Beastly Bruin by gracie [ biker beaver part 2 ]

        He had on a pair of knee high lumberjack boots only half tied, the red strip around the top of his gray wool socks was faded to a pale pink. His double kneed pants were stained and darkened with dirt and pine sap.  Both pant legs were cut up to the knees and I could see the black hair curling over the tops of his boots. His belly looked hard behind the belt buckle shaped like a McCullough chainsaw. The wife beater t-shirt had
holes burned in it from the ash of the cigar wedged between his rounded and worn teeth. His unbuttoned yellow and black flannel shirt was half a size too small, both torn sleeves hanging loose around his massive wrists had the stain of blood, berries and booze discoloring the bright yellow. squares! His hat-I had seen that hat before-it was leather with a wide brim and a band made from the skin of a rattle snake. Yep, there's the eagle feather, just like the biker beavers. I could not look at his eyes staring at me over his long black nose;dripping snot, flaring in and out sucking my scent out of the air. I was chilled to the bone, yet mesmerized by fear of this new critter standing on the shore of Lake Jocassee.

          The Turtle man was speaking softly, "I'm getting some good pictures of the bear. First time I've seen a bear in the wild like this. This is really neat!!

          Fear is clutching my heart and I'm having trouble breathing. I don't want to, but the draw is unmistakable -I look into his eyes! Shining black coal, rimmed with blood red, surrounded by the dirty yellow of a long time smoker. The fire in his eye smoulders as his look burns into my soul and he says, "The beaver boys told me about you. You're yeller!" I try to make light of it and say, "I am a yellow lab, but I think of myself as blonde. Blonde and beautiful!" He raised to his full height and roared-the sound-like a flash flood in a narrow canyon, the trees bowed and the lake shook, water splashed into the canoe as we thundered  back and forth.

          "Gracie be still, you're going to scare the bear."                     
          "Wow! Where did all this wind come from? I can hardly keep the canoe still."
         
          I drop to the bottom of the canoe and stick my nose in the bow so he can't see me. Seventy pounds of quivering dog, squirming to get out of sight! The canoe is rocking and banging, I think I hear him say,"One day!-one day you will be ours!"  I don't know what I've done to the biker beavers or to this beastly bruin. I sure don't understand the Turtle man. Why? Why does he not see what I see? Why does he not hear what I hear?

BEAR-----Looks like a normal bear to me!

          Gracie    and     the Turtle