Forest Friends

By Jane Bowes

In a world where creatures are judged by their size and species, Kao stands out. Despite being a towering grizzly bear, his heart is as tender as a cub’s. Born to be a symbol of fear and power, Kao struggles to find his place. How can one make friends when mere appearances send others fleeing in terror? As Kao embarks on a journey away from his family, he hopes to find not only adventure but also a path to becoming the bear he truly desires to be. Dive into a tale that challenges perceptions and reminds us that sometimes, the most formidable beings have the gentlest souls.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398495319

Jane Bowes

Jane Bowes was born in Hexham, Northumberland in 1975, into an animal loving family. Her father, Robert, was an electrical engineer and qualified riding instructor, while her mother, Jean, managed a stable. They later moved to Morpeth where they helped run the North of England Equestrian centre which unfortunately is no longer active. She grew up with one younger sister but had a large extended family. Throughout her life, her main interests have been horses and dogs, although she loves all animals. She competed her horses in show jumping and eventing until a bad fall restricted her ability to ride at the same level. Her favourite subject in school was English and she was always an avid reader. As early as eight years old, she wrote short stories, although she was too shy to share them with anyone. Over the years, she had various jobs working with horses, was a postwoman, and even worked in care. Throughout this time, she consistently wrote stories but struggled to finish them. Then someone suggested she should write children’s stories as she had a great imagination. An idea sparked after watching an interview on a chat show, setting her on the path to her first children’s manuscript. She lives in Lincolnshire with her four dogs and still has her horse which is now 20 years old and is ridden by her niece.

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About the Author

Jane Bowes was born in Hexham, Northumberland in 1975, into an animal loving family. Her father, Robert, was an electrical engineer and qualified riding instructor, while her mother, Jean, managed a stable. They later moved to Morpeth where they helped run the North of England Equestrian centre which unfortunately is no longer active. She grew up with one younger sister but had a large extended family. Throughout her life, her main interests have been horses and dogs, although she loves all animals. She competed her horses in show jumping and eventing until a bad fall restricted her ability to ride at the same level.

Her favourite subject in school was English and she was always an avid reader. As early as eight years old, she wrote short stories, although she was too shy to share them with anyone. Over the years, she had various jobs working with horses, was a postwoman, and even worked in care. Throughout this time, she consistently wrote stories but struggled to finish them. Then someone suggested she should write children’s stories as she had a great imagination. An idea sparked after watching an interview on a chat show, setting her on the path to her first children’s manuscript. She lives in Lincolnshire with her four dogs and still has her horse which is now 20 years old and is ridden by her niece.

Dedication

To Mum.

Always believing I could be anything I wanted to be.

Copyright Information ©

Jane Bowes 2023

The right of Jane Bowes to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398495302 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398495319 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

To my family who have always believed in me more than I believed in myself.

Synopsis

Kao is a grizzly bear who is unlike most bears. He is cast out of his family to find his right of passage and fears he will always be living in the shadow of his father. But on his journey, he discovers that there is so much more life outside the comfort of his own family and that he doesn’t have to be like his father to make his own mark in this world.

Chapter 1

Kao was a born a brown bear also known as a grizzly and had grown up in the same forest he was born in. For a long time, he lived with his mother and Sister Baylia and they spent their time lounging in the sun, climbing trees and playing in the stream. Life was good and each morning he would wake excited for a new adventure. He didn’t see his father much and to be honest he was a little scared of him. He was the biggest bear in the park and when he stood up, he was as tall as a tree. His paws so powerful that he could swat something so far into the air and when he growled, everything in the forest would shake.

When he came around, Kao and Baylia would stay close to their mother as he was always angry and irritated. In fact, Kao was pretty sure that he hated him. But when he was away, life was easy, and the hours passed by at their own pace and he would go with Baylia down to the stream and chase the birds until it started to get dark. Their mother wasn’t strict. There was one rule: stay away from the humans. They could not be trusted and if you come across any, you should run or hide.

Kao had seen some humans once. They were walking along a trail, and he was coming back from fishing and they were chatting not even knowing he was there. They didn’t look so scary. They were not too big; they had no fur and their paws were so small you barely noticed them.

But one day his father came home and as usual, he was angry. He wanted to know why Kao was still around and he told him he was not welcome. Kao didn’t understand why his own father would chase him away. He wanted to stay with his mother and Baylia but nobody disagreed with Burne. The last thing Kao remembered was shuffling away his tail and head down and seeing the sad look in his sister’s eyes.

The forest seemed suddenly so big now that he was alone. Every time the trees moved, it was like someone was watching him and he would walk looking back over his shoulder to see if someone was behind him.

The wind would howl so loudly and sometimes when he was asleep, it felt like Burne was warning him not to come back. It was hard to find somewhere he felt safe because now he didn’t have his mother to look out for him. He walked paths he had trodden so many times before but they seemed so different, so vast and he just felt lost all the time.

He didn’t know how many days he had been travelling, his paws hurt and he was tired and he just wanted to find a cave and curl up and sleep.

He was also so hungry. He had nibbled at some insects and chewed on some bark but his stomach made so many noises he wondered if everyone could hear him coming.

Finally, he came to the stream. When he looked far down, he could see the curve where he and Baylia would play in the sun and fish. It seemed so far away now he must have walked for days. He checked the shoreline was clear and went down for a drink, the cool water feeling refreshing on his tongue. He then stood there looking at the curve wondering if he waited maybe he would see Mother and Baylia. Maybe Burne had gone now, and he could go home. But he knew if he came back and found him, he would be furious.

Why do you look so sad Bear?

The voice startled Kao and he spun around, chasing over his shoulder to see who was there. Show yourself! He growled showing his teeth looking as ferocious as he knew how.

Calm down, don’t get excited. It’s just me. A large beaver stood in front of him and held out his paw. Chester, nice to meet you

Kao slowly closed his mouth. A beaver wasn’t a threat, and he was certainly a polite beaver as he had ever met. What’s your name bear?

Kao, he said under his breath hanging his head and looking at the out-stretched paw.

You’ll have to speak up bear my ears aren’t as young as they used to be. He grinned at him expectantly as if he expected him to laugh. He pushed his paw forward again. I’m Chester and you are?

He sat back on his haunches, if the beaver meant him any harm, he would have reacted by now. My name’s Kao.

Well. He sighed finally giving up on the handshake and placing his paws on his wide hips. It is always good to meet a new face. I haven’t seen you around these parts before. His eyes were wide with alertness. But I don’t usually engage in conversation with bears especially a grizzly like yourself. But you do look so sad.

I don’t come from this part of the forest. I live by the curve. He shook his head and saliva flew from his teeth onto Chester’s own fur. I used to live there. Chester wiped away the saliva and rinsed his paw in the cool stream water. Well, why don’t you live there anymore?

The big bear hung his head again.