Everflame

by Peters, Dylan

“No. Thank you, Iolana,” said Evercloud, staring dumbly into her eyes.

  Whiteclaw noticed his infatuation and turned to Riverpaw. “That didn’t take long, did it?”

  Riverpaw chuckled.

  “What did you say?” asked Evercloud, shaking himself out of his trance and looking at Whiteclaw.

  “Oh, nothing,” said Whiteclaw, and then changing the subject, addressed the Floyds. “I think we have all had quite our fill and we thank your generosity and hospitality. You do a service to your entire race.”

  Riverpaw nodded in agreement and thanked the Floyds as well. Now Ben walked to the center of the circle and addressed the travelers. “You have told us of the rumors of the Ancients that have reached your kingdom and it’s only fair that we now share what we know. The short of it is that we believe we know the general location of the Ancient, Tenturo.” The three travelers looked at Ben in disbelief. “Allow me to explain. Firstly, my brother and I found the giant paw print that you spoke of. We found it in the Glass Desert that lies west of this forest. From there, my brother went to our cousin, Terrence, who lives in Yorebrook. He has sworn to the same mission that we have and he spread the word among our supporters. I continued west, through the desert and into the White Mountains. It was there that I came across something that I think you should see for yourselves.” Ben pointed to the entrance of a room, adjacent to the room they were in, that had a rug hanging to conceal it from sight. Everyone got to their feet, and following Ben, entered the room.

  “By the Everflame,” exclaimed Whiteclaw.

  There, lying upon the floor of the room, was the largest white feather any of them had ever seen. It was so large that Evercloud thought it looked much like a bed he would quite like to fall asleep on.

  “We believe that Tenturo is in the White Mountains,” Ben said, looking at them as they stared in awe.

  “Have you made any attempts to find him since finding this?” asked Riverpaw.

  “No, we didn’t believe that we had the force that might be necessary,” added Tomas. “But now…” and he looked at his brother.

  “What my brother is alluding to,” said Ben, “is that with your aide, we think we do have the necessary force.”

  “What exactly do you mean when you say necessary force?” asked Whiteclaw.

  “Well,” began Ben, “in The Book of The Holy it says–”

  “You seem to derive a lot of your information from a book you claim is rubbish,” interrupted the elder bear.

  “Please,” Ben pleaded, “hear me out. If this feather and the paw print in the desert are signs that Tenturo is out there, then why has he not returned to us? There must be a reason. Possibly something keeping him. Let me read you a passage from this book and then you tell me yourselves.” Ben went over to a shelf and picked up a copy of The Book of The Holy and opened it to a marked page. He then began to read:

  …And then the evil beast came at the Holy,

  Cursing his name with its foul breath.

  It came down from the sky and slashed with its claws

  And it snapped with its beak.

  But the Holy would not allow evil to win the day.

  He conjured two magnificent steeds to combat the monster

  And banish it to whence it came.

  “Now, granted, we cannot take this book as truth, but something is keeping Tenturo away. It is only wise to prepare for all possibilities.” Ben finished and stared at the travelers. “Will you help us?”

  The bears looked at Evercloud and he looked back at them. It didn’t take but a glance for him to see the concern in their eyes and only a second to realize why. Evercloud turned back to Ben.

  “Almost all men worship the Great Tyrant and feel that the Ancients are evil. Why should we believe that you are different? Why should we believe that you would not use us to find the Ancients, only to harm them? We only ask these questions in protection of the Ancients.”

  Ben looked at the travelers with sadness in his eyes. “You haven’t lived in our world to know why we feel the way we feel. So let me describe it for you. It is not a picture filled with harmony and happiness. It is not a picture of peaceful coexistence. It is a picture of fear and hatred and distrust. It is a picture of men at war with not only the world around them, but also with each other. And we have been told that this picture has been painted by a being that calls himself the Holy. A being that calls himself good, and kind, and all that is right. That doesn’t seem to add up to us. So we call him the Great Tyrant and we choose to turn from him. We choose to do all that we can to bring about his end, however little that may be. We strive for a world that promotes trust and honor and peace. A world where children are not left to fend for themselves in the wilderness. A world where a man can believe what he chooses without fear of death. A world where I don’t have to hold a knife to a man’s throat before I can trust that he and his companions are good in nature. I see the Ancients as my only chance of such an existence. So what say you, travelers? Do we stand together?”

