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Because it was still early, the temperature was rather chilly, and I zipped up my jacket and put my hands in my pockets, stepping off the deck and rounding the corner of the house.

Again, I stopped and listened, but heard nothing, so I took the couple of steps it required to get on the boardwalk and made my way across the platform. Slowly.

Looking around the corner, where the bedroom window was and where I heard the bear most active, a part of me expected to see a large furry beast there, but it was empty.

I exhaled in relief, but felt my brows pull down a bit as my confusion rose. Moving closer to the window, I crouched down, reaching out and letting my fingers trail along the deep grooves that were etched into the wood.

They were big, deep and only something with sharp ass claws could create.

A shiver moved through me that had nothing to do with the temperature, and I stood, keeping the cabin to my back as I looked into the woods.

I was about to head back inside when I saw a trail that certainly wasn’t manmade. It flattened the foliage, as if something enormous had trampled through it.

God, this was an awful idea.

Yeah, there was no way I was exploring today.

I kept close to the cabin, only venturing as far as the shore in front. And as the day progressed and there were no signs of any bears, I felt more at ease.

I walked along the shore, saw seals in the distance as they popped their heads up before dipping back down.

I kept close to the cabin as I looked at all the wildlife and flora. There were so many types of mushrooms and fungi, and I’d been stupid enough to touch one, which resulted in my fingers burning afterward.

Note to self, keep your hands to yourself.

I saw mussels scattered along the edge of the water, their black shells shiny and clumped into bunches.

When I finished exploring, I sat in front of the fire pit and read for a while. The later it got, the chillier the air became, and I buttoned up my jacket and snuggled into it a little more, not quite ready to head inside and call it a night.

I stared off into the horizon, watching the sun sink down, the sky turning pretty shades of blues and oranges, pinks and yellows.

I only stayed out long enough that the sun almost disappeared in the distance before I rose and finally went inside. Although I felt comfortable and safe enough as the day progressed, the last thing I wanted to do was be outside at nightfall.

And the later it got, the more my anxiety rose. I remembered the bear outside the window. And because of my nerves, I finished half of one bottle of wine. And what do you know? That anxiety faded.

I fixed myself some dinner, settled into the small dining room chair, and used the battery operated radio that I’d brought to listen to some music. Figured I might as well get use out of it and not drain my cell battery, even if it didn’t have a signal.

I had a couple of lanterns on, with one on the table and another over by the couch. There was plenty of lighting, seeing as the cabin was small.

I was in the middle of my book; the scene getting especially spicy when I heard what was clearly two animals fighting right outside the cabin.

Knowing the wilderness enough from camping with my grandmother, I knew it sounded like two raccoons. Those feral, crazy little fuckers could get scrappy when they were fighting over a crumb of food.

They only went at it for a couple more seconds and after the silence descended, I went back to my book.

I heard them scurrying across the boardwalk around the house, their little nails scraping across the wooden planks.

I could hear them run off into the woods, the foliage being disturbed in their haste to escape. I leaned back in the chair to finish my meal when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

As if my body was working automatically, I lifted my hand and rubbed my nape, looking around for the source that had me so uneasy suddenly.

But I was alone in the cabin. And the longer I sat there, my muscles feeling tense, the more I realized I was letting it all get to me. I was making myself terrified over nothing.

Sure, there’d been a big ass bear outside the cabin last night, but it wasn’t unusual. I expected it when I came to Alaska. I just couldn’t shake this strange feeling that there was something… more.

And I didn’t know what exactly that was.

I finished eating and read another chapter of my book, and then got ready for bed.