Lauren put it together then. Only humans, or more accurately, former humans, currently gave experience. Kara got experience from shooting a deer-like creature moments after her son disappeared. Lauren was not a pretty, bear-like creature and her daughter was a dormouse. It all added up to Kara, probably-- because you never could be absolutely sure about anything, shooting her son.

“I’m sure your son will turn up soon,” said Lauren playing to Kara’s delusion to preserve her own bear-hide. “Probably after he gets a few good shots of the new scenery. It’s gorgeous.”

“My boys a wanderer, that’s for sure,” said the man in the blaze orange hat.

They all paused as Lauren worked up the courage to talk to them.

“But I have some strange news for you,” she said pausing and then deciding to take her words in a more winding path to their destination. “My name is Lauren Anderson, by the way. And I have my daughter Violet Beauregarde Anderson here with me. I grew up in Vancouver and married my highschool sweetheart, Max Anderson, who is waiting for me back in Vancouver and is probably panicking about now. I worked hard as an aerobics instructer and was always sad I never went to university. I now run a small business well.”

She was shaking from the nerves of the moment, but she was going to do it. She was going to do it.

“But,” Lauren continued “as I said earlier I have some strange news for you. I was driving along the highway and heard the announcement, and then everything changed… The side of the road tilted and we came crashing down. Don’t Shoot. Ok? I’m going to step out now.”

“And we got out of the wreck,” said Lauren, “And remember don’t shoot.”

Lauren stepped out from behind the tree.

“And I was transformed into a bear.”

Bang!

-45

The bullet hit her in the left side right near Violet. Violet was unharmed.

“Liar!” yelled Kara.

Bang! The shot missed as Lauren dodged through the trees towards the hunters. In her mind running away just meant a more time for them to aim.

“Show yourself. Don’t pretend you’re this bear. Your probably got ventriloquism or some sort of control superpower and now are trying to get experience for yourself, you probably killed Kevin and that’s why he hasn’t come back” yelled Kara. She was angry.

Bang! She missed again. The man in the orange hat stood in the tree-stand shocked his gun hanging limply, like a cartoon rubber gun by his side.

“Stop shooting! I have my daughter with me an I just want to talk. She a mouse and she’s in my backpack.

Lauren was at the base of the tree where the hunters treestand was now. It was only three or so meters off the ground.

“I hate mice,” said Kara. Her face was bunched up and inhuman looking. Her capacity for reason and empathy having fled. “After I shoot this bear, I am going to find that little mouse you say is there and squish it with my boot.”

Click. Kara had pulled the trigger again, but the magazine and chamber were empty. She started to reload.

Lauren stopped trying to talk.

She stopped thinking.

The threat to kill her daughter was more than she would take.

She bounded up the tree with all of the speed of an angry bear. In her backpack Violet was smiling her little mousey smile hard enough that her cheeks hurt. She imagined, correctly, that the sudden change in her mother’s disposition was because of her and that her mom was charging forward into danger to keep her safe.

The man in the orange hat’s gun was no longer flaccid and he pointed it at Lauren as she stepped onto the tree stand.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

-23 -23 -23

All three shots hit Lauren in the chest. She barely registered the hits. She had to keep Violet safe.

She swiped at the man in the orange hats’ stomach.

The connected solidly. Once. Twice.

-85 -85

The man in the orange hat’s subcutaneous fat retracted away from the gashes she made. Blood flowed like a thin stream of water running down the side of a fountain. He dropped the gun to hold his stomach together. Lauren and Violet’s enhanced senses of smell picked up the smell of poop coming from his wound.

Lauren pushed him out of the tree to deal with Kara.

Bang! Kara had reloaded the gun, but Lauren had been able to get it pointed up in the air as Kara had watched the man in the orange hat fall out of the tree. She put Kara into a big hug and squeezed.

-10 -10 -10

She squeezed harder.

-15 -15 -15

And harder still.

-20 -20 -20 -20 -20

And Kara went limp.