  “Yes,” said Whiteclaw. “We head for the desert in the morning.”

  The Glass Desert

  The next day the group readied themselves for the journey.

  “Here, take these, I’ve outgrown them. They’re no use to me. Take them.” Ben threw a pack at Evercloud. He opened it and found it contained some clothes. “And you can use the pack on the journey.”

  Evercloud took out a pair of trousers, a shirt, and a belt. He stepped into the trousers and pulled them up. They were a much better fit and were made of a much cooler material. The shirt was also a better fit and thankfully, made of very thin leather, rather than the rough material of the other shirt. This shirt was also sleeveless, which Evercloud felt, at this point, was necessary. He then strapped the belt on and found there was a holster that his claw hooked onto quite nicely. Now I look like a warrior, he thought and strapped the pack onto his back.

  Not all of the family was joining the quest. Old Nikolas was staying behind and much to the disappointment of Evercloud, so was Iolana. Once they had made sure that they had everything they needed, the group gave their goodbyes and thanks to Nikolas and Iolana. Evercloud couldn’t help but linger in his goodbye to Iolana.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, Iolana…I hope that we will see each other again.” Evercloud blushed slightly.

  “I believe we will, Evercloud. Good luck to you.” Iolana reached her hand out and touched Evercloud’s, causing him to blush even more.

  “All right,” called Whiteclaw, “let’s go.”

  Evercloud waved one final goodbye and the group began to make their way west. It was a beautiful morning to be walking through the forest. The sky was blue and the air was warm. A slight breeze moved through the trees and the world seemed to shimmer. Birds sang in the trees and Evercloud felt as if he could fly. He couldn’t wait to find Tenturo. He thought of the feather and imagined the great beast soaring high above the mountaintops, a bringer of peace and prosperity to all creatures. He imagined himself back at home on Gray Mountain, his mother and father so proud of him, and his uncle, aunt and cousin sharing in the happiness. They would all be around him, proud of him and loving him. They would all be there, and so would she.

  The group had walked out of the forest, well before midday, and was now on a stretch of plains. Evercloud had been walking alone, silently, immersed in his fantasies, ahead of the pack. Ben caught up to him.

  “So, Evercloud. Is this, in fact, the first time you have been around other humans?”

  “Well, yes. I suppose it is.”

  “I think that you fit in just fine. The bears have raised you well. They are not so different from us as I used to believe. I mean, we both live in caves don’t we.” They both smiled at the joke. “I hope they feel the same way about us.”

  “I believe they will,” said Evercloud. “That’s really the point of all this, isn’t it? To create a better world, restore a harmony.”

  “Yes, I suppose it is.” Ben opened
his canteen and took a sip, and then he offered it to Evercloud.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Evercloud, I know that trust is something that builds over time, but I want you to know that you can trust me. You will meet many people who will not deserve your trust, so stay cautious but remain open-minded. If there are any questions you have about our world, just ask.”

  “Thank you, Ben. I, as well as Riverpaw and Whiteclaw, are lucky to have found you.”

  Ben glanced back at the rest of the pack, the two bears walking alongside his brother. “So you really are the only human that lives among the bears?”

  “It’s just me,” said Evercloud nodding.

  “Well don’t worry, my friend, you will meet more men than I’m sure you care to before it is all over…as well as many other fair women.” Ben patted Evercloud on the back and Evercloud smiled and nodded. Ben’s words had seemed a bit odd to him though, after he had thought about it for a minute. What did he mean by other fair women? he wondered.

  The five of them walked on through the day until the sun began to set, then they stopped by a stream.

  “This is the last stream before we reach the desert,” said Tomas. “We should make camp here for the night. I’ll shoot some fish with my bow.”

