you."
Her and Grayson's voices kept the sow's attention for now. But none of them were out of danger.
Kendra carefully called Patrick. "We've got a situation. The sow is coming after Grayson and me. We're away from the cubs, but she's still advancing. The two male hikers are behind her on the trail. If we move to get ourselves far enough away from her, I'm afraid she's going to go after the men."
"Okay, I'm not that far away from you now. I smell your scent and the men's. I’ll help to deter her from you, but the men may be on their own for now."
“She’s just bluffing for now, but we’re far enough away from her cubs that I think she’ll move on, unless she sees the other men. And they’re way too close to her cubs still,” Kendra said. Though wild bears could be unpredictable, she still could come after Grayson or her, too.
Grayson said to the men, “Move back. Don’t turn your back on the sow but get as far away from the cubs and her as you can, or you are dead meat.”
Kendra knew he was right. One of the men might get away, but possibly not.
She knew that a grizzly had taken off after a group of tourists on a hiking trail when they all went running off in the woods. The momma bear injured several of the tourists and killed one. They should have stayed together; they would have looked like a more formidable force. The tour guide should have told them they needed to stay together in case they ended up in that situation. Then again, maybe he did, and the tourists just panicked.
The men didn’t say a word. They looked terrified, but they needed to keep moving.
Kendra was sure they didn’t want to say a word and alert the sow that they were behind her.
But the sow could hear them even when walking back away from her. She was still concentrating on Grayson and her though.
Then they heard Patrick walking toward them, smelled his scent, and Kendra knew then that’s why the sow was still focused on them.
“What do you want us to do?” Grayson asked Patrick, not turning his head, keeping his focus on the bear.
Patrick joined them. “Keep moving away from her. Hopefully, she’ll take off with her cubs and ignore the other men, though I could wring their necks.”
“I know. They put everyone’s safety at risk, including the sow’s.”
