The Polar Bear Explorers' Club

by Alex Bell

  ‘How does being a whisperer work?’ Stella asked.

  ‘I just think whatever I want to say in my mind, and the wolves hear me,’ Shay said with a shrug. ‘And then they speak back to me inside my head too. Like this, look.’

  Shay turned his head towards the nearest wolf pen and, although he didn’t speak out loud, Stella could tell that he was talking to one of the wolves because the wolf pendant in her hand moved. The silver wolf opened its eyes, which were revealed to be tiny red jewels that gleamed in the lamplight. Stella saw a nearby wolf – the reddish one she had saved earlier – suddenly prick up its ears, raise its head and look straight at Shay.

  ‘She says thanks a bunch for helping her earlier,’ Shay said, turning to Stella. ‘She thought you were very brave. I did too.’

  Stella shrugged, although she couldn’t help being pleased by the compliment. ‘I wish I was a wolf whisperer,’ she said, handing the pendant back. ‘Or any kind of whisperer, really.’

  A polar bear whisperer would definitely be her first choice. She could have proper conversations with Gruff then, and she was quite sure he would have plenty of fascinating opinions to share and interesting things to say.

  The ship was rolling hard enough to send her sprawling so Stella sat down on the nearest haystack. ‘Have you ever been to the Royal Guild of Whisperers?’ she asked.

  Shay nodded as he replaced the whisperer’s wolf around his neck and joined her on the haystack. ‘Yep. Mum took me. When I was tested,’ he said, settling into a cross-legged position. ‘They had an entire cabinet there with pendants for different animals. Some of them were pretty unusual, like the duckbilled platypus. And there was a sheep, and a sloth, and a mole,’ he went on, counting them off on his fingers. ‘And a ferret, and a duck. I don’t think duck whispering would be very useful, though, really.’

  ‘About as useful as frog whispering,’ Stella replied.

  ‘And there was a yeti, of course.’

  A flash of lightning suddenly lit up the wolf pen and, in those few seconds, Stella clearly saw the dark silhouette of a wolf flash by on the other side of the canvas wall.

  ‘Oh!’ She leapt to her feet. ‘Oh no, there’s a wolf still out there!’

  She was already heading for the exit, horrified at the thought of the poor animal being swept over-board, when Shay caught hold of her arm. Stella noticed that he wore several bracelets, woven from chocolate-coloured leather, many of them fastened with beads the shape of wolf heads.

  ‘Hold your horses,’ he said. ‘That’s just Koa.’

  ‘Koa?’

  ‘She’s my shadow wolf.’

  Stella stared at him. ‘What’s a shadow wolf?’

  Shay tilted his head, and one side of his mouth quirked upwards in a half smile. ‘Well,’ he said. ‘That’s a good question. No one quite knows for sure. Most whisperers have them. Some people think they’re a kind of guardian angel sent to protect the whisperer. Others believe that the shadow animal is a wild part of the whisperer’s own soul, brought to life and given physical form.’

  He drew back the canvas wall so that Stella could see out onto the shiny wet deck. Through the driving rain, a dark shape moved slowly towards them and, as it got closer, Stella saw that it was an enormous wolf. It wasn’t like the wolves in the pen, though. This one was larger, reaching almost to Stella’s waist, and its fur was coal-black – the exact same shade as Shay’s own hair. When it stopped in front of them, Stella saw that the wolf had intelligent, silver eyes that seemed to glow with a faint light all of their own.

  Shay dropped down into a crouch so that his face was level with the wolf’s. The animal gazed back at him with obvious affection.

  ‘Is she friendly?’ Stella asked. ‘Can I stroke her?’

  ‘Oh, she’s friendly, all right,’ Shay replied. ‘But she has no physical substance. She’s a shadow wolf, remember?’

  He demonstrated by reaching out his hand and bringing it slowly towards Koa’s back. Instead of making contact with the fur, his hand just passed straight through the wolf’s body, like the animal was made of smoke. And, indeed, the next moment, Koa melted away into the shadows, as if she’d never been there at all.

  ‘Where’s she gone?’ Stella asked, gazing around.

  Shay shrugged. ‘Who knows?’ He stood up. ‘Koa comes and goes as she pleases. I don’t always see her, but I feel her close by. She’s never too far away.’