  “Don’t waste your time,” said Riverpaw as he waded into the stream. Within seconds he had already begun to throw fish onto the bank.

  “Well, I suppose I’ll make the fire then,” said Tomas.

  “What do you need to make a fire for?” asked Evercloud.

  Tomas chuckled. “To cook the fish. Don’t tell me that you eat them raw.” Evercloud nodded. “Oh, well… we prefer them cooked. Besides, it’s good to have fire going. It helps to keep the animals…away.” Tomas had realized what he had said, just as the words had slipped out of his mouth. He slowly turned his head toward Whiteclaw, horribly afraid that this was what Whiteclaw had been talking about when he had said: not do anything that will force us to kill you.

  “Funny,” huffed Whiteclaw with a stoic glare. “We don’t start fires mostly to keep the humans away.” Tomas began to shake faintly in the legs and stuttered, trying to apologize. Suddenly, Whiteclaw’s lips cracked in a large bearish grin. “Calm down little man. Where’s your sense of humor?” Whiteclaw sat down and began to laugh heartily. “You looked like you thought I was going to eat you.”

  Riverpaw now began to laugh as he stood in the stream and even Evercloud and Ben began to smile.

  “The bears are making fun of me,” muttered Tomas to himself. “Wonderful.”

  It wasn’t long before the fire had been built and everyone had eaten their fill. The sun had set and the group sat in the glow of the firelight.

  “I should warn you, there are dangers in the desert,” Ben began while he picked his teeth with a fishbone. “Apart from the danger of getting dehydrated, there are poisonous snakes and scorpions. Also there are crabs.”

  “Crabs?” said Riverpaw. “Are they poisonous crabs?”

  “Well, no,” continued Ben. “But they’re really big crabs.”

  “Oh,” said Riverpaw with obvious cynicism in his voice.

  “Anyway, I assume that the two of you defend yourselves without any weapons,” Ben said, looking at Whiteclaw and Riverpaw. “My brother prefers the bow and I carry a sword. I noticed, Evercloud, that you don’t carry a weapon, so I brought along a second sword.”

  “I have a weapon,” said Evercloud.

  “Oh, sorry, didn’t see it,” said Ben, confused. “Where do you keep it?”

  Evercloud untied the piece of cloth at his waist and uncovered his claw. He walked over to Ben and held it in front of him. Ben’s jaw dropped as he marveled at the golden weapon. It looked magical in the firelight, as if it held some ancient power.

  “That’s amazing,” whispered Ben.

  “My father gave it to me,” said Evercloud.

  “Well, anyway,” said Ben, snapping himself out of the weapon’s trance. “We’ll want to have our weapons on us at all times, once we enter the desert. My brother and I know the safest routes, so we should be fine. The desert can make for quite the trek though, so I suggest everyone get a good night’s sleep.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” said Whiteclaw and he rolled onto his side. The rest of the group made their sleeping arrangements and sped quickly off into a world of slumber.

  • • •

  Morning came with another meal of fish from the stream. After eating, they put out the fire and began drinking their fill of water.

  “Drink till your bellies hurt,” called Ben.

  After that, they began filling skins with water. The brothers Floyd had brought many with them, knowing every drop of water that they could carry would be precious. Evercloud strapped his claw on tightly, wondering how long it would be before he had to use it. The sun had not yet risen above the horizon and the brothers Floyd wanted to begin the journey before it had.

  “Let’s move,” said Tomas. “We want to have covered a good bit of ground before the sun gets too hot.”

  And so they set out. It wasn’t fifteen minutes of walking before the grass started fading away and within a half hour of their departure they were in the Glass Desert. As Evercloud looked out along the horizon, he understood why it was called the Glass Desert. All the paintings he had seen of deserts and the stories he had heard of them suggested that desert sand was colored anywhere from yellow to orange to red. The sand in this desert was a dark color of blue that made it look like they were walking upon a frozen ocean. Evercloud bent down and scooped up a handful of the sand, letting it fall between his fingers. It looked like tiny crystals of glass.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” said Tomas. Evercloud nodded. “She’s just as deadly. Make sure the three of you follow the path that Ben and I make. We’ll walk up ahead to make sure we’re taking a safe path, but don’t fall too far behind us.”

