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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Horror
- Subject: Adventure
- Published: 02/02/2024
The Battle
Born 1945, M, from Farmersburg, United StatesIt was as he feared. In the upper pasture, Wade found the Herford bull's lifeless body. The bull had been dead for at least a day. He should have checked on the herd earlier. The tracks, and there were many of them, were clear. The bull had run, tried to get away. Failing that, he backed into a corner of the fence. He fought. Little horns too small to be lethal. He got in some good blows. All he did was make the bear angry. The grizzly broke the bull’s neck.
This was the last straw. This bull was worth over two thousand. The grizzly was a legend. Nine feet tall and weighing over a thousand pounds.
Wade tugged back down the valley to the house. His wife, washing the breakfast dishes, turned at the sound of the kitchen door. She gave a worried smile to her husband. “Did you find him?” Jenny said, wiping the last dish.
“Dead.” Wade said the one word she had been dreading. Her breath caught in her throat. Jenny knew her husband. He would not let this go.
“Well, at least the cows are with calf.” She said, tears misting her eyes. Not for the bull, but for her husband. Wade turned, bracing his hands on the table. “Jenny, we can’t let this go. The bull fought him. Still, he was no match for the grizzly. He killed him.”
Jenny threw down the dish towel. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “And you think he will treat you better? You think you can kill him before he kills you?“
“Jenny, honey, he’ll kill the herd.” He said, taking her in his arms. She pushed away from him. “Go on then, I'd rather have you alive than a hundred, no a thousand bulls.” Jenny turned away sobbing.
Wade watched her with tender eyes. Then went into the front room. Jenny heard him. She knew what he was doing. Getting the rifle his father carried for so many years as a Texas ranger. His father trailed more criminals than any other ranger. The rifle, an old .30.30, was his pride and joy. Many winter’s evening he set in his easy chair polishing the old firearm. Wade loaded it. Then he clinched the ammo belt around his waist. He came back into the kitchen. Leaning the rifle in the corner by the door, he pulled her into his arms. He said. “I love you.” Jenny wept against his chest. “But I’ve got to do this.”
“I know I’m just so scared. He’ll kill you.” She said, hugging him tightly.
“No, he won’t.” He pointed to the rifle. “That old gun has brought down more outlaws than you can shake a stick at.”
“Bu…but he’s not a man. He’s a killing machine.” She said the same thing he was thinking. “Take Rufus.”
“Honey, I can’t take the dog.” Silently he thought. The bear will kill him. “If I’m watching Rufus, I won’t be watching the bear. “
She nodded. She knew better. “Come back to me.”
Wade smiled. “I will, in one piece.”
She helped him prepare to be gone all day. A canteen of water and a sandwich to eat at noon. She prayed he would be alive to eat it. He kissed her. The thought ran through his mind. This might be the last time he hugged and kissed his wife. With more courage than he felt, Wade waved at her from the top of the ridge behind the barn. Jenny stood on the back porch, Rufus at her side. She lifted a hand, waving at this man she loved more than anything in the world. When they purchased the ranch three years ago, the former owner warned them about the old grizzly.
“He’s dominated these hills for years. Ain’t nobody ever been able to kill him. You best watch out for him.” And they had. They figured on losses every year. He took the old ramshackle house and made a comfortable home for them. After the house, he worked an entire summer on the barn and other outbuildings.
Now Jenny returned to clean what didn’t need to be cleaned. Her thoughts filled with her husband laying hurt and dying. His body ripped apart and the bear over him, its jaws bloody. The dog on the inside lay sleeping on the kitchen floor.
As he walked, Wade felt pinpricks on his back. As if he was being watched. He turned, looking at the surrounding brush. Nothing. Not even any wind. It was as if the entire world was holding its breath. He returned to where he had left the bull. They had consumed more. Wolfs? The bear? Sweat covering him, he followed the tracks. His hands clammy. The rifle at the ready. It was as if he was stalking a human killer. Only this killer was more dangerous than any his father had faced. He followed the tracks for miles. Never seeing the bear.
In the evening Wade trudged back home. Jenny again stood in the same position, her hand shading her eyes. It was as if she hadn’t moved all day. Her heart leaped in her chest. She almost jumped up and down with joy. He was still alive. The dog rambled up and set down by her side. Coming down the ridge, he came around the barn. She met him in the barn lot. They embraced.