  ‘What kind of things does she say to you?’ Stella asked, desperately curious.

  ‘Secrets, mostly. I couldn’t possibly share them. She’d never forgive me.’ Shay offered her a grin. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘That’s okay,’ Stella replied. The fairies told Felix secrets sometimes, and he had explained to her that it was very important to never betray a friend’s trust by sharing a confidence.

  ‘Were you born a wolf whisperer?’ Stella asked. ‘Or was Koa just there one day?’

  She very much hoped it was the second option. If Shay’s shadow wolf had just suddenly appeared, then perhaps Stella might yet turn out to be a whisperer. Why, she might wake up in her cabin tomorrow, only to find a shadow unicorn or shadow polar bear peering up at her. Really, even a shadow caterpillar or a shadow duck would be better than nothing.

  But Shay said, ‘You’re born a whisperer. Koa’s been there for as long as I can remember.’ He paused, then added, ‘She saved my sister’s life once. I have seven of them, you know.’ He gave Stella another sudden grin. ‘Sisters, that is. Not shadow wolves. My youngest sister is a penguin whisperer.’

  ‘How absolutely wonderful!’ Stella exclaimed.

  Shay shrugged. ‘It’s okay, I guess, but her shadow penguin, Honky, is terribly grumpy. He and Koa get on famously, though. Honky likes to stand on Koa’s back and ride about on her whilst flapping his wings up and down.’

  Stella couldn’t help giggling at the image. Just at that moment, though, a gigantic thunder crack overhead made both children jump. ‘I’d better go,’ Stella said reluctantly. She thought of the promise she had made earlier and added, ‘Felix said I had to go back to the cabin if the storm hit. Will the wolves be okay?’

  Shay nodded. ‘I’ll stay with them,’ he said. ‘And Koa will keep an eye out. All night long if we have to.’

  ‘Well, goodnight, then.’

  ‘Goodnight, Sparky. And thanks again for your help. You were marvellous.’

  *

  When Stella woke up the next morning the ship was already in the harbour at Coldgate. From her top bunk she peered out of the porthole and marvelled at the beautiful white sails of the other ships.

  ‘Stella, why on earth are your clothes all wet?’ Felix asked from below.

  Stella winced and peered over the side of the bunk. She’d been so keen to change into her unicorn pyjamas last night that she’d just left her wet clothes in a pile by the bed.

  ‘I was helping Shay Kipling look after the wolves,’ she said. ‘And the ship was rocking around so much that I fell into their water trough.’

  It was only half a lie, after all, and there was no reason to upset Felix unnecessarily. Stella noticed that he had put on his explorer’s hooded dress cloak. It was made from pale blue cloth with a small polar bear stitched on the front, clearly marking him out as a member of the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club. Stella had seen the cloak many times before, but normally only hanging on a coat peg or thrown over the back of a chair. Felix hated it for being heavy and itchy and too formal, and was forever taking it off as soon as he got the first chance.

  They left the ship and stepped onto a harbour bustling with people. Many of them seemed to be selling weird and wonderful things, from mermaid flowers and pirate pancakes, to treasure maps and telescopes. Stella would have loved to explore, but there wasn’t even time to have breakfast. The other members of the expedition had already left to arrange their final supplies, and Felix and Stella were the last to get going.

  A sleigh had been sent for them from the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club, orn
ate and beautiful, adorned with dozens of silver bells, and the explorers’ crest painted on the side. And stamping their pearly hooves, and snorting their misted breath into the frosty morning air, were six magnificent zebra unicorns.

  Stella and Felix boarded the sleigh and set off into Coldgate, the many tiny bells creating a constant backdrop of silver music. The entire city was made from ice, and dozens of ice towers sparkled as the sleigh rattled along the frozen cobbles. Stella was quite sure it must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Everything was bright white in the morning sunshine, with ice sculptures and frozen fountains marking every corner.

  In no time at all, they’d reached the gates of the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club, topped with gold-tipped spikes. There were also glorious polar bear statues, crafted from white marble, reclining on the pillars at either end. The gates swung open for them, and the sleigh passed down a central path flanked on each side by a vast snow garden. There were ice sculptures designed to look like an entire forest of trees, and Stella glimpsed ice polar bears between the tree trunks.

