Simple. Certain. Like a promise carved into stone. Clara closed her eyes then. For real this time.
And for the first time since Thomas died sleep came without a fight because someone else was standing guard. The second night it came closer. Not a sound at first. Just a shift in the air. The kind that makes the fire feel smaller even when it's burning strong.
Elijah didn't move from the chair, rifle steady across his lap, eyes on the door. Clara woke without knowing why. No dream. No noise. Just that same pressure in her chest.
Like something had stepped inside her breath. Elijah. Her voice came low, barely there. I hear it, he said. He was already standing.
The fire snapped behind him. Shadows climbed the walls. Clara pushed herself up, blanket falling from her shoulders. What is it? He didn't answer.
Not yet. He moved toward the door. Slow. Measured. Every step placed like it mattered.
The wind had stopped outside. That was wrong. Out here, the wind never really stopped. Elijah reached for the latch. Paused, just for a second.
Then, a heavy thud hit the side of the cabin. Wood groaned. Clara flinched. Her hand found the edge of the bed. Tight.
Another hit. Closer this time. Something big. Something strong. Elijah stayed back.
His voice cut low, not loud, but it stopped her. He opened the door. Cold rushed in, and with it, a shape. Massive, dark against the snow. It moved fast, too fast for something that size.
Elijah fired. The shot cracked through the valley. The sound rolled across the hills. The shape staggered, but didn't fall. Clara saw it then.
Bear, huge, starved thin, but still strong enough to kill. It roared. Low, angry, and charged again. Elijah stepped forward, out into the snow, between it and the cabin. Another shot.
Closer. The bear slowed, but kept coming. Clara's breath locked in her chest. Her fingers shook. Not from cold, from watching a man stand his ground against something that could tear him apart.
Elijah, he didn't look back, didn't move away. Just waited. Timed it. The bear lunged, he fired again. Point-blank.
The force knocked it sideways. It hit the ground hard. Snow burst up around it. Silence. Not peaceful.