by J. S. Skye
More time had passed, and they were now continuing on without a path. The snow was deeper, and the wind was colder and stronger.
“Flurry! I really think we should head back now!” Fear was in Fall’s voice as she tried to speak up over the strong wind that blew steadily upon them.
Without warning, the wind plucked the map from Flurry’s paws and sent it soaring out ahead of them.
“Hurry! We have to catch the map!” Flurry shouted and darted after it. Caboose and Fall chased after their brash companion. They were in hot pursuit of the map, but the wind continued to blow it just out of their reach. The cubs were uncertain how long they had sought after the map, but they eventually reached the edge of a pine forest where they stopped to catch their breath. One thing was for certain, they were a long way from home.
They had traveled far enough that grass appeared more and more frequently. The snow was now so sparse that it looked like it had fallen in small, isolated patches on top of the green turf beneath their feet. The orange clouds evoked concern when Fall realized how low the sun had sunk toward the horizon.
“Flurry, we’re never going to catch that map. This is all your fault! We should go home and confess to Uncle Vinegar that we lost his map!” Fall snapped at her brother.
“Well, nobody asked you to come along!” Flurry shot back.
The siblings argued, but Caboose had his sights still set on the prize. Among the branches of a towering cedar, Caboose spotted the map. Without hesitation, he set forth to scale the tree and apprehend his prize. While Flurry and Fall continued their feud, Caboose’s exit went unnoticed.
Their bickering continued to get more and more heated. They name called and pushed each other. Then there was abrupt silence. The siblings stood motionless, as if they had turned to stone. Flurry cautiously inquired, “Uh … where’s Caboose?”
“I don’t know. He was right here a second ago,” Fall answered.
“Okay, but he’s not here now.” Flurry looked around and called out to his friend, “Caboose! Caboose! Where are you?”
The two bear cubs traveled deeper into the woods, ceaselessly calling out to their missing friend. Fear and concern consumed them both. They were relieved to finally hear a small, faint voice which answered, “Up here! I’m up here!”
“That sounded like Caboose, but I don’t see him,” Flurry mentioned to his sister.
“Look! Up there!” Fall pointed at the branches of a nearby tree.
“Oh, my! Caboose! What are you doing up there?” Flurry worried for his friend’s safety.
“Oh, it’s nussing. I just found suh map.” As he said this, the branch broke and Caboose tumbled down the tree. The poor cub hit each successive branch as he plummeted into a pile of pine needles. Caboose looked up, embarrassed, just as the map gracefully glided down and landed on top of his head.
Overjoyed, both Flurry and Fall ran to Caboose and hugged him while they unanimously shouted, “You did it!” Caboose sat among the pine needles and blushed.
Flurry did not waste any time before he reasserted himself as the leader. He promptly grabbed the map and continued. “Okay! Now, it looks like we’re here at the ‘pine forest’, as the map says.” Flurry deduced this based on the little drawings of trees and not on his ability to read the text. “We need to go to this grassy spot on the map. Let’s go!” Without hesitation, Flurry hurried away.
Fall helped Caboose up and brushed him off. “Come on, Caboose, we can’t let Flurry have all of the glory.”
Caboose and Fall trailed close behind Flurry as he led them out of one wilderness and into another just beyond the set of small hills. This territory had a variety of trees that looked different than any Fall had ever seen before.
All of the cubs took account of the more menacing look their new environment presented. The foliage was thicker, and the foreboding trees grew all the more sinister as the sun inched its way closer to the horizon. Darkness hastily embraced the land, as if it were choking out the light from every direction.
“Uh, Flurry? Shouldn’t we be heading back now? It’s getting dark.” Fall had deep concern in her voice.
“Don’t be silly! We’re only getting started. How will we ever reach the tasty pies if we stop now?”
“But Flurry! We’ve already been gone way too long! Mama and Papa are probably worried sick about us!” Fall pleaded.
“Worried sick about you, maybe! They probably don’t know I’m even gone.” A tear slid down Flurry’s cheek.
