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“Faster. Come on feet run faster! We didn't do all this training so you could fail me now.” The ground behind you was shaking more and more with each step you took. No matter how fast you ran, there was no way you could outrun this thing. If not for the thick trees, you had no doubt that you would have been caught already. Glancing back, just for a second, you caught a glimpse of the beast. Glowing red eyes, matted black fur and foam covering its muzzle. This thing was huge, angry and showed no signs of giving up the chase. “I'm leading it straight for camp. This is a horrible idea.” Before you could come up with a new plan, you saw someone in the distance. It didn't take you even a second to recognize the figure. “Frederick, a little help please!”

The instant he heard your voice, he turned all of his attention to you. When he saw what was going on, he couldn't believe his eyes. This couldn't be real, could it? After all the teasing you had done to him, concerning this exact same thing, there couldn't really be a bear chasing you. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“No this isn't a joke. Does this look like a joke?” Annoyed that he would even ask such a thing, you found yourself yelling at him. “Stop gawking and do something already! If I die, I'm never going to forgive you.”

Quickly realizing that this was no elaborate prank, Frederick sprung into action. “Either run faster, or try to get to higher ground. You're not going to last as you are.” Sword already drawn, he rushed towards the beast at full speed. Looking at him now, you never would have guessed he had a deep rooted fear of bears. There wasn't the slightest glint of fear in his eyes at all. “What are you doing? I told you to get to higher ground.”

“I-I'm trying.” Still running, you tried to find somewhere to hide. “I can't very well climb a tree with this thing so close. It'll rip me to bits the minute I stop.”

Knowing you were right, Frederick scooped up a large stone and lunged it at the beast. This was more than enough to turn its attention from you, to Frederick. With the animal now running towards him at full speed, he widened his stance and readied his sword for the fight ahead. “Now get to safety. I can't fight this thing and look after you at the same time.”

“Right.” Acting fast, you scurried up the first tree you saw. You weren't sure how you'd managed to make it up so quickly, or at all for that matter. Still, for the time being, you were safe. Normally, you wouldn't have worried for Frederick's safety. He was plenty strong enough to take down the bear, but if his fears got the better of him, there was no telling what might happen. For a moment, you watched helplessly. Surely there was something you could do to aid him. You didn't want to distract him, but you couldn't just sit there idly either. “Can I help somehow? Just tell me what to do.”

“No, you can't.” He snapped, not out of anger, but out of a fear for your well-being. “Just stay put. I can handle this on my own.”

You should have expected that answer, but that didn't mean you liked it. Unwilling to play the roll of the damsel in distress, you began looking for the means to help fight back. A quick look around revealed that you were sitting in a plum tree. The plums were far from ripe and hard as rocks. If you could throw these, without hitting Frederick in the process, it might distract the bear enough for Frederick to get the upper hand. Already gathering your ammo, you called out to Frederick. “Frederick, keep to the bears left. I'm going to distract it for you.”

“I told you to just stay put and let me fight. I don't need your he-.” Frederick tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen.

“Don't argue, just go with it. This will be over a lot faster if you just trust me.” Ignoring his protests, you launched the first of the plums at the beast, hitting it squarely in the back of its head. Just as you had hoped, this demanded its attention and gave Frederick a chance to strike. A single, well aimed attack was all it took to end the fight. “Ha! You see, I told I knew what I was doing.”

“You got lucky. Had you hit me, and not the bear, I might very well be dead right now.” With a sigh, Frederick cleaned off his blade and affixed it at his side. Once he was sure the animal had passed, he stepped towards the tree and opened his arms for you. “Jump down, I'll catch you.”

Without a second thought, you jumped into his arms. “My hero. You saved me again.” Refusing to let him go just yet, you tightened your arms around his shoulders and kissed his nose. “Thank you. I owe my life to you.”

Frederick blushed at your dramatics, but only for a second. In the blink of an eye, he had gone from embarrassed, to terrifyingly serious. “We need t get back to camp, now. Come on.”

“Oh?” Understandably confused, you dropped your arms from his shoulders and questioned him. “You seem like you're in a real hurry to get back.”

