The bear’s maw filled the air with a rotten smell every time it growled. Josh, Tom, and Carrie were huddled on the other side of the campfire more than 35 feet away, yet they could still feel the warmth of its enormous chops. Their fatigue from traveling more than 20 miles for the third day in a row seemed to vanish the moment the beast emerged from the darkness and stepped menacingly into their camp. They were only 2 miles from the hut where they were supposed to spend the night, but alas, their strength was not enough. Now they were paying for it.

It all started three days ago. The morning was cold and wet, as expected in mid-June in the mountain region of Oregon. Josh took a deep breath and felt the cold air filling his lungs. It was a feeling he had been waiting for the whole school year. There is nothing greater than waking up inside your tent and outside to be the West’s vast wilderness. The breathtaking scenery is comparable only with the tranquility of nature all around. In the first moments of the day, when the sun has only just touched the very tops of the surrounding mountains, and even the wild beasts are still asleep, you can see how majestic, everlasting, and vast the great forests of The Three Sisters is.

Josh came from a low-income household, and both his parents needed to work, so he was always up early. It was a family trait. Another thing he took from his genes was strength. He looked way older than he is. Even though his racist neighbor always described him to the police as a 20-something black man lurking in the neighborhood, whenever Josh was getting late at home, the youngster was only 17. He was very tall with pitch-black curly hair cut short and in perfect shape. The young boy loved playing basketball, though his passion was in studying astrophysics. After seeing a lecture of Neil deGrasse Tyson, he was so committed to becoming an astrophysicist that he became the founder and the president of a club with the same name in his school in less than a month.

The youngster stood there, speechless, breathless, almost crying as he saw the sun reflecting on the snowy peak of the South Sister. Never before has he seen such beauty. For a moment, he thought he should wake up and share this with Carrie and Tom. Tom was Josh’s schoolmate and best friend. The 17-year-old boys planned the trip only for the two of them, but once Carrie heard of their adventure, there was no stopping her. Josh was glad. He had a crush on his friend’s sister for a long time, and a journey like this was bound to give him many opportunities to get Tom’s approval and confess his feelings to Carrie.

The plan was simple. The starting point was Devil’s lake, beneath the mighty snowy peaks of Тhe Three Sisters. They had a long journey through Willamette National Forest, but the young men had been preparing for it for half a year. In the next few days, they would cross The Three Sisters Wilderness to reach the Cougar Reservoir. From there, they would head south and end their journey in Oakridge.

The sun was rushing down the mountains faster than a speeding car on the highway while Josh went to the nearby pond to freshen up. When he got back, it was time to wake the siblings.

Even though Tom and Carry were brother and sister, they looked nothing alike. Only one thing revealed they had some relationship. The siblings shared this astounding red hair a few people in the world have. It looked like their heads were on fire. Tom had blue eyes and some freckles on his cheeks. Carry, on the other hand, had no freckles and the most amazing green eyes ever. When she looked through her locks, playfully sliding in front of her eyes, it was like two emeralds stuck in the fire. Carry was just a year younger than the boys, and even though she had a lot of friends at school, she loved spending time with Tom and Josh.

The black boy reached into their tent and gently nudged their feet. Carrie was the first to respond. She gazed at Josh through some locks that were stuck in front of her eyes. The girl gave a displeased moаn and turnеd the other way, hoping she will be left to sleep some more. A smile appeared on Josh’s face immediately. He thought she looked so cute whenever she did that. Her hair was as if it was on a rag doll, all messy and tangled.

Tom was more responsive. He turned rather sharply, and despite appearing a bit disoriented, he was full of energy.
“Is it time to go,” he asked with undisguised enthusiasm. Tom was really pumped for the trip from the very start. The fire was not only on his head but in his spirit as well. He was always the one to rush, but not always correctly assuming his strength.

“Yep! We should be leaving in about 30 minutes,” Josh answered with a hushed voice. “Our next campsite is approximately 20 miles from here, although it’s mostly downhill”, he explained.
“Come on, Carrie, wake up,” Tom started shoving his sister anxiously.
“It’s time to go.”
“Leave me alone. I want to sleep.”
“Come on. We need to go! You insisted on coming, didn’t you?”

With a broad smile, Josh left the siblings to argue and started parking.

An hour later, everyone was ready to go. Carrie was still sleepy, Tom was pumped up as if he would run the 20 miles ahead, and Josh was just happy his friends were by his side on this adventure.
“Ready? Let’s go”.

