After finally getting what he considered some well earned rest, Zack was on his way once more. As was his usual habit, he avoided traveling upon the road itself, instead wandering through the bushes parallel with them, using the hedgerow as concealment. Despite wandering this tract of wilderness many times before, it still awed him. But his thoughts kept returning to the girl. [i]"I do wonder if she ever made it back to the city. Perhaps I should have gone with her."[/i] One thought ran. [i]"Well, I can't go and make people reliant on me. At the end of the day they can only depend on their own power, like I do."[/i] Went another. [i]"The weak crumble on the road of life, that's what our people have always said."[/i] He concluded, putting the thoughts to rest for now.

Soon an additional factor absorbed his focus. He heard and felt a great [i][b]thud![/b][/i] of something collapsing in the distance. His attention piqued, he rushed over in its approximate direction, completely disregarding the twisting and snapping of twigs and branches under him, and the occasional stubbing of his boot tip into the occasional rock.

Having made his way up a sudden incline of terrain, he found himself in a small clearing in the woods. Ahead of him an ursine male, badly bloodied, was gingerly making his way away from Zack's destination, and seemingly nursing his wounds. Zack pondered for a moment, then wandered out from the concealment provided by the tree he was observing this bear man from behind. 

"Hail to you, bear man. What is the substance of this great kerfuffle you've found yourself thoroughly fucked by?"