“I am.” He agreed. “That bear was infected with something, which explains why it was willing to chase you so far. Its eyes were filled with madness. It could be contagious.” Looking almost scared, Frederick grasped onto your left sleeve, soaked in fresh blood, and ripped it from just above your elbow all the way up to your shoulder. There, was a fresh set of claw marks, swollen and still bleeding badly. “We need to have you seen, now.”

“H-how in the world did I not notice that before? It's huge.” You were trying not to let your fear show through, but the sight of such a large wound was making your head spin. “It doesn't even hurt.”

“Adrenaline.” Having already caught on to the fact that you were lightheaded and may very well faint, Frederick lifted you into his arms and quickly started towards the camp. “It's a good thing you didn't notice it until now. Had you been focusing on your wound, you might not have been able to keep running.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Now all too aware of your wound, it was all you could focus on. The pain seemed to intensify with every step Frederick took. Before long, you could no longer keep your eyes open. With your heart now pounding and your breaths shallow, you clutched to Frederick with all of your strength. “I-I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute, okay?”

“Rest easy. I'll see to it that you arrive safety.” Frederick's words were the last you heard before losing consciousness.

When you awoke, sometime later, your arm was bandaged and the pain had subsided, at least somewhat. Frederick was sitting on the floor beside your bed, his breaths slow and steady, signaling that he must have fallen asleep there. Everything around you was completely dark, save the small, flickering light of a nearby candle. Worried about your condition, and needing answers, you carefully moved towards the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. As soon as you did this, a wave of dizziness hit you, causing you to lose your footing.

Luckily, your movement had awoken Frederick, allowing him to catch you before you fell to the floor. “Don't get up unless it's absolutely necessary.” Holding you close, he gently helped you back into bed and covered you up. “The medicine is going to make you dizzy. You shouldn't be walking. If you need to go somewhere, tell me and I'll carry you.”

Before he could let you go, you grasped on to him and tried to speak. Tears were quickly forming in your eyes and your voice wavered with emotion. “Am I going to die?”

“What?” Frederick's eyes widened at your grim question. It was unlike you to say something so bleak. Still, he managed to regain his composure quickly so as to answer your question. “No, you're not going to die. Don't say things like that.”

Sniffling like a small child, you tried to hold back your tears. “The bear. It didn't infect me? I'm not sick?”

“No, you're fine. Your arm will probably be sore for a week or two, and may scar, but you'll be fine.” In the darkness, it was hard for you to be sure, but Frederick seemed to be smiling. Trying to comfort you, in his own way, he placed his large hand on the top of your head and ran his fingers through your hair. “Try going back to sleep.”

While the his soft, soothing touch was probably enough to make you fall asleep, you wouldn't let yourself drift off. There was a part of you that didn't want to be alone and feared that he might leave as soon as you fell asleep. “Frederick.” Not wanting him to leave you, you opened your arms for him and hoped he would join you in bed. If you could hold on to him, you could be completely sure that he would stay.

“That isn't appropriate.” With a shake of his head, he dismissed your request. “I'll stay with you, but I'm not sharing a bed with you.”

Heavily influenced by whatever medications were in your body, you couldn't bring yourself to accept his denial. Arms still outstretch, you asked again. “Please?”

Fredrick refused again. “No.”

“Frederick.” Taking hold of his wrist, you tugged at him slightly. There was no way you were going to let him get out of this. “Please.” Looking more than a little bit pitiful, you stared up at him and silently begged.

Even now, he tried to stay strong. After a few seconds of you staring at him, however, he sighed. “Just this once. And only so I can keep an eye on you.” Frederick was still a bit hesitant, but what could it hurt? If he was already sleeping in the same room as you, inches away from where you were, it really didn't matter if he was in the bed or on the floor. “If anyone asks, this was your idea.”

“Don't worry about it.” As soon as you were able to, you snuggled up to Frederick and rested your head on his chest. Just having him close put your mind at ease. If anything were to happen, you knew now that he would be there. This was more calming than any medicine, and soothed your pain better than any salve. “No one's going to ask anyway.”

Still not sure he had made the right decision, but unable to change his mind at this point, he sighed and accepted his fate. “Let's hope not.”