Everflame (6 page)

Why had he done it? Back then
, he had been so sure of his convictions; so sure that his motives were just. But from time to time, he doubted himself and his decisions. He had taken another bear’s life. It had not been in self-defense. Yes, it had been legal, but was it necessary, was it just? He had disagreed with Irontooth and had been backed into a corner. It was Irontooth or the boy. But was it?

Even the bears of the K
ingdom had these questions. No one brought them to Eveneye, now that he was King, but Eveneye was no fool and he had heard the rumors. No one was displeased with how Eveneye ruled over the Kingdom, but some questioned his motives. Many more questioned his plan for the boy. An ambassador of peace, was it madness? Was he forcing a horrible fate onto the boy? Was he forcing a horrible fate onto his kingdom?

The bears had accepted the boy, or at least the majority had, a
nd as King, Eveneye was able to provide him with everything a child could need. But the boy was grown now, and his fate was almost upon him. A fate Eveneye had sentenced him to when he had killed Irontooth. Eveneye felt that the boy was still too young, but the questions had already begun. When? His advisors had asked him on different occasions. When would Eveneye’s plan for peace begin? When would the boy be ready? The truth was that Eveneye didn’t know, and he was afraid that the Kingdom might force his decision before he had made up his own mind.

Eveneye thought back to those first few years after the ritual. They had been some of the happiest in his life. He and Goldenheart
, playing with the boy and enjoying the leisure of being royalty. It had all seemed like such a dream. Lately, however, it seemed like sand falling through an hourglass. He could even pinpoint the exact event that had shattered his perfect little dream world, because it had broken his heart.

Papa, why am I different?

Even now, when he remembered it, his chest would tighten. What had he done? What horrible fate had he damned this boy to? That boy’s entire world was the bears. Yet, if he stayed in the Kingdom, he would grow to be an incomplete man, never knowing the love of a woman or the miracle of seeing his own children. He would never completely fit. Yet, if he left the Kingdom for the world of man, he would be a man with no past and no one to help him. Would he even fit in man’s society, having been raised by bears? His only hope rested on Eveneye’s plan for peace. Eveneye had put this boy’s only hope in a society that was both bear and man, and it scared him to pieces.

Eveneye sat next to Evercloud in the castle tower
, looking out over the kingdom with the Everflame burning directly behind them. Both father and son would come up to the top of the tower to meditate or speak to each other, if they should please. It was something they had been doing together for a while now. Evening was upon them and the sky was shades of pink and violet, its hues becoming cooler as time passed. Eveneye had had enough of his own thoughts and decided he’d like to hear of his son’s day. He looked over at the young man, his long, matted hair hanging around his bare shoulders. Evercloud wore leather pants and shoes but the bears hadn’t seen the use for anything else during warm weather.

“Evercloud, what is it that happened today that made you ask about your name earlier?”

“Oh, nothing much. Riverpaw and I were having a discussion about names earlier, and I realized that I didn’t know how I had received mine. I think that I had always assumed that it was because my skin is pale compared to a bear’s fur, like the clouds are paler than the sky. But after Wintersun said it was because I had clouds for brains, Riverpaw and I began thinking on it.”

“Why would Wintersun say that of you?”

“Only because I had told him that his true name was Fishface.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because he had said that Riverpaw played johnball like a female. Which was only Wintersun being sore, as Riverpaw and I had just won a match against he and Redcoat.”

Eveneye chuckled heartily.

“I’m glad to see you getting on so well with your friends.”

Evercloud smiled and climbed to his feet.

“Father, I’ve been meaning to ask if you and Uncle Whiteclaw might teach Riverpaw and I to night fish sometime? We are both very eager to learn.”

“So it would seem,” s
aid Whiteclaw as he entered the room. “Riverpaw just asked me an hour ago. I told him yes, on the condition that the two of you continue to achieve high marks in your studies.”

“Of course, U
ncle. Thank you.”