“Flurry! I told you that’s not true! Quit being so selfish! You aren’t the center of the world!”
“Well, maybe I should be!” Flurry wittingly replied.
“Well, I don’t care what you think. We need to go back home!” It was evident that her reply was ignored. Fall did not know what else to do. They had all made rather poor decisions that day, and she was concerned that the consequences for their actions were closer than she would like them to be.
Fall whined, “I’m cold, it’s getting dark, and we don’t have any food.” Seeing that she received nothing but silence, Fall tried to reason with her brother. “We don’t even have a flashlight! How are we going to find our way in the dark anyway?”
“Of course! Just like a girl to want to chicken out!”
Flurry’s harsh words wounded Fall deeply. Fall wept, “Flurry! You’re so mean! Why do you have to be like that?”
Fall ran off a short distance from her brother and cried. She buried her face in her paws in an attempt to hide her tears. Caboose strolled up to her and laid his head on her lap, much like a faithful and loving puppy would do. She patted him on the head and whispered, “Caboose, you’re such a good bear. If only Flurry could be more like you.”
Flurry sat by himself and debated about what he should do. He looked over his shoulder and saw Fall as she sat on a log with his faithful friend. Initially he felt angry, and he thought to himself, She’s ruining everything! First she steals my parents away from me, and now she steals my friends, too! However, his anger quickly faded to make way for the guilt which now crept into his heart. Flurry felt remorse for the way he had treated his sister.
Flurry got up and walked over to join them. “I’m sorry for being mean to you. I didn’t mean to say those things, and I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just angry.” Flurry looked up at Fall to find his gaze met with a smile while she wiped away her tears.
“I forgive you,” Fall replied as she opened her arms for a hug.
“I said I’m sorry, but I don’t think I need a hug.” Flurry’s words were met with a frown. With a sigh, he consented. “Oh, okay.”
“Yay!” Fall exclaimed as she clutched Flurry tightly.
Without a moment of hesitation, Flurry pushed her away, straightened his scarf, cleared his throat, and said, “That’s enough! Okay, we should find a good spot to sleep tonight. We can continue in the morning.” All of them agreed to this and decided to venture only a little further in search of an adequate resting spot.
They had not progressed very far before they heard a loud snap. “What was that?” Fall nervously asked.
“Oh, it was probably nothing,” Flurry tried to assure her.
Then another loud snap echoed through the wooded landscape. “Did you hear that?” The concern in Fall’s voice was even more apparent.
“It was probably just a little squirrel or something like that.” Flurry tried to relieve her uneasiness, but even he felt spooked.
The wind rustled the leaves, crickets chirped, and an owl hooted from a distance. It might have seemed like any other eerie forest, but a menacing growl took their dread to a new level. Fall insisted on what she knew to be a growl, but Flurry remained skeptical. He did not want to believe that they were in grave danger, though he too had heard the same thing.
Then it came again. A loud snap, followed by another, and then another. The snaps were accompanied by growling. The cubs shook in terror. It was clear that they were being followed by something that was out t
here in the darkness with them. Nightfall’s progression quickly made the forest creepier by the minute, and Flurry did not have a light source available to illuminate their path.
“Flurry! Please tell me you hear that! Don’t tell me it’s nothing!” Fall’s voice was saturated with dread.
“Uh …” Flurry began, and his tone clearly conveyed that he was just as spooked as his sister. “I hear it. Let’s all stand close together, and we should be fine.” After Flurry’s attempt to bolster some courage, Fall wrapped her arms around her brother’s. Flurry glanced at the ground with a bewildered look upon his face. Caboose was missing. “Wait a minute! Where’s Caboose?” Flurry inquired.
“Oh no! Not again! I hope he didn’t get eaten by whatever it is making those sounds,” Fall answered.
“Caboose?” Flurry attempted to call out, but his voice trembled with trepidation. Instead, Caboose’s name came forth from Flurry’s mouth at the level of a whisper. “Caboose?”
“Hello!” shouted a voice from the darkness.
“Ahhh!” Flurry and Fall screamed while they clenched each other tightly.
