Everflame (7 page)

“
But then the Great Tyrant came and destroyed the utopia of the Ancients. It is said that the Great Tyrant possessed a power that the Ancients did not. It is said that he could summon the lightning from the sky. The Ancients were powerless against him. The Great Tyrant hunted the Ancients, hell-bent on destroying them. Given little choice, the Ancients fled from the earth, never to return.

“
The Great Tyrant took control of the creatures of the earth, driving them apart. Mankind became his slave and he forbade them from controlling the elements, under the penalty of death. The Great Tyrant had cast an ominous cloud over the earth and ruled it for many ages. After a time, mankind forgot its powers. It was not long before the entire world had forgotten what it once was. It was now a world afraid, amid the storm of the Great Tyrant.

“
The elders say that over time, the Great Tyrant’s rule became more and more distant, until it seemed as though he had disappeared. To this very day, we do not know if the Great Tyrant still controls the earth or if he has gone and left the world that he destroyed.”

Whiteclaw stopped here to see if Evercloud had understood everything and to see if he had any questions.

“So,” started Evercloud, “I mean no disrespect, but are these just stories or are they true?”

“We take no offense, Evercloud. In fact,” and Whiteclaw glanced over at his King, “there are many bears who have their doubts
. Though the majority of the Kingdom does believe this account to be true.”

“Does this mean that I can control the elements?”

“The truth is that we don’t know. Outside of the elder’s teachings, there is no record of any human with these abilities.”

Eveneye, at this point, interjected.

“I understand this is confusing for you, Evercloud. I have labored under the weight of whether to tell you this or not for many years. I only want what is the best decision for you and for this kingdom. I only want to keep you from danger.”

“What danger?” a
sked Evercloud. “I don’t see the danger in hearing these stories.”

“Well,” said Whiteclaw, “I was about to get to that. You see
, rumor has been circling the land outside of this kingdom of a giant footprint in the West, the footprint of a griffin. Many inside the kingdom, as well as outside, believe this may be the marking of the Ancient, Tenturo.”

“And Tenturo is dangerous?” a
sked Evercloud.

“Well, no,
” said Whiteclaw, slightly confused. “I mean, he shouldn’t be.”

Oaktongue took Whiteclaw’s hesitation as an opportunity to step in.

“The danger is, Evercloud, that you may wish to explore the truth in this rumor. There is thought that you may wish to search for the Ancient, in hope of regaining the power that was given to man… There is also the fact…that some…believe you should.”

At this
, Eveneye shot Oaktongue darts from his eyes and the small bear cowered.

“It is my decision whether the boy goes or not. If it is to be debated, I would ask you to save your feelings for another time.”

“Perhaps this is a matter we should address directly, my King,” added Redriver.

“Fine,” s
aid Eveneye. “Evercloud, return to your mother and let her know I will be a bit longer.”

“Father, I have something to say.” Evercloud stood up as he said this and it surprised the bears. It was not strange for them to be in the presence of Evercloud, but Evercloud had only just become a man. It was odd for them to hear words of authority coming from him. No one knew quite how to handle it.

“Speak, my son. What is it that bothers you?”

Evercloud took a moment to choose his words wisely. He knew that he had little chance of being allowed to stay in the room, and he had
better not say the wrong thing.

“I want to thank all of
you for allowing me to hear of the Ancients. I feel very honored to have been accepted by the Kingdom. I understand that I am the King’s son, but I also understand that I am a man and that it may be difficult for you to place faith in me. I owe the citizens of the Kingdom, as well as the King, my life. With that said, I am a man, and will not have my fate decided without my own input. You have had faith in me, accepting me into your Kingdom, and you must now continue to have faith that I will make my decisions with the Everflame in my heart. I wish to be present for this debate.”

Evercloud
, once again, took his seat and he kept his gaze upon his father’s eyes, waiting for a response. There was no immediate reaction, but Evercloud thought that, as he looked upon his father, he could see the smallest of grins break across his mouth. Then Eveneye stood, as his son had, and addressed him.

“As I look upon you t
his evening, my son. I am proud and I know that the decisions that I made, years ago, were the right decisions. You may sit with this esteemed group of bears and your input will be considered. But first, let us go to the dining hall and eat something. This promises to be a long night.”

Eveneye, Whiteclaw and Evercloud sat at their own table in th
e dining hall. Many citizens of the Kingdom were taking their meals in the dining hall this night, creating enough noise as to allow for private conversation.