  But even the lovely ice garden couldn’t compare with the magnificent building that housed the club itself. It was, officially, the largest igloo in the known world, but rather than being constructed from ice it was made entirely of white marble, shot through with silver veins that sparkled in the sun. And instead of the usual smooth, round roof, this igloo had dozens of white brick chimneys, all of which were busily puffing out wood smoke from the many great fires the club kept burning day and night.

  The sleigh pulled right up to the front entrance and liveried staff seemed to appear out of nowhere. A man with very white gloves held out a silver tray with steaming cups of hot chocolate on it, and Felix passed one to Stella before taking one for himself. The hot chocolate butler was clearly expecting Felix to go into the club alone, because he suddenly looked quite alarmed when Felix helped her down from the sleigh and said, ‘Right then. We’d better go and announce ourselves.’

  ‘Um, sir?’

  ‘Yes, Parsons?’

  ‘It’s just that, er … your companion is, er …’ He glanced nervously at Stella.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘It’s just that she’s a girl, sir.’

  Felix gazed at Stella for a moment, as if only just seeing her for the first time. Then he gave a shrug and said, ‘So she is. Well, there you have it. Not much we can do about that now, I daresay.’

  ‘But, sir, girls aren’t permitted in the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club,’ the hapless footman said.

  ‘Aren’t they?’ Felix said, as if this was the first he’d heard of it.

  ‘It’s forbidden, sir.’

  ‘That’s all right, Parsons, I’ll take the responsibility,’ Felix said in a polite but firm voice. He held his hand out to Stella, who normally considered herself too grown up for hand-holding, but she was starting to feel a little bit intimidated by the club and its disapproving footman, so she took Felix’s hand and was glad when he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze.

  Together, they went through the huge double doors and into the club’s front entrance. It was a thoroughly grand affair, with the most gigantic fireplace Stella had ever seen dominating the far wall. The air smelled of pine needles, and the walls were made of the same white marble bricks as the exterior. All around the room hung huge portraits of the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club’s most famous and esteemed members, who peered out at them with extremely serious expressions on their faces. They were all men, of course, and they all seemed to have a penchant for monocles and morose moustaches.

  The floor was also white marble, and it was scattered about with thick, warm rugs, intricately stitched in silver and blue. But one of them wasn’t manmade, and Stella and Felix both winced at the sight of a huge polar bear rug spread out in the centre of the room. It still had its entire head, and the mouth had been fixed open to display its teeth, its sightless glass eyes staring blindly ahead. Stella thought of Gruff, and his love of hugs and fish biscuits and rolling in the snow, and turned her head away from the sad, skinned bear on the floor.

  Her eyes instantly fell on a gigantic pair of snow moose antlers displayed over the fireplace – another trophy brought back from some past expedition. The animal skins and rugs and antlers made Stella feel very sad, and she thought she might have preferred the entrance hall of the Jungle Cat Explorers’ Club, which was said to be adorned with hundreds and hundreds of piranha teeth.

  The footman took their cloaks and said, ‘If you’d care to follow me, I’ll announce you to the president.’

  Stella and Felix followed him down a corridor, their footsteps muffled by the many thick rugs although, thankfully, there were no more polar bear ones. Finally, they stopped in front of a large red door that led to the club president’s study. There was a brass name plate on the door that read: Algernon Augustus Fogg, Club President.

  Felix indicated some ornate, uncomfortable-looking chairs and said, ‘Best wait out here, Stella. The old boy is a bit of a stick-in-the-mud and it would be better if I could warm him up to the idea of you slowly.’

  Stella sighed but sat down on one of the chairs. The footman duly announced Felix, who smiled at her before disappearing into the room on the other side of the door. With a final worried look in Stella’s direction, the footman left as well, leaving her alone in the corridor.

  She fidgeted around for a while, trying to get comfortable, but the seat was lumpy and smelled funny, as if a wet polar bear had rubbed its fur up against it. For what felt like the longest time, Stella strained her ears, trying to catch a few words of the conversation that was taking place in the other room. She didn’t hear anything except for once when a voice that wasn’t Felix’s exclaimed: ‘Absolutely out of the question!’