  They all agreed and that was how they made their way through the desert. For the first time in a while, Evercloud and the bears were able to speak freely to each other.

  “Do you trust them, father?” asked Riverpaw.

  “I think so, but don’t become too comfortable with them. Take care with what you say and the things in which you reveal.”

  “I noticed,” added Evercloud, “that they made no mention of the powers that the Ancients once bestowed to man.”

  “We told you, Evercloud, that much knowledge of the Ancients has been lost to man. You saw how much they depended upon that book. Honestly, I’m surprised to find out that they know as much as they do. However, it would be wise to keep that information from them. If they thought that there might be power to gain in this quest, things might become very different. Though I must admit, they do seem to act under a higher purpose.”

  “That feather was amazing,” said Riverpaw. “It must be Tenturo’s. I mean, what else could it be?”

  “I can’t believe this is real,” said Evercloud. “We’re going to find one of the Ancients.”

  The wind had picked up and Evercloud looked into the sky. As the wind came across the desert, it made noises that Evercloud had never heard wind make. It almost sounded as if it were chittering. There must be millions of little things like this that I’ve never experienced before, Evercloud thought. He suddenly wished that he knew what all those things were. He felt so fresh and new to the world, as if everything were happening for the first time. The sun was very hot now and Evercloud took a large gulp from one of the water skins he was carrying. The sun was blinding as he tilted his head back, so he closed his eyes. His listened to the wind chittering as the cool liquid glided down his throat. He momentarily thought that he heard something else on the wind. It sounded like yelling.

  “What are they doing?” asked Riverpaw.

  Evercloud opened his eyes and looked ahead. The brothers Floyd had gone ahead of them by about one hundred yards and were now turned back, waving their arms and yelling.

  “Can eit
her of you hear them?” asked Whiteclaw.

  “It sounds like they are yelling back,” guessed Evercloud. “Maybe they want us to turn back.”

  “No,” said Riverpaw, shaking his head. “They’re yelling crab. They must have found one of those really big crabs they said were so dangerous.”

  “Oh, I hope they wait for us to get there. I was kind of hoping for an easy target to practice some battle skills on,” said Evercloud.

  “They sure are making a fuss aren’t they?” said Riverpaw. The chittering wind had seemed to get a bit louder and suddenly the world became much cooler, as if someone had turned the sun off. Riverpaw looked up to find it and was met by a horrifying pair of giant eyestalks. “CRAAAB!!” he roared.

  The other two looked up, just in time to see a giant claw swinging toward them. They all dived to the desert floor, the claw narrowly missing them. The brothers Floyd were running at them, full speed, with weapons drawn.

  “Attack the legs!” they yelled. “Attack the legs!”

  Whiteclaw was the first into action, charging the giant blue crab. The crab swung its mighty claw at him, missing again. Whiteclaw darted underneath the crab and barreled into one of its back legs, breaking it at the joint. The crab swayed momentarily but regained its footing. It shot its smaller claw at Whiteclaw and grabbed one of his hind legs, preventing him from retreating. The brothers Floyd had reached the crab now and before it could do any damage to Whiteclaw, Tomas unleashed an arrow straight at the creature, striking one of its protruding eyes. The crab released its hold on Whiteclaw as it reeled in pain.

  “That thing is huge!” yelled Riverpaw.

  “I told you it was really big!” Ben shouted back.

  “That is much bigger than really big!” Riverpaw looked back up at the creature and saw that it was preparing to charge them.

  Now it was Evercloud’s turn. He ran toward the crab and just before he reached it he slid, feet first in the sand. Then, with his claw, he reached out and sliced at the creature’s leg, on the crab’s right side, severing it fully. Ben unsheathed the two swords that he had strapped to his back and made to charge the crab before Riverpaw stopped him.