by J. S. Skye
“Flurry, wait for me!” Fall shouted while in hot pursuit of her brother.
Flurry’s other plush companions also ran toward the food. However, Noah stood fast and watched Flurry like a hawk. He was not about to let any harm come to his friend, and the only way to ensure Flurry’s safety was to keep an eye on him at all times. Noah had no need for food, so it was not necessary for him to be with the rest of his brothers at the dinner table.
“You aren’t joining your friends?” asked Mr. Snow. He looked down at Noah with a surprised face. The lion cub may not have been able to speak, but he was able to communicate very well. He pointed at Flurry, made the shape of binoculars around his eyes, and then stood up straight and saluted. Mr. Snow smiled when he realized what Noah had told him. “Well, thank you, Noah. I appreciate you watching out for my son. Carry on.” Mr. Snow saluted the lion before he turned to his wife and escorted her to their table of choice.
By this point, Flurry had already gotten himself situated at his bench with a pile of food heaped up on his plate. He felt like he had died and gone to Heaven. Flurry stuffed himself with so many delicious choices of culinary delights. However, the cub made sure to leave room for dessert.
Dessert was certainly Flurry’s favorite part of the meal, and he especially loved Mrs. Kringle’s chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate. He had not had them for more than three months, back when Flurry still lived in Ursus. In Middleasia, Flurry’s human mother often made him chocolate milk or chocolate cake, but Mrs. Kringle still made the best cookies.
The night was full of fun and laughter. Flurry’s escorts from Tikalico were treated like royalty and entertained for hours. Food was abundant, and Flurry felt at home and content.
Meanwhile, as everyone inside kept warm, a storm brewed outside the walls of the Kringle house. The wind grew stronger, and the temperature dropped sharply. It was unlike anything anyone in Ursus had ever experienced before.
Unfortunately, this weather pattern was familiar to Christopher, and it troubled him deeply. He recalled the last time there was such an icy blizzard. It was during an age when Jack Frost ruled.
CHAPTER 2
DRIZZLE’S CONFLICT
The next morning came, but the sun did not shine as it was accustomed to. This day brought another cloudy sky, ruled by strong wind and frosty conditions. The snow had let up temporarily, but the previous night of blizzard-like weather left a deep blanket of snow and ice on everything.
Despite the harshness outside, the teddy bear cubs and the cats from Tikalico were nice and warm within the walls of Christopher Kringle’s home. The adult bears had gone back to their own houses for the night, but the cubs had all begged for permission to stay with the Kringles, and their pleas had been granted.
Most of the cubs slept in bunk beds in one of the many rooms of the house. Some of the cubs slept under blankets upon various pieces of furniture or nestled up by the fireplace. Flurry, however, slept cuddled next to Vallidore.
Flurry sat up from his slumber when he heard the sound of the breakfast bell. Vallidore got up and walked off, which left Flurry without his warm, furry friend to snuggle.
Flurry stretched out his arms and yawned. He got up and looked around, but found most of the other cubs still asleep. Flurry followed the smell of food into another room where Christopher dined with the Tikalico warriors. From the look of things, they had just finished up. “It appears you have a visitor,” the red-haired beauty whispered to her husband.
Christopher chortled, looked down, and saw Flurry gazing up at him. “Well, hello there, little one. You’re certainly up early.”
“Hello, Santa! Yeah, I know. What are you doing?” Flurry yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“We had an early meal so these fine fellows can be on their way back home. It’s a long journey, and Catherine wanted to be sure they were well fed first,” Christopher informed the inquisitive cub.
“Is there any food left for me?”
The jolly man chuckled again. “I’m certain that my dear can make you something. What would you like?”
“P’sghetti?” Flurry’s eyes widened. He put his paws together, as if he were begging, and licked his lips.
The Kringle couple and the cats laughed in unison at Flurry’s request.
“Certainly! I believe we have spaghetti somewhere,” Christopher answered.
“Yay!” Flurry shouted. Catherine smiled and opened the cupboard to get out some pasta.
