Silvertip Mountain in her arms a lamb

Oh.  She relaxed more as he spoke, cheering up a bit as he did indeed soothe her worries.  She still felt self conscious about it and a myriad of other things, but she was able to push that little voice to the background where it belonged.  The things he said next were more interesting, and she took a few cautious steps forward to hear and see better.

Yeah, me either. Maia stared at the bear and felt a little twinge in the pit of her stomach.  It's kinda sad, isn't it?  I mean, I know they are mean and all, but it's still sad.  The bear was an impressive beast.  She was reminded of the wolf who taught her to back away, the one with the kind eyes and the voice. She didn't remember his name anymore, just that she'd made him a king in a story once.

I wonder if he had a family somewhere.  Or maybe even followers.  Do bears have packs?  He'd be a king too if they did, right?  He was huge.  And now they'd never know what happened to him.