Suddenly, he became tense with attention; his senses of hearing, sight, and smell all conveyed an immediate warning. His hand returned to the old man's touch, and they both stood still. Up ahead, on the crest of one side of the fence, there was a crackling sound, and the boy's gaze rested on the crests of the disturbed bushes. Then a huge, grizzly bear appeared, but stopped as suddenly as they had at the sight of them. He disliked them and howled in complaint. Carefully, the boy put the arrow in the bow and then reeled it in, but he never took his eyes off the bear. Carefully, the boy reeled in his bow. The old man peered at the danger before them from under his green leaf and stood as still as the boy did. This mutual scrutiny lasted for a few seconds, and then the bear revealed its increasing agitation; The boy nodded to the old man, telling him to step off the path and down the wall. The boy followed, walking backward, still holding the bowstring taut and ready. They waited until a cracking sound came from the bushes on the opposite side of the wall, telling them the bear had moved on. The boy smiled broadly as he walked back to the path, followed by the old man.
Then he laughed softly, saying, "That's a big bear, Grandpa."
The old man shook his head.