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After, we dress and head outside. Russel promises to show me the forest a little more today. The day before, he goes to where he found me and retrieves my pack and my rifle. I have some more food there, trail mix, and a few protein bars. Miraculously, the other animals haven’t touched it.
I offer him a protein bar, and he grimaces and shakes his head. I laugh as I open the wrapping and bite into it. “Why don’t you eat anything other than meat?” I ask.
“I eat a lot of things,” he protests. “I eat berries and nuts and fish. I eat honey too.”
I giggle and say, “What are you, a bear?”
He looks at me, and the expression on his face is unreadable. My smile fades slightly, and I say, “I didn’t mean that as an insult. I like bears. Actually, black bears are my favorite animal.”
He perks up adorably when I say that. “Really?” he asks, as enthusiastically as a child discovering that she and her best friend have the same outfit.
“Really,” I say, “yours too?”
“You could say that, actually,” he replies oddly cryptic in tone.
I giggle and say, “Well, anyway, I’ve always loved bears. They’re beautiful and noble and strong, and I think they’re misunderstood.”
“How so?” he asks.
“Well, people have this image of bears as bloodthirsty killers that will attack anything in sight, but the reality is that most bears just attack when they feel threatened. Or, worse, people think bears are playful but essentially dumb performers. You know, I never had a teddy bear when I was a little girl. I had a bear stuffed animal but not a teddy. It was… um, I got it at the zoo and it looked like a real bear, not some cutesy thing in overalls that looked like a cartoon.” I smile. “Bears aren’t silly cartoons. They’re noble and they’re only violent if hunting or if threatened. When they must be violent, they eliminate the threat to themselves.”
“Really?” he asks.
I can’t tell if he’s teasing me or genuinely interested in what I’m saying. The odd thing is either way is fine with me. If he’s interested, it makes me feel warm and giggly and if he’s teasing, I feel warm and giggly, too. I guess I’m just completely hung up on this guy. I guess he can do nothing wrong. Sure, that probably makes me pretty damned silly but let me tell you something. I just don’t care. I don’t care about anything right now except this glorious mountain man. “Really,” I say, “and that extends to if the bear’s family, loved ones, if you will, are threatened.
He looks at me for a second and his eyes have a spark that’s thrilling to me. Then, he says, “Damn right,” and kisses me savagely.
This man is already larger than life to me. Getting turned on by me raving about bears sure as hell might mean that Russel has been specifically made by God just for me.
Russel
This girl.
I feel things with her I feel at no other time, and the reality of that is impossible for me to avoid. How can I possibly reconcile my entire life with how I feel right now? Solitude is sacred for a bear. There’s no other way to explain it. Sacred.
Shifters are not the same as natural black bears, but we’re not all that different either.
The solitary nature of natural black bears without young is a prominent aspect of their behavior and lifestyle. In fact, for ecologists, it makes them far easier to study and predict. While black bears are known to be highly social animals when they have cubs, with mothers typically raising their cubs for about two years, adult bears without young tend to spend most of their time alone. We are the same in that regard but even with young, we need time alone.
But I don’t want to be alone. I want to spend every second with Melody.
Shifter bears tend to favor evergreen forests, but natural black bears have a wide range of habitats, including forests, swamps, and mountains. Despite their solitary tendencies, they do interact with other bears during the breeding season or when searching for food sources. However, once the mating or feeding interactions are over, they return to their solitary ways. That’s no matter where they are. Swamp, forest, mountain, or elsewhere, they like to be alone.
We don’t even search for food sources together.
But I already know I will hunt with Melody again and this time, hunt for the game rather than protect others by putting a wounded predator out of its misery.
Ecologists say that the two primary reasons for this solitary nature is the need for personal space and resource competition. Black bears are opportunistic omnivores, consuming a varied diet that includes berries, nuts, insects, small mammals, and carrion. They have a keen sense of smell and can detect scents from several miles away. In areas with abundant food, such as during fruit or berry seasons, multiple bears may gather in close proximity. However, competition over limited resources can lead to conflicts, which ultimately drives the bear's solitary nature.
Yeah, I think that’s bullshit.
The need for personal space part is true, but there are conflicts in any species when there are limited resources. Hell, some human social scientists say every war is a war of resources, I think.
A big reason for bears’ solitary behavior is territoriality. Black bears are known to establish and defend their territories, which can range from a few square miles to tens of square miles. Within these territories, bears find shelter, food, and mates. It is essential for bears to have enough space to prevent competition and potential clashes with other bears. The solitary nature of black bears without young allows them to navigate their territory more efficiently as they search for food, forage, and secure mating opportunities.
That’s all probably true to an extent. I don’t know entirely, but I’ll tell you most bear shifters are alone for a much simpler reason. We want to be.
Of course, most people don’t realize that black bears have distinct personalities, which means a solitary nature can stem from individual preferences. Humans recognize that different dogs have their own personalities. They recognize that different horses do. They recognize that different cats do. For some reason, they tend to view undomesticated animals as almost monolithic when it comes to traits and desires.
