Now it was Firerock’s turn.
“I like none of these options. This plan for peace has still given me no reason to endorse it. I do not trust men, they are vile.” Now Evercloud knew why his father had warned him. “Let us not forget, they tried to kill one of their own. A bear would do no such thing. Also, the boy should not be allowed to look for the Ancient. Why would we wish to see humans have more power, to hunt us further? Let us, instead, continue our lives and forget about these dreams.”
Lastly, the turn came to Evercloud. Firerock’s words had stung him, but he kept his promise to his father and did not let his emotions get the better of him. Instead, he focused his energy into making his position known.
“What authority do I have? How can I be an ambassador of peace? Who will listen to me? In my own kingdom, I am viewed as an outsider. You just heard testimony of the distrust for humans. What have I done to change those feelings? Nothing. And what of the world of man? What authority do I hold over them? I am no king of men, no champion of the people. They will not listen to me. I must find the Ancient and regain the powers men once held. Only then will I command authority. I will use these powers justly, so that this kingdom will trust my actions. And with these powers, the world of man will take my words seriously. With authority, the plan for peace will work. I must go and find the Ancient.”
No one had considered the fact that humans may not listen to Evercloud. The realization came as a shock to them. Oaktongue was the first to respond.
“I agree with Evercloud. With the power of the Ancients, there is no chance that the plan for peace could fail. Besides, it is what he wishes to do. We should not stand in his way.”
“I will agree with Evercloud as well. He brings up a very valid point,” added Redriver.
Evercloud beamed. Had he done it? Had he convinced them?
“The boy may have changed Redriver’s mind, but not mine. I keep my original position.” Firerock pounded his paw upon the table.
“I’ll stand with Evercloud,” said Forestmoon. “His words make sense.”
That was four of the seven. That was a majority. Evercloud knew this was not a majority rule decision, but he could not help but be hopeful. Whiteclaw now took his opportunity to speak.
“I understand that this is a difficult decision for everyone, and I understand that there are many factors that weigh on each decision. It would seem to me that the largest factor involved in this discussion is whether Evercloud should be focused on the plan for peace or with finding the Ancient. I understand that both these issues are important to all citizens of the kingdom, however, in these situations it is best to look at things logically. Both issues concern Evercloud, but Evercloud is not needed to address both issues. I volunteer myself and my son, Riverpaw, to travel the land and search for signs of the Ancient. Evercloud can stay here and work with this group on the plan for peace. Should Riverpaw and I find further evidence of the Ancient, then we can reevaluate the situation.”
“But, Uncle,” started Evercloud. Eveneye shot him a glare as soon as the words left his mouth and Evercloud quickly remembered his promise. Eveneye began to speak before anyone else could add their thoughts on the matter.
“I have heard all of your positions and I believe that I fully understand where each of you is coming from. Each of you speaks for the kingdom and you must remember that I do as well. The majority of the kingdom believes in the existence of the Ancients, so I give any matter concerning the Ancients great respect. Yet, the fact still remains that we have nothing but a rumor as evidence. Evidence of the distrust between the humans and ourselves permeates everything we do. Its evidence sits in this very room. It makes no logical sense to me to sacrifice minds and bodies to a rumor, when there is an actual issue they could be focused on. We have scouts that move through Ephanlarea to bring us news. I say, have patience, and let them do their job.” Eveneye now turned his gaze upon his son. “As to the issue of your authority, Evercloud. You carry the authority of this kingdom and every bear that is a part of it. Do not take that power so lightly.”
“I apologize, father. I meant no disrespect.”
“I know that you did not. There is no need for apology.” Eveneye looked around the room and it seemed that no one else had anything else to add. “I believe that this meeting is over, for now. Let us gather again, two days from now, to discuss the plan for peace.”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and got up to leave the room. Eveneye stayed back and kept his son, so that he may speak to him privately. Alone, Evercloud felt he could speak to his father more freely.
