III.

The green, wood nymph wizard soared over the canopy in pursuit of her lumbering prey. It had taken days, but she had found him. She had found the bear, and his pelt would be hers…just as soon as she caught up to and killed him. The beasts of the tree tops knew to stay well beyond her reach and out of her path as she leapt past them in fury. Their scattering pleased her, but the bear's apparent apathy and mild annoyance with her presence filled her with anger and madness. He would soon learn, she told herself as she continued to chase him down.

He would soon know the name that was Artetris, the Huntress Wizard, and his soul would fear it for all its dead days.

The vile fiend snarled at her pursuit as she dropped from above and onto the branch of the tree in his path. With her eyes focused and narrowed, she aimed for him with her arrow and mystic bow on target. The bow's magic would kill him instantly. However, he stood, and his roar shook the branch she stood on, and several others, just long enough for her to fight for her balance and just long enough for him to flee and get away.

Artetris steadied herself and hummed in frustration. As the nymphs of the trees had warned, his power far exceeded that of a normal bear's. Never had one run so swiftly and elusively. Never had a bear blown her back with his snarl and lived to tell the tale. But every time she failed to catch him, it worked her into a hungering frenzy that made her just want to hunt him more.

The white beast reborn… Indeed, he had been reborn somehow as a white bear, but was he really Acteon? Or something else entirely?

The sounds of the hunt thrilled Artetris as she leapt after him, again in pursuit. The wind rushing through her green, leafy hair and under her long, navy blue cape and brown hood; the arrows in her quiver clapping, ready to be levitated from their pack and launched at whoever she deemed their target; her heart beating in her chest like a drum sounding for war, for such a battle had been declared by the unwitting actions of her opponent; and the chanting of her breath and the branches as she zeroed in on her quarry—all of it lulled her towards madness and glee.

She'd chase him down until he was hers…

She'd skin his hide until it had paid for his crimes in blood…

Her green, cat-like eyes followed every motion and whim of the prey ahead. The Huntress scoffed at his footsteps pounding the forest path in frustrated clumsiness. Her mint green body tingled with mana as she closed in on her target. Her hands reached back and drew three arrows forth with only her telekinetic will. The bow would be more precise, she thought, and powerful, but the prey was too fast. Slow him down first and then aim for his heart or his big head…

Aim for his big head…

The green arrows flew with a "woosh" towards her opponent's head! The beast, however, tumbled over a root and rolled out of danger, causing Artetris to miss her mark completely. Instead, her arrows struck the tree behind him, causing the wood nymph attached to it to cry out in alarm. She spat and cursed, dismissing the arrows from her friend and making sure to leave no blemish behind before refocusing on the foe before.

Begrudgingly, she felt the tree nymph inside forgive her, and her anger grew fiercer.

Now the bear had truly done it.

The bear-dude recovered and roared as she landed upon the ground before him. Artetris stood from her crouched, Huntress position to face him head on with a glare. Her mana coursed throughout her with rage. She eyed him with challenge and contempt, unafraid of his mad and arrogant stare. Agitated, he snorted and snarled at her in return.

Standing up on his hind legs, he threw his head back so that his thunderous voice bellowed through the trees before he slammed to all fours and stomped towards her. She spat at him and hissed while meeting his steps. Slowly, they began to circle one another in predatory caution. She'd kill him… She'd kill him…

"You're a menace to these woods, Beast!" she spat at him. "You're a menace, and I hunt down monsters like you to their graves!"

He snorted at her in contempt and smirked almost as they two continued to circle one another slowly. From where had he hailed such arrogance? In return, she huffed back, her sharper teeth flaring.

"You destroyed someone this forest held as sacred!" she hissed. "Someone a friend of mine held dear, and I'll kill you for crossing that line!"

She readied her arrows, and the bear snorted, looking dazed and dumb as he looked around.

A voice suddenly spoke from him telepathically.

