“We need to stop, Jake. Now. Before we go too far.”
Jake rolled back to his side of the bed. “Did I do something wrong? I thought you were okay with this.”
Chloe hugged herself and sat up. “I thought so, too. I love you, Jake. God knows I want you as bad as you want me. But I’m scared.”
“What of?”
“Going too far. Doing something I’ll regret later.”
Jake sighed and reached for his shirt. “I thought you were sure. I wouldn’t have started anything otherwise. You know that.”
“I know, Jake. I’m sorry. I’m just scared.”
“I love you, Chloe. I’d never hurt you.”
“Hurt me…” Chloe gave him a crooked smile and kissed him. “Right. It’s not me I’m afraid for.”
“What do you mean?”
“I—I’m not sure I can explain it. Not now. Not yet.”
Jake watched her button up her blouse and sighed. “You’re beautiful, you know.”
“You say that now, but you haven’t exactly seen me at my worst.”
“You should look in a mirror, sweetie. Your hair’s a mess. Your makeup, too. Doesn’t change anything.” Jake leaned against the wall. “I’ve even seen you mad as a hornet. You’re beautiful, then, too. How much worse could you possibly get?”
“You’d be surprised. You’re not mad at me, are you?”
Jake kissed her. “I’m not mad, exactly; just confused. And maybe a little uncomfortable down below, if you know what I mean.”
Chloe felt a primal surge of desire. “Trust me; I know. But we can’t. Not tonight. There are some things you need to know about me before we can go all the way. I’m not sure how to talk about it, yet.”
Jake’s eyes widened. “You weren’t raped, were you? I’m sorry, Chloe, I didn’t know.”
“No, it wasn’t rape. But it was an attack.” Chloe wiped her eyes. “I can’t talk about this right now. Please.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t pry. I love you Chloe. There’s nothing you could tell me that would change that. We’ve waited this long. It won’t kill us to wait a while longer.”
Chloe kissed him and opened the door. “I knew you would understand. You should go now. Goodnight, Jake. I love you.”
She held back her desire until Jake’s car pulled out of the drive.
The next day, Chloe sought out Jake at the student union. “Can we talk?”
Jake nodded. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”
“Not on your life! I just thought we should talk about last night.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry if I came on too strong.”
“I’m sorry I shut you down. I didn’t really want to stop. You’ve no idea how close I came to losing control over myself.”
Jake smiled. “There’s always next time.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I’m trying to, love. I just need more information.”
Chloe sighed. “That’s why I love you. Are you doing anything this weekend? I camp out every month, when the moon is full.”
“Oh? Is it some kind of a pagan spiritualist thing?” Jake grinned. “Are you a werewolf?”
“Me? No!” The corners of her mouth curled slightly upward. “No, I’m not a werewolf. It’s hard for me to talk about it, especially here in a public place. I need to show you something. If you still want me after that, I’ll never say no to you again.”
“Now I’m intrigued.” Jake kissed her. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Don’t worry, babe, I’ll always be there for you. I promise.”
Jake sat up in his sleeping bag, eyes wide. “What the hell was that?”
Chloe rubbed her eyes. “Sounded like a coyote. Haven’t you ever camped before?”
“Sure, all the time. At a campground. In one of those log cabins with AC and cable TV. And a bathroom. With hot water.”
“You call that camping? That’s like staying in a motel with trees.”
“Sorry, babe, I guess maybe we should have defined our terms before coming out here.”
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
Jake shrugged. “No, I still would have come. I just might have prepared a bit differently. You know, solar charger for my phone, at least.”
Chloe yawned. “That wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway. I’d be surprised if there was a signal out here.”
“No?” he pulled out his phone. “Damn, you’re right. What if we need to call an ambulance or something?”
“Don’t worry, I do this all the time. Every month for the last three years or so, actually. You’re the first person I’ve ever brought with me.”
“You camp out every month? By yourself? Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt out in the middle of nowhere?”
“There’s nothing out here that can hurt me anymore. But it does get lonely out here.”
“Then why do it at all?”
Chloe sighed. “It’s just something I have to do.”
“Every month?”
“Mm-hm. Well, not in winter. The need isn’t as bad in the winter. I think it hibernates.”
“What hibernates?”
Chloe hesitated. “I’m afraid to tell you.”
“Chloe, whatever it is, I can handle it. I love you.”
After a long pause, Chloe sighed. “I hope you’re right. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Babe, what’s wrong? You’re shaking like one of those paint mixing machines at the hardware store.”
“I have to go out. Stay here. Please don’t follow me!”
“You might need my help.”
“Stay here!”
Jake put up his hands. “Okay! But call me if you need me.”
Chloe scrambled out of the tent and ran into the woods.
Jake waited.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Finally, after almost an hour, he stuck his head out of the tent. “Chloe? You alright, babe?”