“Did you get him?” Jenny said.
“No.” Wade said wearily. “Didn’t even see him.”
Joy and sorrow fought in Jenny’s heart. She had him for the night. Tomorrow he would hunt the bear again. She had prepared an elaborate meal. After which he set in his easy chair dozing. She woke him at ten. He stumbled to bed. Asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
At two in the morning, the dog barked. They heard him. The roar of the grizzly sounded like it came from the pit of hell. A charge shot through Jenny’s heart. Wade was up and running. He grabbed the rifle. He started firing as soon as he hit the back porch. The grizzly lumbered over the ridge, leaving two dead cows in its wake. Wade stood in the moonlight in his underwear, staring at the cows.
Holding her robe closed. He glared at her. “He came here.” Wade retorted. “He came right to our back door and killed them.” He stomped back into the house. Jenny returned to their bedroom to find him dressing.
“What are you going to do?” She said, with fear rising in her heart. “You’re not going after him in the dark?”
“No, that’s what he wants me to do.” Wade said, pulling on his boots. “I’m going to be inside the barn waiting for him.”
“OH, honey, be careful. He’s already killed once tonight. Be careful.” She said.
Setting with his back against a hay bale, Wade almost dozed. Shaking himself awake, he stared at the two dead cows. Nothing. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Stretching, Wade climbed down stairs. Jenny spent the night in the rocker. The pistol in her lap. Two more fully loaded cylinders were in the pocket of her apron. It wouldn’t be enough firepower to bring down the grizzly but enough to distract him. Rufus trotted into the kitchen behind her.
Suddenly, he stiffened. The dog jumped against the back door, barking. She ran to the window. Her husband just exiting the barn. The rifle lax in his hand. What she saw almost made her faint. She threw open the window.
"Behind you.” She screamed. Wade turned, the rifle at waist high he fired at the charging bear. He backed into the barn, levering the old rifle as fast as he could. The bullets seemed to have no effect. Fighting the dog to keep him in the house, Jenny backed out the door. Roaring, the grizzly, its mouth open, tore the barn door off its hinges. It filled the opening, blocking out the sun.
“You leave him alone.” Bringing up the pistol, Jenny emptied it into the bear’s back. Rufus, for his part, almost tore the kitchen door off. The bear turned to this new threat. Jenny fumbled the full cylinder, dropping it. In the barn Wade shoved fresh loads into the rifle. The grizzly charged her. Jenny kept pulling the trigger. The pistol leaping, fire erupting from the muzzle. Coming out of the barn, Wade aimed at the bear’s head. The bear roared, his mouth bloody. His massive head swinging back and forth. Snatching the full cylinder from the floor of the porch, Jenny jammed it in to the pistol. Wade’s rifle clicked on empty. Shoving bullets into the rifle, Wade didn’t take time to aim, just kept firing. She fired. The pistol bucking in her sore hands. The bear wavered. He fell. His snout touching the floor of the porch. He quivered and lay still.
Wade cautiously came alongside the massive bear. He grinned at her.
“Yup, you killed him.” He said.
“You.” Jenny said with a nervous smile.
“We.” Wade said.
They let the dog out before he tore the house down. Rufus smelled every inch of the bear.
They ate bear meat until they were sick of it and threw the rest away. That winter, Wade and Jenny slept under the grizzly’s hide. Nice and warm even on the coldest mornings.
The Battle(Darrell Case)
It was as he feared. In the upper pasture, Wade found the Herford bull's lifeless body. The bull had been dead for at least a day. He should have checked on the herd earlier. The tracks, and there were many of them, were clear. The bull had run, tried to get away. Failing that, he backed into a corner of the fence. He fought. Little horns too small to be lethal. He got in some good blows. All he did was make the bear angry. The grizzly broke the bull’s neck.
This was the last straw. This bull was worth over two thousand. The grizzly was a legend. Nine feet tall and weighing over a thousand pounds.
Wade tugged back down the valley to the house. His wife, washing the breakfast dishes, turned at the sound of the kitchen door. She gave a worried smile to her husband. “Did you find him?” Jenny said, wiping the last dish.
“Dead.” Wade said the one word she had been dreading. Her breath caught in her throat. Jenny knew her husband. He would not let this go.
“Well, at least the cows are with calf.” She said, tears misting her eyes. Not for the bull, but for her husband. Wade turned, bracing his hands on the table. “Jenny, we can’t let this go. The bull fought him. Still, he was no match for the grizzly. He killed him.”
