by J. S. Skye
The lion cub had come to the rescue! The other polar bears were about to attack when suddenly the castle was overrun by hundreds of lion-like creatures in battle armor. A massive skirmish broke forth. Flurry and Drizzle took cover with Noah behind nearby crates.
Vallidore and the warriors from Gargarin engaged in a ferocious battle with the polar bears. It was unlike anything Flurry or his friends had ever seen before. The Gargarins and the polar bears struck, bit, and threw each other around as they each struggled for supremacy over the other.
The battle was going well on the ground, but not so for Chingu. Jack was now winning the duel. “Look!” shouted Drizzle. He pointed up at Jack. Flurry and Noah gazed up as Jack struck Chingu in the face.
“No!” Drizzle shouted. “We have to do something!”
“What can we do?” Flurry asked. The cub looked to Noah and Drizzle for answers. Noah shrugged, but Drizzle calculated something in his head.
Jack and Chingu continued their struggle against each other, but Chingu was badly wounded. Jack repeatedly struck the weakened warrior. Chingu was almost out of strength. In a moment of desperation, Chingu separated his blades and fought with both at the same time. Jack laughed and knocked the blades out of Chingu’s weakened paws.
“Thousands of years have passed, and this is the best Tomodachi’s bloodline has to offer? You aren’t half the warrior he was, and even he was no match for me. So what made you think that you could beat me?” Jack pushed Chingu down and jumped onto his victim’s chest. It was clear that Jack was about to deliver the finishing blow.
Flurry was horrified. “We have to do something now!”
“Go distract him! I have a plan!” Drizzle commanded.
“Don’t do anything foolish!” Flurry insisted.
“I’m sure you’ll think my plan is foolish, but if you’d think it’s a foolish idea, that’s all the more reason for me to do it!”
“Hey! You stole that phrase from me!”
“Go already!” Drizzle dashed up the steps and out onto the battlements. His plan was risky, but he could not let anything happen to his first true friend.
Flurry ran out into the heated battle between the polar bears and Gargarin warriors. One polar bear leapt for Flurry, but Noah jumped into the air and struck the polar bear in the face. It was enough to stun the guard while a Gargarin knocked him to the ground. “Wow!” Flurry was enamored by Noah. The lion cub simply pointed up at Chingu to get Flurry to focus.
“Hey! Jack! You must not be that great! You still haven’t beaten me yet, and I’m just a little cub!” Flurry shouted up at the villain.
Normally, Jack might not have heard someone shout from within such a loud battle, but his ears were tuned to Flurry’s voice. When he heard the cub speak it acted like fingernails on a chalkboard to him. Jack quickly turned and stared at Flurry with rage in his eyes.
“I’m coming for you next! First, you can watch your friend die!” Jack raised the sword above his head with the tip pointed down at Chingu. He was about to stab The Protector when something completely unexpected happened. It was as if time had slowed to a crawl. What unfolded put a look of horror upon Flurry and Noah’s faces.
Before Jack could deliver his death-dealing strike, Drizzle rushed across the battlements. The cub yelled, “Leave my friend alone!” and tackled Jack. Drizzle’s high speed collision knocked both of them over the side of the wall.
“Drizzle! Nooo!” Flurry rushed up the steps and to the side of the wall. The cub peered over and faintly saw Jack and Drizzle fall to their doom in the canyon below. Flurry dropped to the stone floor and mourned. “No! How could this happen? He’s gone!” Flurry buried his face in his paws and cried harder than he had ever cried. Noah came to Flurry’s side and put his arm around him. Noah’s face streamed with tears of his own.
The polar bear army stood still, as if they had become statues of ice. They could not believe that their leader was dead. Jack’s death had taken the fight out of them all. They were now without a purpose or a leader to rally behind. The polar bears each laid down their arms and surrendered to the Gargarin warriors. The day had been won!
The Gargarins roared in victory, and Vallidore howled. Chingu slowly sat up and rubbed his head. Noah rushed to his side and helped him to his feet. Everyone down below cheered, but Chingu did not join in the merriment. Instead, he peered over the wall. Tears came to his eyes as he searched for any sign of life, but none was found.
