Bear Roots

No one knew volkolaks lived among them. Certainly not Ursula Applegate, a social media volunteer for an animal rights group trying to end the New Jersey bear hunt.Ursula grew up as one of the few people of color in rural New Jersey. When she’s not busy managing her family’s diner, she’s a social media volunteer for the Skylands Organization for Animal Rights (SOAR), who are trying to end the New Jersey black bear hunt. Ursula develops a close friendship with two other SOAR volunteers, Peter and Rona Medvedovich, twin siblings with a family secret. Her friendship with them interferes with her relationship with Adriana Garcia, her longtime girlfriend and a reporter who will keep digging until she knows all the facts for a juicy story. When Peter’s life is in danger, Rona has no other choice than to trust Ursula with their secret. Their family is part of the volkolak race: people who shapeshift between being human and bears. Rona and their Aunt Devora spend most of their daily lives as humans; but Peter embraces his unique wild side as the disabled bear who walks upright because of injured front paws. He’s known to the community as Walker the bear and has received national news coverage. Unfortunately, his unique trait for walking upright makes him the target of Frankhurst hunter, Travis Iver, Ursula’s ex-boyfriend, who wants Walker as his prize trophy.Ursula is introduced into the world of magic for the first time. Bear Roots is ultimately about doing whatever is necessary to save a friend’s life.