Allistor blinked a few times, wiping the sleep from his eyes and looking at his pet.  “Is that right, Fuzzster?  Are you house-trained already?  That was easy!”  He got up and went to the cabin door, opening it for the bear.   Fuzzy stuck his nose out, checked the air, and then ambled into the bushes.

“Guess that answers the question about whether bears do it in the woods!” Helen giggled at her own joke.  Allistor wished he had thought of it first.

“Good one.   So, did you sleep well?”

“Like a log!  Thank you again for coming to my rescue.  I would certainly have died down there in the dark.”

“You’re most welcome.  How ‘bout we talk about what’s next?  I told you about the Warren and my people there.  You’re welcome to join us if you like.”

Helen nodded her head.  “I’ve been thinking about that since I woke up.  I’ve been working in the park for ten years, and I know this area pretty well.  If you’d like some company on your little road trip…”

Allistor thought about it.  On the one hand, it would be great to have some company.  Other than Fuzzy, of course.  But it was dangerous, poking his nose around out here.  He’d almost died more than once already.

“This isn’t a picnic out here.  Canids are far from the worst of the monsters we’ve run into.  I’m planning to go into a large city or two, and will more than likely get my face eaten.  The safe thing for you to do is take my pickup and go to the Warren.  You can stop at the gun shop Outpost on the way and load up weapons and such.  I’ll take one of the park service trucks here.  Those are better for me anyway, as there’s more room inside for the bear as he gets bigger.”

Helen shook her head.  “I’m done with safe.  I sat in the dark down there trying to be safe.  Safe is just a slow way to die.  If you’re worried about me pulling my weight, I’m an expert marksman with a decade of experience in the woods.  I can track, find berries and nuts and roots for food, and probably teach you quite a bit.”

Impressed, Allistor agreed.  “I still think we should take one of the park trucks, if that’s okay?”

She laughed, slapping his shoulder.  “As probably the last official representative of the park service, I hereby authorize you to make full use of department resources.  In fact…” She paused and tapped a finger to her chin.  “In return for saving my life, I hereby officially grant you ownership of the entire Medicine Bow National Forest!”

A golden glow surrounded them, and chimes filled the air.   Helen hunched down in her seat, looking around wildly.  “What the hell?”

Allistor’s interface lit up with notifications.  Ten thousand experience points flashed up on his screen, along with several golden Fame Point numbers in rapid succession.  A long notification scrolled up in bright green letters.   He waved it aside for a moment, looking at a still-wary Helen.