by Tia Wilson
Flint looked Tulimak in the eye, an unwavering granite rock in the middle of crashing waves and said, “It’s not my place to expound on the truth of the prophesy. I am here to carry out your orders and nothing more.”
Tulimak laughed a hoarse scratchy bark. “Thats why the clan finds you indispensable Flint. You don't stick your neck out and choose sides. You just do what needs to be done.” He stood up and slammed his hands on the desk, “Now go and get me that fucking girl. No screw ups this time,” he shouted.
Flint bowed his bald marble of a head, turned on his heels and left the office. Tulimak paced back and forth in front of the window. His skin burned beneath his shirt. His whole body itched and every movement felt like he was rubbing sandpaper across his skin. He wiggled his jaw from side to side. Everything felt too tight on him, it felt like his skin could rip and tear at any moment. He hit a button on the phone on his desk and said, “Prepare the pit. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
The helicopter pilot nodded to Tulimak as he got in and buckled himself in. “Sir we shall be at the ranch in approximately thirty-five minutes,” the pilot said and turned back to the console. The blades began to turn over head and Tulimak looked out across the blocks of slum apartments, chop shops and sweat shop factories all concentrated in the blocks around his building. I own these people he thought to himself as the helicopter took off. Top to bottom I control every facet of their grubby little lives, they want some money to start a business it comes through me, no bank would ever touch the hard luck cases who live in my tenements. They want entertainment they turn to me, drugs, booze, and girls, I can provide them all. They want a job, I'm their man I always have position in my sweatshops churning out copies of the next hot new handbag. I offer the complete package. From birth to the grave I have my hands in their pockets every step of the way, Tulimak thought as he looked down at the derelict buildings he owned.
* * *
The helicopter banked across the red brick tenements kicking up dust and debris as it skimmed across the rooftops. Tulimak liked his pilot to fly low across the buildings, let the low life's see what money and power can bring you and the poor deluded fools will think that maybe someday if they work hard enough they could pull themselves out of the mud. Tulimak knew there was no chance of that, the deck was stacked for people like them, a boot on the back of their necks from the moment they were born. If only they knew it was a clawed paw holding them down Tulimak thought to himself and smiled.
* * *
The city zoomed past them below, the arteries of the great beating smoke stained heart clogged with cars inching there way towards destinations unknown. If only the poor rubes in the metal cages knew that a predator faster, stronger and smarter than they could ever hope to be was flying above them and watching. Our day will come Tulimak thought, there will be no more hiding in the shadows and living off the crumbs that fell from the greasy underbelly of humanity. The bears would rise and take their rightful place at the head of the table, humans had their chance at running things, it’s our time now Tulimak thought to himself. Humanity as we know it, will be a footnote in our history books. The great bear clan will rise he thought to himself, once our peace loving, weaker relations are destroyed the pieces will be in place for the start of a new world order and the beginning of the white bears dynasty.
7
Origin of A Species
“Son it is time,” said Pamiuq Tresode. He stood with his arms folded across his chest and looked down at his son, if he was afraid for what was ahead for his boy he didn't show it. Pamiuq had gone through the same ritual when he was his sons age and after the hardship had risen through the ranks of the great white bear clan. Pamiuq Tresode now stood at the right hand as a trusted general to Tannis, the great leader and originator of the gift of bearhood.
Nasak Tresode sat on a wooden bench across from his father and he tried to block out the noise of the chanting crowds outside. His hands shook and he pressed them into his lap so that his father would not see his fear. At sixteen Nasak was small for his size, his arms and legs were thin and he had been bullied about his skinniness from a young age. When your father is the right hand man of the clan leader and built like a solid wall of muscle kids could be cruel to Nasak as he was a less than exemplary specimen of manhood. Much to his fathers dismay Nasak had been more interested in books, puzzles and word games from a very young age.
