ne cold night on the silent and desolate tundra of Cyhalloi the crackle of a
fire and voices, like a whisper, swept across the plains. A Kar'ii family
huddled around the circle of the fire; four children, their parents and the old
grandmother. They were sharing a moment of talking and laughter after the dinner
but something made them stop. A distant growl, filled with sorrow and anger, cut
the silence. The children ran to their father for protection. He looked at them
and, laughing, said:
"Come on, it's just a bear, cowards. Now return to your places."
Reluctantly, they did as their father told but paid attention for any other
sound. Another laugh broke the silence. It was their grandmother. She looked
across to the parents and said:
"Just a bear? You know it's not just a bear. Maybe it was a bear in other times
but nowadays it is more than that. Do you wish to hear the story, my children?"
"Come on, mother, stop with this nonsense. You are going to scare them," the
father insisted.
"Oh, hush! They want to hear what I have to say. I suggest you go to your fur
lair with your wife because there is no place around this fire for incredulity."
So the parents got up and left. But the father, wanting to have the last word,
warned the children:
"Remember, I don't want you to come in the night to wake me up. If you are
afraid, well, you chose to hear the story. Have a nice rest."
The children hesitated for a moment but Grandmother's stories were always great;
it would be worth a whole sleepless night, even fearing the slightest sound.
They sat as comfortably as they could and waited for their grandmother to begin.
And she did, as follows:
A long, long time ago, here, somewhere in this land where you are sitting, maybe
in the same place, a family decided to settle with their carryhome. This family
was composed of only two people, a Kar'ii father called Erphon and his son, Kalish.
Kalish was 12 years old and had been raised since his fifth year by his father.
His mother, Maytra, died one stormy night, after leaving the carryhome area and
becoming lost. Seeking shelter, she entered a cave and realized that she wasn't
alone. In the cave, a female white bear was hibernating with her cubs. Smelling
the human, she woke, and fed herself and her cubs with Kalish's mother. A few
days after the bear had left the cave, Maytra's remains were found by her
husband.
Finding himself alone to take care of his son, Erphon did the best he could,
trying to fill the place of a mother. The two got along well, and formed a close
relationship.
But Erphon's heart was filled with anger, and he started a great hunt of white
bears, trying to annihilate them all. His reputation grew among the people and
he became known by everyone as Erphon the White Bear Hunter.
When he wasn't hunting, he loved to spend time with his son. Their days
consisted of playing, practicing fighting, sharing meals and talking. Kalish was
an intelligent boy and learned quickly. He was always looking to learn something
new.
It was this thirst for knowledge and his insatiable curiosity that one day made
Kalish lose direction, becoming lost in a forest. The moon soon showed its face,
and Kalish decided to look for a place to rest and wait until morning to return
home. As his mother did years ago, he entered a cave. When his eyes became
accustomed to the dark, he found a wounded cub of a white bear; about 1 or 2
months old. Despite all the hate he felt for those creatures, he decided to cure
it and stay by its side.
There was a moment when it seemed as if the cub would die, but Kalish stayed
nursing it all day and night. When he returned to the camp after two days, he
found his father really worried and preparing his things to start searching.
Erphon asked his son about his absence and Kalish lied for the first time,
telling only that he lost the track in the forest. If he had told his father the
truth, the older man would certainly have killed the cub.
From that day, Kalish and the bear (Porton, as he named it), were friends and
met daily to share a meal, or just stay together, never telling his father. The
relationship with the bear grew stronger and they developed a rustic kind of
comunication, understanding each other without speaking. But one of the things
Kalish loved to do most was to ride on Porton. The beast had no problem with it
and also enjoyed having Kalish on its back.
The friendship between Kalish and the bear lasted until his twentieth year. In
that year, something happened which would change their lives forever. It was a
nice day to be outside and Kalish declined his father's invitation to hunt,
planning to meet with his animal friend.
When he reached the usual meeting point he discovered a troublesome situation. A
Cyhallrhim elf was aiming his bow at his bear friend. Without hesitating,
Kalish drew out his moonblade and ran towards the elf.
The elf was not facing Kalish so it was easy for the Kar'ii to reach the enemy
in a few leaps and cut his head off without danger. Making eye contact with the
bear, he realized it was unharmed, but at this moment the bear stood on its feet
and started smelling the air impatiently. Kalish looked around and found three
more elves with bows but this time aiming at him!
Kalish threw his only two seastars at two of them and hit in their chests, killing
both of them. When he turned, looking for others, an arrow hit him in his left
shoulder. He fell against the bear's body and this kept him from collapsing
completely. Using the last of his strength he threw his moonblade at the elf,
hitting him in the stomach and ending his life.
Knowing that he was losing too much blood to walk, he decided to lie over
Porton's back, hoping the bear would take him to his carryhome. But they weren't
alone. There was another elf, watching all the while. She was part of the
hunters' group and thus the only one left alive. Angry, and wanting revenge, as the
bear started walking, she prepared to cast a spell upon the two. She raised one
hand, whispered words, and the air became colder. Five minutes later, the bear
and Kalish were formed into a unique structure, victims of a Freezing Spell.
Their two bodies were frozen together inside a mass of ice. Satisfied with
herself, the elf left.
That evening, Erphon walked to the forest, searching for Kalish to show him the
fruits of his hunting. When he reached the ice statue he shouted in pain and
began to weep.
His son, dead. And also friends with the creature that took away his wife some
time ago. Erphon saw Kalish as a victim of his own stupidity, ending his life to
protect those who ruined the family, leaving his father alone and betrayed. But
his initial anger soon was transformed into the greatest of anguish. He had
loved that child more than anything, more than he had loved his wife.
He stayed by his son's frozen body for seven days and seven nights without
eating anything, wishing to end his own life. But when he woke up, the morning
of the eighth day, he was alone. The ice had shattered and melted, and nothing
was left. That day, he realized that his days of white bear hunting were over.
His son and that bear were one creature now. He couldn't continue killing white
bears, fearing that with the death of one of them, he would be killing his son.
His son's spirit joined with the White Bear, human and animal together, and from
that day, became known by everyone as the Tundra Beast. It may still be roaming
around the Cyhalloi lands, looking to quench its thirst for vengeance.
The grandmother looked at the children and saw them sitting close together,
hugging each other. Another growl broke the night silence, more distant than the
first and resembling a laugh. The children stared at their grandmother,
trembling (mostly because of the cold but also because of the fear), their eyes
asking a silent question.
"Very well, young ones, you can sleep with me for this night. But try to wake up
before your father does!"
They stood up and ran inside their grandmother's tent. She followed, not
forgetting a last smile to the moon.