The smell of food eventually woke the other cubs up, one-by-one. Before long, everyone was awake and wanted food of their own. Catherine now had her work cut out for her, but she did not mind. In fact, she loved to cook, and derived great joy from the smiles that she put upon the faces of others with her food. Her culinary skills began as a hobby, but were now a passion. Thankfully, she had servants to help her when it became too much for one person to handle alone.
After a hearty breakfast, some of the cubs tried to go outside to play, but they quickly rushed back indoors. “It’s so cold!” shouted Flurry’s cousin, Bliz.
“Maybe we could all play inside,” Fall suggested.
“Great idea!” Bliz answered. Bliz was a good friend to Flurry and Fall in addition to being their cousin. He was the middle child of three, the son of Chip and Bubbles. He was very small, and his fur was pure white, just like Flurry’s. On his head he wore a little red cap that came to a point with a white fluffy ball at the end. Bliz was very hyperactive and often spoke so fast that it was difficult to understand what he had said.
Flurry’s school friend, Sunny, joined the rest of Flurry’s friends in a game of hide-and-seek. While they played together, another little bear wanted to join in. This little bear looked almost identical to Flurry except that his fur was the color of charcoal, and he had a crimson-colored scarf with storm clouds stitched at the bottom near the tassels.
The cub’s name was Drizzle. He was a member of the Rain family. The Snow family and the Rain family were both very prominent families in Ursus.
Despite Drizzle’s adorable features, he was often discouraged. He frequently was excluded and felt unwanted by others. Drizzle’s parents were continually displeased with him. No matter how hard he worked nor what he did to make them proud, they were consistently unmoved. In fact, Drizzle’s parents harbored a deeply held grudge against Christopher Kringle. Mrs. Rain had wanted a cub of her own for quite some time. The Rain family admired Flurry and wanted their own cub to be just like him. They fashioned their idea of the perfect cub and asked Christopher to give him life.
Christopher granted their request. However, Mr. and Mrs. Rain noticed that Drizzle was not like any of the other cubs. He was very different in numerous ways.
Mr. and Mrs. Rain realized that Drizzle struggled a great deal with social interactions. He found it difficult to fit in with the other cubs. As a result, Drizzle spent most of his free time in his room, drawing or doing something related to mathematics. Numbers became Drizzle’s friends, because he could always rely on them to be true and consistent.
In school, Drizzle was the worst student. The cub saw letters backwards when he tried to read, and he had difficulties with some aspects of speech.
Thankfully, Drizzle managed to befriend Flurry’s cousin. Bliz liked everyone, no matter what. He did not differentiate between what others considered to be pleasant or unpleasant company. Many found Drizzle to be annoying or tedious to talk to. However, all individuals were created equal in Bliz’s sight. Drizzle and Bliz got along well and talked a lot about interests they had in common. They shared a love for things which others considered to be “geeky”.
On this cold and blustery day, Drizzle decided to make an attempt to befriend Flurry once again. Over the years, Flurry and Drizzle had not gotten along, and their interactions often left either of them angry or in tears. Today will be different, Drizzle thought to himself. “Hey guys!” the black-furred bear bellowed and waved to the other cubs.
“Hey, Drizzle!” Bliz enthusiasti
cally answered back. He waved so fast that his arm was but a blur.
“What do you want?” Flurry asked with contempt in his voice. He peeked his head out of a gift-wrapped box at the sound of Drizzle’s greeting. The lid rested on top of Flurry’s head as he spoke. “Can’t you see we’re playing here? Go away!” Flurry’s tone was as cold and uninviting as the weather outside.
“Flurry! Shame on you! Don’t be like that!” Fall scolded her brother. She crawled out from under the couch to greet the newcomer. She approached Drizzle and tried to mend the situation. “Don’t mind my brother, he can be rude sometimes.” As Fall spoke, Drizzle blushed and redirected his sight down toward the floor. “Here, let me introduce you to my new friends from Middleasia,” Fall continued. “The tall lion standing behind you is Noah.” Noah waved. “The smaller lion is Boaz.”
“Howdy!” Boaz replied from behind a curtain.
