Talisman
by The Mad Titan (Requested by Shawna)

Shane and Shawna had always loved to go camping.  For years they would travel across the country, camping out in state and national parks.  They would often just park their car at the front gate and just walk into the woods and live off the land.  This was the camping trip both of them had been waiting for a long time to do.  They were going to Yosemite National Park to camp out in the most pristine of settings.  No phones, no cars, no electricity, only peace and quiet in one of the most beautiful settings in the world.  The weather couldn’t have been better for their trip.  White, puffy clouds were slowly drifting through the bluest of skies as the sun shown brightly.  The smell of pine wafted all around.  This is what life was all about. 

Shane and Shawna spent the better part of the first day hiking through the majestic forest.  Even though their backpacks were heavy, their spirits were high out in the wilderness.  After several hours of walking, they both decided to set up camp next to a beautiful river about a hundred yards from a picturesque waterfall.  After a well-deserved meal, Shane and Shawna decided to explorer their new surroundings.  They walked up the riverbank to the base of the waterfall.  It was magnificent.  The raw surging power was awe-inspiring.  While moving closer, Shane noticed a path that led behind the waterfall.  Curiosity got the better of them and they decided to see where the path led. 

Even though the sun shown brightly in the sky, its light was greatly diminished by the falling water.  They had to watch their step.  The path was slippery with algae and moss.  One miss-step and they would tumble into the surging waters.  Directly behind the falls, they discovered a small cave.  Fortunately, they each had brought their flashlights along.  You never know when you might get in trouble and need a light.  They cave was dark and smelt of mold and mildew.  About twenty yards into the cave, Shane discovered a long, wooden pole with a large arrowhead on top.   

“This looks like a primitive spear,” Shane said while hoisting the spear into his hands. 

Looking around, Shawna discovered more ancient artifacts.  “Looks like there’s more stuff back here,” she said excitedly. 

“I think this could be a holy place for the local Indian tribe,” Shane said thoughtfully.  “We had better leave everything alone and head back to camp.  It’s getting late.” 

As Shane turned and started to walk out of the cave, something hanging on the cave’s wall caught Shawna’s attention.  It was a small clay charm hanging from a leather string.  In the light of her flashlight, she could just make out a strange symbol she had never seen before.  “What a find,” she thought as she put the leather string around her neck.  The charm hung just above her breasts.  “They won’t miss this little thing,” she thought as she tucked the charm into her shirt and left the cave.  They traveled back to the campsite and enjoyed a hearty supper. 

The night in the park was beautiful.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  It seemed like they could see every star in the sky.  The full moon cast its white glow across the landscape. 

“You don’t see a sky like this in the city,” Shane said absently. 

Staring up into the sky Shawna replied, “I don’t ever want to leave this place.  It’s so perfect.” 

As the embers of their campfire began to fade, they decided to turn in for the night.  They kissed each other goodnight and snuggled into their sleeping bags. 

As she slept, Shawna dreamt she was walking naked through the woods.  It was so beautiful, so peaceful.  She felt like the only woman on the planet.  Without warning, a large grizzly bear broke through the brush and stood before her.  Shawna felt this was no ordinary bear.  This grizzly glowed an unearthly white.  The bear stood up on his hind legs.  It towered over Shawna, standing over ten feet tall.  The bear roared so loudly that Shawna didn’t just hear it; she felt it in every molecule in her body.  She couldn’t run.  Her legs would not obey her commands to run.  The ground shook violently as the bear crashed down on to all fours.  Shawna’s eyes were wide in terror as the ethereal grizzly charged her.  She tried to move, but her legs would not respond.  She wished her body would listen to her.  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even close her eyes.  She watched as the bear leapt into the air.  Shawna braced for the impact she knew would crush her body.  But instead of destroying her, the bear passed right through her as if it were a ghost.  

Shawna awoke screaming into the night.  Her screams echoed throughout the woods.  Shane bolted awake, scared out of his mind.  “What’s the matter?” 

Shawna looked around, eyes still wide with the terror of the bear still fresh in her mind.  “I dreamt I was attached by a large, white grizzly bear,” she said exhaustedly. 

“There’s no such thing as a white grizzly,” Shane said in a soothing voice.  “It was just a bad dream.” 

“I guess your right,” she said as a trickle of sweat ran down her cheek. 

“Try and get some more sleep,” Shane said calmly.  “It’ll be dawn soon and we’re gonna need some more rest if we’re going to hike to the top of the waterfall today.”  Shane leaned over and kissed his wife delicately on the cheek.  

With that, they both lay down and slept.  Shawna’s dreams were peaceful for the remainder of the night, but always at the fringes of her dreams, the ghostly bear watched. 

When Shawna woke in the morning, she felt sore all over.  Her entire body ached.  “I’m not that out of shape,” she thought as she pulled on her jean shorts and T-shirt. 

Shane could tell that his wife wasn’t feeling well as she walked stiffly toward the fire he had just built.  “Are you okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she replied wearily.  “I’m just a little sore, that’s all.”  

Pouring a cup of coffee and handing it to his wife, Shane said, “Why don’t we hang out here today until you feel better.” 

The hot coffee felt great as it ran down Shawna’s throat.  “No, you go ahead.  You’ve been looking forward to this since yesterday.  You go ahead, I’ll be okay.” 