No answer.
“You didn’t run away, did you?”
Nothing answered him but the breeze rustling through the trees.
Jake grumbled and slipped his boots on. “You should have let me come with you. I thought we were in this together.”
The moon cast eerie shadows all around. Jake shivered and turned on his light. “Which way did you go, Chloe? How am I supposed to find you?”
He tossed a couple of logs onto the fire, then headed into the woods. Keeping the fire visible, he circled the campsite, looking for some sign of Chloe.
At length, Jake found her blouse, shredded, on the ground. “Jesus! Chloe? You alright? If there’s someone else out here, you better not have touched my girl, or I swear I’ll kill you!”
There was no reply.
Jake kept going in the same direction, picking up more tattered bits of clothing. Cursing, he was almost running now.
A whimper caught his attention. “Chloe?” He shined his light at the source of the sound and gasped.
A large brown bear lay on the ground, panting, exhausted. Its hind leg was caught in a vicious-looking jaw trap. Blood trickled down where the teeth of the trap dug into the bear’s flesh.
“Oh, shit. Freaking poachers.”
The bear looked up at him with doleful eyes and whimpered.
Jake knelt down, out of the bear’s reach, he hoped. “I wish I could help you, big fellah. That’s gotta hurt. But I need to find my girl first.”
The bear groaned.
“Oh, hell! I can’t leave an animal trapped like this. I’d put you out of your misery if I had a hunting rifle. I don’t suppose you’re smart enough to know I’m trying to help.” Jake looked at the trap. “I’ve seen how these things work. I push down on the springs on either side, and the trap opens.”
The bear nodded.
Jake started. Nodded? How could this creature understand? Maybe he just thought the bear nodded. “Okay, if I try to get you out of here, you won’t kill me, will you?”
The bear moved its head sideways. Was that a no?
Jake sighed. “I’m about to do the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
The bear nodded again.
“You’re no help.” Jake stepped down on the levers and held his breath.
The bear howled in pain as the jaws of the trap loosened. Jake continued to stand on the springs and pushed the jaws apart, cutting his hands on the sharp teeth. Jake ignored the pain and held the jaws apart until the bear pulled free and ran off.
“Thanks for not mauling me,” said Jake. He released the trap and looked at his bloody hands. He wasn’t sure how much of the blood was the bear’s, and how much was his. “Chloe! If you can hear me, I’ve got to go back and patch myself up, then I’ll come find you. I promise!”
As he stood, the world seemed to spin and blur all around him. “Oh, shit. The trap must have been drugged. No wonder the bear didn’t…” Jake never finished his sentence. He collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Jake awoke face to face with the bear. “Came back, did you?”
The bear nudged him and licked his face.
“I don’t suppose you can help me find my girlfriend, can you?” Jake sat up carefully, his head pounding. “Damn, that drug packed a punch.”
The bear nodded again.
“I wish you’d stop doing that. I’m going to start thinking you’re as smart as a human.” He pulled out his phone. Still no signal, but he could read the time. “It’ll be dawn soon. Dammit, Chloe, where the hell are you?” He stood, staggering a bit. “I should head back to camp, patch up my hands, and try and figure out what I’m going to tell the cops if I can’t find her. I hope the poachers didn’t get her.”
The bear followed him, dragging its mangled hind leg behind.
The fire had burned down to glowing embers. Jake tossed a couple of logs on and blew until they caught fire, then went into the tent and dug out his first aid kit. “I should have carried this with me.” He poured peroxide on his hands and wrapped his palms in gauze bandages while the bear licked its own wounds.
Jake watched the bear. Apart from its injured leg, it was a beautiful creature. He knew he ought to be wary of it, but he was glad of its company, especially with Chloe missing.
For its part, the bear seemed content to stay nearby. Was it keeping watch? It almost seemed to be.
Jake wondered if maybe it wasn’t wild at all, but some trained bear escaped from the circus. Stranger things had happened. He unwrapped some beef jerky, tossed a piece to the bear, and tore off a bit for himself.
The stars began to disappear one by one as the sky lightened. Soon Jake could start looking for Chloe. He prayed to every deity he could name—which he realized was a rather short list—that she was alive. And if she was not, Jake prayed just as fervently that whoever had hurt her would suffer tremendously before they died.
Jake watched the bear, wondering when, or if, it was going to leave. He blinked. “You seemed a lot bigger half an hour ago.”
The bear looked at him and nodded. Jake was sure it was a nod, this time. There was no doubt that the bear was getting smaller as he watched.
Jake watched the bear, his mouth agape. For the first time, he realized that the bear was female. It had nipples—no, those weren’t a bear’s nipples, but a woman’s breasts. “What the hell?”
The she-bear looked at him and—smiled. Her face—her entire body—reshaped itself until Jake found himself staring at the naked form of a woman.
The woman he loved.
