Bael Pike was a bear hybrid who lived alone in a small cottage at the forest’s edge, far from the crowded city. Raised among carnivores who hunted to survive, he had always struggled with the reality of being a predator. As he grew older, Bael worked hard to change his habits, turning to fishing, foraging, and odd repair work instead of hunting herbivores. Quiet, dependable, and stubbornly compassionate, he built a solitary life guided by a promise he refused to break.