by J. S. Skye
Flurry the Bear
The Book of Snow
J.S. Skye
All characters featured in this novel, the distinctive names and likenesses thereof, and all related content are the sole property of J.S. Skye. No similarity between any of the names, characters, persons, and/or institutions in this book with those of any living or dead person or institution is intended, and any such similarity which may exist is purely coincidental.
The Book of Snow
(Flurry the Bear — Book 4)
Copyright © 2015 J.S. Skye
All rights reserved.
www.FlurryTheBear.com
Cover art by Luís Figueiredo, J.S. Skye, & Tony Washington
CHAPTER 1
NIGHTMARES
Fog — so thick that the white, furry bear was unable to see beyond his snout. The little cub, with his blue scarf, struggled through the mist. He groped to find his way through the haze. There! I see a light up ahead! he thought to himself. The bear cub approached the light source. He could make out what appeared to be an old oak table with four chairs around it — one at each side. The wooden tabletop was dressed and set with all of the trimmings for a feast. The cub licked his lips at the savory delights displayed in front of him. He rushed up to the table, climbed up on a chair, and reached for the food.
He grabbed a leg of roasted chicken from the plate and prepared to devour it. “Yum! Yum!” the cub exclaimed. He was about to take a bite, but before he could tear into the hunk of meat, a bone-chilling voice interrupted him.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” asked the calm yet unnerving voice.
The bear froze in place. “I’m just eating. I’m hungry,” he said. When he looked back down at his drumstick it was gone. All of the food had vanished. Not even the table or anything else existed any longer. The fog remained. Footsteps approached from behind. He spun around and saw a red panda with an evil grin and three scars down his right eye. The ominous figure wore a black jacket that went down to his ankles and had a sword at his side.
The teddy bear cub was terrified. The red panda came closer, and pulled his sword free of its scabbard. He drew back to swing his blade at the bear cub.
“You think it’s over? I’m not finished yet! It’s now your turn to perish!” The blade sliced down upon the cub. Flurry screamed and shot up out of bed. He panted heavily. Sweat poured down his fur.
“It was just a dream. Only a dream,” Flurry whispered to himself. He wiped his face on his blanket while he tried to catch his breath. He gasped and looked about the dark room.
His plush brothers slept soundly. He could hear them snore in their beds next to him. Then came the sound of footsteps approaching the bedroom door. Flurry raised his blanket to his nose in fear.
The door opened. Flurry sighed with relief. A young lady stood in the open doorway. The oriental female had long, straight black hair and glasses. Still half asleep herself, she stood there in her nightshirt and yawned. “Flurry! Are you all right?” she asked.
The poor little bear cried. He managed to get a couple of sentences out. “Yes, Mommy. It was only a bad dream.”
The cub’s mother immediately rushed to Flurry’s bedside and scooped him up in her arms. “Awww! There, there. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m with you. Hush now, you’re safe with me.”
Lynn cradled her furry boy. He clung tightly to her neck. Flurry shivered and sobbed while she stroked his fur. “Come with me. I’ll make you a warm glass of milk. It’ll help you relax,” she told the cub.
“Can I have chocolate in it?” Flurry inquired.
“Yes, of course you can! Anything for my little boy,” she assured him. Lynn carried Flurry out of the bedroom, and quietly shut the door behind her. She brought the little fellow to the kitchen and set him on the countertop. “So, do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
“It’s nothing,” he answered.
“Flurry, I wasn’t born yesterday. You’ve barely spoken about your trip back to your home at the North Pole. That was more than two months ago. You were so excited to go, but when you came back you had nothing to say about it. Now you have nightmares every night, and you keep screaming the name ‘Jack’ in your sleep. As your mother, I think I deserve an explanation.”
Flurry peered down at the floor. He did not want to share any of the details with his mother. He was afraid of what she would think if she knew about his adventures.
