>Thanksgiving came and went
>Lilly said she loved the holiday and enjoyed the feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the other thanksgiving foods
>The part she wasn't very pleased with like the rest of us was the leftovers
>"Anon we already had turkey four times this week" she says in protest as you begin making a lunch of turkey stew
"I was planning to make beef stew Lilly, but we ran out of beef and there was freezing rain last night and now there's an inch layer of ice on the roads and I won't even drive in those conditions" you say as you stir the pot of stew
>You were also sick of turkey, but winter doesn't care and keeps you inside your home
>To be honest it's quite comfy inside, you have a large supply of tea and cocoa powder and other foodstuff so you don't starve to death
>Lilly doesn't seem to gain or loose weight when she eats or doesn't eat so you think starvation wouldn't affect her
>Lilly sighs a sigh of defeat with a pout then turns back towards the living room
>The wood stove is going pretty well, being consistently stoked to keep it going to keep the house warm
>You do have a heating system but to run that in the winter is a bigger 'rip wallet' than a steam sale
>When the stew is done you dish it out into two bowls with a side of pilot bread* and walk over to the table with both bowls in hand
"Lilly, food's ready" you call out
>She walks in and takes her seat before picking up the spoon
>"Thank you for the food Anon" she says with a warm smile to which you return with a smile of your own
>After lunch you snuggle up on the couch with Lilly at your side and your laptop in your lap
>With the promotion your work allowed you to do most of your job from home, only having to come into the actuall building two times a week
>You start typing away while Lilly watched from her position snuggled into your shoulder and side when she perked her head up
>"Anon do you hear that?"
>You raise your head and listen closely
>You don't hear much besides the crackle of the fire and the whir of the laptop fan
"Lilly I don't hear anything out of th-"
>"Shhh, there it is again" She states covering your mouth with a single finger
>You listen closer and then you hear it
>The sound of something messing with trash cans
>You get up from the couch and Lilly transforms into rifle form
>you grab a handful of rounds from the top of the dresser and load one into your rifle
>You make your way out the side door of the garage and round the corner where you keep the trash bins with rifle raised
>The hulking brown mass of fur in front of you with it's head in a trash can almost makes you shit yourself
>Before that can happen your body dumps its stores of adrenaline into your blood stream
>Within seconds of rounding the corner the quiet winter world is shattered by the sound of a rifle shot
>The bear staggers with the impact of the round before regaining footing and turning towards you
>You pop open the breach and insert another round
>before you can finish you feel a searing pain down your left shoulder and arm and then a massive force slam into you
>You're thrown off balance and fall just as you close the breach
>The bear which is now on top of you bites into your right shoulder, causing you to cry out
>You raise your left fist and begin hitting the bear desperately while it shakes you with it's jaws still clamped in your shoulder
>One of your blows impacts the beasts nose, causing it to let go and rear up on it's hind legs
>This gives you time to raise the rifle up to your hip and fire
>The round seems to impact in slow motion, hitting the chest right below the shoulders, tearing into the heart of the bear killing it
>The bear crumples to the ground next to you and you lay there panting and in extreme pain
>Lilly suddenly turns back into human form and is on top of you in an instant
>"ANON! ANON! ARE YOU OKAY? PLEASE SAY SOMETHING!" she says in almost hysteria, eyes wild and scared
"God....Aw fuck.." are the only words you are able to say before groaning in pain
>You hear footsteps of someone running out of the woods off to the right
>"Anon! I heard gunshots from your place, are you o....Jesus Christ" your neighbor says
>"Yes....We need an ambulance, there's been a bear attack and the guys badly mauled. We're at 23-" as the last you hear before slipping into the darkness of unconsciousness.