Grizzler trudged forward, breaking through the hush of the trees.
"Where to now?" he muttered, the words snatched away by the wind.
A cold wind slithered through his fur.
Grizzler trudged on until a small cave appeared between the stones.
"Guess this'll do," he muttered, eyeing the shadowed mouth of the cave.
He thought the cave looked almost welcoming , or maybe he was just too tired to care.
He dropped to one knee, letting the weight of the day finally sink into his bones.
A faint rustle echoed from the dark mouth of the cave.
The cave breathed softly, alive with night sounds.
Water dripped into a pond, blending with the faint chorus of crickets.
He listened, half expecting another sound , a growl, a whisper, something alive. But only the dripping and the crickets.
So this is what alone feels like he thought.
Grizzler rested his head against a smooth rock, pretending it was softer than it felt.
"Alone… Leila… Ivy…" he whispered.
"Quiet!" Suddenly, a low voice came from the end of the cave.
He began searching the area, but everything was dark.
He squinted into the black, heart thudding, but saw nothing , only shadows breathing back at him.
"Get off! You monster! It's not your place!" another voice snapped.
Echoes filled the cave, shrill and angry ,"Get off! Get off!!" , until they tangled into chaos.
Grizzler staggered back until the moonlight touched the cave.
Dozens of bats were staring at him.
Dozens of bats clung to the stone ceiling, their eyes gleaming like wet ink.
"Go! Let us sleep!" one of the bats hissed, wings twitching.
"No, it's not your place , this belongs to nature!" Grizzler barked, dragging the rock close like a shield.
"We'll see, guys! Get him!"
Fwoosh!
The air exploded with wings , a storm of leathery bodies engulfed him.
"AAAH!" he screamed, the sound swallowed by beating wings.
He swung an arm blindly, feeling only air and the scrape of claws. The cave became a place of hisses, shrieks, and his own panicked shout.
Once he rushed from the cave, the bats retreated. "You're not welcome! Bad bear!" the echoes mocked as the bats faded into the dark.
"Tch…" Grizzler kicked a rock aside, jaw tight.
He stared at his paw, the claws catching the moonlight. "So I'm no different from the real Grizzler," he whispered.
Somewhere beyond the trees, a shadow lingered, then slipped away.
Grizzler trudged on until his legs gave out, his chest sinking into the wet grass.
It's so cold, he thought.
He lifted his head as a faint light danced in the distance. "Fire?" he whispered.
Then… humans?
"I bet it's warm there… human warmth…" he murmured, voice barely a breath.
His eyes closed slowly, until he saw shapes , horns moving gently in the dark.
"Ivy, huh… maybe I've been thinking about her too much," he thought, half-smiling.
Sleep took him like a tide, inevitable.
When he stirred at midnight, warmth pressed against his side — and a soft snore rose from below.
Along with it came a warm feeling.
Grizzler rubbed his eyes for a while and saw the deer cuddled against him**.**
"Ah, Ivy… don't wake me up with your snores," he murmured, half-dreaming.
Grizzler closed his eyes again. "Well, that's better than your usual sleep-talking," he chuckled, eyes still heavy.
Then his mind caught up , his breath hitched.
"Ivy?!"