Bernard was only aware of Orson's voice in the darkness. "I didn't mean for things to go this far."

"Mom should be safe now. That's all that matters."

"Hey, that fight was mostly your doing. I just helped you out a little. Besides, that's not what I'm talking about." Orson sighed. "This whole mess is all my fault. If it weren't for me, you'd still be a human. Safe and happy." His voice grew fainter with every word.

"Yes, but I never would have been able to understand bears the way I do now. Before you turned me into a bear, I thought your mom and all other grizzlies were monsters because of what happened to Dad. I'll always miss my dad, but now I understand why your mom acted the way she did. Honestly, after everything I've seen this past year, I'm surprised most bears aren't as nasty as Arturo."

Orson chuckled quietly. "It's about time you got the message. You know, you humans aren't so bad either. I'm the only real monster."

"Don't say that! If it weren't for you, I don't think I could have lasted this long. You could have let the hunter kill me, but you didn't. You could have let me fight Arturo without your help and without letting Mom know who I was, but you didn't. Do you really think a monster would have done that?"

"No, but I did hurt you. You didn't have anything to do with what happened to Mom or my brother, but I hurt you anyway. I'm worse than Thorburn."

"Orson-"

"Hinrik knew better," Orson said, sobbing. "When he died, he joined the spirits without even trying to latch onto a human. I should have gone too, but I was just so angry..." His voice shook. "You must hate me after everything I've done to you."

"Not at all. Orson, after all we've been through together, you aren't just a bear to me anymore. You're my friend."

"Do you really mean that?" Orson sounded as if he was whispering to Bernard from across a room.

"Of course I do. Are you okay? I can barely hear you." He paused. "I'm not dying, am I?"

"No. In fact, it's about time for you to wake up." Warmth spread through the blackness. "Goodbye, Bernard. Try not to forget me once you're a human again, okay?"

"Orson?" A faint light began to illuminate the darkness. "Orson!"

Bernard opened his eyes. His shoulder was aching so badly that he soon developed a headache that throbbed along with it. The rest of his body fared little better. A blanket lay draped across his back and shoulders. It smelled like home.

"Is it really you?" his mother asked hoarsely. She stood several feet away from Bernard. It was amazing what one year could do to a person. She looked much older than she had when he had last seen her, and that wasn't just because of the gray strands that now bordered her black hair. She looked tired, as if she had spent the last year running from her grief but never quite outpacing it.

"Have you seen any other talking bears around here?"

"No, I just can't believe I've found you." She laughed. The horribly broken sound made Bernard's fur stand on end. "Maybe I've finally lost it. None of the other grizzlies I've found ever said a word to me, so it was only a matter of time before I started hallucinating one that talked."

"I can prove who I am if you want. Give me a minute." Bernard heaved himself onto his feet with the blanket clinging to his back. The world rocked beneath him. Bile filled his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the nausea to pass.

As soon as he no longer felt like vomiting half-digested salmon all over the campsite, Bernard opened his eyes wrote his name in the dirt with the tip of his claw. "I hope you can read that. I haven't had much practice writing out here."

He barely had time to finish talking before his mom rushed over to him and hugged him. Pain lanced through his shoulder. "That really hurts," he hissed.

She let go. "I'm sorry." Tears trickled down her face. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I never thought I'd get to see you again. Have you been doing alright out here?"

Bernard's hackles rose. "You gave up on me and had me taken away. Why would you care?" His mother gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her sides heaved as she wept harder. Bernard took a deep breath and forced his hackles to lay flat. "If you must know, I have been beaten up several times. I have seen the dead body of a cub. I have been shot in the shoulder and had to kill someone. No, I have not been alright!"

"Someone shot you?" His mother clenched her fists so hard that Bernard could smell blood coming from where her nails pierced her skin. A vein stood out on her forehead. In that moment, she scared Bernard more than Arturo ever had.

"Yes. A hunter found me during a storm. I had to kill him. He would have killed me otherwise."

"And yet people wonder why I've never approved of hunting." She sighed, slowly unclenching her fists. "It's a shame he had to learn his lesson that way, but it sounds like you did what you had to. May I see your shoulder?"

"Be careful. Arturo did quite a bit of damage to it during our fight." Bernard bent down.

Alice pulled at the blanket. It wouldn't budge. Scowling, she gave it a quick tug.

Bernard screamed as the blanket was torn from the wound on his shoulder, ripping off a scab. He clenched his teeth as blood dripped from his shoulder. "I told you to be careful."

"I didn't realize your injury had bled enough to make the blanket stick like that. Hang on." She ran into her tent and came back with a first aid kit. Pulling out some disinfectant and a roll of gauze, she disinfected and bandaged the wound, grimacing as she looked at the damage. "I'll have to change that in a little while. Remind me to wash your shoulder again when I do. There's no telling what else that bear has had in his mouth recently."

"He seems to eat road kill fairly often. He's big enough to eat anything else he wants, too." Bernard's stomach growled. "Speaking of eating, could I have some of your food?"

"That grolar bear ruined my food supplies. Everything you would eat must be full of dirt by now. I wouldn't be surprised if rodents and bugs have gotten into it either."

He chuckled. "I've eaten many more bugs than I would like to admit this past year, and a little dirt won't kill me."

The eternally health-conscious woman grimaced. "At least let me wash it off. I should have enough spare water to do that."

Bernard ate all of her fruits and most of her vegetables before his stomach stopped grumbling. Once he was finished, his mother held one of her canteens to his lips while he drank. She dabbed away the water that dribbled down his chin with a handkerchief. Bernard eased himself onto the ground and curled up.

"So, are you going to pack up camp and leave, or do you want me to drag myself back to my territory first?"

His mother looked as if he had just slapped her. "What makes you think I'm going to leave you behind, especially in your condition? That wound in your shoulder is the most horribly infected injury I've ever seen. Even if it doesn't get worse, you're going to have a hard time dealing with the pain. You were screaming in your sleep earlier."

Bernard stared at her. "Do you seriously need me to mention that you had me taken away and left to fend for myself? I still love you, but I'm not sure if I trust you."

She sat next to him and rested a hand on his back, stroking his fur. "You have every right to be angry with me. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd rather stay out here than come home after what I did." Tears dripped onto Bernard's fur. "I still can't believe I was stupid enough to let those rangers take you away. You have no idea how much it hurt to wake up in an empty house."

The hand on Bernard's back trembled as his mother's body shook with sobs. He nuzzled her side. "I've missed you too," he said. "I wish I could go home, but I'm not sure how we could manage that. People are bound to notice a bear following your car, especially since this messed up shoulder is going to slow us down."

She put a hand to her chin. "I know a vet who lives near here. I could call her and have her treat your injuries. She doesn't relocate her patients, but you will need to be tranquilized. Would that be okay?"

Bernard scowled, remembering the last time he was tranquilized. After thinking it over for a minute, he nodded. If his mother left him behind while he was unconscious, at least his injuries would hurt less when he returned to his territory.

"Just don't talk to her. You can imagine how she would react."

"Of course." He sighed. "Are you sure you want to take care of me again? I was being a bit of a jerk before the rangers came."

"Bernard, we both made a lot of mistakes while you were transforming. We were scared, and your father wasn't around to help us. He still isn't, but we have each other. I'd rather turn into a bear myself than lose you again."

"Alright. See you when I wake up." Bernard shut his eyes.

He heard a sound like raindrops tapping on the ground as his mom dialed the vet's number. "Hi, Diane. It's me, Alice. There's a bear that's been badly injured inside that grolar bear's territory, near the parking lot. Could you drive over and make sure he's okay?"

Bernard smiled.