Bearly Holding On Read Free

know...is it classified?”
    “No! No, it’s not that big of a deal, really. There's been a series of murders surrounding the village,” she explained. “They appear to be bear attacks, but this afternoon I found sets of human footprints.”
    Her father walked in, catching the last half of her sentence. Awenasa and her mother both stood, gaining a sense of formality with the return of her father.
    “I assume the city thinks someone on the reservation is responsible,” he said, breaking the silence, “and sent you to make things right. Is that right, Awenasa?”
    “No, Dad,” she replied, turning to face him as she sat back down. “The evidence I found, the footprints, lead in the direction of the reservation. No one thinks a member of the tribe is responsible, but we think someone here may have some information.”
    “She's a detective, Keme!” her mother squealed proudly.
    Her father raised his brows in mild surprise. “Really? Well, detective or not, this is bound to be fruitless. You'll find no one here that will give you information. Is this why they sent you?”
    “They know that things get a little tense when they come here,” she admitted. “They sent me to keep the peace.”
    Her father paced across the room and took a seat on the couch. “They were smart in that,” he said begrudgingly. He was quiet for a moment and looked at his daughter. “There was a girl that came back late last night. She had been collecting berries and got into some trouble along the way. It could be a coincidence, of course, but I suppose you never know.”
    Awen nodded as she listened. This was probably as close as she would get to a cooperative conversation with her father for the time being.
    “As far as I know, nothing went wrong,” he continued, rubbing his chin in thought. “She did seem a little out of breath, though. It wouldn’t hurt to question her family, I suppose, if you think it would help you.”
    “Thank you, Dad.” Awen reached out to rest her hand on the couch arm.
    He patted her hand awkwardly and stood.
    “I'll go with you,” he said, walking to the door. “They may be hesitant to speak if it's just you alone.”
    A few minutes later, Awen and her father knocked on the door to an even smaller house. A tiny boy answered the door.
    “Ouray,” Keme said to him. “Are your father and sister home?”
    The boy didn’t speak, just ran inside. A few moments later, an older, taller girl greeted them both with a shy smile, along with her father. The girl seemed a little pale and watched them with wary eyes; however, she never dropped her smile.
    “Keme,” the man answered, stepping outside. “What can I do for you?”
    “My daughter is here regarding a body found not far from our forest,” he explained. “I know that your daughter was late coming home, causing worry. Did she mention anything to you?”
    The man scratched his jaw nervously. After a moment, he nodded to his daughter.
    “Sihu, go inside and help your mother,” he told her. She quickly obeyed, giving Awen a lingering look as she closed the door.
    “My daughter will not speak to strangers,” he explained, “but she has spoken to me.”
    “Did she mention anything out of the ordinary to you?” Awen asked, pulling out her notebook.
    “She did,” the father replied, nodding his head. “She said a strange man was lost in the woods asking her to lead him back to the path...she did not.”
    “Anything else?” she asked after he was silent for a moment.
    The man shuffled his feet.
    “Patamon,” Keme said, grabbing his attention, “this could bring trouble for our people. If your daughter saw something, you must tell Awen.”
    “She said,” he continued after taking a deep breath, “that the Ghost Bear saved her from this man.”
    The conversation went silent and Awenasa glanced at the two men with some level of confusion. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place why.
    “What is that?” she asked, writing