"You…shall not beat this beast with those, magic nymph," it stated haughtily. "Not even Diana will fail me once my plans are complete!"

Artetris' eyebrow raised in confusion at the words coming from the bear's head; his mouth didn't move at all. Who was that? And how did it know of Artemis' spear, Diana?

"Who are…" she started to ask.

"Your interest in killing this animal is more out of guilt and pride, little nymph," the voice interrupted while the bear seemed to moan a bearish in pain. "Versus some self-righteous dedication to this forest, you should admit how poorly you hold it in regard to your own feelings. You'd feel better. You left it all behind after all! Hahaha!"

Artetris' eye twitched at his last comment, and she summoned a javelin as the bear roared in anger. It did not matter now who he was. He would die along with his bear.

The bear suddenly lunged at her as if freed from a cage, and he came like a beast on fire. Artetris gritted her teeth at the realization of danger and leapt aside. Her heart pounded while she held the spear towards the animal, refocusing on the task at hand—killing him. The bear, however, suddenly growled and thrashed at nothing. As if somewhat confused by all that was transpiring, he shook his head almost as if he was trying to regain some composure. What little composure a dumb bear could have.

Artetris saw her chance to take him. She had him there, right where she wanted him… And she'd kill him. She grinded her teeth together in madness and lunged.

"HEY! WHOA!" the bear suddenly cried out in alarm as he dodged and fell over.

Artetris stopped, somewhat surprised by his actions but mostly annoyed. What was going on? She pointed her javelin towards the bear and stalked towards him with caution. Who had he become now? The bear stood back up on all fours and faced her.

"Watch it lady," he growled. "What the bliz is wrong with you? Don't you know you could kill someone with that?"

"Uh…that's the point, my javelin's point!" Artetris remarked before kicking the bear in the chin and knocking him over. She stood on him and pointed the javelin at his face, and he looked at it in terror. "You're the one who murdered the fowl fey, King. It's one thing if you had eaten him and buried the bones like you are supposed to, but that's not what happened! You killed my friend in cold blood and left his remains scattered across the forest floor. You massacred him! I'll skewer you in return!"

The bear's eyes widened in terror before narrowing in confusion and holding his head.

"Oh no, no…no…" he remarked. "Not again…"

The bear groaned a bearish moan and whimpered as she raised the javelin.

"Look, okay, I am sorry!" he said, admitting his crime in panic. "Whatever I did I didn't mean to—"

Artetris suddenly jammed the javelin into his neck before he could finish, and he gagged.

"He's not the only one you 'didn't mean' to kill for no other point than killing," she said coldly. The bear choked and clawed at her javelin; his neck and fur were both thicker than anticipated. "Hey-whoa!"

Artetris quickly went flying back as the young bear's instincts and will to live kicked it. He cried out in both terror and anger, and a powerful force blew her back and into a nearby tree. She groggily stood and glared towards him. He stared at her in shock at what he had done and shook his head, as if unbelieving that it had happened. Clumsily, he scrambled away, and Artetris growled in vexation at her own vengeful behavior. Next time, she'd just stab him through the eye. Suffering her enemy was wrong.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" he cried as he ran. Artetris listened to his pleading and pursued him. "I…just wanted to be strong so that I could be tough and face the guy sugaring up to my girl! I never wanted this curse!"

Curse? What curse? The information sent memories of the voice back to her, the voice that had had the nerve to condescend and question her intentions. Artetris narrowed her eyes. She'd definitely kill him…whoever he was. Clearly, he was not the bear.

But if not him, then who had the spiritual voice belonged to? Acteon…?

No. Her mother's dying act and declaration had been that she had killed him, that Diana had slayed Acteon for good. So…who else could the spirit have been?

"What are you on about, Bear?" Artetris hollered after him in contempt. "Blaming others for your crimes is immature!"

"I heard a voice!" he cried as her arrows flew after him. Her eyebrow raised with interest. "And then I went to a witch…. I'm sorry! I don't know what she did or what happened! All I know is they're dead! Everyone's gone!"

