Chapter 5: Russell Pond
Russell Pond is nestled high up in the mountains. The west side has the brook that joins the Pemi River. It is a small and stocked with fish pond. The brook dries out before it reaches the Pemi during the driest part of summer limiting the pond's shrinkage. The perfect fishing vacation.
The campground is in the northeast area of the pond. The camp has both first-come first-served and reserved sites. It is always packed on weekends. This being Saturday in May it is packed. It also has limited parking for day use. There are canoes and rowboats on the pond.
About an hour after they arrive, the bear shows up. They watch it stalking the crowd. Too close for the wolves to go. The crowd watches the bear from cars or boats as it searches for food. It climbs on the hood of a car with a loud barking dog. Batting the window trying to get in.
Idiots get out to snap pictures. Barely slipping back inside as the bear runs at them. There is no cell service here so no authorities show up. Neither does the alpha and his group.
Kam and Jane watch the bear staying in the woods. If it is more to the north, they are northeast of it. If it is more to the south, they are southeast of it. Ready to act as soon as it leaves.
A family walks out of the woods on the loop trail around the pond. The bear runs at them, as those in the boats nearby warn them of its approach. The bear grabs a little girl and knocks down the father trying to save her. He takes off into the woods with his meal.
Kam and Jane cut through the woods and intersect his path. He drops the girl and continues running. They attack his hind legs, until he makes a stand. Kam drops the knife with Jane and fights with everything he has got. She switches to human so she can take the knife out ready to stab the bear in the heart. Kam ends up broken and unconscious once more. Giving Jane the chance, she runs in and stabs the bear, getting mauled the process. They both die as her neck is gone and she got it's heart.
Kam wakes up human to see the love of his short life dead. He does know it is what she wanted. But, he grieves her loss, until he can move once more. He packs up his mother's knife, hiding it nearby. He conceals the trail back to the spot the girl is. She is alive so he carries her back to the pond. The authorities are there so he sets her at the edge of the woods. He erases the rest of the trail and sets off wolf style the direct path home.