BLACK IPEE (WN)

Rustle, rustle...

The forest was alive with tension. The trees, ancient and towering, seemed to lean in, their gnarled branches casting long shadows over the clearing. The soft hum of nature was disrupted by the heavy breathing of a man and the guttural growls of a bear, both locked in a deadly standoff. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the earthy aroma of the woods.

The bear roared, a deep, resonating sound that shook the very ground beneath them. Its black eyes, glittering with primal fury, locked onto the man standing just a few meters away. Saliva dripped from its massive jaws, mixing with the blood that matted its coarse fur. The beast was enormous, easily towering over the man when it reared up on its hind legs. It was a living tank of muscle and rage.

The man, lean but sinewy, stood his ground. His chest heaved as he caught his breath, his hands bloodied and trembling—not with fear, but with exhilaration. His tattered shirt clung to his body, soaked in sweat and streaked with crimson. His eyes, sharp and calculating, never left the bear's form. He adjusted his stance slightly, shifting his weight onto his back foot. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run, but he stayed rooted.

No retreat. If I'm going to grow stronger, I have to face this.

The bear snarled again, its lips curling back to reveal rows of jagged teeth. It lunged forward, its massive paws swiping at the man with a force that could easily shatter bone. He ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the claws missed him by inches. Using the momentum of his dodge, he rolled to the side, grabbing a thick branch from the forest floor.

Think. Don't just react. Outwit it.

The bear turned, quicker than its bulk suggested, and charged. The man swung the branch with all his might, aiming for its snout. The wood cracked against the beast's face, eliciting a sharp yelp of pain. It staggered back, shaking its massive head as if to clear the sting. But the man knew this was only a temporary reprieve. The beast's growl deepened, its anger now palpable in the way it pawed at the ground, preparing for another charge.

"Come on," the man muttered under his breath, his voice low and steady despite the chaos. "Let's see what you've got."

The bear's next move was calculated. It didn't charge blindly this time. Instead, it circled him, its growls rising and falling like a storm brewing. The man mirrored its movements, keeping the branch raised like a makeshift spear. His mind raced, analyzing the beast's behavior.

It's testing me now. It knows I'm not easy prey. Good. That makes two of us.

The bear feinted to the left before lunging right, its jaws snapping at his arm. He tried to pull back, but the beast was faster. Its teeth sank into his forearm, a fiery pain exploding through his nerves. He cried out, but the sound turned into a guttural growl of defiance. Adrenaline flooded his system, drowning out the pain. With his free hand, he grabbed a fistful of the bear's fur and slammed his knee into its snout repeatedly.

"Let… go!" he roared, his voice raw with exertion.

The bear released him with a pained snarl, blood—both his and its own—dripping from its maw. It reared back, swiping at him with a paw. The force of the blow sent him sprawling, his back slamming against a tree. Stars danced in his vision, but he forced himself to stay conscious. Through the haze, he saw the bear advancing again, its breaths coming in ragged huffs.

It's hurt. So am I. But I've got the upper hand now…

Pushing himself up, he spat blood onto the ground and picked up a jagged rock. The bear roared and lunged, its teeth aiming for his throat. Instead of dodging, he stepped into the attack, thrusting his arm deep into the beast's maw. The bear's teeth pierced his flesh, but he didn't flinch. His fingers found their target—the slippery, writhing tongue—and clenched.

The bear's roar turned into a strangled cry, its eyes wide with pain and fury. It shook its massive head, trying to dislodge him, but he held on, his grip like iron. With a primal scream, he wrenched his arm back, tearing the tongue free in a grotesque spray of blood.

The bear staggered, its cries now a mix of gurgling agony and enraged growls. It swayed on its feet, blood pouring from its maw like a crimson river. The man stumbled back, clutching the torn tongue in his hand. His chest heaved, his vision swimming, but a grin spread across his face. It wasn't a smile of victory—it was one of pure, unbridled ecstasy.

This… this is what it means to be alive.

The bear, weakened but not defeated, made one last desperate lunge. The man sidestepped, using its momentum against it. With a fierce cry, he drove the jagged rock into the beast's skull, just above its eye. The force of the blow sent vibrations up his arm, and the bear collapsed with a final, shuddering growl.

But just as he thought it was over, something strange happened. The blood that coated him—his own and the bear's—began to seep into his skin. The wounds on his arm, once deep and agonizing, started to close. Slowly at first, then faster, the regeneration quickened with each drop of blood that touched him. His breath hitched as the pain faded, replaced by a strange warmth coursing through his veins.

In those two seconds, he froze, his mind racing to comprehend the bizarre phenomenon. What the hell is this? But the bear's guttural cries snapped him back to the moment. Survival demanded focus. He pushed his thoughts aside and dove back into the fray, determined to finish what had been started.

The fight had lasted only moments more, thirty seconds at most, before a new force intervened. Without warning, a distortion rippled through the air. The man felt a powerful pull, as if the world itself had decided to remove him from this battlefield. His surroundings blurred, the forest fading into an incomprehensible swirl of color and sound.

"What the—" he managed to mutter, his voice drowned out by the strange hum of the teleportation.

His final sight was the bear's lifeless body sprawled across the blood-soaked clearing. Then, with a flash of light, he was gone.