heading up the windy path despite wishing to drive faster. Within an hour, Jazzy stopped outside Cabin 8 and left the car. A roar, and then a frenzy of aggressive snarls erupted from the backyard, causing Jazzy to rush around the side of the building to see what was going on.
To her shock, she watched as two large bears bat at each other with their paws, biting and wrestling each other to the ground. There were two piles of shredded clothes in the grass not far from where the bears fought. The furious noises the both of them made were enough to wrack Jazzy's body with fear. She held in a scream of panic.
Please tell me these two bears didn't kill Mack and Victor! She thought desperately as she stared in horror at the ruined clothing.
But just as she was about to turn and bolt back to her car, the bear closest to her, auburn in color, was struck in the side and tumbled down the incline. The other bear turned and rushed into the trees, tearing out of sight. Questioning what to do, Jazzy stood there for a few brief seconds. She still wanted to rush for her car, but she couldn't stop the curiosity to check and see that the other bear would be alright. Carefully and quietly, Jazzy stepped down past the cabin and looked toward the bank.
A nude man slowly picked himself up from the ground, holding his side. He turned around and looked up the hill to spot her, and then froze in place.
"M-Ms. Solberg!"
Jazzy was beyond words as she gazed at Mack. She had no idea what she'd just witnessed, but her frightened brain attempted to piece it together for her anyway. Mack was... a bear? But how? Why? She couldn't take this. It was too much. She wasn't about to work for a dangerous creature like this.
Jazzy turned and rushed back toward the other side of the cabin, but before she could get too far, someone gripped her arm. She gasped and turned to look up at Mack, who gazed back with an even expression. The tightness of his hold didn't scare her, but brought her back into a strange sense of ease, as if it felt right.
"You shouldn't have had to see that," he said.
"P-Please. Just let me go. I'm sorry I disturbed you," Jazzy attempted, trying to tug her arm from his hand.
Instead of releasing her, he pulled her closer to his body instead. His breath was heavy, his eyes still holding that wild animal spirit inside them, like he hadn't quite fully changed back into human.
"Jasmine..." he began. “Please don't let this ruin our work together. It is a very minor detail that shouldn't get in the way. Victor and I... We just had an argument is all."
"Y-You call that an argument?" Jazzy uttered, glancing toward the trees. "I thought two bears had eaten the both of you!"
Mack shook his head lightly. "You have my deepest apologies for scaring you, as well as my apologies for not arriving to dinner on time. I was ready to go, but Victor..." He sighed. "It's nothing major. Will you forgive me?"
Jazzy had already forgiven him. She liked Mack too much to think ill of him. He was quiet and powerful, and now with this new characteristic of his that she'd happened upon, she only had a deeper respect for him. It must have taken such a serious strength to keep that ability a secret. Despite the many questions she had on her mind, there was only one that remained most prominent.
"Mack," Jazzy started, looking up into his eyes. She felt so vulnerable under his gaze. "Can we still go to dinner then?"
To her surprise, he flashed a smile and chuckled. "Yes, Jasmine. We can still go to dinner. There is now so much I would like to talk to you about."
Several minutes later, Jazzy sat in the passenger seat of Mack's car as he drove back toward Mountain Pass. Mack was in a new pair of clothes, and looked surprisingly calm despite the earlier fight.
"Will Victor be alright?" Jazzy asked, glancing sideways at him. Mack's profile view was the perfect structure of a Greek statue. He was