They had saved everyone from the evil Jack Frost, but at a very high price. For Flurry, that cost was too unbearable to even think about. He and Drizzle had not always gotten along, but he had grown to respect him. No matter how bad their interactions were, Flurry never would have wished something so horrible on anyone, especially not on Drizzle.
Flurry remained on the stone surface of the battlements and cried. A great deal of time passed. Vallidore and the company of Gargarin warriors secured Ursadoom. They put the polar bears down in the dungeon, and sent out heralds to inform the surrounding regions of Jack’s defeat.
Noah and Chingu helped Flurry to his feet and walked him down the steps where Vallidore waited. They placed Flurry on the white wolf’s back, and Noah climbed up after him. Chingu refused to leave with them and stood by while they exited the gate of Ursadoom.
As they rode away, Flurry asked, “Why isn’t Chingu coming with us?”
“He’ll not rest until he finds Drizzle’s body. He has vowed to find it and bring it back to Ursus for a proper burial. He believes Drizzle deserves a hero’s ceremony,” Vallidore answered.
The wolf’s explanation only brought more pain to Flurry’s delicate little heart. He continued to cry, and buried his face in Vallidore’s fur. They rode across the plain together. Ursus was their next destination. It was a bright day for all of the lands when they heard of Jack’s defeat — it was a bright day for most, but not all. All of the different nations celebrated. Nobody ever had to fear Jack’s tyranny ever again.
Vallidore arrived in Ursus early the next morning and found a massive crowd that had waited for their return. There were men, elves, and teddy bears all gathered together. Confetti rained down from above, and everyone cheered at their arrival. The weather had also changed. It was much warmer, and the sun had come out. It was a gorgeous day, but Flurry was unable to enjoy any of it.
As they approached, Christopher Kringle came forward and dismounted Flurry and Noah from Vallidore’s back. “Welcome home! You two have made me proud. Everyone can live in peace, because of your bravery and sacrifice.”
“It wasn’t us. It was Drizzle who saved everyone. He made the real sacrifice.” Flurry spoke quietly. He held his gaze at the snow-covered ground and rubbed tears from his eyes.
Christopher’s face was filled with empathy and grief of his own when he realized that Drizzle was not with them. “Indeed! He was a true hero, and he won’t be forgotten,” Christopher answered. The man stood back up. He clapped his hands, and servants came forth to attend to Flurry, Noah, and Vallidore’s needs.
The melancholy mood was palpable. Kringle himself looked downcast. The villagers had no idea what to say or how to comfort the cubs. It was a bittersweet experience to be rid of Jack, but to lose Drizzle, too.
Later that day, a memorial service was held for the fallen cub. Honor was given to the brave and courageous bear who had sacrificed everything to save his friends and family from the cruelty and suffering that Jack would have brought upon the land.
Flurry, Fall, and Noah showed the most anguish. They had come to know Drizzle on a whole new level. They had grown to really love and respect him. Flurry looked around for Drizzle’s parents, but they were not present for the service. Flurry felt a tremendous amount of grief for Drizzle’s sake. He felt that someone should speak on Drizzle’s behalf if his own family would not be there to do it.
Flurry stepped forward, wiped his tears, and cleared his throat. “I hardly knew him. We didn’t get along. I thought he was weird. He talke
d forever about stuff that was boring to me. I didn’t try to know him. Now I wish I had tried harder. He was a really great bear, and he was brave.” Flurry’s tears flowed profusely. “If not for Drizzle, we might not be alive. I’ll miss him. He was my friend.”
The crowd cried at the cub’s heartfelt words. Mourners left flowers on the memorial stone. Fall had her arms around her brother while he wept.
Evening came, despite the sun having held its place in the arctic sky. It had been many hours since the memorial service. Flurry sat in one of Christopher’s chairs and stared blankly out the window. “Come on! Let’s go play!” Fall insisted after she rushed up to her brother and slugged him on the arm.
“I don’t feel like it,” Flurry moped.