“All right, now run and tell your mother that the King is
needed for an emergency meeting and it might take a while.”

“Yes
, Uncle.” Evercloud said his goodbyes and then left the room.

“Emergency meeting?” asked Eveneye.

“Yes, I have the rest of the advisors assembled. We shouldn’t waste time.”

Eveneye rose to his feet and followed Whiteclaw down the tower steps.
He knew what this meeting would be about. Eveneye had been expecting this for some time. His advisors were going to demand action on the plan for peace, or at least a timetable. Eveneye didn’t want to think about it. So, as he and Whiteclaw made their way to the advising room, he figured that he would lighten the mood with talk of their sons. Whiteclaw had married soon after the ritual, and he and his wife, Autumnbreeze, had given birth to Riverpaw not long after.

“Did you hear? Our boys won a johnball match today.”

“No, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Yes, I should send a gift to Wintersun’s and Redcoat’s fathers for teaching their sons to be good sportsmen and taking it easy on a lesser opponent. My boy is lucky to have such kind friends.”

Whiteclaw looked at his friend in confusion.

“Eveneye, when was the last time you watched your son play johnball?”

“Well,” he hesitated, “I suppose that it has been a while. Why?”

“Well, first off, your boy is as large and capable a man as I have ever seen. Should he walk into a human village right now, they just might mistake him for a bear. Secondly, I assure you, no one is taking it easy on him. He is a very good player.”

Eveneye beamed.

“Well,
I’ll have to make some time to see him play.”

The bears had reached their destination and entered the room. All the advisors were seated around the table and Eveneye and Whiteclaw took their places. Eveneye didn’t wait for someone else to begin.

“All right, I already know what this is about, and I have to say that I would ask you to have a little more faith in my ability to know when the time is right. I–”

“Er, Your Highness,” interjected Oaktongue, a small
, brown bear with a nasally voice, “I don’t think that this meeting is about what you think it’s about.”

“Yes,” added Forestmoon, “
this meeting has been called to address a rumor that has been coming from outside of the Kingdom.”

Eveneye looked around at his five advisors quizzically. This was definitely not what he was expecting and he was not prepared.

“Sire,” said Whiteclaw, always addressing Eveneye more formally in front of others, “we have reason to believe that one of the Ancients has returned to our world.”

“You can’t be serious,” r
eturned Eveneye. “What evidence do we have of this?”

“Not a lot,” a
nswered Oaktongue. “Just a rumor, really. But the rumor has spread. Our scouts have heard the same rumor in the North of Ephanlarea as well as in the South, and it would seem that the rumor originates in the West.”

Gray Mountain was located in the middle of the land of Ephanlarea. Eveneye knew it was uncommon to hear the same news over such a vast area
, unless there was some validity to it.

“Well,” and Eveneye shrugged, “continue.”

“The rumor is this,” continued Oaktongue, “a footprint has been found around the area of the White Mountains. The footprint of a giant griffin, to be exact.”

“Tenturo,” u
ttered Eveneye.

“Yes,
Sire,” said Oaktongue, “it would seem so.”

A vast
span of time had passed since the Ancients had been a part of the world. It had been so long that some bears believed the Ancients to be fiction, created by the elder bears. This rumor seemed fantastical. Eveneye spoke:

“I do apprecia
te being informed of this rumor and I would like to be updated with any new information that may arise, but I hardly see why I have been called to an emergency meeting that has me missing dinner with my family. I cannot justify taking action on a rumor, even if it is concerning the Ancients. Please, tell me you weren’t expecting me to take a rumor at face value.”

Now it was Whiteclaw’s turn to speak.

“No, my King, not exactly. We did not expect you to believe this rumor. Yet this rumor, true or false, causes an issue that we need to address. Namely, the effect it will have on Evercloud’s life.”

“Oh,
I see.” Eveneye stood up and paced around the room for a moment. The other bears didn’t dare interrupt him as they knew this was a delicate matter, but Eveneye didn’t take very long to come to his decision. “Send for the boy.”