“Father, you know that I love this kingdom. I would do nothing to jeopardize it. However, your words do not reassure me the way that I think you had hoped they would.”
“How do you mean, Evercloud?”
“I may have the body of a man, but I still have done nothing to prove my worth as a man. If I carry the authority of the Kingdom of Bears into the world of man, will they not fear it instead of embracing it?”
“I understand your concerns, my son, but you still do not allow for the possibility that this is an issue we can resolve through conversation. You are but our key into that conversation.”
Evercloud looked at his father with doubtful eyes.
“I suppose.”
“I think that it is late, and I think that we should reserve any further conversation for the morning.”
Evercloud nodded and then followed his father out of the room.
As the castle fell into slumber, the mountain lay silently beneath it. The Everflame burned bright against the blackness of the sky. It was a clear night and if you took your eyes away from the flame, you could see the stars. They twinkled brightly in the sky and if anyone in the kingdom had been stargazing that night, they may have noticed that one star in particular seemed to be getting slightly larger, minute-by-minute.
Lights In The Sky
When morning came, Evercloud got up and ran to his uncle’s cave to wake his cousin, Riverpaw. There were no lessons to attend on this day and he was eager to tell Riverpaw of the night before.
“Wake up, you mountain of fur.” Evercloud pushed his cousin’s shoulder, trying to wake him. Riverpaw rolled over slowly and scowled at Evercloud.
“This had better be a dream.”
“Come on. Get up. Let’s go fishing.” Evercloud bent low and whispered into his cousin’s ear. “I attended the emergency meeting last night.”
Riverpaw shot up, wide-eyed. Evercloud put his finger to his mouth, signaling silence. Riverpaw understood and the both of them quickly made for the cave’s exit.
“Not so fast, you two,” Whiteclaw spoke from behind them.
“We’re only going fishing,” said Riverpaw.
Whiteclaw walked over to Evercloud and Riverpaw and gave them a knowing look.
“Evercloud, I don’t expect for a minute that you would not share what happened last night with your cousin, but by the Everflame, do not let anyone else hear you.”
“We’ll go far into the forest, Uncle. I promise.”
“This must be good,” whispered Riverpaw.
The two of them made their way off of the mountain as fast as they could. Weaving their way down the road through bears pulling carts of merchandise and elderly bears out for a morning stroll. One grizzled old bear cursed them as they bolted past. Once they had made it to the forest at the base of Gray Mountain, they slowed to a walk and caught their breath. It was a beautiful day and very warm. They might run into other bears on a day like today, so neither of them spoke to each other until they had walked about a mile into the forest.
“So, out with it. We’re in the clear. What happened?”
Evercloud related the meeting to Riverpaw with the best accuracy that he could. Riverpaw’s eyes were wide with surprise. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“So they finally told you. I didn’t ever think that they would.”
“How long have you known about the Ancien
ts?”
“It’s been years. They told us about the Ancients when we were young, but we all had to swear to keep it from you, under penalty of death.”
Evercloud chuckled.
“Death? Come on.”
“I’m serious, Evercloud. They scared us pretty good.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. They’re not going to let me do anything about it.”
“It’s too bad. I wish your father had let me and Pop go and look for the Ancient. That would be a great adventure.”
Evercloud and Riverpaw had almost made their way to the stream, when their stomachs began to grumble.
“We didn’t eat anything before we left and I’m starving,” moaned Riverpaw. “Sit on the bank of the stream and I’ll catch us a meal.”
“I know how to catch a fish,” said Evercloud indignantly.
“I didn’t say that you didn’t, but by the time you find a long stick and sharpen the point with a rock, I’ll have us a meal already.”
“Well, when you put it that way.”
