Genesis (old draft)

Chapter 1: The Birth of a Legend

"Well, here I go."

Canadian winters, as one could probably guess, are very cold and bitter. The chilling combination of snow, wind, and ice could give you hypothermia in less than an hour if you're not bundled up properly. The reason I have concern over this is because I like to hunt, and if you're going to hunt, you have to be prepared for whatever weather you're faced with, especially since you will most likely be spending several hours a day walking and waiting and needing to stay alert. Prolonged exposure to the elements you're not prepared for could spell danger. So it's important to dress well and stay energized if you want to stay alive whilst out hunting.

There great thing about hunting in Canada is that there's usually a lot of game available, not to mention being able to sell the skinned and cleaned carcasses for a living. Even though during the winter most of the animals are in some sort of hibernation, if you know where to look you can find quite a few lurkers that decided they could survive a little longer. Sometimes if you're really unlucky you could seek out their nests or caves and get them in their sleep, but most don't unless they really have to because it feels like cheating. The joy of hunting comes from skill and luck in conquering your prey, not slaughtering it in its sleep.

So here I am, in the dead of winter, on a routine hunting trip. The air is particularly nippy today, but like I said, dress right and no amount of cold can stop you. I went a little ways on my usual trail into the thick forests to the north, but knowing that the game had been a bit scarce recently, I decided to go over to a new area in hopes of fresh amounts. I know that it's not very safe to venture too far into areas you don't know, but thankfully I'd explored this area partially in my earlier days. I only call it 'new' because I rarely venture over there, so my chances of success are a bit more varied. Let's just hope the odds are in my favor.

Not long after I'd begun traversing the wet snow, I spotted a large grizzly bear, just strolling around in the distance. Why a bear of all things would be out this late in the year I had no idea, but I didn't stay on the thought for too long. I knew this bear would give me a small fortune, especially with them being practically nonexistent outside during these times. I drew my rifle and quickly got an aim on the bear. Unfortunately, as I was about to fire the bear turned a corner behind a bush. Cursing my luck I got up and slowly walked over to where it was before. When I got there, I turned the corner and saw the bear had turned another corner. I hadn't lost it yet, thankfully, so I continued to follow it.

As it kept going to and fro I wondered how long this would go on. I decided that this had to end soon, so I crew my rifle again and aimed as quickly as I could, but then I saw something that diverted my attention, enough for me to ignore the bear. I got out of the open to look at it longer. I saw it shining but couldn't make out what it was, so I walked over to it. When I did get over to it I noticed that it was a spear. I got closer to it and tried to pick it up, but it was then that the bear decided to pounce me. It oddly came out of nowhere and then it pressed me to the ground with all 8,000 pounds of flesh and bone. The wind was knocked out of me, and I was almost unconscious. I was barely awake enough to even wonder why the bear wasn't mauling me. Confusingly, it just stayed there, with its body pinning me to the ground. It looked at me wildly, like a stern warning. You can imagine I wanted it off of me, and since being knocked down my gun was way out of reach, I strained for the spear just a few feet away. I almost got to it, but my consciousness left me. As I lay at the door to unconsciousness, the bear suddenly roared at me, got himself off me, and left. I could only just barely register this, but still being in both shock and feeling faint, I shuffled over and feebly grabbed the spear. The spear then shone brightly and I felt an invigorating rush of energy coursing through my body.

Now fully awake, I noticed the hair on my body getting darker and thicker, my body enlarging, and my teeth and nails growing long, thick, and sharp. I screamed in agony as my body morphed itself so drastically. When the pain was over, I felt warm, fat, and strong. The bear took one look at me and angrily charged me, but I quickly swiped my hand -- paw?, and broke its jaw. It roared in pain and proceeded to slash at me with its claws. The cuts they made hurt, but not too much, so I was able to plow into him and knock him over. He still wasn't done yet, and ferociously aimed for my throat. I knew I had to put him down quickly, so I ducked my head and ran towards it at full force. It gave one last swipe at me, but I proceeded to slice its throat. It growled madly yet weakly and went still.

I sat there for a while in shock. I looked at the bear who'd just tried to kill me, then to myself. How had I become a bear? Why hadn't the other one killed me before? I didn't know for sure, but I knew the weird spear had something to do with it. I poked at it with a claw, wondering if it would do anything, and it did not. I picked it up in my mouth, muzzles my shredded clothes atop my head, and not knowing how to change my body back, I decided to head for a small cave near my house and spend the night there.