Jenny threw down the dish towel. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “And you think he will treat you better? You think you can kill him before he kills you?“
“Jenny, honey, he’ll kill the herd.” He said, taking her in his arms. She pushed away from him. “Go on then, I'd rather have you alive than a hundred, no a thousand bulls.” Jenny turned away sobbing.
Wade watched her with tender eyes. Then went into the front room. Jenny heard him. She knew what he was doing. Getting the rifle his father carried for so many years as a Texas ranger. His father trailed more criminals than any other ranger. The rifle, an old .30.30, was his pride and joy. Many winter’s evening he set in his easy chair polishing the old firearm. Wade loaded it. Then he clinched the ammo belt around his waist. He came back into the kitchen. Leaning the rifle in the corner by the door, he pulled her into his arms. He said. “I love you.” Jenny wept against his chest. “But I’ve got to do this.”
“I know I’m just so scared. He’ll kill you.” She said, hugging him tightly.
“No, he won’t.” He pointed to the rifle. “That old gun has brought down more outlaws than you can shake a stick at.”
“Bu…but he’s not a man. He’s a killing machine.” She said the same thing he was thinking. “Take Rufus.”
“Honey, I can’t take the dog.” Silently he thought. The bear will kill him. “If I’m watching Rufus, I won’t be watching the bear. “
She nodded. She knew better. “Come back to me.”
Wade smiled. “I will, in one piece.”
She helped him prepare to be gone all day. A canteen of water and a sandwich to eat at noon. She prayed he would be alive to eat it. He kissed her. The thought ran through his mind. This might be the last time he hugged and kissed his wife. With more courage than he felt, Wade waved at her from the top of the ridge behind the barn. Jenny stood on the back porch, Rufus at her side. She lifted a hand, waving at this man she loved more than anything in the world. When they purchased the ranch three years ago, the former owner warned them about the old grizzly.
“He’s dominated these hills for years. Ain’t nobody ever been able to kill him. You best watch out for him.” And they had. They figured on losses every year. He took the old ramshackle house and made a comfortable home for them. After the house, he worked an entire summer on the barn and other outbuildings.
Now Jenny returned to clean what didn’t need to be cleaned. Her thoughts filled with her husband laying hurt and dying. His body ripped apart and the bear over him, its jaws bloody. The dog on the inside lay sleeping on the kitchen floor.
As he walked, Wade felt pinpricks on his back. As if he was being watched. He turned, looking at the surrounding brush. Nothing. Not even any wind. It was as if the entire world was holding its breath. He returned to where he had left the bull. They had consumed more. Wolfs? The bear? Sweat covering him, he followed the tracks. His hands clammy. The rifle at the ready. It was as if he was stalking a human killer. Only this killer was more dangerous than any his father had faced. He followed the tracks for miles. Never seeing the bear.
In the evening Wade trudged back home. Jenny again stood in the same position, her hand shading her eyes. It was as if she hadn’t moved all day. Her heart leaped in her chest. She almost jumped up and down with joy. He was still alive. The dog rambled up and set down by her side. Coming down the ridge, he came around the barn. She met him in the barn lot. They embraced.
“Did you get him?” Jenny said.
“No.” Wade said wearily. “Didn’t even see him.”
Joy and sorrow fought in Jenny’s heart. She had him for the night. Tomorrow he would hunt the bear again. She had prepared an elaborate meal. After which he set in his easy chair dozing. She woke him at ten. He stumbled to bed. Asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
At two in the morning, the dog barked. They heard him. The roar of the grizzly sounded like it came from the pit of hell. A charge shot through Jenny’s heart. Wade was up and running. He grabbed the rifle. He started firing as soon as he hit the back porch. The grizzly lumbered over the ridge, leaving two dead cows in its wake. Wade stood in the moonlight in his underwear, staring at the cows.
Holding her robe closed. He glared at her. “He came here.” Wade retorted. “He came right to our back door and killed them.” He stomped back into the house. Jenny returned to their bedroom to find him dressing.
“What are you going to do?” She said, with fear rising in her heart. “You’re not going after him in the dark?”
“No, that’s what he wants me to do.” Wade said, pulling on his boots. “I’m going to be inside the barn waiting for him.”
