The Bear.

The moon was poised high on that night. The breeze was cold enough to grasp onto your bones and hold them in place, keeping you still until you went mad; until it was unbearable. If it weren't for the pale moonlight that sprawled its fingers through the brush of trees, or the stars that so eagerly pried through the branches to reach the ground, the all-consuming fog would have drowned out the moon’s entire florescence, engulfing the world with darkness. Even so, in the ghostly stillness of the straying light, the path on the ground was near impossible to make out. But surely it was there. Just like everything else that stood silent just beyond sight, through the thick walls of the dark night. Nora stormed down the sparsely visible pathway, her steps light, her feet hitting the cobble stone in a faint whisper. The only sound that was dare noted was the soft shattering of the remaining leaves from the recently gone autumn. A far-off sound of a branch snapping caused Nora to stop. Her pointed ears hoisted themselves subtly, catching the noise, holding it, and then she was off. Her naked feet seemed to know with some forward knowledge where every crack and crevice would be, and avoided it with complete and utter gracefulness.

Suddenly, out of the darkened world, a shadowy bear stepped out. Nora stopped so abruptly, she all but collided with the creature. Squeezing her eyes shut and reopening them, her eyes refocused. Her heart sunk with the sudden realization of her closeness to the bear. She stood frozen, face to face with the gorgeous beast, her breath coming heavily. In the bear’s somber eyes, she could just make out her reflection. In the dull moonlight, Nora’s chest rose softly with each breath, her pastel lips parted ever so slightly. The depth of her auburn hair framed her pale face beautifully. Her cold, sapphire-gray eyes were constantly aware of anything, but seemed to avoid everything, as if her insecurities consumed her. But something about her curved, slim posture " the way she stood so tall; her modest confidence shone through her " and every ounce of her, from her soft and gentle lips, to the fragility of her frail hands, it was irresistible. She was astonishingly breathtaking in every possible way.

With silent, everlasting strides, the bear walked away. But his eyes lingered on hers, the eeriness of his mindless concentration sending a small quiver down Nora’s spine. She swallowed hard, biting her lip to keep from calling out. But what she wasn't sure of was why. She wasn't afraid. Intimidated by the boldness and obvious strength, perhaps. But she was by no means confining any fear of the creature. It was more of a curiosity. A need for a different outcome.  He hadn't touched her. He hadn't harmed her in any sense. And this had her impossibly intrigued. It was a bear’s nature to attack; to hunt; to protect. A woman within that proximity would leave the beast vulnerable. And no sane animal would allow for that. Finally the bear had submerged itself in the darkness, but its eyes had never parted from hers. She wondered if it still watched her from just beyond the reach of the light, silently pondering the chance to lunge out of the shadows, to devour her and erase her very existence. But she knew, in the depths of her mind she knew, it had gone on its way.

Still shaken up by the immensely heavy feeling the bear had left behind, Nora took a step forward. Realizing there was little light, if any, beyond the point where she stood, she took a deep breath and began running again. This time though, her thoughts were not on her movements and her capability when it came to propelling herself gradually forward with mock speed. Her thoughts wandered after the bear she had just seen. The way its eyes took in every ounce of her. The way they seemed just as astounded by her perfection as she was his. But more so, they seemed to strip down past her clothing, past her skin. In the brief moment he looked into her eyes, she knew how it felt to be truly naked. To bare yourself physically is one thing, but to be transparent emotionally in someone’s perspective " it’s near mortifying.

Arriving at the edge of the fog, reaching a point outside the choking darkness, Nora took a deep breath, not realizing how claustrophobic she had been only moments ago in the total blackness. She shut her eyes for a while, taking one more glance back into the moment she had with the most gorgeous bear she’d ever gazed upon.