Bear pulled off onto a very familiar stretch of dirt road and then up to a small guard shack. He saw his Ranger friend waiting for him and he waved him forward. Bear made small talk until his tail could catch up, as soon as the Park Ranger saw them, his face blanched and looked at Bear. “It’s okay, they’re with me. You aren’t in any trouble”
That seemed to calm his friend a little, but he was still weary as he let the two vehicles pass. Bear lead the agents to a small camp ground and parked his car. He got out and pulled a cooler from his back seat and quickly put it on the lunch table. He made a point about not even acknowledging that the agents were there and went about his normal routine. He pulled a bottle of spring water from the cooler and took a large swig, held it in his mouth and felt the oxygen filter through his gills as it passed through, his beard becoming soaked instantly. With that, he took a gigantic gulp of what was left and then tossed the bottle in the nearest garbage can.
Bear took off his shirt and then his pants. He pulled on a pair of bright blue trunks; the blue was so electric that even the two agents in the car could see the color clearly. He wore them just so he would feel comfortable if he was ever caught. Swimming nude was better, but he always took precautions. He gave a stern wave to the car that housed Dean and Thomas, and then moved toward the water.
Bear could smell the fresh air, could smell the water, it smelled like home to him. He took a running leap and hit the icy water with all the force of a bolder raining down the mountain side. As soon as he was under, he took a giant gulp of water and felt his lungs fill with air. He never understood how his lungs worked with the gills, but he just knew they did. He didn’t want to understand it actually. The more he thought about it, the more he didn’t want to know how he came about being the way he was. He kicked his legs and dove deep under the glassy surface, his eyes almost immediately adjusting to the darkness. He couldn’t see like a normal person, the best way he could describe it was, he saw smells. The smell of the lake weed gave off a wavy bluish tint, fish gave off red waves, and the lake bed was a multitude of colors. He could navigate easily through everything as if he had flood lights on his shoulders.
He let himself get lost in the calm lake water, watching fish, snakes and all manner of lake creatures swim by him. Then right in front of him, he saw something he had never seen before. A fresh water turtle snapped up a decent sized fish! The water was flooded with fish blood, the sent pouring into his nostrils, flooding through his gills. He wanted to reach out and grab the bleeding fish; the scent was so strong and so inviting. It reminded him of the tastiest steak dinner he had ever had; he could feel his mouth water even under the water. Bear shot forward, as if on instinct, and snatched the fish right out of the mouth of the turtle. If the turtle’s expression was readable, it looked as if it was saying, “Hey, get your own!”
Bear couldn’t stop himself; he brought the raw and still wriggling fish to his mouth and took a large bite out of it. The taste was pure ecstasy, the flavors touched parts of his tongue he didn’t even know he had. He took a second bite and felt his stomach give a violent lurch. He let go of the now dead fish and raced for the surface. Once he breached the water, he heaved. Bits of raw fish and bone hit the water with a sickening splash.
Bear slowly moved his way back to shore and pulled himself out of the water, once he touched the soft gravel of the shore his stomach gave another heave and the rest of his meal landed nosily on the ground. He pushed himself to his knees and wiped his mouth just in time to hear the sounds of car doors closing. He looked up to see Dean and Thomas moving up to him quickly.
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