“OH, honey, be careful. He’s already killed once tonight. Be careful.” She said.
Setting with his back against a hay bale, Wade almost dozed. Shaking himself awake, he stared at the two dead cows. Nothing. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Stretching, Wade climbed down stairs. Jenny spent the night in the rocker. The pistol in her lap. Two more fully loaded cylinders were in the pocket of her apron. It wouldn’t be enough firepower to bring down the grizzly but enough to distract him. Rufus trotted into the kitchen behind her.
Suddenly, he stiffened. The dog jumped against the back door, barking. She ran to the window. Her husband just exiting the barn. The rifle lax in his hand. What she saw almost made her faint. She threw open the window.
"Behind you.” She screamed. Wade turned, the rifle at waist high he fired at the charging bear. He backed into the barn, levering the old rifle as fast as he could. The bullets seemed to have no effect. Fighting the dog to keep him in the house, Jenny backed out the door. Roaring, the grizzly, its mouth open, tore the barn door off its hinges. It filled the opening, blocking out the sun.
“You leave him alone.” Bringing up the pistol, Jenny emptied it into the bear’s back. Rufus, for his part, almost tore the kitchen door off. The bear turned to this new threat. Jenny fumbled the full cylinder, dropping it. In the barn Wade shoved fresh loads into the rifle. The grizzly charged her. Jenny kept pulling the trigger. The pistol leaping, fire erupting from the muzzle. Coming out of the barn, Wade aimed at the bear’s head. The bear roared, his mouth bloody. His massive head swinging back and forth. Snatching the full cylinder from the floor of the porch, Jenny jammed it in to the pistol. Wade’s rifle clicked on empty. Shoving bullets into the rifle, Wade didn’t take time to aim, just kept firing. She fired. The pistol bucking in her sore hands. The bear wavered. He fell. His snout touching the floor of the porch. He quivered and lay still.
Wade cautiously came alongside the massive bear. He grinned at her.
“Yup, you killed him.” He said.
“You.” Jenny said with a nervous smile.
“We.” Wade said.
They let the dog out before he tore the house down. Rufus smelled every inch of the bear.
They ate bear meat until they were sick of it and threw the rest away. That winter, Wade and Jenny slept under the grizzly’s hide. Nice and warm even on the coldest mornings.
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- 5
Lillian Kazmierczak
04/13/2024What a terrific story! I honestly don't know much about bears...grew up in Chicago and they played football.Lol! That would be terrifying to say the least! Lots of action, so engaging! A grizzly short story star of the week!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Darrell Case
04/14/2024Lillian
Thank you. It was a fun story to write. Seeing a husband and wife working together.
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Kevin Hughes
04/10/2024Darell,
Up in Alaska I saw several of those bears. I saw one just casually running up the side of a cliff that I would have had to repell on. I saw another grizzly move an entire dipsy dumpster with his snout! I don't know how many round you would have to put into one of those biological tanks to stop it.
One Kodiak Brown bear left its territorial claw marks sixteen feet up a tree! Bears aren't as stupid as we think. If a bear sees that claw mark, stands up on its hind legs and can't reach it, he simply moves out of that territory. He knows the other bear is bigger, and will probably win the fight.
The only thing I nit picked about this story is the throwing out of good bear meat. The folks I know in Alaska would never waste it. They would smoke it , salt it, or freeze it! LOL Loved that the story garnered you a StoryStar of the week Award, because you could feel the desperation as the couple fought to save their place !
Smiles, Kevin
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Darrell Case
04/11/2024Kevin
Thank you. I don't think they were so sick of the meat as they were of the bear. Hope the day is going well for you.
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Cheryl Ryan
04/08/2024Good read! Well written. The Author used the sensitivity of the situation and added feelings to the storyline. I was so glad that it ended with the bear being shot and killed.
Thank you for sharing!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Darrell Case
04/09/2024Cheryl
Thank you. It was a fun story to write. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great day.
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Joel Kiula
04/08/2024What a great story. Love and unit helped the couples to eliminate a great threat. Fantastic.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Darrell Case
04/09/2024Joel
Thank you. It was great to see this loving couple work together. Hope you're having a great day.
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JD
04/07/2024Great action and adventure story for all ages. Happy short story star of the week, Darrell.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Darrell Case
04/09/2024JD
Thank you. Once again, you honor me. May God bless you for all your hard work.
COMMENTS (6)