One of Nasaks very first memories was him sitting on his ass as blood ran down a cut on his lip. His father had dragged him outside and away from his pile of books and started to teach him how to fight. Nasak had weakly tried to protect his face with his hands when his father slapped him open handed with a loud meaty thwack. Nasaks eyes began to sting and when he tasted the metallic twang of blood on his lip, his legs had lost all power in them and he had sat down hard on his ass. He sat there in the dirt pale as a ghost as his father paced back and forth in front of him. Nasak always remembered the look on his fathers face. It wasn’t concern for the boys injury it was a look of utter disgust at his weakness. That had been the end of the sparring session and his father had never invited him to partake again.
As the years rolled on and Nasak grew ever closer to turning sixteen his Father tried to prepare him for the fast approaching ritual. He introduced Nasak to other young men of the fighting class and tried to foster an appreciation of the outdoors, hunting, fieldcraft and tactics. Nasak showed no interest in any of this and always felt the most comfortable and happy when he was indoors in his bedroom with the shades down, the door closed and a good book in his hand.
As Nasak sat in the hut and the chants of the crowds grew louder and louder he now wished he had of listened to some of his fathers advice. Now that the ritual was about to begin he felt sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to try and quench the rising flames of panic.
His father reached over and put his hand on Nasak shoulder, a rare moment of intimacy between father and son. “Look at me son,” he said. Nasak raised his head and was surprised to see that his fathers eyes looked close to tears. “Our family has served the clan leader for generations. My father and his father before him and all the way to the beginning of the great clan have served as the general and trusted advisor. When I pass on, the same honour will befall you. Do not fear the ritual, it forges great men from the weaker flesh we were born into. It has been your destiny from the day you were born.” His father took his hand off his shoulder and turned his head and coughed twice into his closed fist. He turned back to his son, his jaw clenched and a distant look in his eyes and said, “You could never disappoint me son.” He got up and left the small hut without looking back.
The crowd roared even louder as Nasaks father left the hut. They know what is about to begin he thought to himself. Thoughts of running away from what he must face filled Nasaks mind. He imagined a life free of the structure and set rules of the clan. He wanted to live in a place were he could study and read and while away the days filling his mind with as much knowledge as possible. The idea of being a great general and part of a lineage that linked back to the very beginning of the clan did not interest him. All Nasak wanted to do was return to his books and lose himself in the towering and never ending world of knowledge.
The door of the hut opened and bright sun light streamed in and Nasak squinted out. Ahead of the hut lay a metal walkway that lead down to the circular ritual pit. A hundred or so people ringed the pit and they all shouted in unison as soon as Nasak stepped onto the walkway. The idea of vaulting over the walkways railings, dropping the ten foot drop and then trying to push through the crowds to escape momentarily entered his mind. You wouldn’t make it more than thirty seconds before you would be grabbed and then dragged into the fighting pit. As strong as his urge was to run Nasak couldn’t face the humiliation that he would bring to his father if he tried to run like a coward.
He stepped forward and the guard shut the door to the hut. Nasak walked to the end of the walkway and look
ed down at the circular pit below him. The ground was covered in sand and it had been raked and smoothed that morning. At the other side of the pit was a steel door painted blood red. His hands shook as he walked the flight of steps down into the pit. Nasak jumped and spun around when they noise of the metal step being withdrawn startled him. The walls of the pit were a dull grey concrete and too high to be climbed over.
Nasak spun around looking up at the faces in the crowd. Everything was a blur and he couldn’t seem to focus on any one face. The noise of the crowd seemed to rise and fall like waves on a beach in his ears. He couldn’t make out what they were saying just a noisy wailing static of a hundred voices cheering. His mouth was as dry as the sand on the pits floor and he continued to spin around until he found his father in the crowd. He focused on him and his father nodded at him. He believes in me Nasak thought, maybe he is right about me after all he thought grasping wildly at the idea.
