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THE BEAR WOULD HAVE KILLED me, if it wasn’t for Rudi The cub leaped fro on top of the bear’s head,it The bear roared and swiped at the cub, who ducked and bit one of its ears The bear roared again and shook its head viciously from side to side Rudi held on for a couple of seconds, before he was sent flying into a thicket

The bear resuht, I’d ducked around the tree and was racing for the cave as fast as I could The bear lurched after rily, turned, and went looking for Rudi

I stopped when I heard frightened yapping Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the cub had made it back up the tree, the bark of which the bear was now ripping to pieces with its claws Rudi wasn’t in any ier, but sooner or later he’d slip or the bear would shake him down, and that would be the end of him

I paused no more than a second, then turned, picked up a rock and the thickest stick I could find, and sped back to try and save Rudi

The bear let go of the tree when it saw e It was a huge beast, h; it had black fur, a white quarter-moon mark across its chest, and a whitish face Foam flecked its jaws and its eyes ild, like it was touched by rabid round with rowled It snarled and tossed its head I looked up at Rudi, hoping he’d have enough sense to slink down the tree and retreat to the cave, but he stayed where he was, petrified, unable to let go

The bear swiped atup on its hind legs, it collapsed flat on ht of its body I avoided it again, but it was a closer call this ti at the bear’s face with the end of the stick, ai for its eyes, when the she-wolves rushed onto the scene - theyThe bear howled as one of the wolves leaped and bit deep into its shoulder, while the other attached herself to its legs, tearing at them with her teeth and claws It shook off the uppermost wolf and bent to deal with the lower one, which hen I darted in with my stick and jabbed at its left ear

I must have hurt it, because it lost interest in the wolves and hurled itself at me I ducked out of the way of its body, but one of its burly forelegs connected with the side of round

The bear rolled to its feet and went forthe wolves with swipes of its claws I scrah Suddenly the bear was abovetriumphantly - it had ainst its stomach, then the rock, but it didn’t take any notice of such feeble blows Leering, it started to fall

Which hen the Little People barreled into its back and knocked it off balance Their ti couldn’t have been any sweeter

The bear ainst it Every tiot in the way Roaring loudly at the Little People, it threw itself at them madly The one with the liot trapped beneath it

The Little Person raised his short arainst the bear’s torso, and tried to shove it aside The Little Person was strong, but he stood no chance against such adown and flattened hiot to its feet, I saw the Little Person lying in pieces, broken bones jutting out of his body at crooked red angles