“It’s just me! Caboose! Look what I found! A friend!” Caboose stood next to what appeared to be a wolf. The beast had sharp teeth, yellow eyes, and gray fur. However, there were details about this wolf that made it clear that this was not an ordinary one. The wolf stood taller than most and had light blue markings all over its fur. It also had an earring in each ear and decorative armor plates just above the paws. Caboose continued with his introduction. “She’s very nice. Say hello.”
The wolf opened its mouth and spoke. “You aren’t safe here!” A female voice came forth from the wolf’s maw. “You may be safe from me, but this forest is extremely dangerous. There are many beasts that would rip you to shreds.”
“So you aren’t going to eat us?” Flurry inquired cautiously.
“I had hoped that the three of you were going to be my dinner, but you aren’t real bears at all. You are of no nutritional value to anyone.” Flurry let out a resounding sigh of relief.
“So you really aren’t going to eat us?” Flurry hesitantly asked again. He needed to be sure he had heard her correctly.
“Of course not! You’re nothing but fur and stuffing. I long for meat.”
Fall let out a sigh of her own and let go of Flurry’s arm. The young cub approached the wolf and asked, “What’s your name?”
“My name isn’t important,” the wolf replied.
“Well, my name is Fall. This is my brother, Flurry, and you’ve already met Caboose.”
The wolf groaned and then relented. “My pack calls me Wolfhroc. I’m a warrior among my kin. In fact, I’m the best scout in the land of Canidore. There are a number of different wolf packs. I’m from Pack Isangrim, named after our noble and fearless leader.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Wolfhroc,” Fall continued. “I’m so sorry to bother you about this, but can you help us find a safe place to sleep?”
“My pack is a long way from here. I go out scouting well ahead of the rest. It would take too long to bring you to them tonight. That’s the only way you would truly be safe out here in the wild. Being alone in this forest you’ll be vulnerable and make for easy prey.”
“Can’t you help us?” Fall pleaded.
“I’m sorry, but I must continue hunting for food. The best of luck to all of you.”
Before she could walk away, Flurry had something to add. “Well, before you go, can you tell me if we’re on the right path?” Flurry opened up the map and showed it to the wolf.
The wolf’s eyes widened. Flurry had her full attention. “Where did you get this?” asked the wolf.
“From my uncle. Why?”
“This map leads to a forbidden land. You mustn’t go there!” she gravely warned.
“Why? What’s wrong with it?”
“There’s a rumor that the inhabitants of that land had a feud which caused their nation to split in two. One group became very prosperous and continues to live on a nearby island. The other group, however, are said to be cursed. These are probably nothing more than stories, but it’s believed that anyone who enters that land will share in their curse. My kind avoids that region at all costs.”
“It can’t be that bad! They have pie!” Flurry responded.
“Foolish little one! The map doesn’t speak of a land of pies! It’s the land of the Sourpie! It’s ruled by King Sourpuss himself!”
“Yeah, that’s what I said; sour pie, but surely they have other pies. Better yet, maybe they don’t just have pies. Maybe they have lots of other tasty treats, too.”
“You just don’t get it. What I’m saying is …” Wolfhroc paused when she observed Flurry licking his lips. It was clear that he was not listening her. “Never mind. I tell you what, I’ll stay with you tonight, and tomorrow you can come with me and meet the rest of my family.”
“Wow! That sounds great!” Flurry enthusiastically replied.
“Good! It’s settled then. Let’s gather up some wood and build a fire. We shall sleep here tonight.”
All of them picked up branches and brought them to the wolf while she built them a fire. As the cubs gathered firewood, Flurry approached his sister. “This is going to be so great! See! I told you! We have nothing to worry about!” Fall gave an uneasy grin in response, for she did not share in Flurry’s optimism.
Meanwhile, back in Ursus, things were not going well at all. Despite the sun still being up, evening had come and the entire teddy bear community had been out scouring the town the entire day. They continued to search for the missing bear cubs. Mr. and Mrs. Snow were a complete wreck. Mrs. Snow had been crying so much that her dress had become soaked with tears that were now ice. Mr. Snow put on a brave face for his wife and helped with the search. They could not understand where their cubs had disappeared to.
