Part Five: The end of The Bronze age part three

As Emrys cried, "Jump! Jump!" the men were already dropping into the passage. The bear immediately scampered back down over the rocks for another attempt to break through and into the passageway.

Emrys asked for the spear, explaining to the men that he could make his way through the gap and down the cascade via the rocks and back around to the entrance to attack the animal from behind. When his uncle passed him the weapon, Emrys, with help, finally pushed himself through and out to the safety of the far side, leaving the two men with just an axe and five arrows.

There was little left of the failed burning barrier and nothing to stop the creature from thundering back into the passageway and hitting the narrow spot with such force that the cracks previously made were now opened further. The beast's head shoved through, and then the two paws appeared. The twisting and shaking returned as the monstrous animal writhed and shook, snarling and rapidly shaking its head, spraying the men with thick saliva. Aghard's brother rushed forward with an arrow raised high, but Aghard grabbed his arm and told him to wait. He did not want the animal to retreat and come face to face with his son- they needed more time. His brother hesitated but, fired by fear and panic, immediately made a lunge forward, this time stabbing the creature in the throat. Finally, the bear's shaking broke away a layer of rock and its rocking shoulders, then began squeezing through the now wider gap. The first huge paw, claws spread wide, swiped at the men. The men now had to make a full attack before the beast could break through. The second arrow stabbed upwards into the creature's flan. The axe hit hard and firmly between the eyes. The head trembled and quivered in anger, then, along with both paws, it quickly withdrew.

The men stared at the bloodied and drooling creature, now glaring at them with such a cold and evil malevolence. Both men had frozen in hesitant confusion as to what they should do. Men and beast stared at each other waiting for the next move. The standoff, however, was ended quickly when Emrys, aiming for the spot that would do the most damage and cause the most pain, thrust his spear with all his might into the bear's exposed rear end. The vast bulk of the animal shimmied and juddered violently as it rushed rapidly backwards, crying out in pain and anger. Emrys could not withdraw the deeply embedded spear. Left with no weapon and the bear's rapidly retreating mass, he had no alternative but to turn and run.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Even wounded and in great pain from the two deeply embedded blades, Emrys knew the bear may still be too fast for him to outrun. The only option was to head straight back to the cascades and back to his father and uncle, but he knew the bear would be far quicker than he. His plan could go no further than beating the bear to the cascades, where he would leap from the high rocks into the river, praying that the bear would not follow him into the water or that he could outswim the beast. Heart pounding, Emrys ran and clambered as quickly as possible up the rocks, making sure not to falter or to turn to see how close the bear may be. Almost at the top, he could hear the rumbling, crashing waters below and the snorting, growling animal close behind- so very close that he jumped without hesitation and care.

Tumbling haphazardly through the air, on his way down into the cascades, at the last moment, Emrys saw a large timber that, some years before, had been dragged by a torrential downpour to become lodged between the rocks. The heavy branches' weight and the current's force had snapped the timber to leave a huge pointed stake. Emrys was falling directly onto that stake, but, by the will of the Gods, he landed on the timber, just below the sharp pointed end, to roll off, injured, into the cold water.

Emrys found himself in a calm pool away from the main water flow. Better still was that when he looked up, he saw the bear had leapt to follow him, but the bear, being so much larger, had been unable to avoid the lethal pointed timber which, due to Emrys blocking its view, it had not seen. The creature, crying out in great pain, writhed around, thrashing the rocks and water around him. Emrys pulled himself out of the water and moved around the struggling beast, amazed at its vast size. The madness remained on the animal's face, and the eyes screamed as loudly as its voice roared. Emrys felt a shudder of fear as he stared into the dying creature's still menacing eyes. Thoroughly exhausted, Emrys pulled himself from the water and then fell unconscious.

When Emrys awoke, his father and uncle were beside him, but bad news came with the news that Eric had died. They carried Eric's body home and arrived after night had fallen. Two days later, whilst Eric lay in his open, hastily made coffin of pine wood and whilst the burial words were being spoken, someone had noticed Eric's face was changed; his forehead was swollen, and his skin had turned a blue-ish grey. His cold eyes had opened wide, and he was staring with a menacing expression of intense evil. Then, groaning and shaking, Eric sat up. Snarling and with teeth clenched, he grabbed the nearest person and, before anyone was able to stop him, bit hard into their flesh.