“Chloe?”
Back inside their tent, Chloe sipped a cup of coffee, a blanket around her shoulders, as Jake examined her wounded leg. “I guess I was wrong about nothing being able to hurt me out here, huh? I’m glad you came looking for me, Jake.”
Jake cleansed the wounds “That trap sure did a number on you, babe. Your leg is cut to the bone, and even into that, too. We need to get you to a hospital. I’m surprised you haven’t gone into shock.”
Chloe shook her head. “I’m even more surprised that you haven’t, Jake. I don’t need a doctor. I should be fine by tomorrow, or the day after that at the latest.”
Jake gasped. “Seriously?”
Chloe nodded. “I heal fast, and I’m immune to infections. Well, all but the one that made me—like this.”
“A werebear?”
Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t much care for that term. I’m an Ursanthrope, if you please.”
“Sorry, babe.” Jake finished wrapping her leg and smiled. “Is this what you wanted me to see, or was there something else?”
Chloe laughed. “No, this was it. I’m sorry I ran. I panicked. I was afraid you’d bolt, and my bear would attack you.” She pointed to his hands. “You cut yourself freeing me.”
Jake shrugged. “It’s nothing. Doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
“No?” Chloe frowned. “Jake, take off the bandages.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it, please.”
Jake unbound his hands. The cuts had completely healed. “Huh. What do you know about that?”
Chloe began to cry. “Oh Jake, I’m so sorry.”
Jake held her hand. “What do you mean?”
She sniffled. “I wasn’t always like this. I was attacked almost three years ago. My leg’s just a scratch compared to what that bear did to me. It practically ripped my arm off and punctured a lung.” She flexed her left arm. “My recovery was ‘a miracle,’ the doctors said. They had never seen anyone heal so completely. I didn’t even scar.”
“Like my hands.”
“Uh-huh. The next full moon, I transformed. And every moon since. Well, except during the winter months. Like I said, I think she hibernates.” Chloe sighed. “I didn’t mean to turn you, too, Jake. Really, I didn’t. Please, don’t hate me.”
“Chloe, you didn’t do anything. I cut myself on the trap.”
“Which was covered in blood. My blood—well, my bear’s blood. That’s how the infection transmits.”
Jake sat back and laughed. “No wonder you put the brakes on the other night. Talk about your STDs!”
“This isn’t funny, Jake! You’re going to change now, too, and it’s all my fault! If I hadn’t run away—”
“It’s okay, babe, I get it. You were trying to protect me.”
“I should have trusted you. You didn’t even know the trapped bear was me, and you risked your life to free it.” She slapped his head. “That was stupid, by the way. I don’t have control over the bear when the moon is full. It could have attacked you.”
“I couldn’t let it suffer.”
“But you’ll change! You’ll always be different, just like me. Afraid to commit, afraid you’ll end up hurting the ones you love. It’s lonely!”
Jake held her hand. “It doesn’t have to be that way, Chloe. We have each other.”
“You don’t hate me?”
“I might get angry later when this all sinks in. Right now, I’m not that sure I’m not still tripping on bear tranquilizer. But I love you, Chloe—bear and all. That’s not going to change.”
Chloe leaned into Jake. “Aw, Jake. That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I love you, too.”
“You sure you don’t need a doctor?”
“I’ve got you, Jake. That’s all I need.” She smiled. “What’s that look?”
“It’s probably safe to say that I’ve seen you at your worst,” said Jake. “You’re dirty, sweaty, bloody, and you’ve got a mangled leg. And I’ve seen your bear. You’re beautiful.”
Chloe sat up, letting the blanket slide off of her. “So are you. You do remember what I said before we came out here, right?”
“Was it something about never saying no again?”
Chloe nodded. “Let me help you with your belt buckle.”
An anonymous tip to the state Wildlife Commission prompted an investigation that led to several arrests. The poachers were fined and imprisoned for illegal trapping. Their traps were recovered, confiscated, and destroyed.
On the eve of the next full moon, Jake and Chloe went camping together. As the sun sank low in the west, Chloe put her arms around Jake. “Are you ready?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. What do I do?”
Chloe smiled. “You don’t do anything. It’ll just happen.”
“Then why ask if I’m ready?”
“The first time you change, it hurts. Bad. I guess it hurts every time, but you get used to it. Just try to remember you’re not alone. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Jake nodded. “I’m not afraid. Do you think our bears will enjoy each other as much as our human selves do?”
“I sure hope so. I think they will. They’re us, too, after all.” Chloe removed the diamond from her finger and put it in the ring box. “Definitely don’t want to lose that. We should take our clothes off, too. They don’t survive the transformation, you know.”
Jake smiled. “As if I mind being naked with you.”
They left their clothes behind and walked hand-in-hand into the woods.
This story first appeared in the anthology Six Points of Contact in 2015.
