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"Trouble ahead, Austin," he remarked, his eyes narrowing at the ominous sight. Without a word, they spurred their horses into a gallop, the urgency of the situation demanding swift action.
Austin felt the anxiety in him as he rode. Something was wrong. He just didn't know what it was yet. It frightened him more than he could say and even as the hooves of his horse pounded the earth, he knew they had to be very careful. Fires don't just start on such a cold morning and all the cattle along with the workers were on the other side of the property.
The rhythmic beat of hooves echoed in the vastness as they closed in on the source of the smoke. A low growl punctuated the air, capturing their attention. Suddenly, a massive brown bear emerged, blocking their path. Austin's horse, sensing danger, skidded to a stop, the bear a formidable obstacle.
"Hold on, Austin," Hayden called out, trying to calm the agitated horses. "Easy, boy. Easy. "
The bear, its fur bristling, issued a territorial warning, growling and standing on its legs with foam coming out of its mouth. Austin's horse, caught in the grip of fear, began to bolt. The bear, feeling threatened, lunged at the horse with a swift, powerful swipe of its paw. It missed and Austin felt the urgent need to shoot at the bear and that was when he saw the trap. Austin’s eyes went white as he tried to steer the horse away.
“Don't shoot. Don't shoot at it!”
“What the hell do you mean? It is attacking you.”
“Just trust me and don't shoot at it!” Austin yelled but his horse bolted again, and the bear charged at him.
"Hold steady, Austin!" Hayden yelled, reaching for his rifle.
“I said don't shoot!” Austin yelled at him but even he knew that if Hayden didn't shoot now, there was a probability that he would fall and damage something.
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Hayden aimed his rifle skyward and fired a warning shot. The bear, momentarily startled, turned its attention toward Hayden. "Easy now, big fella," Hayden muttered, his eyes locked with the bear's. But the wild creature, fueled by primal instincts, charged at Austin's horse once again. Austin had not yet fully regained control of his horse and this time it nearly threw him off.
With a heavy heart and a sense of impending danger, Hayden took aim and fired. The shot echoed through the landscape, and the bear crumpled to the ground. The urgency of the moment hung in the air as the dust settled. Austin seemed shocked as he looked at the body of the beast then he looked at Hayden who was breathing hard and staring at the body.
“That bear was wearing a tracker,” Austin muttered under his breath.
“What…what do you mean? I know it was under protection but…it was wearing a tracker?” He asked. Austin nodded then got off his horse. His legs still felt shaky, but they didn't matter. He pointed at the red tracker attached to the bear's foot.
“That bear is probably an online sensation, and do you know what will happen if they find out what you did?” He asked.
“You don't think this is…you don't think Kenneth did this, do you?”
Austin nodded slowly.
“This is exactly the sort of thing that he would do. When I said he likes to play dirty, this is what I meant.
“What will we do, then?” Hayden asked.
“We can't let this get out. There is no way we can prove that we were attacked, and the lawyer will twist it so far, we won't even know the truth from lies anymore and it happened to us. We have to bury the body and make sure we keep that tracker moving. If it hasn't moved for an hour during the day, they send a team to the last known location. Quickly now,” he said.
Silence descended, broken only by their movement and the crackling of the distant fire.
They rode together with the tracker while Austin tried to figure out what he was going to do. He definitely couldn't ride around forever. That was when he got an idea.
“Hey, come with me,” he said to Hayden and rode off.
It was evening by the time they were done and riding back. Hayden was quiet, his eyes far away like a man lost in thought. Austin had to whistle twice before he could respond.
“What are you thinking of?” He asked and Austin shook his head.
“I just…to think that he would go this far to take this place away from me is just despicable. I killed that bear today. I didn't wantto, and I didn't…he put me in a position where I would have to kill it.”
“Yes, yes he did.”
“I will never forgive this,” Hayden said. Austin started to speak then held back his words. He could understand. He could understand that very well.
They returned home and Austin walked directly to his truck.
“Where are you going?” Hayden asked.
