Zootopia Adventures

The Stranger III: The Encounter

"Sounds fun, what sort of prank are you thinking of?" He exclaimed eagerly.

"Maybe we could splash water on them or something," I proposed.

"Damn, you sure are scheming!" Darren commended, nodding in agreement to the vicious plan that I had half-heartedly devised.

We continued down the narrowing road, to a point in time where we had to trek in a single file as nature was eating its way ferociously into the sides of the walkway. Scrawny branches of close hugging trees scraped against our clothes joined by strands of wild tallgrass whipping and lashing out at our legs. Up above, vines hung from tree to tree like venomous alien snakes waiting to hunt. Each and every concise step we took were accompanied by the soft sharp crunches and crackles of dead leaves and grinding rocks. It felt amazing pushing through the forest's overgrowth; giving me the sense that as if I was a proud wilderness expert actually filming a documentary for National Geographic. If there was such a thing as heaven, I was already in it. Darren followed behind me, admiring the works of nature as well. It did not take long before we heard the soothing sound of flowing water, contrasted by Stacey's voice echoing throughout the forest; which meant that we were close to the river. We exchanged mischievous glances at one another, both ready to take the prank into action.

"You ready?" Darren asked, crouching low as we hid behind a large boulder covered in moss.

"Hell yeah, born ready," I replied with a grin.

Who said that the smartest students in class are always the best in behaviour? Definitely not us two. But we do behave back in school, though. Besides, Stacey and her adventure buddy Grace had pranked us during the previous camping trip at a dairy farm by spraying our bunker – or rather, almost dousing it with loads of mosquito spray. We had a lot of difficulty sleeping due to the fact that our room stank like insecticide. Fresh air from the forest was always the best air and trust me, having to smell mosquito repellent for eight hours straight was not ideal. The four of us were always notoriously pranking each other ever since elementary school till now but we remained as good friends. I smirked as I recalled the fun memories of our childhood days. But that was not our main concern as of now. It was now the time to get our revenge. I felt no remorse at the idea of drenching them with river water; after all, they had deliberately set up this prank with the mind-set that we would eventually get back at them for it. As I was about to commence the water party, I heard Darren gasp.

"What is it? Did they notice us?" I asked disappointedly.

"No... oh god. Look over there, past that boulder," Darren whispered in concern. Instinctively, I stood up and peered over our hiding spot. My body froze as soon as my eyes made contact with the object across the river.

A bear. A grizzly bear.

It was just a couple dozen feet away from the girls. And to make things worse, it was approaching them - growling. Both of them were not moving from their positions, which was a good sign that they knew the preventive measures of being confronted by a wild predator out in the woods. Stacey was surprisingly calm. However, Grace appeared to be trembling in fear.

"Grace is attracting the bear," I spoke. Darren could only managed a slight nod. I turned to him. "We need to help them!"

"But h-how?" Darren asked.

"I-I do not know, but we got to help them, otherwise the bear might start attacking the moment it deems both of them as food," I muttered, shifting my gaze back at the hulking giant. I desperately processed the situation, but there was no time for conceptualizing a plan this time around. We had no tranquilizers like what the professionals have as a safety precaution, we had no raw meat to throw out as a decoy, and we had no firearms to scare the threatening beast away in time. Wait, maybe we do have something.

"Darren," I called to him. He glanced back at me. "I need you to rush back to the campsite and notify the rangers. I will try to distract the bear from a distance," I added.

"Wait what? No way dude! You will be killed!" Darren argued in horror.

"There is no point in worrying about me! It's either I risk it or we watch the two of them get mauled by it!" I noted. My makeshift plan was evidently dangerous but we needed all the time that we could buy. Darren was still appalled by my decision and was clearly against my will. I shook him violently on the shoulders. "Darren! We do not have the time for deciding! Now go!"

Darren snapped out of his panicking and began making a mad dash for the camp, almost tripping over a rock as he sprinted uphill. "Promise me that you will not be eaten! I will be back with help as soon as I can!" he shouted before disappearing into the dense foliage. I laughed sheepishly the minute I realized what I was putting myself into. Picking up the bulkiest rock that I could find, I rushed out from the hiding spot, placing myself a good distance away from the girls so that they would be able to make a break for it when I taunt the bear. Stacey's eyes widened the moment she saw me sprinting out of cover. She gasped in shock the second she noticed the rock that was in my hands and realized what I was about to do. Grace covered her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. I could see Stacey mouthing "No" repeatedly but I did not care. They were the best group of friends I have had and never was I going to lose them to an animal attack. I gave Stacey a cheeky smile as I took in a deep breath.

"Hey you! Yeah you! Over here, I have a gift for you!" I yelled out loudly.

The bear growled louder as it turned away from the girls and faced me. At that point of time, I could have sworn my body was paralyzed. Who knew the thrill of impending death took such a huge toll? Pushing the fear back down, I hurled the rock with all the strength I could muster. The rock collided with the bear's head hard but all it did was made the beast furious. Taking the opportunity that the bear was focused on me, I shouted at the girls. "Stacey, Grace! Run and hide! Do not come out of hiding until Darren arrives with the rangers!"

The girls immediately took off into the forest's cover. I fixed my stare back at the infuriated grizzly bear. It let out a blood curdling roar and instantaneously started pouncing towards me on all fours in a speed that I knew I could not match, closing the distance fast. I gulped in terror. My mind was desperately shooting danger alarms throughout my nerves but my body refused to budge an inch. The next thing I knew was Grace and Stacey screaming out my name and blacking out a split second before the bear assaulted me.