Finally, he had caught up with me, and who could have guessed it,he caught me with my damn injured leg. I fell, and the pain that shot through my wounded limb was paralyzing. Once again, I saw my life flash before my eyes. I didn’t want to die; it became clear to me in that moment. I wanted more time with my family, who I had already neglected far too much. All the pride had blinded me, pulling me from mission to mission, but in the end, I was still alone, with the king's glory. Praise was no longer worth as much as seeing Dante laugh. Dante... he still had his whole life ahead of him, with such a joyful spirit that one day he would steal the shine from the sun. But if I died now, the next victim of the bear would be him—my wonderful cousin. The thought of it made a wave of rage rush through me. No, dying was one thing, but dying without purpose was another. My death would have meaning. I wouldn’t die alone; no, the bear would go down with me, and with that, any danger of hurting my cousin would vanish.

I pulled the hidden dagger from my boot, which I had wisely placed there for emergencies like this, and turned onto my back, now facing the cruel creature. As I twisted, I gathered momentum to strike. Unfortunately, this only fueled my opponent’s rage, and I received a powerful swipe that snapped my head back. It growled, and I made a few gasping sounds as I felt the blood run down my cheek. I started to crawl backward. I needed more space to land a really good blow that might distract it enough to stab it in the heart or reach its throat. But with rising panic, I felt the solid trunk of a tree behind me. The bear saw its victory; the next swipe would kill me if I didn’t move back. I could only freeze in place, watching helplessly. But then, for the second time, someone threw themselves between me and the creature. I must have one hell of a guardian angel... yes, an angel. Dante.