"So you tampered with magic!" Artetris screamed behind him as she narrowed the gap. The bear only cried in terror in response. A twinge of conflict rose within her. Magic… She knew it's trade-off's well. Had she not been trying to warn Betty those few days before? If only someone had warned the bear…"Stupid bear! You can't handle the madness that comes from the type of magic you sought after. It's no wonder you went crazy! Where did you get the knowledge? Tell me!"

Artetris threw the javelin at his feet, and he panicked and tumbled as it snapped beneath him. She landed upon his back and grasped his fur. She then levitated an arrow near his nose, and he shuddered. Artetris narrowed her eyes at him to let him know who was the boss, and he gulped.

"Tell me who made you strong, Bear," she growled. "What evil dares to lurk in this forest and twists its beings?"

"I'm not sure," the bear said. "I was wandering…and sad because my girl had dumped me for this other bear…and I just wanted to get stronger…"

Artetris rolled her eyes. Kids…and romance. The love between beasts never ceased to amuse her, for so often, it mimicked the same dramas as other beings. Her parents came to mind…

Angrily, she twisted his fat and fur and threw him to the ground, not wanting to hear of his dramas or think about how they reminded her of her own. The bear shuddered at her strength and quickly got the point.

"Ahh! There was a voice!" the bear cried in terror. "It came to me after a bad hunt! It said to find the path to the Arba yaga's home…"

Artetris listened with intense interest. Arba yaga were notoriously evil, hiding out in their hovels surrounded by wood witch trees and misguiding travelers to eat them and suck the essence of their souls. The forest had warned her of the darkness clouding its mind. Was this bear the key to finding them? And would ending her and the wood witches fix all the problems they faced? Including this dumb bear? Perhaps.

The bear stared at her sheepishly, and she glared.

"Tell me more," Artetris demanded.

"It told me, that Arbottoma would help me…" the bear spoke on. "So I…went to the Wood Witch Grove to see her."

Artetris' eyes narrowed in aggravation, and she heaved a sigh before groaning. That stupid butt witch…and her bottomless bum. How had SHE grown into such a troublesome opponent?

"I…I don't know why I listened," the bear stammered, growing more deranged. Artetris watched him closely. "That witch was nuts! She kept talking of something…an Art-something ring…or whatever…and how my nose could find it… Everything happened so fast… It's all a blur. I…I can't tell you more than that. Her hair was pretty. That's all I remember. After that…I…. I…."

Artetris groaned and sighed before walking away.

"Not interested," she coldly replied. "I have heard what I needed. Come on. We're going to find her…that bottomless butt witch. I'm going to teach her about trespassing in my forest, and you're going to help, Bear. Depending on how you perform with me, I might spare your miserable existence."

She stopped and faced him with a levitating arrow.

"…or I could end that miserable existence now," she remarked. He whimpered. "What's it going to be?"

"I'm… I…" he stammered, and Artetris glared. The bear heaved a sigh and seemed to draw some conviction in his breath as he spoke his decision. "I'll go with you. That witch owes me answers. None of this is…what I asked for. At the very least, I'd rather not die knowing a cursed power flows through my body. Count me in."

Artetris huffed, impressed with the bear's response. She put the arrow she had away and mounted the bear in a standing position. As they both just stood there, the bear whimpered and shot her an uneasy look. Artetris blankly stared back at him before folding her arms and tapping her foot. In return, the bear shifted uneasily beneath her and she uttered a sigh of disbelief.

"Take me to the witch," she finally commanded.

"Oh," the bear said, calming down a bit and almost laughing. "Right."

With that command, the bear turned them into the direction of one of the forest's most sacred spots. Artetris' eyes widened in disbelief as they trotted off in silence, and she almost stumbled and fell from the bear's back in response to the answer of where the witch and her minions were hiding.

Home. They were headed for her family's home…