“Flurry, I’m sad, too, but we can’t dwell on that right now. Come on! It’ll take your mind off of Drizzle for a bit. You should be so proud of what you accomplished. Thanks to you, I was freed from one of Jack’s traps in the cave. Then you …”
“Drizzle did it,” Fall’s words were cut short by Flurry’s succinct response.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Drizzle freed you. I only made things worse. If not for him, you would’ve died. It’s my fault that you almost died.” Flurry refused to make eye contact. “I wish Drizzle were here.” The cub cried and rubbed his eyes.
Fall was shocked by the revelation. She had not realized it was Drizzle who saved her life. She assumed Flurry had freed her from the room she had been trapped in. Fall had not even been able to thank Drizzle. Tears filled her eyes. She joined Flurry and cast a blank stare out the window, before she turned and shuffled away, grief stricken.
She had not gone far when Noah rushed into the room. He ran up to Flurry, tugged on his arm, and pointed at the window.
“What is it, Noah? I’m not in the mood,” Flurry answered.
Noah pulled out a pad of paper and wrote, “Look!”
Fall read it and glanced outside. “Someone’s coming!” she shouted.
Fall ran over and yanked on Flurry’s other arm. Flurry felt annoyed. He sighed and alighted from the chair to approach the door. The door opened a moment before they arrived with Flurry. Christopher Kringle stood at the threshold.
“Ah! Just the three I was looking for. Come with me!” Christopher instructed them.
They stepped outside. Flurry shielded his eyes from the bright sun. At a distance stood two figures. Flurry’s eyes adjusted and saw one of them was Chingu. A moment later, Flurry was able to make out the form of the other. The other individual had black fur and a red scarf.
Flurry’s eyes widened, and a joyous smile came to his face. “Drizzle!” Flurry shouted. He ran up and hugged his friend.
Fall jumped up and down and clapped. She ran over and joined her brother and Drizzle for a group hug.
“How’s this possible?” Flurry asked. “I saw you fall! I thought you were dead!”
“I did fall, but I survived somehow. I only remember falling, and then I woke up and saw Chingu kneeling over me. I might not have made it back here alive if not for Chingu, though. He found me laying in a tree along the bank of the river; he took care of me and protected me all the way back home,” Drizzle answered.
Chingu approached the cubs. He drew his sword, detached the smaller blade, and handed it to Drizzle. A tear came to Drizzle’s eye. “I can’t accept this,” he said. Drizzle tried to hand it back to the red panda. Chingu held Drizzle’s paws closed, over the blade, and pushed Drizzle’s arms back toward the cub’s chest so that he knew it was a gift that he could keep.
“Friend,” Chingu said, and then bowed to Drizzle.
Drizzle was speechless. He had no idea what to say, for his dream had come true. He now had a true friend. With teary eyes, Drizzle bowed in return.
Chingu also bowed to everyone else before he turned and walked off toward the arctic sun. “Do you think we’ll ever see him again?” asked Flurry. He looked up at Christopher for an answer.
The man chuckled, “I’m certain of it! Now come! We have a celebration to attend!” The cubs all went with Christopher back into the house.
Caboose ran out and shouted, “Sare you are! I found you! I win!”
“Huh?” Flurry looked to anyone that could give him an answer.
“It’s a long story. It’s better not to ask,” Fall replied.
Boaz and Honja ran into the room behind Caboose. Flurry was happy to see them again. They all exchanged greetings, hugged, and enjoyed their night together. Everyone was happy. Mr. and Mrs. Snow were so proud of their son and daughter. They smiled and watched their cubs play and giggle together.
They all laughed and ate the night away. The following morning came far too quickly. Flurry stood in his parents’ bathroom. He brushed his fur and straightened his scarf. The cub had to look good before he returned home to Middleasia. Luckily, Christopher informed Flurry’s human mother that he had extended Flurry’s stay, so she would not be worried about his absence. Flurry was only supposed to be gone for a few days, not a couple of weeks.
“Flurry! It’s time to go!” shouted Mrs. Snow, from the first floor.
Flurry ran out of the room and found Fall in the hallway. She stood there with her arms extended. “You’re not going without a hug,” she said.