The noise of metal scrapping filled the air and a cold sweat sprung up all over his body. His loose fitting clothes stuck to his body as he turned to the metal doors. The bolt was being pulled back on the other side. Nasak stood with his back against the wall and he balled his small bony fists. The blood red door slid into a recess in the wall. The crowd fell silent. The corridor behind the doorway was as dark as a sharks eye. Nasak held his breath. The soft pat pat pat of movement came from the darkness until the large bear emerged from the gloom.
The crowd erupted into applause as the bear walked into view on all fours and then reared up on its hind legs. The bears fur was a snowy white with patches of golden blonde around its paws, haunches and the top of its head. The bear opened its maw and roared to the sky. Nasak could not take his eyes off the huge paddle like front paws of the bear which ended in curling claws which could disembowel a seal in seconds. The words of his trainer for the ritual rang around his head, “You must fight the bear, no matter how desperate the situation looks. If you do not fight then you will never walk out of the pit again.”
Nasaks hands shook by his side and the idea of even attempting to fight this great beast seemed impossible. The bear dropped down onto all fours and the crowd stopped cheering. The bear turned and looked at Nasak, its head swayed from side to side as it sniffed the air. The bear had sparkling green eyes which it never took off Nasak as it surveyed him.
Nasak slammed his fist against the concrete wall and the jarring pain in his hand pulled him from his frozen state. The words, ‘you must fight’ echoed through his mind and he ran towards the bear screaming. Nasak swung his fist at the bears jet black nose and it glanced across it as the bear turned its head away from the blow. The bears jaws snapped shut around Nasaks wrist, the sharp teeth ripping through his flesh. The bear reared up on his hind legs and Nasak was lifted up into the air his feet kicking in the air. The bones in his wrists snapped like kindling as the bear shook him and then dropped him to the ground.
Nasak scrabbled away backward spraying up arcs of sand as he back peddled. He looked down at his damaged hand. The flesh was punctured in several places and blood oozed out in thick rivulets. He tried to flex his fingers and pain shot up his arm. The crowd chanted his name over and over again. The bear backed away from Nasak and growled loudly.
Nasak got back on his feet, his damaged hand hanging limply by his side. Im going to rip those blue eyes from your head he thought to himself and charged the bear again. The bear charged at him on all fours head down and ears pinned to his head. The bear connected with Nasak in his stomach and knocked him to the ground. Nasak struggled to get a breath as the bear approached him. Nasak swung his fist and it slammed into the side of the bears nose and the bear let out a yelp. The crowds exploded in cheers, the roars of his name doubled in intensity. Maybe I can beat him Nasak thought for a second.
The bear pinned Nasak to the ground pressing its huge paw into his shoulder, its claws digging into the flesh. Nasak rained punches down on the bears head his knuckles bloodied as he slammed into the thick bone of the massive skull. A blast of hot fetid breath filled Nasaks nose as the bear stood over him taking the punches. With his other paw the bear raked his massive claws across Nasaks chest ripping the flesh wide open and ripping his shirt off him. Nasak looked down and he could see the white of his chest bones until blood started to bubble out of the wounds. His punches became nothing more than soft taps as he felt the power drain from his body. I must keep fighting he though as white spots danced in his vision.
The bear flipped Nasak on his side, crushing his already broken wrist under him, the bones grinding like broken glass. Nasak let out a scream of pain at the intensity of it. The bear bit into Nasaks side and somewhere off in the distance he heard what sounded like a thick branch being broken over someones knees. The bear raked his teeth across his flank and ripped a chunk of flesh off his body. The crowd shouted in unison “fight back” and repeated it again and again in a rising crescendo. Nasak felt like his body was slowly sinking into sand as the corner of his vision began to darken. He rolled over on his back, the bears mouth was inches from his, blood dripping from his sharp teeth.
Nasak kicked out with his legs and connected with the soft underside of the bear. He kicked and kicked as hard as he could. The crowd rallied and exploded in cheers. I’m going to kill the bear Nasak thought frantically to himself.
