Grizzly Read Online Free Page A

the tree.
    She had no intention of letting him getaway this time. Her large head swayed back and forth as she sniffed the air.
    “Go on!” Justin yelled. “Get out of here and leave me alone.”
    The grizzly cocked her head to one side as if the sound of Justin’s voice intrigued her. After a few moments she left the tree and headed for the river. She turned back once to look at him, and then went on.
    Justin considered climbing down, but he realized the bear could outrun him and he didn’t want to be caught on the ground.
    At the river, the grizzly ambled lazily into the flowing water, stuck her paw in, and scooped water and a cutthroat trout up onto the bank. Justin was amazed at her quickness. Almost before he could blink, she did it again, popping the second wriggling fish up onto the bank before scrambling ashore to eat both fish.
    Justin was envious. He’d been so angry, and in such a hurry, he hadn’t eaten since the grizzly had murdered Blue. He shifted his aching arm, stretched his legs, and tried not to think about the emptiness in his stomach.
    The grizzly stood up to see what he was doing. She shot him an angry warning snort. Then she crossed the river and started up the mountain on the other side.
    Justin hugged the tree with his good arm, watching her go. He couldn’t believe his good luck. The grizzly must have become tired of toying with him.
    He waited until she was no longer visible and then cautiously climbed down from his perch. To be on the safe side, he waited by the tree to see if she was playing a trick to lure him down.
    She didn’t come back.
    As fast as he could move, Justin headed in the opposite direction. He didn’t care where he was going as long as it was away from the grizzly.

C HAPTER 12
    He was hopelessly lost. Justin put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Every tree he passed looked the same as a thousand others.
    His stomach yearned for food, and his arm hurt all the time now, making it hard to think about anything except the pain. But he had to keep moving. At least that was the way he figured it. If the bear came looking for him again, he wanted to be far away.
    A twig snapped. Justin jumped and looked around. It was only a deer running for cover.
    When he had panicked and run earlier, hehad moved away from the river. Now he was wishing he had stayed with it. He could almost taste the cool water, and with any luck he might have been able to snag a trout. Instead he was in the middle of a wilderness with nothing to drink or eat.
    He studied the angle of the sun and made a guess at the location of the river.
    He walked for a couple of hours. A strange humming sound was coming from somewhere to the east. The closer he moved to the noise, the louder it became, until it was almost a roar.
    Pulling back some branches, Justin suddenly saw before him a magnificent waterfall. It tumbled over the edge of a thirty-foot drop. He ran to the river’s edge and scooped sloppy handfuls of water into his dry mouth.
    He wiped his face with the sleeve of his coat and stepped back. He recalled seeing a waterfall on a map of this area. If he remembered correctly, there were hiking trails and a ranger station near here.
    Hope welled up inside him. If he could find one of those trails …
    He heard a growl behind him. He turned in time to see the grizzly charge. She came thundering out of the trees straight at him.
    There was nowhere to hide. He backed into the water. The bear didn’t slow down. She hit him full force, knocking him onto his back in the river.
    She reached for him, but the river was faster. The current jerked him out to the center and shoved him under, pulling him toward the waterfall.
    The grizzly went in after him. The water slammed into her, knocking her off balance. She struggled, but the swift water was too strong.

C HAPTER 13
    Justin felt as if he had been run over by a train. His head was pounding. He raised himself on his elbows and discovered he was still in the