by Justin Sloan
“Yes, sir.” Percival led the charge this time, Arthur taking over queen-protection duty.
Now the land itself was what they had to watch out for, with a steep incline full of jagged rocks. Ari slipped and nearly rolled back down the hill, but Mia grabbed his paw, and Brutas gave him a shove from behind to help him regain his footing.
Location two was a spot in a clumping of trees, reached by rope ladders. The trees were connected with rope walkways, and the center tree even had a little tree fort.
“You all were busy,” Mia said, impressed.
“Yes, well….” Arthur actually seemed to be blushing. He held out his arm for her to take, as if they were at a ball. “If I may show you around?”
Ari was about to laugh at that, but to his surprise, Mia wrapped her arm in the knight’s and went with him. They disappeared around the other side of the tree.
“Wouldn’t have thought the whole armor-uniform thing would get to her,” Ari said to Brutas. “Brutas?”
He spun looking for Brutas, and finally found him with a couple of knights who were showing him their helmets and the engravings on their chest plates.
“Whatever,” Ari said, turning his gaze to the jungle below. “I guess someone needs to be on the lookout.”
“Don’t be jealous,” Danu said, appearing beside him and giving him a start so that he jumped. She smiled at that. “It’s just something new for them. Soon it will go back to how it’s always been, the three amigos.”
“Three whats?”
“You and your two friends there,” Danu said. “Just as it has always been.”
“We actually haven’t been together that long,” Ari admitted. “And lately, I’m not sure where I fit in.”
“I see…. And if you were offered a spot in court? A place in the Teddy Bear Picnic, with Father Moroz and myself, perhaps?”
“My lady, I….” He really didn’t know what to say. Part of him said he belonged with Rick and Tiffany, but Rick no longer needed him, and Tiffany had Mia and Brutas now. Still, he would miss them, and would they forgive him if he left? He stared at his paws, unable to think clearly, unable to figure out how to respond.
“No need to answer now. But if you find yourself looking for a place to belong, you always have a spot with us.”
“Thank you.”
She gave him a nod, then said, “Are you ready for more action?”
“I’m always ready,” he said, pulling light into his paws and smiling. “I eat this stuff up.”
“Good, then you’re about to get pretty full.” She grabbed him by the paw and pulled him down and out of the way as a pirate bear leapt at him from above.
“We’ve been infiltrated!” she yelled, and Ari watched in awe as she pulled light as if lightning were striking her paws from all directions, then shot it at the pirate bear. The pirate flew off into the distance, causing a new spark of lightning in the trees where he fell.
“Whoa!” Ari said, spinning to kick back another pirate that had climbed up behind him. “Why don’t you just do that every time?”
“It quite drains me,” she said, grabbing the ledge nearby for support.
“Percival!” Ari said, seeing him approaching. “Your queen needs you!”
More pirates had climbed up from the side, and Arthur and Mia came running back to join the main group.
“How’d this happen? How did they all get up here?” Arthur demanded, then ducked to avoid a heavy cutlass blow from a grizzly pirate. With a push-kick, he sent the grizzly tumbling over the side.
“There’s just too many of them, sir,” Percival said, backing up toward him as two more grizzlies advanced.
More pirates were swinging on vines and dropping in on them, but Ari noticed they were mostly cubs, new bears that must have been taken from their Christmas stockings.
“Let me try something,” Ari said, stepping forward. With all his might, he pulled at the light until his paws were nearly blinding, and then yelled, “Stop!”
He was kind of surprised to see they actually listened. The only sound for a moment was the chirping of birds far off in the jungle.
“What’s this?” one of the grizzlies said, looking to his comrades. “Take him out!”
But they hesitated, just as Ari had hoped, nervous eyes glancing at his glowing paws.
“You’ve all been taken against your will,” Ari said, addressing the younger bears. “You’ve been forced to fight, brainwashed into this pirate life.”
“Yo-ho!” one of them said.
