Silvertip Mountain funkier than funkadelic wearing pampers

@Arielle

val had settled in fine, although he'd taken it easy the first few days. his sojourn across the wild had stolen the last remaining traces of residual cub-fat; he was now a long lined, lean thing. and he was tired all the time.

not from lack of trying to sleep - he found a quiet nook in a tumble of stones and made that his own. he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, and again the dreams came -- although this time he dreamed of a different pair of eyes. they were yellow, he was sure -- but around their edges he thought he saw traces of fading lavender.

he woke confused. it was early morning, and a partridge's raucous call brought him to a half-frozen stream. here val drank away most of his sleeping thirst, contemplating the rippling reflection which stared back at him.

Arielle had been up and busy for some time already, carrying her dried moss to the water and wetting it to have on hand in the medicine den. It was something she did every morning as part of her self-assigned morning chores. She liked this time of day; it was usually quiet and peaceful, and she often used it as time to meditate while she worked or process some kind of problem.

But when she arrived at her usual spot at the stream, someone else was already there. Ursus had gained a new member recently, and now was her time to get to know more about him. 

After setting the moss down, she trotted over, announcing herself with a soft chuff so as not to startle the shadow. Hey, she said with a friendly smile. I'm Arielle. I'm the medic here. She took a seat at the edge of the water, her tailing waving slightly against the ground.

another wolf arrived as he drank from the icy river. val watched her set down a bundle of moss, his tail easing slow from side to side as she approached.

he'd had enough life experience to assume not every wolf was friendly - but everything about arielle seemed warm and welcoming -- from the way the rich ochre of her pelt tinged red against steely gray, to the way a soft smile lingered across her face. he was immediately smitten.

"hi." val cleared his throat, lifting his muzzle from the stream. "i'm val." he wanted to say something clever to get off on the right foot, some sort of banter to show her he was a cool guy -- but instead, he blurted stupidly: "i hope i won't get a chance to need you."

Arielle's smile widened, and she gave a soft chuckle. I hope you won't ever need me either, she told him. Of course, he probably would at some point, but she hoped it would never be anything serious. 

It's nice to meet you, she said next. What made you come to Ursus and give your loyalty to the bear? Arielle asked. She didn't know if he was brought here by Aves or Merrick, or if he found his own way here like she had. But she knew he was here for a reason.

relieved to see his poor attempt at a joke had been well received, val's shoulders relaxed. that ease didn't last for long; arielle's question caught him off guard.

first, was he serving the bear? was she? was it just a silly figure of speech? he hoped the latter. "umm.. aventus found me. do you guys like... really worship bears? there isn't one around here, right?"" cause that would be totally crazy.

It had been the bear prince who brought him here. It made sense; Merrick wasn't in the state of mind to recruit lately. Thinking about Aves made her heart pick up speed, but she tried to ignore it. 

There are bears everywhere, she answered vaguely, chuckling a little. They sleep in the winter, though. This was said wistfully. And yes, we live with them as long as we respect and honor them, she explained. If you are worthy, they will guide you down the right path. She had heard them only once, but it was enough. The bear had, in its own way, helped her down the path of healing and shown her what it was to be a part of Ursus.  

When they wake in the spring, I will show how we honor them. She was excited just thinking about it.

none of this sounded like rational normal person behavior. val kept his mouth shut, a great testament otherwise to his impulse control to blurt out: that sounds crazy! he didn't want to offend arielle, and he also didn't want to give aventus a reason not to like him. these wolves were some of the first wolves he had come across that were in his own age group: for the first time in his life, val was conscious of how hard he was working to say and do the right things to impress them.

bears everywhere, bears being respected and honored, bears sleeping and being celebrated in the spring.. val didn't think there was much worth honoring about that hideous brute of a bear that had chased down his family not once but many times - could it have been this bear came from this very valley?

"what kind of bears?" val finally ventured, to show arielle he'd considered her words and was now engaging in something she clearly enjoyed: even he had noticed the wistfulness of her voice when she mentioned them sleeping. like they were her friends and had gone away for a season. "and.. what do you mean by honor? you're not fattening me up to feed to the bears in the spring, right?" ... right?

Powerful ones, she told Val. Wise ones. She smiled, glad that he was interested in learning more. She hadn't yet had a chance to really teach someone else about the bear and how they lived with them. With the war and their numbers getting much lower, there hadn't been the opportunity. Val was the first wolf to join them in some time. 