  She flinched and knew they must be talking about her.

  An hour went by and still Felix hadn’t come out. Stella got up, paced around a bit, and looked up and down before finally deciding that she couldn’t possibly sit in that lumpy old chair a moment longer. She was in the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club, so if Felix wasn’t persuasive enough, and the president was about to have her thrown out, then Stella was going to make absolutely sure that she at least got to see the Map Room before she left.

  She figured it couldn’t be that difficult to find and so, with one last guilty look at the club president’s door, she turned her back on it and walked away down the corridor.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  It turned out that finding the Map Room wasn’t quite as straightforward as Stella had hoped. There were no signs anywhere, for one thing. No handy maps with red You-Are-Here dots to mark the way. She had no choice but to wander at random. She found the library, which was even larger than the one they had at home, and also stumbled into a couple of cosy-looking drawing rooms, which held a lot of over-stuffed armchairs and snoozing explorers and clouds of cigar smoke. The next door she opened led to a steaming salt water pool housed in a huge room with a cavernous ceiling and beautiful wall tiles decorated with polar bears and the explorers’ club crest. Strangely, the Jacuzzi in the corner was full of happily soaking penguins, who looked quite miffed at being disturbed.

  It wasn’t long before Stella was completely lost and wouldn’t have been able to return to the president’s room even if she’d wanted to. She felt a guilty twinge as she realised that Felix was going to have to come looking for her, but there wasn’t much she could do to change that now.

  Finally, she turned a corner and found herself outside a set of large and impressive-looking double doors. Hoping that these might lead to the Map Room, Stella pushed them open and slipped inside. However, she didn’t find herself in the Map Room, but in the Hall of Flags.

  And it was most definitely a Hall with a capital H. The ceiling soared high above her, painted with a white, frozen landscape scattered with some of the most important discoveries claimed by members of the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club. At one end Stella recognised the polar beans that had saved Coldgate from famine
sixty years ago. At the other was a collection of frost hares and a whole herd of singing ice whales. In the very centre of the painting was a great yeti, teeth bared ferociously whilst the rarest of polar explorers – a yeti-whisperer – stood alone and unarmed below it, calming the huge beast with nothing but words.

  Lining the walls, in gilt gold frames, was a selection of retired expedition flags. All of them displayed signs of wear and tear around the edges, or unidentified stains, or teeth marks – sure signs that they had been out there in the world, proudly displayed throughout their various expeditions.

  Stella walked over to the first one and examined the explorers’ crest stitched in the centre. It combined the four symbols of the world’s four Explorers’ Clubs: Polar Bear, Ocean Squid, Jungle Cat and Desert Jackal. But because these were Polar Bear Explorers’ Club flags, the polar bear was stitched in gold thread, whilst the others were stitched in black. A plaque on the wall beneath it proclaimed that this flag had been taken on the ‘Frozen Waterfall Expedition’, the ‘Narrow Gorge Expedition’ and the ‘Snow Shark Expedition’ before being retired to the Hall of Flags. Stella guessed that the snow shark one must have been the last, because the flag had rather an alarming amount of bite marks. It had practically been shredded in some places.

  Stella was so absorbed in the flag, and thoughts of the monster that had wrecked it, that she hadn’t noticed there was someone else in the hall with her. She only became aware of his presence when a cold voice spoke behind her: ‘You shouldn’t be here.’

  Stella yelped in surprise and whirled around on the spot. To begin with she couldn’t see anyone in the vast hall, but then her eyes found a boy sitting in a corner with his back against the wall and his legs drawn up, his arms resting on his knees. Slowly, he unfolded his skinny body, stood up and took a step towards her.

  He was perhaps a year older than Stella, with a thin, pale face and hair so blond it was almost white. Stella narrowed her eyes as she saw he wore the black robes of the Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club. These were similar in style to the Polar Bear robes, except that they were made from waxed oilcloth, to protect the wearer from the elements, and had a tiny squid emblem emblazoned on the chest. The boy’s white collar was so stiff and straight it looked as if it had been starched, and his hair was brushed back so neatly that Stella thought he must have used a whole tube of hair wax to fix it like that.