We Have a Problem

Reyan's words put what Devrim was seeing in perspective. He had assumed that he was seeing a white cloud on the horizon. Whatever it was must be kicking up the ice like dirt.

But creatures we not kicking up a cloud. Creatures were the cloud.

Bears!

How many of them were there to be so visible on the horizon?

They had less than seventy men with them. If these bears were the size of their brown cousins at home, then the humans would have a very hard time defending themselves.

Devrim gripped his sword. It didn't matter if he had no chance against the larger creatures—and the closer they got, the larger he realized the snowbears were.

The Emperor had fought magical creatures, pirates, and abominations. He had nearly traveled the entire world from top to bottom and ruled the human empire while doing it.

It did not matter what was coming. He would stand and face it to his last breath.

"Anything we should know about these creatures?" The Emperor glanced up at the fairy.

Reyan looked truly exhausted. Devrim wondered briefly just how long the bears had been chasing him. Maybe the white beasts would be weakened from the pursuit.

'Wouldn't that be nice?'

"The snowbears have claws and teeth that can rip through even the toughest hide. And they are angry. Very angry." Reyan pulled his lips to one side.

He held out his sleeve. The top layer of the fabric was shredded. Even a little bit of difference would have meant that Renat would have been bear food. The fairy shivered at the thought.

"Beyond that, I know very little," he shrugged.

"You said something about one of them dying. Could that be where Taran got the snowbear blood?" Devrim shot Zan a wary glance.

"How should I know? It was my first time talking to a snow bear and she got angry very quickly. Forgive me for not sitting down and having tea with her and asking her life story." Reyan crossed his arms.

"Fish!" Aurora yelled from the center of the sled.

Devrim did not understand her at first. Was she dreaming? Surely not in all the chaos.

"Use the fish!" The Empress repeated. She banged on one of the crates beside her.

With the extra time on their hands, the sailors had caught as many fish as they could. Using their secret techniques, they had cooked them in their special stove, and salted and dried them to have an extra store of food.

Some of that supply had been packed and put on the sled. That was the crate on which Aurora banged.

Was his wife suggesting that he feed the bears so they didn't eat him? It wasn't the worst idea. There was only one problem.

"Even if we use our whole supply. It's not enough, Your Majesty," Nurlan spoke Devrim's thought.

"Unless you have a better idea, stop stalling and start unstacking!" Brinn tugged at Alvar's arm and the two elves went to work.

They would only have a few minutes before the bears were on top of them.

Devrim swallowed. There was no time to lose.

————-

Isbora had finally gotten a lead on those who killed her cub. There was no way she was going to let the culprit go. Only once had she seen two-leggers before.

The creature had claimed to be a fairy, but everyone knew fairies were barely specks of light. She had seen them fly overhead each season since her birth. None had ever looked as big as him.

The polar bear queen had lost her child during the fight with the two-leggers and then her husband had died months later. While she had no proof, Isbora was convinced that the metal tip of a weapon had poisoned Yorn's blood, slowly killing him.

The…what had the flying 'fairy' called them? The humans would answer for their crimes.

Playing the scene of her dying cub over and over in her mind, Isbora pushed harder not to let the flying creature out of her sight. The humans had not been happy with just killing her little one. They had tried to take his small body with them. It was only by her most ferocious attacks that they had escaped with only a small amount of his blood.

Her baby had been murdered.

Ahead, the humans were building some sort of barrier with things they had brought with them. Did they really think that would stop her or her pack?

It might delay their death by a moment or two, but it would do nothing to change the outcome.

 As they neared, a smell caught Isbora's attention. It was familiar and strange all at the same time. 

'Fish?' 

The closer the hulking bear got to the humans, the more convinced she was of what she was sensing. Sure enough, an array of fish was arranged in a semi-circle around the front of the barrier. 

Coming to the barrier, Isobora roared to halt her group. They skidded to a stop behind her, confused by what appeared to be her sudden change of heart. 

From a distance, the she-bear sniffed at the fish, confused.

"Is it poisoned?" Isbora turned her head toward one of the he-bears for his assessment.

 "It would make sense for the humans to try and kill us in such a way. It is the only chance they have to survive." The other bear spoke in a low growl. 

After the cub had been killed, the snowbears had all banded together from their lonesome life to rally against this enemy. The humans were cheaters. They used weapons instead of their useless claws. Even now, Isbora could see metal in the hands of the people who did not fit behind the boxes. 

"Cowards." Isbora snorted. A billow of white steam filled the air. 

'Hmmm.'

She sniffed the fish again. There was a strange smell to it like the meat had been altered in some way. But the aroma was still pleasing. It was a puzzle. 

"We mean no harm," a voice spoke. It wasn't the fake fairy. It was female. 

From behind the boxes, a golden-skinned being with red hair poking out from beneath her hood stepped from behind the barrier. She held her hands in the air, empty of the long spikes that many of the others held. 

"You speak the Ancient Tongue?" Isbora tilted her head.

The humans who had attacked her family knew nothing of that language, or if they did, they ignored her pleas and cries of anguish. The flying two-legger had also spoken in the old language. She had been so angered by his words that it had not occurred to her until now. 

There was another difference between the lady and the men behind her. She had skin the color of the sun. 

As if reading her thoughts, the redhead nodded. "I am an elf. As much as I do spend time with humans, I will never forget my roots. Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Princess Brinn of the Elven Kingdom." The lady gave a deep bow.

"An elf?" Isbora twisted her head from side to side, confused. "Is that different than a human?" 

"From the way she said it, I think so," the he-bear answered softly. 

"And why is she bending in half like that?" another of the bears mumbled from behind them. "Is she trying to make fun of us by pretending to be on all fours?" 

"I think she is showing respect. Maybe? Either way, our disagreement is not with her." Isbora shook her fur as if shedding the problem of the lady's identity. That part did not really matter to her. All two-leggers were a problem. 

"What do you want to do," the he-bear asked Isbora. 

She shut her eyes before they opened wide in a dark brilliance. Her decision had been made. 

"Very well, Princeesbrinn Oftheelvenkingdom," Isbora wondered why elves had such long names, "my battle is not with the elves. Step aside and return to your land in peace. We will destroy the humans and the fake fairy. I see no other way for this to end." 

Brinn gulped. "Well then, we have a problem..."