“I’m not sure where Caboose is,” Fall continued. “And the cute little rabbit hiding behind that potted plant is Honja.”
Honja peeked out at Fall and gave her an angry glare. He felt outraged that his position had been compromised, and that he would have to find a new hiding spot. Drizzle walked over to the pot and was about to pat Honja on the head when Fall halted him — just in time. “Stop! Don’t pat him on the head! He hates that!”
“Oh, sorry!” Drizzle replied. It was a good thing that she warned him. Honja had a look of horror on his face when he saw Drizzle’s paw reach out toward his head. In fact, he was so terrified that he dropped the lollipop he had been licking and became as still as stone.
While Fall introduced her friends, Flurry had come out from hiding and joined the others. “He can’t play with us!” Flurry insisted.
“Why not?” Fall asked.
“Just because.”
“That’s not a good enough reason!” Fall shot back at her immature sibling.
“He’s mean!” Flurry insisted.
“No, I’m not! You’re mean!” Drizzle spoke up in his own defense.
“Oh, yeah? Well, why do you make fun of me for not having a tail?”
“Because you and Sunny make fun of me every day! You say that I’m dumb, and a weirdo!”
“Well, maybe if you didn’t act so strange, we wouldn’t have a reason to laugh at you,” Sunny interjected. The yellow-furred teddy bear had been there all along, but had kept quiet up until now.
Sunny mocked Drizzle. In an altered voice he said, “Ouch! That light is too bright! Oh, my head hurts from all of the noise!” Sunny giggled and pointed at Drizzle.
Whether it was Sunny’s comment or the fact that he wore a red handkerchief around his neck, the rest of the cubs perceived him as an outlaw. They glared at Sunny. Sunny realized that his actions were wrong, but he grinned anyway.
Drizzle cried and ran off. Flurry felt bad for what had just transpired. He did not condone Sunny’s comments, but Sunny was his friend and he was prone to take Sunny’s side over Drizzle’s.
“Flurry! You and Sunny are acting so childish! Can’t you two put your differences aside long enough to play a simple game together?” Fall shouted at her brother and Sunny. She turned her gaze to Flurry and directed her next statement solely to him. “You clearly didn’t learn anything from our time with the Sourpie!” Fall was enraged at her brother’s pettiness.
Not to be made to look foolish in front of others; Flurry turned his back to Fall and crossed his arms. Fall was incensed. “Fine then! You go back to your game! I’m not playing anymore!” Fall shouted.
“Fine!” Flurry barked back at her. “Come on, guys! We don’t need her!” Flurry walked away from Fall in haste, but his conscience got the better of him. He took only a few steps, and then turned back. With a sigh, Flurry relented, “Okay! He can play with us.”
“Good! That’s better!” Fall’s voice sounded well pleased, but when she looked over to invite Drizzle back into the fold, he was nowhere to be found. “Drizzle? Drizzle?” she called out, but she did not receive a reply.
Fall and Flurry ran over to where they last saw him, but he was not there. “Where could he have gone?” Fall thought out loud. Flurry shrugged.
“I’m sorry,” Flurry commented. He looked at the floor in shame. “I shouldn’t have been so mean to him.”
Fall rubbed Flurry’s back to console him. “It’s okay. It’s in the past now. Let’s move forward. I tell you what, you and the others go play. I’ll find Drizzle, and bring him back. Okay?”
“Okay,” Flurry answered and ran back with the rest of the cubs.
Fall looked all through the house but could not find Drizzle anywhere. She was about to give up her search when she heard the sound of sobbing. Fall climbed up on a chair and looked out one of the windows to behold Drizzle outside in the cold. He shivered and cried as he sat alone. Fall grabbed her coat, and an extra one for Drizzle, before she stepped outside to meet him.
“You know, it’s too cold to be out here without a coat,” Fall said. Drizzle continued to sob. “What’s wrong?” Fall asked and put the coat around him.
Fall stood next to the despondent cub. Eventually, Drizzle decided to speak to her. “I just want to have a friend. I don’t know why Flurry doesn’t like me. It feels like nobody likes me.”