Arielle laughed when he asked if they were going to feed him to the bears to honor them. We honor them by living peacefully with them and giving them everything that we have, the healer explained. And by listening to them when they speak—being grateful for their knowledge. So much of it was each member's personal relationship with the bear. 

So no, we are not keeping you here to feed you to the bears. She lifted an eyebrow. But if to eat you is what they want, then we likely wouldn't stop them, she added, her tone ambiguous as to whether or not she was joking.

val had hoped for clarification: black bears, brown bears, the alleged spirit bears -- he had only seen a grizzly, and so maybe, it didn't matter what arielle said. maybe, they were all the same to a wolf.

he didn't love the idea that if he faced mortal peril by bear, the pack wouldn't be behind him. it made him think of his last true encounter with a bear -- how his packmate had literally thrown her life in the line so that her packmates could live.

maybe life was about growing, and finding all these different people, with different experiences and worldviews and beliefs..

still, he kind of preferred not being a bear snack. "oh. well. i guess i'll just have to avoid bears all the time so that never becomes a question." still, his gut twisted at the idea of standing by and watching a friend, a packmate, a relative die at the teeth of a bear. "have you talked to them? what are they like?"

Arielle chuckled as his response. You shouldn't avoid them, she told Val. You should learn to understand and respect them. She knew it was different, and she understood that it might take some wolves longer to learn the ways of Ursus. She didn't fault him for this, rather she saw it as an opportunity to teach him and bring him into the fold. 

He wanted to know if she had ever spoken with the bears and what they were like. Arielle smiled. I have heard the voice of the bear once, the healer answered. Once when I was very injured, the bear guided me and helped me heal myself enough to get back to Ursus. You just have to be open and willing to listen. As for what they were like: They are intelligent and mighty. Omnipotent, she thought. I never forget what they are capable of, yet being in their presence is peaceful and humbling.

val had his own opinion of bears, but he kept his doubts quiet. arielle's conviction was so earnest val found it endearing -- and he desperately wanted to experience that feeling for himself.

that the same species responsible for violently uprooting his family would then guide a sick wolf to health came as something untenable to val; he did not question arielle's belief, only why it was so unobtainable for him.

"the voice of the bear." val said to himself quietly. would he know it, the day it came to him? would it ever? "maybe someday it will be peaceful and humbling for me too." his brow knitted together as a question came to him. "are you merrick's daughter?"

If you are worthy and genuine in your worship, then it will be, she told him. She had no doubt that he would one day feel as she did, as long as he was dedicated to learning how to live beside them without fear. I can you help you get there. She suddenly couldn't wait until spring when the bears would wake again. They would be hungry, she knew, and they would need to make sure they had plenty to offer. 

The question made the healer smile as she shook her head. No. Aventus is his son, but I was not born in Ursus. I found my way to the bear still. The time she spent on her own before finding Ursus was meant to test her strength and her worthiness; she knew that now, though it didn't feel anything like that at the time.

val liked to believe he was worthy - in truth, what boy didn't? he didn't, however, know if he was genuine. not yet, anyway.

he was surprised to learn this was not merrick's daughter. she flew so true. her belief was so earnest. unflinching. that she could be born elsewhere and molded so perfectly into this new mold gave val some hope; maybe a lost boy like him could be saved too.

relief trickled inside of him too, gentle like softly running riverwater. he'd only known arielle a very short time (and would be dismayed but understanding when he learned she was claimed by another), but she'd shown him a basic kindness that immediately endeared her to him. "oh. that's good." he managed, fumbling now that he'd learned the budding feelings in his chest were not for merrick's daughter. looking back at the stream, val realized while he'd been here, he really didn't know the place well. "can you show me around? if you have time, i mean."

The was something promising about Val—she could see his desire to know more. Maybe Aves had seen that too. Arielle looked forward to taking him through his test with the bear; she had a good feeling about him.

He wanted a tour of their home. Arielle smiled and nodded. Yes, of course, she answered. I have time. Her smile grew. We can start at the sacred cave, the healer told him as she began to walk. I can tell you all about it.

fade here?

the sacred cave.

everything about this place was strange to val. its topography. its climate. its people. its names.

he followed worldlessly, eyes wide with tentative interest. there was so much to learn, and he was an outsider looking in.

envious of arielle's ease in which she'd adapted to her new life, val watched her close: he drank in of her manner, her posture, her custom, her words -- and that night he would replay over and over every bit he had witnessed until at last sleep came upon him and the pair of yellow eyes visited again.