The Bear (Pt. 4/4)

Charlie watched the entire spectacle. His house burnt all the way to the ground, from every thatched section of roof to the fish that had boiled earlier. By the time everything was gone, it was the late morning of the next day.

Charlie was sitting on the wet, leaf-covered ground, clutching Maltus and staring into the deep, famous Latchfire Wood, famed as the largest forest in Rheliwien, spanning 400 miles at its longest point.

He made the decision there and then, and set off into the forest.

He figured that if Telbes was to be anywhere, at this point, it would be here.

A few hours of walking resulted in blistered feet (despite Charlie's shoes), a tired dog, and multiple tracks of the massive dragon found, such as scorched leaves on trees, trees fallen to the ground in uncountable numbers, and quite a few massive ditches where the dragon had stepped.

Charlie sighed, becoming more and more weary with every step he took.

Maltus, his dog, stopped dead in his tracks. Charlie stopped in turn.

"What?" Charlie seemed annoyed, for he knew that if he stopped for too long, he might not ever keep going.

Maltus whined and tilted his head. Charlie then realized that Maltus wasn't looking to his master, but just past his shoulder.

Charlie looked up and saw his heavy breath rising through the autumn air, but once it got higher, it merged with another mass of condensed moisture, but it was too low to be a cloud.

Charlie slowly turned, signaling to his dog to run the other way.

Maltus obeyed, scampering through the fallen leaves and dew-covered fern.

Charlie didn't know exactly what happened next, for it happened quicker than the eye could follow.

Whatever happened, Charlie was found laying on the forest floor by a group that went to check on the lonesome juvenile.

He was taken to the nearest town, Bushgrass, for medical assistance, with all his ribs either broken or cracked and internal bleeding. Of course, they had no way to help him other than to put him on medicine and hope for the best.

He never recovered fully, but he lived. Whenever someone asks him what happened in the forest, he neglects to tell them the true story.