“You sure?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Shawna responded.  “You go on and have fun.” 

“If that’s the way you feel about it,” Shane replied.  “I’ll be gone for a couple of hours.  You just rest.”  With that, Shane picked up his pack and headed down the trail toward the waterfall.  Ten yards from camp; he turned and waved back at Shawna.  Wearily, she waved back.  Before long, Shane was out of site. 

As she sat down in a chair in front of the fire, Shawna started to rub her sore legs.  Something didn’t feel right.  She could see her hands touching her thighs just below her jean shorts and above her knees, but it was hard to feel anything.  Her hands and legs felt a little numb.  

Shawna nearly fell out of her chair as a sharp pain bolted through her head and down her spine.  She tried to cry out, but her voice was strangled in her throat.  Her head was on fire.  She closed her eyes as tight as she could, but that did nothing to ease the pain.  Her body reeled at the pain.  “What’s happening to me?” she screamed in her head. 

Just then, Shawna’s clothes felt like they were shrinking.  She could feel the fabric of her bra cut into her skin.  With numb fingers, she lifted her T-shirt over her head and struggled with the clasps of her bra.  It was getting harder and harder for Shawna to make her fingers work.  Fortunately, Shawna was able to get the clasps undone and then she struggled to remove her jean shorts. 

After several minutes, Shawna managed to remove all of her clothing, but the constricting feeling persisted.  She felt hot all over even though she was standing naked away from the fire.  Shawna looked down and noticed that she was still wearing the strange, clay charm around her neck.  She reached for it, but froze when she noticed thick dark, brown hairs poking through the skin on her arms.  Looking around at her body, she could see that the hairs were growing from all over. 

The painful constricting continued in Shawna’s hips.  Absent-mindedly, she reached down to remove her shorts, when she realized she wasn’t wearing them anymore.  Her eyes widened as she saw her hips and thighs begin to expand.  The constricting became unbearable as her skin strained at the swelling.  Shawna closed her eyes as tightly as she could to help diminish the pain.  It didn’t help. 

A sudden ripping sound made Shawna open her eyes it horror.  She looked around; expecting to see an animal ripping her clothes, but was shocked to see that she was alone.  The ripping noise seemed to be coming from her feet.  Shawna looked down and couldn’t believe her eyes.  Long, thick black claws were ripping through the skin of her feet.  Her skin kept tearing, revealing large, hairy bear paws. 

The pain in Shawna’s head increased.  It felt like her head was going to explode.  The sound of more ripping made Shawna look down again.  This time she saw that her waist was expanding and stretching her skin until it burst.  Showing off a new body covered in thick, brown fur.  Her rear end continued to grow, faster now that her former skin didn’t hamper it.  What shocked Shawna the most was the short, stubby tail that was growing at the base of her spine. 

She raised her hands to her face to hide her tears.  But as she moved them, sharp claws tore her skin and revealed two more bear paws.  Pain racked her body once more and she fell to all fours.  The skin on her arms giving way to thick, hair covered limbs.  “Why is this happening to me?” she was screaming to her self.  She looked down and noticed that her once large breasts hung like empty sacks against her shin.  She reached for them, but her skin shredded at the touch of her monstrous claws. 

Shawna bellowed loudly as her jaw extended out in front of her face.  Her lips tore as a muzzle burst forth from her mouth.  She could only watch in horror as the skin on her head kept tearing. The remaining skin on her skull exploded, as the features of a grizzly bear became evident.  

Shawna shook her body violently, shaking the remainder of her former skin to the ground at her feet.  Looking around at her paws, she noticed that her wedding ring lying broken on the ground.  A small piece of skin still clung to the golden band.  A loud, mournful wail erupted from Shawna’s throat.  The clay charm dangled under her now massive head.  She tried to cry out in agony, but only managed another loud, bellowing roar.  She looked around at her new form.  Marveling at her new size and power.  She tried to stand on her hind legs, but couldn’t manage lift her front end off the ground. 

Just then, Shane came into view on the path.  He stopped in horror at the sight of the giant bear in the middle of their campsite.  “SHAWNA!” he screamed, expecting to hear his wife’s voice. 

The Shawna turned at the sound of her husband’s voice.  She tried to call to him, but only managed a fearsome roar.  Crying out in agony, she began to walk quickly toward her husband. 

“NO!” Shane screamed as the grizzly approached.  He turned and ran back along the path toward the waterfall. 

Shawna ran after him, her new body moving awkwardly as she tried to control her new limbs.  After several yards, she realized that she was the reason Shane was running in terror.  So she stopped in the middle of the path, lowered her head and began to trudge back toward the camp.  Shane was now well out of sight, but Shawna could still hear his screams.  Large, salty tears began to flow down the thick fur on her face. 

“What now?” Shawna thought as she walked through the forest.  “What will Shane think happened to me?  He probably thinks a giant grizzly killed me.  Wouldn’t he be surprised to know the truth.”  Shawna felt tired and decided to rest for a while by the river.

After running for over a mile, Shane reached a ranger’s station.  He relayed his tale of a giant grizzly in his camp and his missing wife to the two rangers on duty.  When he finished his story, Shane was relieved to see the rangers open a gun cabinet, remove three large rifles and load them with long, deadly bullets.  As he took one of the rifles from a ranger, he loaded it carefully.  Determined to make the bear pay for taking his wife.