“Not the time.” Ari addressed him with a stern stare, and the cub took a step back. “Now is the time to throw off your chains, to say no to these bullies who’d have you follow their every command, and instead join us! Fight the pirates, win your freedom, and enjoy being there Christmas morning when a child, your child, wakes up and finds you in a stocking or beneath the tree. Instead of a life of fighting, think of a life of making your child happy, of seeing that love in their eyes every day!”
“Where’s your child?” one of the cubs asked. His voice held more curiosity than challenge.
“Back home, waiting for me. But I swore to free you all before I returned, to save Christmas, and so I mean to. It’s up to you to make the decision. Will you come back with me?”
One of the grizzlies scoffed. “Don’t listen to him. We have the key within our grasp! All we need do is take it!”
But the cubs were already redirecting their focus, and with a mighty roar as one, they turned on the grizzlies. Within minutes, the grizzly pirates were running in retreat.
A victorious cheer went up from the cubs and knights alike, and when the noise died down, a light-blue teddy bear stepped forward.
“I remember you,” the bear said. “From the house where I was taken. Name’s Eran. What’s the plan from here?”
Ari looked to Queen Danu, then to Mia and Brutas, all standing, ready for more action. “We take a ship and sail out of here.”
“And the other cubs? Each group of pirates has their own cubs that they’ve taken.”
“We’ll get a ship,” Danu assured them. “Then we’ll figure out a way to save them all. But first, do each of you renounce the pirate life?”
The cubs all nodded, and Eran said, “Aye.”
“Very well. Raise your paws.”
They did so as the queen bowed her head. Then she opened her eyes and breathed a gush of light from her mouth. It soared like a streamer among the bears, giving their paws a soft glow.
“It’s only a start,” Danu said. “But as you fight for just causes, you’ll learn to control this power and it will give you immense strength.”
Murmurs of thanks came from the awed cubs, many of them too busy staring at their glowing paws to know what to say.
“My queen,” Arthur said, with a nod toward the ships.
“Yes, let’s not delay any further.”
Chapter 7: Taking the Seas
The group, now made up of the three original bears, the queen, the twelve bear knights, and around thirty cubs, made their way through the jungle to the shoreline with only one hiccup, and that was dealing with an alligator that nearly took off Ari’s right paw—lucky for him Eran was quick with a pebble, throwing one so that it hit the alligator’s tonsils and made it question trying to ever bite a teddy bear again.
As the trees gave way to sand, the group moved slower and stayed low, making use of whatever cover they could find. Not far down the beach, a low fire crackled, sending the scent of burning wood their way. A group of grizzly bears surrounded it, and at least ten ships lay anchored just off shore.
“This is it,” Ari said, looking over the cubs. “Stick with us, and we’ll all get through this.”
“You’re sure?” Mia said.
Ari shot her a ‘you’re not helping’ glance, then said, “Run with me, on my mark. Ready? Go!”
Running on the fine sand was almost as bad as running in water, but they made it to the rowboats before the grizzlies notice
d. They had rowed most of the way to the boats before the grizzlies started to come after them.
“Work the sails!” Ari yelled. “Move the thing, and the other thing!”
Eran stopped, giving him a humorous look. “Don’t worry, old bear. We got this.”
“Old bear?” Ari said, taken aback, but Eran was already up in the riggings. Sure enough, the cubs knew their business, and before Ari could figure out how they were doing it, the sails were catching wind and the ship was on its way.
Behind them, the grizzlies had turned their rowboats to the next closest ship, and a few were already boarding.
“How do we stop them from pursuing?” Mia asked, stepping up beside Ari. Brutas followed.
“We can’t, can we?” Ari said.
A BOOM sounded from the grizzlies’ ship.
“A signal?” Brutas asked.
“They’re letting the bears on the island know about the battle.” Mia kicked a bucket, then winced at the pain in her toe. “Soon, we’ll have a fleet of ships after us.”
“Good,” Ari said.
“Explain?”
“We have to save all the cubs, Mia. We can’t just sail off and leave the rest behind.”