Mrs. Snow blamed herself. “This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been so firm with Flurry. He was really hurt. I hope he didn’t do anything foolish, like running away,” she relayed to her husband. Mr. Snow put his arm around her and wiped away her tears with his other paw.
Flurry’s friends contributed to the search. Even Flurry’s Uncle Vinegar partook in the hunt. Vinegar had explained to his brother that he had yelled at Flurry and threw him out of his study. Vinegar felt responsible for Flurry and Fall’s disappearance just as much as Mr. and Mrs. Snow did.
Despite the seemingly dire circumstances, Mr. Kringle had a feeling that Flurry, Fall, and Caboose were okay. Christopher had concealed from everyone secret knowledge he harbored in the back of his mind for many years. The tall, bearded man had an inkling about the bear, and he was patient enough to wait and see if his hunch be true.
Knowing Flurry’s adventurous spirit, and after he heard from Vinegar that a map was missing, Christopher deduced that the cubs were probably following whichever map they had found. However, Christopher did not want to bring this up with Mr. and Mrs. Snow quite yet. He did not want to give them false hope, nor did he want the same information to make them worry, either, depending on how they would react to the news.
Despite wherever Flurry might be, Christopher had confidence in Flurry’s resilience, and he knew that Flurry would make it back to them in one piece.
CHAPTER 4
THE JOURNEY
Flurry and his companions woke early, just as the sun ascended from the horizon. Wolfhroc had been awake long before the rest of them. Flurry opened his eyes to find the wolf pacing to and fro, as if she had protected them all throughout the night. “Good! You’re up!” exclaimed Wolfhroc. “We need to get moving if we’re to catch up with the rest of my pack. I’m sure they’ve begun journeying south already. Since that’s your destination as well, you may come with us. You’ll be our guests.”
“Wow! That sounds great!” Flurry shouted with excitement.
“Uh … Flurry? How can we possibly keep up with her?” Fall asked her brother.
Before Flurry could th
ink of a reply, Wolfhroc answered for him. “All of you may ride on my back. The three of you are exceptionally light.” The gray wolf crouched low to the ground to allow for the cubs to embark. “Quickly, we mustn’t waste any more time.”
Their new friend was swift on her feet. Flurry and his companions had mounted the wolf only seconds before Wolfhroc launched herself across the wooded terrain. The she wolf gracefully and briskly dashed through the branches and bushes. Flurry was filled with excitement as he watched the trees become nothing but a blur while they rapidly moved from one location to the next. This was the most fun Flurry had ever experienced.
As they traversed large portions of land, Flurry and the others took in the scenic view. They first crossed a beautiful green meadow where the grass stood almost as tall as Flurry. After the meadow came a river of crystal clear water which rolled over smooth, polished stones that displayed a green hue of quartz.
They eventually ran into another wooded region along their path. This one was more open than the previous forests they had passed through. Here the ground was covered with delightful yellow flowers as far as the eye could see. Upon withdrawing from the last woodland, they came to a cliff that overlooked a large valley. The gorge below had a winding river that passed through the center flanked on each bank by blossoming trees. From the precipice, large mountains could be seen in the distance with caps of snow on each of them.
“Within that mountain range you’ll find the land of the Sourpie. Our journey together ends once we reach the valley below,” Wolfhroc told her riders.
Just as she spoke, howls could be heard in the distance. Wolfhroc replied with a loud call of her own. Flurry uncovered his ears when Wolfhroc spoke again. “That’s my pack down below. We’re almost there. Hold on, we must make our descent.”
Flurry, Fall, and Caboose clasped tightly to the wolf’s fur. Without delay, Wolfhroc descended the steep side of the bluff while Flurry and his comrades tried to maintain their grip. They each held as tightly as they possibly could. Wolfhroc had amazing control and balance. She moved with such grace that traversing the side of the cliff looked like a walk in the park for her.