“Fine, I’ll make you a deal. You can tell me just little bits, if you want. We can work this out together. Every little bit you want to tell me, you’ll get a special prize.”
“Really?” the bear’s face lit up. “Like a cookie or ice cream?”
“Sure,” she replied.
“Well, a lot of things happened when I went back to Ursus.”
“Ursus?” Flurry’s mother seemed surprised. “I’ve never heard of this place.”
“I mean back home. Ursus is the name of the village I come from.”
“Oh! You’ve never told me that before.”
“Does that count toward a cookie, too? I hope I get a treat for that!”
The cub’s mother shook her head and chuckled. “Just go on.”
“Well, when I was there, I found out that my mama and papa had replaced me.” He paused and decided to rephrase his statement. “Well, they didn’t really replace me, but now I have a sister that I didn’t have before.”
“Flurry! You never told me that you have a sister! That’s so wonderful!”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so at the time. I was really hurt, so I ran away from home. Then my sister found a map stuck to Caboose, and the three of us decided to follow the map. I thought it led to a land of pies, but the map led us into danger. We met some really bad wolves. The wolves tried to trick me into stealing from some grumpy cats, but I didn’t do it. Then after that …”
“Wait a minute!” Flurry’s mother was overwhelmed at the speed Flurry conveyed the information to her. She quickly interjected. “You’re going really fast, and I’m sure you’re skipping over details. Why don’t you slow down and start from the beginning? We have time.”
So Flurry spent the next hour recalling his adventures. He began with the land of the Sourpie and moved on to the story about how he reunited the two kings, foiled the plans of the evil wolves, accidentally set Jack Frost free, met Chingu the Protector, and then the story of Drizzle’s sacrifice to save the entire world from evil. It was a lot to tell, and Flurry’s mother was shocked beyond words. She had previously known nothing about any of this. For better or for worse, Flurry had kept it all a secret — which was amazing for him, since he rarely could keep his mouth shut about anything.
Flurry’s mother could hardly believe her ears. On top of that, she did not know if she should be proud of him for being so brave and helping others or scold him for putting himself and others at risk. She looked at his face, and her heart melted. She knew that Flurry had been through so much, far more than any child should ever have to go through.
Flurry finished his third beverage for the night. He wiped away his chocolate milk-mustache and raised his arms for a hug. His mother obliged, and carried him to her bedroom. “Tonight you can sleep in our bed. You’ll be safe here. Tomorrow we’ll all go out and do something special.” Flurry smiled and clapped his paws excitedly.
Flurry snuggled up to his mother. There was plenty of room on the bed between his mother and father, but Flurry was fearful that Jack Frost might get him in his sleep, so he cuddled up close to his mother for protection. They each fell fast asleep while she stroked the fur on her adopted bear cub’s arm.
Flurry’s teddy bear parents still lived up in the land of Mezarim. Flurry always referred to them as Mama and
Papa. Six months ago, Flurry had been ordered to live with a human couple in the country of Middleasia to learn a lesson in humility. It was a form of discipline for his prideful attitude and behavior. Flurry always referred to his human parents as Mommy and Daddy to differentiate them from his teddy bear mama and papa back in Ursus.
The next morning, Flurry woke up, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. While he stretched, he deduced that his father was at work. He knew his mother was in the kitchen, since the bed was empty, and he could hear the rattling of pots and pans. Flurry wondered what time it was. The sunlight already shined brightly into the room. It was a fine summer’s day.
Flurry hopped down from the very large bed and scurried to the partially-opened bedroom door. He peeked out from the room, and was met with his mother’s greeting. “Good morning! I’m glad you’re finally up! I was about to come in and wake you.” Flurry’s mother was all dressed and ready for the day. She wore blue jeans, leather boots, and a forest green tee-shirt.
“Are you ready for a surprise?” she asked.
“Uh huh!” Flurry vigorously nodded with affirmation.
“Okay, then, let’s go! The other fuzzies are already in the car. I wanted to let you sleep for a little while longer before we left. Today, we’re going to the park.”