Riverpaw chuckled and slowly crept into the stream. Evercloud sat down on the bank and began to toss a stone he had found into the air. He watched Riverpaw, standing in the stream, the sunlight sparkling on the surface of the water. The air was hot and dry and the day seemed to have a dreamlike haze to it. He heard a splash and Riverpaw had caught breakfast. Riverpaw tossed the fish to Evercloud and he began to eat. It wasn’t long before Riverpaw joined Evercloud on the bank and ate his catch. They finished their meal and then sprawled out on their backs, staring at the clouds.
“So,” started Riverpaw, “you must be pretty excited to start this whole plan for peace thing, huh? I mean, it’s gonna make you pretty important.”
“To tell you the truth, Riverpaw, I really wish that I didn’t have to do it. I just don’t really know what everyone thinks I’m going to be able to do.”
“Well, aren’t you at least excited to meet some other humans?” asked Riverpaw, yawning.
“No. Not really.” Evercloud watched a butterfly flit through the air. He knew that he wasn’t a child anymore but he just didn’t know if he was ready for this responsibility. “What if I don’t know how to be human?” Riverpaw didn’t respond so Evercloud continued. “The kingdom is all I can remember. What if I don’t know how to be like a human anymore? Maybe I’ve been gone for too long. I don’t know, Riverpaw. What do you think? ... Riverpaw?”
Snores came from Riverpaw. He had fallen asleep. Evercloud felt the grass between his toes and fingers.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t worry about it.”
Evercloud laughed to himself as his own eyelids began to get heavy. The sun was bright today. The day was almost perfect, as if it had been drawn from the pages of a fairy tale story. As Evercloud fell asleep, the clouds began to take shape in his mind. They seemed as if they were taking the shape of a man, a man in the clouds.
• • •
Bahknar said that men are dead. Men are dead, Bahknar said. Bahknar said that hope is dead and lost forever more.
“What?... What did you say, Riverpaw?” Evercloud sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping, but Riverpaw was still asleep next to him. “Wake up, Riverpaw… Riverpaw, I heard something. Get up.” Evercloud shook Riverpaw and as he did, he heard it again.
Bahknar said that men are dead. Men are dead, Bahknar said. Bahknar said that hope is dead and lost forever more.
“There it was again. Did you hear it?”
“Hear what?” Riverpaw was groggy from sleep and slow to his feet. Once he had his senses about him, he saw Evercloud walking away from him into the forest. “Hey, where are you going?” he called.
“I think it’s coming from over here.”
“What are you talking about?” grumbled Riverpaw as he began to follow Evercloud through the forest. Riverpaw followed Evercloud for a couple of minutes and was just about to stop, when he heard it himself. Evercloud was just a few paces in front of him now, and the bear saw Evercloud stoop to the forest floor and cup something in his hands. Evercloud stood back up as Riverpaw reached him and looked over his shoulder.
“What is it?” asked Riverpaw.
“It’s a mouse,” answered Evercloud as he opened his hands to reveal a small white mouse. The mouse looked at Evercloud and spoke.
“Bahknar said that you were dead.” Evercloud and Riverpaw stared, wide-eyed, at the mouse. “But you looks alive to me.”
“Ask it a question,” whispered Riverpaw.
“Do-Do you speak of Bahknar the dragon?” asked Evercloud.
“That depends,” said the mouse. “Who wants to know?”
“We do. My name is Evercloud and this is my cousin, Riverpaw. Tell me, mouse, has the Ancient returned?”
“Put me down first.”
Evercloud put the mouse back on the ground and it looked back up at him.
“Bahknar has never left,” said the mouse and then scurried away, disappearing underneath the roots of a nearby tree.
“Wait!” called Evercloud. “Where can I find him? Mouse! Come back!”
“Evercloud,” began Riverpaw. “We have to tell your father. We have to tell the King what just happened.”
“Yes… You’re right.” Evercloud smiled and patted his cousin on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Riverpaw smiled back at him.
“Get on my back. I’ll run all the way to the castle and you can shout to everyone we see the news we’ve discovered.”
