Page 1 of Once Upon A Bear

Chapter one

Guinevere

The leaves rustled in the forest beside her, and Guinevere’s heart stopped.

Whatever was making that noise was far bigger than the usual squirrel or bird.

Was it the bear?

She peered through the undergrowth, her eyes searching for the brown fur that she’d only glimpsed once or twice, even though she’d been searching for it for almost a year.

That was how long it had been since she’d heard about the unusual bear in the woods near Eldenwilde, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was a bear who needed her help.

They didn’t get unusual bears very often in the Northlands—or regular bears, for that matter.

After a moment of listening, she continued on. She was bringing a tincture to Linnea and Thea to give to one of their customers, and she didn’t want to be late.

It had been a few restless nights recently, and she wanted to be home and in bed well before dark so she could hopefully get a little more sleep.

Her dreams had been haunted by glimpses of brown fur and a feeling that if she didn’t help him, something would go terribly wrong.

But for now, she was making her way to town, and there was a swing in her step and cheer in her heart. She was going to take advantage of her trip into town and get a muffin at the café…or maybe a cinnamon roll.

She mulled over her options as she kept walking. None of the choices were bad ones. Thea and Linnea were both excellent bakers, and any day she could stop at the Cozy Cat Café and treat herself was a good one.

The trees thinned out in front of her, and she slowed her steps. If the bear was around, she didn’t want to spook it.

But then she glanced to her left, and her heart jumped into her throat, because there he was—the elusive bear—standing there staring at her, as if he hoped that if he were still enough, she wouldn’t notice him.

Perhaps she had surprised him just as much as he had surprised her.

“Hello,” she said quietly, taking a step closer to him.

His eyes were haunted.

The bear let out a quiet snort, so quiet she almost missed it.

“I want to help you,” she said softly, taking another step. “Will you let me help you?”

The bear let out a huff before saying, “As if anyone can help me,” turning and running away, crashing through the brush.

To someone who didn’t have the magical ability to understand animals, it would have sounded only like a bear’s roar, but she understood every word. And something about those words was distinctly human, despite the form he appeared in, and the fact that they were spoken in the bear’s language.

If anything, this encounter had only confirmed her suspicion.

The bear was actually a human, and he needed her help.

“You what?” Linnea shrieked as Guinevere recounted her early morning experience. “Why would you try to talk to a bear?”

Guinevere shot a glance meaningfully at Nathaniel, the café owner’s husband. “I don’t suppose we know anyone who has turned into an animal before,” she said.

Linnea’s eyes widened. “Oh. You think he’s that kind of animal?”

“I don’t know,” Guinevere said with a shrug, “but I think there’s something about him that is far too much like a human and not a bear. Most bears wouldn’t have spoken in words like that or sounded nearly so wistful.”

Linnea slid into the chair across from her with a squeal, setting down the teapot she held in her hands and leaning across the table conspiratorially. “So what does this mean?”

“It means I have to help him—I just have to figure out how. It’s not as if I can rub a salve on him and make it all better.”