Scarefest Blog Hop

Jordan McCollum at JordanMcCollum.com is hosting the Scarefest Blog Hop

The theme is FEAR. Post a short scene (400 words or less) with a character who is afraid. Scared. Terrified. Petrified.

I am still in edits and I'm trying to make sure that I am ready for NaNoWriMo so timing was hard for me BUT I dug through my WIP that I am editing and found a scene that would scare the heeby-jeebies out of me. 

A short excerpt from The Glass Slipper Chronicles (a work in progress)

Annabelle picked up another stick. “Lying to a princess is treasonous.” She threw the stick and missed.

“And I am guilty, but you may want to get someone with better aim to administer the punishment.”

Annabelle picked up several more sticks and a few stones, and raised her hand to throw again. Then she froze.

Claudio noticed her stop, and whirled around to see what had caught her attention.

An enormous bear stood on its hind legs not 50 yards ahead, chewing berries off of branches.

Claudio stood completely still. “Don’t move,” he whispered.

The bear looked in their direction and fell forward onto its front feet. Annabelle could feel the earth tremor beneath her as the bear hit the ground. It must weigh hundreds of pounds. The bear walked forward, it’s hulking shoulder blades raising and lowering with each step.

“What do we do?” Annabelle whispered. She had heard tales of experienced soldiers losing their lives to a bear in the woods. “Should you use your bow?”

“No,” Claudio said back in a hush. “Not unless we really need it. Shooting it with an arrow or two would just make it mad. It takes scores to bring down a bear.”

The beast moved forward, it’s eyes looking at Claudio then back to Annabelle. It sniffed several times, then roared. Annabelle involuntarily shuddered as she looked at the rows of sharp teeth.