“I like you, and believe me, you’re in good company. My brother was not happy when he found out that he had a sister either, but he got over it. It just takes time for Flurry to adjust. He’s a bit stubborn, but he has a very kind and caring heart deep down. I hope you’ll give him another chance.”
Drizzle wiped away his tears and nodded in agreement. He stood up, and the two cubs re-entered the house together. When they returned, the other cubs were no longer playing hide-and-seek. Instead, Flurry was telling stories about his adventure to the cubs. As Flurry continued to brag about his great deeds, Drizzle felt more insecure with each passing moment. Drizzle felt alienated and distant. He thought that he might be able to win the others over if he proved himself on an adventure of his own.
It was this moment when Drizzle remembered the forbidden land of Ursidea. In school, all of the cubs would dare each other to go there to prove that they were not cowards, but nobody ever went. There were many rumors and legends that surrounded that region. A lot of the cubs claimed that anyone who had the courage to enter the land of Ursidea would never return. Drizzle thought this would be the ideal way to prove his worth and to show that he could be just as brave as Flurry.
With only a moment’s hesitation, Drizzle drifted away from the group and made his way to the front door. He grabbed a walking stick and stealthily slipped out of the house. The stick had the words “Path Finder” carved into it. Drizzle took note of where it was propped up against Christopher Kringle’s wall, near the door, so that he could return it when he got back.
Though Drizzle opened the door carefully and left quietly, he was not as sly as he thought. Fall glimpsed the little bear as he snuck away.
Fall immediately got up from her seat, put on her coat, and ran for the door. “Where are you going? I’m just getting to the good part,” Flurry called out from his crowd of fans.
“Flurry, it’s probably because of you that Drizzle has run off again. I’m going to go and bring him back,” Fall replied. She ran out and slammed the door behind her. It was clear to everyone that Fall was angry with her brother again. Flurry stood there uncertain of what to do for a moment, but then returned to his storytelling.
Many hours passed, and the parents came to retrieve their cubs. It was close to noon when Mr. Snow arrived at the house all bundled up. “Flurry, gather your things. It’s time to go home,” Mr. Snow informed his son. He looked around the room and noticed the absence of his daughter. “Where’s Fall?” Flurry’s father asked.
“I don’t know. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere,” Flurry answered.
Mr. Snow went through the house and looked for Fall, but he was unable to find her. He stopped by Christopher’s study and rapped on the door
.
“Come on in,” the voice behind the door answered.
Mr. Snow entered the study. Christopher sat reclined in a chair with his nose in a book. Vallidore lay on the floor next to the fireplace. “Chris, I’m sorry to bother you, but have you seen my daughter? Flurry and the other cubs do not know where she is.”
Christopher immediately sat up in his chair, slapped the book shut, and looked intently at Mr. Snow. “You mean she’s not here?”
“No sir, she’s not,” answered Fall’s distressed father.
Christopher looked concerned. He shot up from his chair, tossed the book down, and rushed for the door. He went straight to the main hall where all of the bears had gathered. “Listen up, everyone!” He raised his voice to be heard over the various conversations. “Has anyone seen Fall?”
The guests looked to and fro. Each of them had a confused expression upon their face. “Let me put this another way. Does anyone know where Fall is?”
Flurry stood up to answer. “No, Santa, we haven’t seen her for a while now. Drizzle is gone, too. Fall said she was going to bring him back, because he ran away or something.”
Christopher’s face had a look of sheer horror. He shot a glance at Vallidore, and the wolf instantly ran out of the room. “This is bad news. If they aren’t here, or at home, then they’re probably outside, and there’s a bad storm on the way.”
“Oh no!” shouted the guests.
“As bad as last night’s storm?” one of his visitors inquired.
“Worse!” Christopher replied. The bears chattered amongst themselves. The room was tense. Fear gripped most of Christopher’s company.
Before long, the man interrupted the chatter and addressed the crowd again. “Everyone is to stay here until this storm passes. You’ll all be safe here. However, I fear that Fall and Drizzle may be in grave danger. I’m looking for a volun …”
