Bear Justice

HELEN

I came outside to a strange sight. Sam in his boxer shorts talking to a sweaty naked man.

The screen door slammed behind him, and I heard Sam say, “Luke, cover yourself. My stepsister is here.”

In a rush, I hadn’t been able to put on much. Luckily, I’d left half my clothes here the other day, so I was able to grab a tank top and some Adidas track pants.

And still, I felt overdressed.

“Nice to see you again, Luke,” I said, trying to make him squirm under my gaze.

“I’d shake your hand, but…” He trailed off.

It took both hands for Luke to keep himself covered.

~I guess all werebears are equally lucky down there.~

Luke turned to Sam. “Does she know?”

“About the bear stuff?” I said. “Yeah, I know.”

Luke’s face grew alarmed.

“But I promise you I’m no spy.”

“Well, as I was just telling Sam, the trouble with your parents just got worse.”

“They were taken to Ursa Hall this morning,” Sam said.

“The tribunal might already be starting,” Luke said.

Sam turned to me. “Helen, there’s no time to waste. We have to get to Ursa Hall now.”

“But how? Our car is busted.”

“You can’t get there by car,” Sam said, and nodded to Luke.

And instantly, both of them began shifting.

***

Seeing Ursa Hall for the first time, I thought that the bear ride had shaken my brain loose. The building looked like nothing I had ever seen.

It had three stories, was built with light pine slats, had dark wooden tiles covering the roof, and each floor was smaller than the last so that it looked like it shrank as it went up.

The roof eaves came down halfway, covering the windows—like a girl whose bangs needed a trim.

Then out of the top story, a tall round tower stuck out, with a window going all the way around, kind of like a lighthouse.

Sam and Luke came to a stop about a hundred yards in front and quickly shifted back to human form.

“What a crazy building,” I said.

“Not so crazy, actually,” Luke said. “It’s modeled on a Norwegian stave church.”

“Why?”

“Because our ancestors came here from Scandinavia.” Luke shrugged.

“There’s no time for history lessons, guys,” Sam said. “Helen, I need you to take off your clothes.”

“And I thought I was underdressed for a courthouse.”

“Look around you, Helen. Do you see any roads coming in here?” Sam asked.

“Everyone in there arrived as a bear, which means…,” Luke said.

“They’re all naked in there right now,” I finished his sentence for him.

I turned to Sam. “I understand why you’re asking, but I really wouldn’t be comfortable going in there naked.”

“Trust me, you’ll feel way more uncomfortable walking around in track pants,” Sam said. “And don’t worry, Helen. You’re beautiful. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

Hearing this, Luke raised an eyebrow, but luckily he didn’t say anything. I was glad, since I really didn’t feel like explaining what had happened between me and Sam last night.

Shyly, I stripped off the few pieces of clothing I had on, and then, looking Sam in the eyes, I took his hand and said, “Let’s go.”

Outside the front door were two guards, in full bear form. They growled in greeting to Luke and Sam, and then one of them pushed open the door with his heavy paw.

Inside, I felt like I’d entered a different world.

The hall was just one big room, stretching out in front of me and upward—all the way to the tower.

What I thought had been floors were actually tiers, with wooden railings along the sides so that people could watch what was going on below.

Because of the low-hanging roof outside, the inside was lit with countless deer antler chandeliers—a tremendous one hanging down from the main tower and hundreds of smaller ones below the gallery walkways.

I remembered seeing one just like them back at Jack’s place.

Looking up, the tiers were completely filled with shifters—most of them in their naked human form, but here and there a few bears could be spotted. There were also guard bears standing evenly around the perimeter.

It took us a few moments to move through the crowd gathered on the main floor, and when we emerged, I saw two U-shaped tables, roughly hewn and rustic, made in the same kind of style that I’d seen in Jack’s cabin.

Behind the table sat the council of elders—all grim and serious men, all of them older, and all of them naked. Luckily, the tabletop covered their most withered parts.

Then, right across from me, I saw my mom.

She was naked also, sitting in a great wooden throne so big that it made her seem like a children’s doll.

I wanted to run to her, but before I could, I heard Sam hold back a sob and whisper, “Dad.”

I’m not sure why I hadn’t noticed it sooner, but in between the two tables—directly between me and my mom—was a giant pit, about fifteen feet deep and thirty feet wide.

Its walls were lined with ancient-looking wooden spikes, some of their tips stained crimson with what was clearly dried blood.

And in the middle of the pit, stood Jack.

Last time I saw him, he had seemed like a giant of a man, but down in that pit, Jack looked puny. He seemed unhurt, but even at a distance, it was clear that his spirit was bruised.

Jack was looking up at my mom, saying something to her, but I couldn’t hear it because the air around us was filled with conspiratorial whispers.

“Oh my God, Sam. I thought this was gonna be in a normal courthouse.”

“This is the council of elders,” Sam said. “This is Bear Justice.”

“I’m so afraid.”

“Your mom will definitely be okay,” Sam said grimly. “But I really don’t know what they plan to do with my dad.”

I felt so desperate seeing my mom like this. And she just kept looking at Jack, like she would do anything to free him from that pit.

Just as I was about to say something else, one of the elders banged a giant golden scepter on the desk.

