Chapter 23: The Meeting with the Bears
Branoc flapped back to Catherine and Carlyle, settling onto a nearby rock with a rustle of dark feathers.
“I have arranged the meeting, as requested,” the old raven rasped. “They were reluctant. They do not trust humans, as you well know. But word has reached them that the wolves are now allied with you. For that alone, you have earned a sliver of their respect.”
“I have set up the meeting with the bears, as requested,” he said. “They were reluctant to meet with you. They don’t trust humans, as you know. But at the same time, they have heard that the wolves are now allied with you. So they respect you for having won the trust of the wolves.”
They went down to meet the bears at the agreed time.
The bears were already waiting, a terrifying coalition of muscle and fur gathered beneath the pines. Black bears crouched beside massive brown bears, flanked by towering grizzlies whose scarred muzzles spoke of a hundred mountain battles.
Catherine stepped into the clearing, flanked by Carlyle, a pack of growling wolves, and four ravens--Branoc, Baldrick, Balsamer, and Bettina.
Carlyle’s chest tightened at the bears, his heart hammering against his ribs. Catherine, however, simply swept her cloak back and sat on a sun-warmed stone without a hint of hesitation. Baldrick and Balsamer perched on Catherine’s shoulders. The wolves stood behind Catherine. Carlyle decided to follow Catherine’s example and sat down.
A big black bear spoke. “It is only because of our respect for Branoc, the elderly raven, that we have agreed to this meeting. But we do not wish to waste our time. Speak quickly.”
“We have two requests for you,” said Catherine. “Our first request is that you stop killing the humans who live on this mountain.”
The bears roared angrily. “And why should we agree to that?” asked the big black bear.
“Because all of the humans on these mountains are now under my protection,” said Catherine. “This mountain will become a safe place for the humans to live.”
“We hate the humans,” a second bear snarled, baring yellowed teeth. “They are thieves!”
“If you promise not to harm the humans,” said Catherine, “I will make sure the humans do not steal from you.”
One of the bears, a fierce grizzly, growled. “These are the mountains. The laws of the forest do not apply here. We are free to eat who we like. And I love the taste of human flesh.”
“For a long time, the mountains were lawless,” said Carlyle. “But that time is over. We are now bringing the laws to the mountains.”
The grizzly reared up instantly, blocking out the sun as it towered on two legs—a mountain of muscle, bone, and sharp claws. Then it crashed back down to all fours inches from Catherine and Carlyle, unleashing a deafening roar that shook the pine needles from the trees. Baldrick, Balsamer and Bettina all instinctively flew up into the tree branches. Only old Branoc remained at Catherine’s side, unblinking. Carlyle was scared, but he tried not to show it. Catherine’s hands began to glow with yellow energy all by themselves. The wolves behind Catherine began growling and barking. The wolves crouched down, as if getting ready to pounce.
Catherine held up her hand for silence, and the wolves immediately stopped barking, and sat down. Catherine’s hand was still glowing yellow.
“We are bringing the laws to the mountains,” Catherine said firmly. She forced herself to speak calmly, because she knew that to show fear would be to show weakness. “From now on, anyone who breaks the law will be our enemy.” Catherine kept silent for a minute to let her words sink in. The bears looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. Was she challenging them?
“However,” Catherine continued, softening her posture just a fraction, “I do not want us to become enemies. We respect the bears greatly. And in fact, we want you as our friends.”
“We are not your friends,” one of the bears growled.
“That saddens me greatly,” Catherine responded. She stood up. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” She turned and started walking away. Carlyle stood up and quickly followed her.
“Is that it? Is that the end of the meeting?” one of the grizzly bears called out after her.
Catherine stopped briefly. “It is,” she said. “We regret that you do not want to be our friends. We have informed you that you are not to harm any humans in the future. If you do harm any humans, you will incur our displeasure. I don’t believe there is anything more to say at the moment. We have other matters to attend to. We need to fight the ogres next.”
“You cannot fight the ogres,” said another bear. “They are much too powerful for you humans.”
“We can,” said Catherine. “And we will win.” She then turned and left. The ravens, the wolves, and Carlyle followed her.
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