“Do you think I overstepped my bounds?” asked Evercloud.

“I don’t think so,” said Whiteclaw. I think you were assertive, yet respectful. I’m sure that the others understand your feelings.”

“It remin
ded me of when you were younger,” began Eveneye with a smile.

“Oh, her
e comes another Evercloud story,” said Whiteclaw.

“What?” quipped Eveneye. “Do I tell many of these?”

“No, of course not,” Whiteclaw said with sarcasm, and then winked at Evercloud.

“How about you eat your meal and be quiet, so that I can talk to my son, you old grouch.”

Whiteclaw chuckled and Eveneye began again.

“It reminded me of your first day in school, Evercloud. I was so afraid that you might hate it and that the
cubs might give you a hard time. When I came to collect you later that day, I asked your teacher how it went. I’ll never forget how proud I was to hear what she told me that day. She told me that you had stood up to some cubs that were bullying a weaker cub. Oh, what was that little cub’s name?... It doesn’t matter. Anyway, she said that the bullies had left and then you stayed and helped the weaker cub with his work that day. She told me that you were a natural leader and that I had done a very good job with you.”

“
I think I sort of remember that,” said Evercloud. “But why did today remind you of that?”

“You aren’t afraid to take a stand for what you feel is right. You did it then and you did it today. It’s a good thing.”

Evercloud nodded and continued to eat his meal, thinking on his father’s words.

“I think we’d better finish up,” s
aid Whiteclaw. “Firerock’s starting to shoot us daggers from across the hall.”

“Is he always like that?” asked Evercloud.

“Unfortunately, yes,” said Whiteclaw. “Can’t really blame him, though. I’d be angry all the time if I looked like he does.”

Evercloud smiled and Eveneye rolled his eyes.

“We’d better go,” said Eveneye.

As they all returned to the advisors room
, Eveneye briefly took his son aside, just outside of the room.

“These conversations can get ugly sometimes. Do what you can to not take anything too personally. The beginning to our plan for peace is convincing those bears that do not believe in it to agree to its merit. In a way, your actions here will go a long way to convincing certain bears that humans can be beneficial allies. If you were to act inappropriately tonight, it might be difficult to counteract the repercussions. You have to remember, at our core, bears are as afraid of humans as humans are bears.”

“I won’t fail you, Father.”

Eveneye smiled at his son and they entered the room. Evercloud worried that it might be his father who might not remain collected. Everyone took a sea
t and Eveneye began the debate.

“So
, tonight we need to come to a decision concerning the rumor of the Ancient and what action should be taken. As we usually do, we will go around the table and state our positions. After we have all spoken, we will debate. I’ll begin.” Eveneye shuffled in his seat and gazed around the table. “As you all know, I do not necessarily believe in the tales told by our elders. It is my charge to make decisions that protect the interests of the Kingdom. So my position is quite simple. Without greater proof than mere rumor, I believe it would be foolish to give this possibility our attention until we are presented with further information. Furthermore, I believe it is time to explore our options concerning our plan for peace with the humans.” Eveneye smiled. “It would seem our boy has become a man.”

The bears nodded in agreement of the final statement and the f
loor now belonged to Whiteclaw.

“Thank you, King. As you all know, I believe wholeheartedly in the teachings of the elders. Although this is naught but a rumor, I do believe it should be investigated. However, I agree with the King that it is time to implement our plan for peace. Someone should investigate the rumor, but not Evercloud. He is needed here.”

“Thank you, Whiteclaw,” followed Forestmoon. “I, too, believe in the teachings of the elders and I fear this rumor of the Ancient’s return. If, in fact, one or all of the Ancients have returned, we need to know as soon as possible. Those who hope to have amiable relations with them should not ignore beings so strong. I agree with Whiteclaw.”

Redriver came next.

“I agree with the King. We cannot throw our resources into the ring with rumors. If our imminent future lies in this plan for peace with the humans, then we must put all our efforts toward that goal.” Redriver shrugged. “What do we have to gain by tracking down an Ancient, anyway?”

“Unfortunately,” began Oaktongue, “I don’t agree with any of you. Who are we to use this boy as some political pawn? We are doing
fine without the aid of humans and we have been.” Eveneye grimaced. “What is the rush in this plan for peace? Let the boy go find the Ancient. If it were I who had lost a part of my history, I would wish to regain it.”

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 wit
h 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,” s
aid 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.”