“Silence! Silence!” he bellowed. “The tribunal is about to begin.”

Instantly, the crowd noise disappeared and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“We’ve gathered here today to pass judgment on Jack Larsen.”

Sam nudged me and whispered, “That’s Tove Blumquist. The Great Elder.”

Tove looked like a retired viking. He was old, but he still had a powerful chest, a great white beard, and long gray hair hanging down in twin braids.

Tove continued, “Larsen has been accused of bringing an outsider into our midst and jeopardizing the safety of our community.

“And there she sits,” Tove yelled, pointing the scepter at my mom. “The hunter infiltrator. The infidel.”

Down in the pit, Jack began to yell, but he was drowned out by the hissing of the crowd.

“Silence!” Tove raised his scepter up into the air.

In calm, measured tones, he began to lay out the case, looking around as he addressed everyone in the room.

“As you are all well aware, hunter incursions on our sacred territory have drastically increased in the past months.

"Not only that, but these incursions seem more calculated than ever.

"Where in seasons past, we’ve had unwitting hunters break through our defenses. The hunters this season seem to be systematically testing them. Trying entry at different points and seeing how far they can get.

"We think that they are trying to map our alarm system, get a clear picture of our defenses.

"And from our informers in the nearby regions, we’ve heard whispers of an impending hunter invasion.

"I don’t need to tell you what that means.

"They intend to massacre all of us: our children, our families.”

Tove paused to let the crowd boo and hiss.

“In our long and storied history, Bear Creek has never been so threatened.

“Which is why it’s so important to close ranks and keep a watchful eye on our community.”

Tove pointed his scepter at Jack and raised his voice again. “Jack Larsen has disregarded all these concerns and brought this seditious outsider into our midst.”

He was now pointing his scepter at my mother, who was crying, holding her face in her hands, shaking her head from side to side.

“Larsen, do you have anything to say in your defense?”

“I do,” Jack said. “You all know me and I know all of you. We’ve known each other all our lives.

“And as a member of the community in good standing, you all know how much I care for Bear Creek—my home and my people.”

“Which is why I need you to believe that I would never introduce a hunter spy into our midst.”

“Helen, my wife, is an honest and true, gentle, loving creature. She is not a hunter.”

Then, laughing to himself, he said, “Hell, she can’t even bring herself to kill a spider.

“Yes, she's human and yes, I know humans are suspect here. But they aren't forbidden. And there have been cases in the past where a widower among us has married a human.”

Tove cut him off. “That is ancient history, Larsen. Olden times. Safer times.”

“Nevertheless,” Jack continued, “I have done no wrong.”

And then, pointing at Tove, he yelled, “It is you who have done wrong. You have not given this woman, my love, a chance.

“And in disrespecting her, you disrespect my honor, my honesty, and my loyalty. It is you, Tove, who should be down in this pit, not me.”

The crowd roared.

Suddenly, Tove jumped up on the table. “I accept your challenge, Larsen. I will come down into the pit. And the gods be willing, Bear Justice will prevail.”

The crowd erupted in another roar—half cheer, half war cry.

Sam leaned over to me, “This is not good, Helen.”

Tove leapt off the table and began to shift in midair.

Seeing this, Jack also began to shift. And within seconds, there were two rabid bears, facing each other, surrounded by a ring of deadly spikes.

The crowd began to chant “Justice! Justice!”

This seemed more like a test of strength. Seeing the size of the two combatants, I didn’t feel good about Jack’s chances.

Neither did Sam.

His hold on my hand grew tighter and tighter.

Tove and Jack were now facing off.

Tove lunged at Jack, catching him on the shoulder with his claws. I saw blood spray upward.

I remember thinking that when Jack was in human shape, the bear pit looked large, but now with two giant werebears in there, those sharp spikes seemed dangerously close.

Tove leapt through the air, knocking Jack to the ground. But Jack used Tove’s momentum, and the giant ball of fur rolled over to the edge.

I heard the sound of flesh tearing and Tove let out a growl, a piece of bloody spike sticking out through the front of his shoulder.

Jack stepped back, roaring, raising his paws in the air in a sign of victory.

But with great determination, Tove eased forward, pulling himself off the spike.

Unfazed by his wound, he was coming at Jack with sharp claws flying.

Jack tried to fight him off, but he was quickly backed up to the wall and I could see the spikes jabbing deep into his fur.

Finally, one of Jack’s claws found its mark, catching Tove in the face. Tove backed off with one paw covering his eye.

Jack took the opportunity to pull himself off the spikes, leaving behind small bits of fur and torn flesh.

But Tove had already gathered himself and was standing on his hind legs, roaring at the top of his lungs.

I gasped in horror, because where one of Tove’s eyes had been, there was now a gaping, bloody hole.

With newfound energy, he pummeled Jack, hitting and slashing—and the most Jack could do was ward off some of the blows.

“No, no, no,” Sam was muttering beside me, helpless.

Jack was knocked to the ground. He lay there panting, but with each breath, I could see blood gurgling out of his throat. Jack was choking on his own blood.

Tove took a quick celebratory turn around the pit, rearing up on his hind legs and roaring into the air.

And then Tove turned to Jack, ready to move in for the kill…