The Virus Within: Secrets Unraveled (Book 5)

Ch 22: Bear Hunt

Most bears kept their young with them, but sometimes they sent them up a tree and left for hours on end. Just because I couldn't smell any cubs, that didn't mean she didn't have any. I'd have to get closer to tell if she'd been in contact with them lately or if she had lost them earlier in the season.

I crept through the underbrush as I heard rustling ahead and a quiet ursine grunt. Taking care to remain downwind, I peered through the foliage. The bear's dull black fur was mangled in several places, accompanied by a couple of half-healed bites, one of which affected her hind leg and made her limp.

She had definitely been in a hard fight, possibly against a male that had killed her cubs. The wounds were several weeks old, and a quick check of the air confirmed that she hadn't been in contact with any other bears or cubs since then. I narrowed my eyes at the broken shaft of an arrow sticking out above her shoulder, lodged into a spot the bear couldn't quite reach.

I slipped closer as the bear tore a rotting log apart in search of insects and grubs. She was so preoccupied she didn't even notice when I lunged for the back of her neck. A crack was followed by the sound of her body slumping on top of the grass and log fragments.

"Jax! Wren! Over here," I shouted, hoping my words were loud enough for them to hear. My proximity call would probably confuse them and might make Regan think I was calling him.

While waiting, I dragged the bear over to a large tree and hoisted it into the air. I was securing the end of the rope when I heard the dune buggy pushing its way through the undergrowth.

"Over here," I called, helping Wren pinpoint my exact location.

Soon enough, the dune buggy stopped nearby, and Jax and Wren came over with a pail and three cups.

"Oh, it's bigger than I realized," Wren said, coming forward eagerly.

I took the bucket from her and set it on the ground, steadying the swaying carcass as I slit its throat.

When Jax handed the third cup to me, I shook my head. "Thanks, but the sun is in the sky."

"We're going to have to start postponing these hunts until night," he muttered as Wren put her cup under the red liquid trickling into the bucket.

I smirked. "There are more bears around, and I'll probably go after one tonight since I didn't hunt yesterday."

He frowned. "Are you sure you don't want any? We can share. Nicky also gave us a bunch of food this morning if you want some. You probably haven't had time to eat since you came back."

"The controlex might remove the desire for human blood, but it also makes regular food unappealing," I said, hoping a bit of education might stifle his concern about me starving to death. "It makes zombies hunt a bit more, but I'm quite capable of hunting for myself, and if I do run short, I know where your traps are."

The last part was an empty promise. If wildlife was so scarce that I had to raid their live traps, there would be no animals around to get caught. The only other scenario would be if I got too injured to hunt, and if that happened, I was quite certain Daniel would make sure I was well supplied until he found me a few live traps of my own.

Jax didn't seem entirely convinced, but after checking my scent, he let the subject drop. Wren's cup was half-full, so she moved away to let Jax have a turn.

"This is good," Wren murmured, savoring the taste.

"I'll be back in a bit," I said as I wandered into the underbrush. Disappearing for fifteen minutes or so would give them time to finish their meal in peace.

~

If I thought the guards gave me strange looks when I carried the cougar in, I set a whole new standard when I packed the large bear carcass through the gates.