The path was relatively easy. Around noon the trio stopped to have lunch and rest for a while. Josh couldn’t stop looking at a nearby peak. The youngster was sure that the whole valley, in all its glory, would be visible from the top. Alas, this would take another 3 hours, and they were only halfway to their campsite. Plus, he didn’t want to push his friends harder than needed. Carrie was all awake and was strangely cheerful, despite obviously having trouble with the trail. On the other hand, Tom was as pumped as he was in the morning as if he didn’t just walk 10 miles. If it were up to him, he’d probably take the whole journey in a day.

It was around 7 o’clock when they arrived at the designated location. An hour later, their camp was ready, the fire was burning, and the dinner was cooking. Carrie was visibly tired. Her cheerful self was left miles behind. Now she was barely speaking. The little sister still tried to join the conversation and slide some jokes, but it was apparent the trail took a toll on her. Not long after sunset, they all went to bed.

The next day was even harder for the young girl. She tried her best to keep up with the boys, but it was apparent she was pushing herself too hard. That night Carrie went straight to bed. Tom’s energy also started fading, but he was keeping a tough appearance.

“Man, Carry is dragging us down,” Tom said with a dose of aggravation in his voice. “She won’t be able to finish the trail, you’ll see. If it wasn’t for her, we could have done it in half the time.”
“Come on, man. She’s pretty solid for a girl,” replied Josh doing his best to hide the fact he had a crush on Tom’s sister. “She was just as excited as you were for the trip. Don’t underestimate her”.
“I don’t think she’s up for it, Josh. I believe she fears that if she says she doesn’t want to continue, we all will have to go back,” Tom replied in a severe tone. “By schedule, we need to be at Cougar’s Reservoir in two days. There I’ll ask you to cut the trip short. This way, Carrie won’t feel guilty, and we can call Mom and Dad to take us home. I know her, man. She’s at the end of her strength,” finished the red-haired boy.

Josh remained silent for a while. He didn’t want Carrie to leave, but he knew Tom was right. His sister’s pace was slowing down, and tonight she went to bed without eating. Tomorrow she will be more tired, and her fatigue will just grow.

The next morning Josh was up at dawn. Despite the long walk ahead, he decided to let his friends sleep in. In the worst-case scenario, they will make camp on the way to the hut. The youngsters started their journey around 10 in the morning. Tom was as energetic as ever, but his sister was visibly tired. Her otherwise happy face was now gloomy and staring at the ground.

Around 7 in the evening, they were around 4 miles away from the hut they were supposed to sleep in. The youngsters were slowing pace rapidly, and the sun was rushing down to the West. Soon it will be dusk, and they will have to make camp somewhere.

It was the Golden hour. The trees were engulfed in the orange sun rays and looked enchanting. The sight was mesmerizing. It was only 2 miles away from the hut, but they had no idea how much time they would need, and Carrie was at the edge of her strength. Even Tom’s enthusiasm left an hour ago. It was time to find a place to camp and get a well-deserved rest.

Carrie was ready to go to sleep immediately, but this time her brother insisted she ate before that. Cranky and nervous, she agreed. They were sitting silently around the campfire when suddenly the woods nearby cracked loudly. A terrifying roar came from the same direction. The kids instinctively got together and slowly stepped away from the horrendous growling. A giant bear appeared from the shadows.

The bear was a true behemoth. Its claws were glazing like swords, and the teeth were even more horrid. The beast was wounded and was seeking revenge.

After the initial freeze, Tom rushed towards the fire and took three flaming branches. The teenagers started waving them in front of the monster, hoping to chase it away. This, though, seemed to make the bear even madder. It stepped right on the fire with its giant paw and didn’t even flinch.

The enormous predator was getting closer. Josh took his backpack, standing nearby, and threw it to the left of the giant monster. It worked. The beast’s attention was disrupted.
“Run!” said Josh with a quiet scream.
The three kids rushed downhill to the nearby river. They got to a cliff edge and saw the river rushing down 3 meters below them. The snow on the mountains was melting, and the river was raging.

Meanwhile, the bear tore his backpack in mear seconds and rushed after his pray again. The children were trapped. Their choice was to try and fight the bear or trust the river. Without much hesitation, Carrie took the boys by their hands and jumped into the raging river.

End of chapter one

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