“Yeah, sure. We get blown out of the water, and then none of them are saved.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Ari turned, looking for Arthur, who had taken over as captain. By the time he found him among the chaos, the other ships were in quick pursuit.
“Can we take out each ship, one by one?” Ari asked, watching the water spray around the helm of the ship as it crested a wave and fell back down.
“Unlikely.” Arthur shouted for the bears to man the cannon as the closest ship moved within range. “They’d circle us and we’d be cannon fodder. Fish food by sundown.”
“Does the sun even go down here?”
“It’s a saying.” Arthur moved to the bow of the ship and looked ahead. “Our only hope is to squeeze between those rocks.”
“Couldn’t they just surround us in there, trap us?”
“Maybe, but—”
BOOM! A cannon ball soared between them, taking out the far railing.
“Return fire!” Arthur yelled, grabbing the wheel from one of his knights and steering them to port for a proper angle of attack. Ari also noticed that they were now aimed straight for the rocks. He hoped Arthur knew what he was doing.
The air filled with smoke as more cannons shot off from each side, but they couldn’t linger for the fight, as the other ships were catching up.
“Full sail!” Arthur commanded. “Forget firing on them, we need to outrun them!”
The rocks grew close, tall rocks with passageways between them, creating a maze for the daring sailor to brave. More cannon blasts exploded through the air, and they all ducked as a cannon ball tore right through some of the rigging, just as the ship passed into the shadows of the first rocks. The next wave of cannon fire tore into the cliff face of the rocks, but didn’t touch the ship.
“We made it,” Arthur said, posture relaxing slightly.
“But now what?” Ari asked, eyes wide at the jagged rocks, like teeth waiting to eat the ship up. “Somehow, I don’t feel so safe.”
Behind them, the ships were slowing, spreading out to surround them as Ari had feared. It seemed like their daring adventure was going to come to a close, and fast.
Unless....
“Arthur, we have to abandon ship.” Ari moved to the rails and saw an opening in the rocks ahead, dark and full of shadow—a cave leading into the rocks.
“Are you crazy?” Arthur stared at Ari with confusion.
“Not even close.” He pointed at the cave. “We all need to jump ship there, and let her keep sailing, to lead the others away. Then leave it to me.”
“But—”
“Arthur, trust me on this.”
Arthur looked like he was about to protest further, but then he gulped and nodded.
As the bears ran and jumped to the rock, the knights using their strength to catch them and pull them all to safety, Ari hoped his friendship with the monsters was still strong.
He went on ahead, into the darkest cavern he could find, and then called out into the shadows, “Harpner!”
The wait seemed to go on for an eternity, but finally a head popped out from the shadow. It was barely visible in the darkness, but Ari could just make out the curved nose and pointed ears of his old friend.
“Ari, where in the world are we?” Harpner asked as he crawled out. He had to pull his wings tight around him in the confined space.
“We’re in the teddy bear lands, kind of. It’s a long story, but I need your help. Can I count on you?”
“You know you can. Ever since the bears and monsters learned to live in peace, my life has been bliss. If I can ever repay you for your part in that, I certainly will.”
“Well, today is your chance.” Ari smiled, clasping hands with the monster. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Ari.”
***
“What in the world, Ari?” Mia said when he strolled back out, a wide grin on his face. “We’re stranded on some rock now, our ship gone to the wind.”
The ship was just disappearing past the rocks ahead. Through openings in the rocky surroundings, Ari could see the other pirate ships were moving on in pursuit.
“Perfect,” Ari said. “We’re going to have some friends joining us.”
As if he’d timed it, a swooshing of wings sounded from overhead, followed by Harpner and about forty other winged monsters.
“You all ready?” Harpner asked.
“Can you fly up and see when the last ship has passed?” Ari asked.
Harpner gave him a mock salute, but flew up and took a lookout position.
“What is this?” Arthur asked. “I heard rumors that the monsters were our friends now, but to bring them here….”
