A gust of air rustled the verdant ocean above as he cautiously tread the loam, his steel-toed boots sinking into the sodden debris of the forest. Brushing a strand of hair from his face, he considered the situation.
Four attacks on humans in the last week alone, and twice as many the month before. He expected at least three or four specimens, likely in the throes of adolescence. They rarely handled the hormonal changes well, so some carnage was expected.
A flock of crows rushed noisily from the branches behind. Spinning round, he came face to face with an enormous bear, easily twice the size of any European grizzly. The beast roared with deafening report and lunged, maw agape.
He reacted instinctively and sucker-punched it in the muzzle.
There was no sound other than the dull crunch of imploding bone. The bear staggered back, its convulsing body showering the terrain with scarlet. He shook the gore from his soiled glove and turned face the other creatures.
“Bloody hell…” he breathed.
There were six more.