Fall gave Flurry the warmest hug a sister could give to her brother and accompanied him down the steps. Flurry, Fall, Noah, Caboose, Boaz, and Honja all left with Mr. and Mrs. Snow. They walked to the town center together. In the middle of the plaza, Mr. and Mrs. Kringle, Vallidore, and Drizzle stood by and waited for their arrival.
“Goodbye! I’m actually going to miss you,” Drizzle told Flurry.
“Yeah, I think I’ll miss you, too,” Flurry answered and gave Drizzle a hug. “I guess that makes us friends.”
They all exchanged farewells and were about to embark on their trip home, when Christopher called out, “Not so fast! I have something for you.”
“Oooh! A gift? What is it? Is it cookies?” Flurry was so excited.
Christopher chuckled. “No, but it’s something very special. This gift has been in your family for thousands of years. I’ve been watching over it for safe keeping. When I saw what you did during your visit, I was reassured that its proper keeper should be you. So here you go. Keep it safe. Don’t open it until you get home. Okay?”
“Yes, Santa!” Flurry answered and quickly snatched the package away to hug it in his arms. Flurry led the cubs out of town. Flurry’s brothers from Middleasia all trailed behind him in their little caravan.
They turned the corner to go down the next street. Drizzle ran after them to say one last goodbye, but they were no longer there. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. Drizzle waved his arm and softly whispered, “Goodbye.”
Back in Middleasia, Flurry’s mother and father sat on the couch and watched a movie together. There was a knock at the door. Flurry’s daddy got up and went to investigate. He peeked through the peephole, but did not see anyone there. “That’s weird,” he said.
He stuck his head out from the door to look around. As soon as it opened, five balls of fur rushed into the house and shouted, “Mommy! Daddy! We’re home!”
The couple was overjoyed. All five brothers jumped on their mother’s lap and hugged her. It was a wonderfully delightful day, and Flurry was glad to finally be back home.
EPILOGUE
THE END?
The sound of a thunderous waterfall echoed throughout a lush, green valley. The air was humid, and the temperature was searing hot. River water rushed quickly past the sandy banks. Water poured out over a massive stone monument of a decorative figure. Below the chiseled monolith lay an animal on the shore. It had red fur, a striped tail, and wore a black ship captain’s trench coat.
A cloaked figure approached from the tree line and rolled the red panda over onto his back.
The red panda was weak and near death. He opened his eyes and coughed, “Where am I?”
“Shhhhh!
” said the cloaked female. “Don’t speak! You’re very seriously wounded. Your injuries are fatal. You’ll probably not live much longer.”
“Help me!” Jack tried to command her, but his voice was hoarse.
“You’re near death, but I know someone who can help you. However, the healing method won’t be pleasant. It’ll be an intensely painful process for you. You’ll live … for a price,” answered the mysterious female.
“Do it,” Jack murmured in his weakened and nearly lifeless state.
“Are you sure?”
“Do it!” came his weary attempt to yell at her.
“Very well,” she replied and removed her hood, which revealed her to be a koala bear. She shouted back toward the waterfall, “Bring him in! We have a life to save.”
A tall, pale snow leopard approached. He wore a purple robe adorned with decorative gold markings. The cat knelt down next to Jack. “Are you ready?” Jack nodded his head. The snow leopard replied, “Very well then, let’s begin!”
*****
Back in Middleasia, Flurry pondered the events of the previous weeks. He had learned a priceless lesson on his adventure. He realized that everyone was important, and no matter how strange or different someone seemed to be, they always had something of value to offer.
Now, one could not help but wonder what happened with Drizzle. Could Drizzle have really survived such a plunge into the depths of the canyon, when Jack himself was near death? Flurry had wished to see Drizzle again — and as we all know, Flurry had a special ability to make his wishes come true. So was it just luck that Drizzle lived, or did Flurry have anything to do with it?
In all of the excitement of Flurry’s return to Middleasia, he had yet to open the package Christopher sent back with him. In fact, two months passed with the package tucked away under his bed. Flurry had been so busy playing and having fun with his friends that he had forgotten about it.
One night, Flurry lay in bed unable to sleep. He got up to make a gift for his mother when he realized that the unopened package sat below his bedframe. He dove under his bed and dug around for the parcel.