“Trust me, they’re fine,” Ari said. “Just, get ready to be carried.”
“To be….” Arthur suddenly went pale, looking up at the flying monsters.
“I’m with him,” Brutas said. “I mean, if they were to drop us on these rocks, we’d be bird feed.”
“No bird wants your fluff,” Ari said.
“Still….”
A whistle sounded from above, and Harpner gave Ari the thumbs-up.
“Get ready to fly!” Ari said.
Ready or not, the bears had no choice if they didn’t want to stay stranded on the rocks. The winged monsters swooped down and lifted the bears into the air—two monsters for Brutas, since he was so heavy—and soon they were flying over the rocks and swooping down to the last ship in the line.
The monsters dove, letting the bears down onto the deck of the ship before the pirates knew what hit them.
With the element of surprise and the help of the winged monsters, the fight was quickly going their way. Monsters were picking up grizzly pirates and dropping them on nearby sand bars, and the pirate cubs dropped their weapons at the sight of the other cubs with glowing paws.
A shout came from a nearby boat as it pulled up, and a moment later pirates swung over on ropes. Ari knocked the first back and overboard, but the second was Captain Cutburn, the bear with the scar who had marooned them.
“Brutas!” Ari yelled as he narrowly dodged Cutburn’s cutlass.
Cutburn turned, ready to strike again, when Brutas slammed into him from behind with his large belly, bouncing him straight toward Ari. Without hesitation, Ari side-stepped and held out his arm so that it caught Cutburn in the chest, close-lining him. Ari picked up the cutlass and leaned down over the bear, close enough to smell the bear’s honey-breath and see the details of the scar across his face.
“No more,” Ari said. He hefted Cutburn up and released him as a monster swept in to carry him off to a sand bar.
Swords continued to clash, but the fight seemed to be going their way. Ari looked for his next foe, but as his eyes moved across the bears, he noticed
they were growing darker. In fact, everything was getting dark—which was strange, since the sun always stayed out in the lands of the Teddy Bear Picnic. Indeed the sun set in a matter of seconds, replaced by a full moon. A chill wind brought with it the scent of nutmeg, and a moment later snow began to blow across the boat.
“What’s happening?” Ari asked with a look to Danu.
“I’m as clueless as you,” she said, eyes on the sky. “At least in this matter.”
The bears had stopped fighting, all looking around in confusion, and then a loud thump came from the captain’s door. Again a thump, and then the door burst open.
Out walked Tadra, followed by the biggest grizzly bear Ari had ever seen. This grizzly was twice the size of Brutas, and wore a pirate’s captain hat complete with a red feather sticking out from the top. Around his waist was a matching red sash, tied around a kilt like the one Brutas wore, but black. The cutlass he carried gleamed in the moonlight.
“No….” Danu said. “Is that really you?”
Everyone turned to him, as if in slow motion.
“Uncle Crableton?” Brutas and Mia said at once.
“They call me Captain Crab here,” the humongous grizzly said. “Normally, I’d say it’s good to see you all,” he assessed the situation, frowning, “but that’s not the case today.”
All the bears watched to see what would happen next.
“Wait,” Ari said, confused. “You all seem to know each other.”
“Aye,” Captain Crab said, stepping forward, cutlass raised. “We know each other. These two,” he motioned to Mia and Brutas, “are my niece and nephew.” He pointed the sword at Queen Danu. “And my brother’s wife, at long last.”
“Whoa,” Ari said, leaning against the mast. “You’re making my head hurt.”
“It’s about to hurt a whole lot worse,” Captain Crab said with a nod at Tadra.
Tadra ran for Ari, a frying pan in each hand. The first frying pan rang when it pounded into the mast, the second stung when it grazed Ari’s arm.
“Enough!” Danu said, stepping forward with her paws of light.
The cook spun on her with a one-two frying pan attack, but she simply caught them, threw the frying pans to the deck, and glared. Tadra took a step back, glanced at his captain, and then ran and jumped overboard, swimming for the closest sand bar.