“Yay!” Flurry shouted. His countenance greatly improved. In addition to the good news, he felt better to have gotten such a heavy burden off of his chest the night before. It was also the first good night of sleep he had experienced in what seemed like ages. On this fine day, Flurry felt able enough to tackle the whole world.
He joined his brothers in the family car. Everyone was strapped in with seatbelts — though it was unlikely that the cubs would be hurt if they were ever in a car accident. Being a plush animal had its advantages.
The fuzzies, which their human parents liked to collectively call them, were so small that they all fit across the back seat together. Flurry sat on the far left followed by a tall, slender lion with golden fur named Noah. Next was a cream-colored polar bear named Caboose, and then came a very small lion with light-brown fur, a big bushy mane, and reading glasses. The little lion’s name was Boaz. Last, but not least, was a little brown bunny rabbit named Honja. Honja looked quite enthusiastic for once. He was typically grumpy, so this particular day was off to a great start.
Upon their arrival at the park, the little ones did not waste any time. They rushed out to play. Their mother smiled as she watched them play together.
The park had many things for them to enjoy. There was a vast array of slides, seesaws, jungle gyms, and swing sets. However, the fuzzies were the most interested in the little tree house at the far end of the park grounds.
As the day progressed, it became quite humid, and the sun baked everything in sight. For this reason, no children were at the park. The heat did not bother the fuzzies since they did not sweat — well, none of them but Flurry. Flurry was a unique creation, and the typical rules did not always apply to him. Ever since Christopher Kringle brought Flurry to life, he had been special in more ways than one.
Honja resided in the tree house and looked down from above. More true to form, he was irritated with his brothers below.
Noah stood in the grass with a long, slender branch in his paw. Flurry held a branch of his own. His had a smaller twig tied on with a vine to make a paw guard, as though it were a sword. Flurry also wore a picnic blanket tied around his neck like a cape.
Caboose stood across from the other plush animals in opposition to them. He was right under the tree house Honja occupied. He wore a plastic bowl on his head, which had previously been filled with potato chips. He also had a stick which he held in his mouth. Boaz was draped with a black plastic trash bag. He had an indignant expression on his face. He stood next to Flurry and glared at him.
Their mother watched from a distance. She tried to figure out what kind of a game Flurry had concocted.
“What do I do?” Caboose asked.
“For the last time! You’re one of the evil polar bears! You’re supposed to protect Jack from us,” Flurry replied. His frustration was apparent to all.
Noah simply shook his head, and Boaz sighed.
“Who’s Jack?” Caboose replied.
“Oh, my goodness! Caboose! I already told you!” Flurry shouted. “Okay! Time out, everyone! Time out, while I explain this to Caboose … again.”
The others were relieved to have a break. Boaz and Noah rushed over to the tree house for some shade from the sun. They did not have sweat glands, but the sun was scorching hot, nonetheless.
“Caboose! Remember? Honja is pretending to be Jack. Jack is evil. You’re one of Jack’s polar bears. Boaz is Drizzle. Noah and I are ourselves. Okay?”
“Uh, huh!” Caboose nodded his head.
“Great! Come on guys! We have to save the day and stop Jack’s evil plan!” Flurry held up his branch high in the air to rally the troops.
The two lions reluctantly moseyed over to him. Honja remained up in the tree house with his arms crossed. He looked more frustrated than ever.
“Attack!” Flurry shouted. The three little warriors ran toward Caboose and the tree house. Caboose looked to and fro, turned around, and ran toward the tree house, too. “No!” Flurry bellowed. He came to an abrupt stop without warning. Noah and Boaz crashed into him. After their brief fumble, Flurry got back up, brushed the dirt off of his fur, and approached the polar bear. “Caboose, you aren’t supposed to run away! You have to stop us from attacking Jack.”
“Who’s Jack?” Caboose asked.
