• He watched the young woman from a safe distance away, up in the middle branches of a large oak tree. He wanted to go down and approach her, but he feared that her reaction would be similar to that of the last several people he had come across. He let his thoughts wander for a moment, going back to one night in particular the year before. That was the night he had nearly been killed by a black bear.

    He had been half-asleep when the attack happened. The bear had come out of nowhere. The first thing he felt was the bear's claws ripping into his left side. Before he could move to grab his gun, the bear swiped at his head, leaving deep gouges on the right side of his face. A moment later, he heard a gunshot, and the bear dropped beside him, dead.

    His camping partner rushed him to the hospital, where he immediately underwent surgery and a blood transfusion to save his life. After this, he had spent nearly a month in the hospital, going through physical therapy to help him regain the use of his left arm and leg, both of which had been sliced to the bone by the bear's claws. Unfortunately, due to the wounds to his face, he lost his right eye. Even now, a year after the attack, he still walked with a pronounced limp.

    A low curse brought him back to reality, and he looked down at the young woman again. She was trying unsuccessfully to start a fire. He decided that, since it was nearly dark out, he would start his own fire near hers. Climbing down from the oak tree, he moved closer to the young woman and gathered some wood that he'd hidden nearby, then took his pocketknife and a shard of flint and struck them together rapidly. Sparks showered down on the small pile of brush he'd gathered, and he blew gently on the brush until it began to burn, adding twigs and sticks until he had a small fire going. This done, he climbed back up into the oak tree and waited.

    It was fully dark before the young woman noticed a fire burning nearby. Curious, she moved toward it slowly, her eyes darting from side to side in search of danger. She stopped abruptly when she saw a large form lying on the opposite side of the fire, away from her.

    "He won't hurt ye," came a deep voice from somewhere behind her. Startled, she spun around, trying to see who had spoken, but there was no one there. A branch snapped to her left, and she whirled toward the noise. There was a soft thud directly in front of her, and the deep voice spoke again.

    "Nor will I," it said.

    "Who are you?" she asked, fear making her voice tremble slightly.

    "My name is Jake," the voice said. "Who are ye?"

    "J-June," the young woman stammered.

    "Ye don't have ter be afraid o' me, June," Jake said. "I won't hurt ye."

    "Is that your fire?" June asked.

    "Aye," Jake said. "Ye're welcome ter sit by it, if ye'd like."

    "I can't seem to start one of my own," June said, "no matter how hard I try."

    "I can show ye, if ye'd like," Jake said.

    "I'll figure it out somehow," she said, shaking her head.

    "Are ye hungry?" he asked.

    "Just a little," she said, nodding. Just then, Jake's stomach rumbled loudly, and June jumped in fright.

    "What was that?" she asked.

    "That was my stomach," Jake said, as he began walking toward the fire. "I caught some fish 'bout an hour ago, and they're roasting o'er the fire."

    "Where did you catch them?" June asked. "There's nowhere to fish from near here."

    "Ye're not from this area, are ye?" Jake asked.

    "No, I'm not," June said. "How can you tell?"

    "If ye were from around here, ye'd know about the hidden lake o'er that way," Jake said, pointing to his right.

    "How do you know it's hidden?" June asked.

    "'Cause I stumbled on it by accident," he replied. "I got lost in these woods several years ago. I was lookin' fer food when I came across a large crack in a gigantic slab o' rock. It was large enough that I could get through it, so I followed it 'til it came out to a large cavern. There were three tunnels in the far wall. By chance, I picked the one that led to open air again. 'Tis surrounded on all sides by sheer rock cliffs. I looked fer days fer another way out, and believe me, I didn't find anything, except the way I'd come."

    "How did you find your way back out?" June asked.

    "I marked the spot I'd come through with a pile o' branches," Jake answered. "I followed the tunnel back, then marked the crack with a sharp rock, makin' an X so I could find it again."

    "Were you ever found?" she inquired. He nodded.

    "Aye, two days after I found my way back from the lake," he said. "After I was found, I made a yearly trip out 'ere, and started getting ter know my way around. After last year, though, I almost didn't come back."

    "Why?" June wanted to know.

    "I was attacked and nearly killed by a bear," Jake said. "I lost my right eye from the attack, and I would've died, had my camping partner not rushed me ter the hospital."

    "I'm sorry, Jake," June said.

    "'Twasn't yer fault, June," Jake said. "The attack was the bear's fault."

    "Why did you return?" she asked.

    "My partner killed the bear," Jake said. "And I knew I couldn't let any fear keep me away from 'ere, so I faced my fears."

    "How long ago was that?" she wondered.

    "It's been six months since I returned," Jake said.

    "Why have you been out here for so long?"

    "I like the solitude," he answered. "It helps me clear my mind when I'm alone."

    They were near the fire now. June sat down near it, but Jake hung back, not wanting her to see his scars. He approached the fire long enough to remove the two fish he'd placed over it, then took his fish and retreated to the shadows on the other side of the fire. They ate in silence, and once they were finished, Jake disposed of the fish bones and returned to the shadows. June stifled a yawn as he sat down again.

    "Ye must be tired," he observed. She nodded, her eyelids drooping.

    "Get some sleep," he said. "I'll keep watch."

    "If you're staying up, then I will, too," June said, but Jake shook his head.

    "Trust me, ye'll need yer sleep," he said. "I do this every night, so I'm used to it."

    "As you wish," June said, lying down on the ground, facing the fire. Within minutes, she was peacefully asleep. Jake moved closer to the fire then, turning to face the forest around them. Every few minutes, he would rise and walk in a large circle around the campsite, always returning to the same spot he'd started from. Not far away lay a large shape that Jake was well familiar with, as he'd been around it every night for nearly four months now.

    Around 1 A.M, Jake heard a low growl to his right, and he knew something was near the campsite. His nighttime friend was warning him of approaching danger. Turning slowly, he noticed his friend's hackles were up, and it was staring beyond where June lay sleeping. Two yellow cat eyes were not far from June.

    Picking up a handmade spear, Jake slowly stood, but before he could throw it, the eyes disappeared as the mountain lion turned and fled. Jake sat down again after putting more wood on the fire.

    "Guard," he said quietly, and he heard a short growl of acknowledgment from his friend. Lying down, Jake was asleep a few minutes later.