Run Forest... RUN!

Nico had been growing in size, ability, and confidence.  The last perhaps to his detriment.  It was important to be a great role model to Jack after all, right?  It didn’t mean he didn’t go rushing to find dangerous predators but simply he hadn’t worried so much about hiding or peeking around every corner.

In this instance, he had found bushes of blackberries, and even as he had plans to take some of them back to show Jack.  The coyote chomped on some of them first, enjoying the juiciness trapped inside of each berry.  Echo sat content on the brush, feeling much better when Nico wasn’t hanging out with the wolves.  The bird was making soft deep sounds as he preened delicately at his wing feathers to keep them in perfect order.  

Once he was done munching Nico grabbed some of the bushy vines, tugging at it a bit before stepping in, shoving his muzzle in deeper, greedily wanting to get as much of a vine of berries as possible to take back with him.  The pup got a bit carried away with tug of war to notice what was coming up behind.  

Nico heard a deep loud huffing and turned to look behind him, berry vine clinging between his muzzle.  Even as the pup looked the grizzly bear stood up and Nico’s eyes widened into saucers.  

“Run. Run!” Echo lifted up from his bush perch and started flying about the bear's head, “run, run” Then the brave bird launched itself down, pecking the bear’s head before flapping up higher.  The bear was distracted and the bird was just out of reach.

Nico ran as instructed.  It wasn’t cowardly, it was smart.  There was no way he could chase off a bear!  What surprised him was when Nico ran right into a friend. “Oscar!” There was a moment of joy in the voice followed by remembrance as the charging bear came up from behind. “Bear!” As if Oscar couldn’t see it for himself.

"Niko"