“Excuse me
, Sire?” said Forestmoon.

“You heard me. Have a guard retrieve the boy. It’s time that he be told…everything.”

Chapter 5: The Ancients

Evercloud entered the advisors room for the first time in his life, and it felt sacred. His father and five other bears sat at a round table of mahogany. There were no windows and the room was rather small. Four torches lit the room dimly, just one in each corner. As Evercloud looked around the room, each bear looked up at him with seemingly different expressions.

He first looked upon Oaktongue, smallest of the bears at the table, who seemed to be indifferent. Forestmoon, however, seemed nervous and jittery. His frame, which was thin by bear standards, almost seemed to vibrate with unease. This did not help Evercloud’s own nerves. Sitting next to Forestmoon was Firerock, a large
, gray bear.  The bear was scowling at Evercloud. He hoped that Firerock’s name served as an indication that the bear always had an unpleasant disposition, and that it wasn’t due to Evercloud’s presence. The next advisor, Redriver, seemed rather happy, by Evercloud’s measure. That helped calm Evercloud’s nerves a bit. However, all nerves were cast aside and replaced with confusion as he looked upon his uncle and then his father. Whiteclaw beamed at him with obvious pride. This would have been a great comfort, were it not for the fact that his father’s face seemed so tortured and morose. Evercloud tried to remain balanced as he greeted each of the bears individually, although he was sure that he must have seemed apprehensive.

“Please, my son, be seated.” Eveneye pointed at an empty chair across the table, right between Oaktongue and Forestmoon. Evercloud smiled and took his seat. “We have called you here today to teach you a bit of the history of the world. This is something that no man knows. It is a piece to a puzzle that has been lost to man for a very long time. In fact, this group has been in debates
, for the majority of your life, as to whether you should be told at all. This information, it is believed, could be very dangerous in the hands of men.” These words seemed to explain each bear’s reaction toward Evercloud. “Recent events, however, have caused me to remove the issue from debate. I believe that it is now necessary to tell you these secrets. Better that you hear it from us, than from rumors that will undoubtedly spread through the Kingdom. If you are ready, I will have your uncle tell you of the Ancients. He is a better storyteller than I.”

Evercloud’s mouth was dry as he spoke.

“I am honored to have this knowledge bestowed upon me and I am ready.”

“Then we shall begin,” s
aid Whiteclaw. “Once, there was nothing. Or at least that is the word that we use to describe what there was. You see, Evercloud, at one time, our world was made up of things that we have no words for and no images for, things our minds cannot conceive of. So we say that once, long ago, there was nothing, and we imagine it as infinite blackness.

“
All we have as a clue to our origin are the teachings of the elder bears. Though even they do not know of true origins. The first things they have told us of were the Ancients. The Ancients were strange creatures. Not at all like the creatures of today’s world, but at the same time, very much like many of the creatures we know. There were four of them and they controlled the elements of our world.

“
There was the mermaid, Chera, who controlled the water. There was Bahknar the dragon, who controlled the element of fire. Tenturo the griffin, who had the head and wings of an eagle, but the body of a lion. He controlled the air. Finally, there was Densa. Densa was a gigantic beast, who most closely resembled a gorilla, and he controlled the element of earth.

“
Each of these Ancients created many creatures to populate the earth. It is believed that it was Densa who created the Kingdom of Bears. Man, however, was another story. The Ancients wished to create a creature that embodied a bit of them all. So they gathered together and drew upon all of their strength. Densa created the form and Chera added to it water. Bahknar used fire to give it warmth and then Tenturo breathed into it air. This was the way in which they created man. Man was to be the connection between all creatures. Man was to be the balance. The Ancients also gave unto man some of the powers of the elements. They gave man slight control of wind, water, earth and fire, so that man could help the world flourish. The Ancients had created a utopia and man was their bastion of peace. The earth saw ages of prosperity for itself and all creatures.