Flurry immediately buried his face in his paws and shook his head. The way things were going, it would be a very long day. Boaz and Noah were delighted when their mother opened the cooler and brought out more refreshments. “Drinks! Come and get them!” she called out to them.
“Yay!” they shouted, tossed their props down, and ran to get a beverage.
Honja, who remained in the tree house, looked perplexed and muttered angrily to himself. He shouted down to his brothers, but nobody responded. Honja had originally been purchased from a shop in another country. He was able to understand English just fine, but was unable to speak it. Luckily, Boaz had taken it upon himself to learn Honja’s language, so that he could speak with and understand the rabbit. Their mother and father could also speak Honja’s language. Honja had some individuals he could communicate with, if he chose to.
When the rabbit saw that his friends did not acknowledge him, he muttered to himself angrily and climbed down from the tree to go join them.
As Honja was about to arrive at the table, Flurry ran past him, back out toward the tree house again. The bear shouted, “Come on, guys! We have a land to save!”
“Awww! Come on, Flurry! We don’t want to play anymore! Let’s do something different,” Boaz groaned. He loved Flurry like a brother, but Flurry often got on everyone’s nerves — well, everyone except for Caboose. Nothing ever appeared to bother the polar bear cub. No matter what Flurry did, Caboose always looked up to and admired him — which was why Caboose was the only one that ran back out with Flurry. The other three siblings stayed behind.
“What? Why don’t you want to play?” Flurry asked. He was genuinely perplexed by the others’ reluctance. Flurry had come a long way since he arrived in Middleasia, nearly six months ago, but he still had a serious pride problem. He just could not see past himself at times.
“I believe I speak for the rest of us when I say that we’re tired of always playing the same game, and tired of you always getting to be the hero.”
Noah and Honja nodded their heads in agreement. Caboose had a dumbfounded look on his face. He decided to nod his head in agreement, because that was what everyone else was doing.
“You, too, Caboose?” Flurry was shocked. “Fine! I’ll play by myself!” Flurry stormed off. He swung his branch violently at the grass as he stomped toward the tree house. Caboose trailed along behind him, like a lost puppy.
“Actually, why don’t all of you take a break? It’s hot out, and all of you could use some down time,” their mother suggested.
“That’s okay. They can go. I’ll stay out here,” Flurry answered.
“No! I wasn’t asking,” his mother replied. She removed her black-framed glasses, sighed, and rubbed her eyes. The heat was getting to her, but she felt irritated with Flurry, too. She then continued. “It’s not an option. In the car!”
“But, Mommy!”
“Don’t ‘but, Mommy’ me! Get in the car! Now!”
Flurry’s mother wore an expression that communicated she meant business. She pointed toward the vehicle with an angry scowl. Flurry grumbled and stomped back toward their transportation. He tossed his branch in the grass and ripped off his makeshift cape.
Flurry’s mother often did not know what to do with him. He was a very stubborn bear. However, she could not help but feel sympathy for him. He had been exposed to so much more than most adults have ever gone through in their entire life, and she had no idea how to help him. She could not take him to a counselor either. How would she explain the existence of a living, breathing teddy bear? Even taking her boys out to the park was a risk, but on a day like this, nobody else was out.
The cubs were excited to finally arrive home. Inside, it was nice and cool from the air conditioner. Noah went over to the couch. He climbed up, opened one of his sketchbooks, and drew in it.
Caboose noticed that a butterfly had slipped in while the door was open, so he ran off to chase it. He was completely mesmerized by the most unsuspecting things. Caboose was always so curious about everything, and no matter how many times you told him something, it would always be the first time he had ever heard about it.
Boaz went into the bedroom and fiddled with his laptop, and Honja snuck off and hid in a corner with his headset to listen to his tunes.
Flurry, on the other hand, was in a very foul mood. He continued to pout while he paced back and forth. He needed to make it clear to his mother that he was angry at her for ruining his fun at the park.