His world went dark as the bear snapped his jaws shut over Nasaks face. He screamed into the dark wet void of the bears mouth smelling his own blood on the bears mouth. The bear ground his teeth against his skull and sounds like trees being hit by lightening and exploding on impact blasted his eardrums. Blood ran down the back of Nasaks throat as he screamed weakly, he tried to kick out again and he felt disconnected from his body as if he was nothing more than a spirit living in a dark cave. He heard the bones of his skull begin to crack under the massive pressure of the bears crushing jaws. A sound like boulders crashing in to each other reverberated through his head until everything went dark.
He stood in a dark wood, a full moon over head illuminating his way. A thin path wound through some low bushes, silvery grey in the light. He looked down and he was naked as he walked along the path. He stopped and smelt the air. He could smell smoke and ash and if he stood perfectly still he could hear a far off crackle. The woods are burning he thought to himself, I have to get free of them. He walked on a few steps and then stopped frozen to the spot, head held high sniffing the air. He heard the sound of something large pushing its way through the under growth and heading in his direction. He tried to move and his feet seemed embedded in the ground. An orange glow bounced off the trees ahead. Branches snapped and broke as the shape continued to come forward. He could not move. A thick layer of bushes burst into flame as a figure burst forth.
A black bear was on all fours and engulfed in flames. Sitting atop the bear straddling its shoulders was a man with a scarred face. The flames touched the man’s skin and didn’t seem to effect him. He raised a hand and pointed directly towards him. The bears paws dug into the forest litter and he charged forward. The flames shot up higher as he increased his speed. His black eyes flickered in the flames as he charged. The man held his arms up as the sped towards him, both bear and rider looking directly at him. He could feel the heat from the flames singe his skin as the bear approached, its heavy footfalls vibrating under the Nasaks feet. The bear charged and at the moment of impact the Nasak opened his eyes.
Nasak looked down at the ground below him. The sand was tacky with blood and a swarm of black flies buzzed around the sticky mess. His legs dangled free of the earth and blood streaked both of them. Nasak raised his head slowly and looked around in a daze. His eyes finding it difficult to focus. His arms felt like they were on fire and burning sensations emanated from his shoulders. Nasak looked over at his outstretched arms and tried to understand what he was seeing. His wrists were tied with rope and attached to a wooden beam above him. His arms were fully extended on both sides. His head fell heavy against his chest as he tried to hold onto c
onsciousness. His feet swayed gently below him. I’m strung up, he thought to himself as a searing pain tore through his back from his neck to the base of his spine.
He lifted his head again and twisted to try and look over his shoulders. The pain flared in his broken wrist and he clenched his jaws tight as he tried to stave off unconsciousness. He twisted painfully and looked at his shoulder. A thick metal ring was threaded through the flesh of his shoulder and attached by a rope to the beam above. Another ring pierced the flesh on the other side.
A roar escaped his lips, a half mad sound of a young man struggling to comprehend his situation. Blood ran from wounds all over his body and pain ripped through him from multiple points of his broken frame. “Help me.” He said in a cracked whisper. He looked around and all he could see was smeared blurs from every direction. “Cut me down.” He begged as tears ran down his cheeks cleaning a thin path through the caked on blood.
A sound like a swarm of angry bees buzzed in his ears, he shook his head weakly. He could feel the sound wasn’t coming from around him but inside his head. He arched his back and shouted as hot spikes of pain ripped through his body. His body swung back and forward on the ropes and the metal rings moved wetly in his flesh. The buzzing increased inside his skull. He could feel the bones in his wrist began to move under his skin as shattered ends reattached themselves and hardened at the break points. He roared again at the pain as his wrist repaired itself. A half human half animal sound erupted from inside him. What is happening he thought to himself as he began to jerk around on the ropes trying to free himself. The buzzing increased to a deafening wail inside his skull. He felt like the top of his brain was going to ram through his skull.