Page 40 - Fables volume 3

Brunt the Bear

Attracted by a gunshot followed by a terrible ursine scream, three
bears converged on a crime scene. A young bear, scarcely older than
a cub, lay dying on the ground. It saw the others, and with its last
gasp warned them off.
“Get back! Assassins…ambush…ahh.”
The trio turned and ran through the woods to a well-hidden cave.
They waited silently in the darkness for any sight or sound of their
common enemy. After an hour had passed, during which each had
thought deeply about the situation, one of them broke the silence.
“Who was that?” growled Grisly.
“My son—Brunt,” sobbed Ursula. “He was just going out on his
own. His whole life before him. Gone, senselessly.”
“I’m going to get my gun and go after those killers.” Grisly’s rage
stoked his determination. “Give enough of them their own medicine
and they’ll leave us alone.”
“Wait a minute,” cautioned Smokey. “They are probably better
armed than you are. And how will you identify them?”
“Smell. And I’ve seen plenty of them: they all look alike—can’t be
trusted, got to shoot first. If they get away with another murder they
will just be emboldened to do it again and again. I advise you to get
your own weapon, and don’t be shy about letting them see it.”
Ursula broke in. “You males always want to solve problems with
violence. It will just get worse if you take matters into your own
hands.”
“You must admit,” said Smokey, “she has a point.”
Grisly shook his head. “If we don’t stop the carnage, who will?”
“The authorities!” Ursula, in her grief, almost stepped out of the
protective shadows of the cave. Smokey pulled her back.
“Yes, they should,” he agreed. “But they never seem to have the
power or the will to control the lawless elements.”
“Well, they should wake up and realize the danger: chaos will be
the end result if everybody goes around ready to settle their
differences or act out their psychopathology with deadly force. It is
obvious that no one will be safe until everyone is safe. And that
cannot happen if these terrible weapons are allowed to proliferate.”

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