Evercloud leapt onto Riverpaw’s back and they were off. The trees flew past them and Evercloud whooped into the air. The wind felt good on his face. Evercloud couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this good. This news they had would change everything that had been talked about the night before. Evercloud was sure that finding the Ancients would now become priority over everything. What was peace between bears and humans, when there could be peace throughout the whole world?
“The Ancients live!” shouted Evercloud into the forest air, wanting to believe.
Soon, Riverpaw and Evercloud broke clear of the forest and onto the roads of Gray Mountain. The roads were filled with bears and Evercloud began shouting to everyone in sight. However, no one seemed to notice Evercloud and Riverpaw. Everyone was standing in the streets, staring blankly up at the sky. Riverpaw stopped running and skidded to a stop.
“Evercloud… Look…”
Evercloud and Riverpaw looked into the sky to see what everyone else had been staring at.
“Riverpaw, what…what is that?”
There, floating hundreds of feet in the air above the Everflame, was what looked like a giant ball of lightning. Everyone stood with their mouths agape, unable to believe what they were seeing. The giant ball of lightning was slowly moving to the north and when you squinted your eyes, it seemed as though, sitting in the middle of the ball, there was a figure of a man.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said Riverpaw.
“We’d better find my father. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
At once, Riverpaw began running toward the castle. The mountain was silent except for Riverpaw’s pads against the stone. It was as if time stood still all around them. From Riverpaw’s back, Evercloud continued to look into the sky. He noticed that dusk had fallen on the mountain. We haven’t been gone that long, have we? he thought to himself. The giant ball shone bright against the violet sky. As he continued to look up, he noticed that he couldn’t find the setting sun. All of a sudden, he wasn’t so sure that it was dusk that he was seeing or if it was just some sort of illusion created by the giant ball. The air was warm but a chill ran the length of Evercloud’s back. He lowered himself closer to Riverpaw’s back as the bear continued to run for the castle. He felt vulnerable. He felt like a line had been crossed and there was no going back. He swallowed and hung onto Riverpaw as hard as he could. He could see the castle now and as they approached, the doors swung inward. Riverpaw
ran until he was inside the castle walls and then came to a stop, just in front of two guards who were barring their way.
“Evercloud. Riverpaw,” spoke one of the guards. “Your families are at the top of the tower. Please continue on to the tower without delay.”
“Thank you,” said Riverpaw and he continued on.
Riverpaw continued to move as fast as he could up the tower stairs. Evercloud could hear his own heartbeat matching the rhythm of Riverpaw’s strides. They reached the room that housed the Everflame and each saw their families, visibly relieved to see them. Goldenheart rushed over to Evercloud and threw her furry arms around him.
“We were so worried. Where have you two been?”
“We fell asleep,” said Evercloud, muffled through his mother’s embrace. “What is that thing in the sky?”
Goldenheart released her son and turned her sullen eyes over to her husband. Eveneye looked at his wife and then to the young man he called son.
“We are… not… sure.”
The King’s words came cautiously from his mouth, as if he were not sure that he wished to let them go. Whiteclaw came over and put a paw on his shoulder.
“It may be wisest, Even, to assume the worst.”
The King sighed and dropped his shoulders. After a moment, he looked up at his friend.
“Unfortunately, Whiteclaw, I think that you may be right.”
“It’s the Great Tyrant, isn’t it?” said Riverpaw as he stood next to his mother. “He’s returned, hasn’t he?”
Everyone looked at Riverpaw with a mixture of pain and astonishment. The King was the first to speak.
“We are not positive. We don’t know this for sure. But… I don’t know what else it could be.”
“Father,” began Evercloud, “something happened to Riverpaw and I in the forest that may tie into this strange event.” The room turned their attention to him like confused children looking for an answer to the most important question in the world. “Well… we fell asleep by the stream and… we were woken by a voice.” He looked to Riverpaw for assurance and Riverpaw nodded him on. “The voice turned out to be coming from a mouse; a little white mouse. He kept repeating a rhyme.”
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