He was telling them: “Not today.” The wolves began to flank us, using their pack tactics. Three moved to the left, while two others circled to the right.
The bear couldn’t cover every angle at once. He lunged at the pair on the right, but it was a feint. While he was distracted, two wolves from the left crept toward me, bellies low to the ground.
I yanked at my remaining ties with everything I had. The rope was loosening, but the wolves were only ten feet away. The bear saw the move, spun around, and charged the two wolves with a roar that sent birds scattering from the trees.
The wolves scattered, but the alpha saw an opening. He lunged, sinking his teeth into the bear’s hind leg. The grizzly roared in pain, shaking the wolf off with a powerful shrug that sent the predator tumbling across the forest floor. The wolf hit the ground hard but scrambled back to its feet, ready to go again.
That was the turning point. The bear went on the offensive, his massive paws carving ruts into the dirt. He was a whirlwind of fur and fury, keeping the pack from coordinating a strike. He caught one wolf mid-air with a heavy blow, swatting it aside like a ragdoll…
