Everflame (2 page)

“We should take the child to a human village, so that it can be cared for properly.”

“We can’t do that,” uttered Eveneye.

“My friend,” Whiteclaw pleaded, “I admit it. I was wrong earlier. We cannot leave this child to die in the woods, just to protect our own skins.”

“I don’t plan on it,” said Eveneye.

“Eveneye, what are you saying?”

“I will take the child home with me. The humans do not want it. It was obviously left here to die by someone from the nearest village. I won’t see this child put back into harm
’s way. It wouldn’t be the right thing to do. I’m taking it.”

“You’re mad,” said Whiteclaw, his eyes widening. “You don’t know what you are saying. The wolves have injured you and you are not well. You can’t keep this child. This is madness.”

Eveneye took his claw and cut the rope binding the child to the tree. The boy sniffled, but didn’t cry. Either from shock, fear, or the fact that it was just too tired, the child didn’t make another sound. Eveneye took hold of the child, put him upon his back, and then headed for his home.

Whiteclaw stood, slack-
jawed and dumbfounded.

“But…but…”

Whiteclaw couldn’t make a sentence come out of his mouth, but it would not have mattered anyway. Eveneye had made up his mind.

High above the tree line of the forest stood Gray Mountain, home of the bears. No fires burned inside the caves of Gray Mountain, it was late into the night and everyone slept. The solitary light that came from the mountain was the Everflame. It sat upon its pyre in the highest tower of King Irontooth’s castle. To the Kingdom of Bears
, its size, in no way, matched its importance. The flame had burned as long as any living bear could remember and far before. It burned as a reminder of all that the bears were, and of the elder bears that came before them. For it was by their wisdom that the bears prospered. The flame was a symbol of the bears’ spirit. It was the heart of each and every one of them.

Whiteclaw and Eveneye could see the Everflame’s light through the trees as they approached their mountain home,
just a speck of light at the top of the mountain. The rain had continued to fall during the journey home, washing the blood from Eveneye’s fur as well as from the boy. Eveneye would have to dress his wounds when he arrived at his cave. As they cleared the trees and stood at the foot of the mountain, the rain abated and Whiteclaw shook off some of the moisture that soaked him. He was carrying both fish sacks, due to the events of the night. The bears’ eyelids grew heavy and the boy slept on the back of Eveneye as he walked. It had been a long night and the bears were eager to see it end. Different paths led to the caves of either bear and they exchanged only a nod to each other as they parted ways. Whiteclaw watched Eveneye as he walked away. Eveneye was like a brother to him, it hadn’t even been a choice to follow him as he ran toward the crying child; it hadn’t even been a choice to save his life. He loved Eveneye and he was afraid for him. This boy would bring scandal to the Kingdom and Eveneye’s life would never be the same.

Eveneye entered his cave a
s his wife, Goldenheart, slept. She breathed easily and did not stir. Eveneye removed the sleeping boy from his back and wrapped him in a blanket. He stared at the boy’s tiny features.
What have I done?
he thought to himself. He set the child, wrapped in the blanket, in a dry corner of the cave. The bear chose a corner set deep in the cave, hoping that if the child woke and began to cry, the sound might not reach outside. He felt ashamed that he was hiding the boy, but his earlier bravery had left him and he was now fearful of what the morning would bring. Eveneye quietly dressed his wounds and lied down next to his wife. Despite his fear, Eveneye fell asleep quickly. He would have many dreams that night, dreams of wolves and children, and dreams of being abused by the harsh voices of other bears. However, only one dream that night would endure in his memory. One solitary image, the image of a man made of lightning.

• • •

As Eveneye awoke the next morning, panic rushed over him. There was a child in his home, a human boy. He quickly rose up on his feet and saw something that shook him to his core. His wife sat on the floor of the cave, throwing a stick and then watching as the small boy retrieved it and brought it back to her. They were playing fetch. Eveneye had no idea how old the boy was, two years, maybe three. He wasn’t adept at guessing human age. The boy was at least young enough that he could not speak, only shriek with glee every time Goldenheart threw the stick. Eveneye was in shock, unable to move or speak, his fur standing on end.

“Even, why am I playing fetch with a human boy in our home?” asked Goldenheart so simply that it seemed to Eveneye he mus
t still be asleep and dreaming.

“Umm…
well, I… I’m…he was…umm…” Eveneye stumbled over everything he tried so say and his mind was swimming.

“He was what? Where did you find him?”

At Goldenheart’s last question, the image of the wolves appeared in Eveneye’s mind, as well as the image of the little boy tied to the tree. With these images fresh in his mind, the anger that he had felt toward the wolves had again risen in Eveneye. It was sobering and snapped him out of his daze.

“He was in the forest. He was in trouble. I did what I had to.” Eveneye had gained his composure and began to recount the events of the prior night to his wife. Pausing after recounting the battle with the wolves to show her his injuries, then continuing with the decision to bring the boy back to the mo
untain. He ended his story with, “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“So you intend to keep this child?” Goldenheart asked her husband, her voice conveying her disbelief in the situation. “The King will not allow this, Even. We should sneak the child out of here tonight
, and return it to the village. No one needs to know. Whiteclaw will not say anything. He will keep the secret.”

“I wil
l take the child to the King’s court today and explain to him. I will show him that I did the right thing. He will see that we cannot return the child to the humans. I mean… they tried to kill him.” Eveneye was calm and steady with his voice and it helped to calm his wife.

“I am afraid, Even,” she said and looked down at the boy.

He was sitting on the floor with the stick in his hands, staring up at the massive bear that had helped to save his life. The boy cocked the stick back and threw it at Eveneye. The stick bounced off of Eveneye’s nose and the child erupted with laughter. Goldenheart followed.

“Well,” she said between laughs, “he is entertaining.”

“Look, Goldie, I’m a very respected member of this kingdom. I’m a member of the council that advises King Irontooth. He will listen to me. I’ll go after breakfast. You’ll see. Everything will be all right.”

Goldenheart looked at her husband with love in her eyes and smiled.

“I hope so, Even. I hope so.”

Chapter 2:
Defiance

It was a very busy morning in the main tunnel that led through the center of Gray Mountain and up to the King’s castle. Eveneye grimaced as he made his way through. He had been hoping for the smallest amount of traffic possible. The main tunnel was where the majority of business was conducted in the Kingdom. The tunnel was about fifty yards wide with an arched ceiling that stood thirty feet high. Drawn along the ceiling were artful depictions of key events in the history of the bears. The bears were very proud of their history and any adult could name each event shown along the length of the tunnel. The walls were stark, with the exception of the torches that lit the tunnel. The walls were kept mostly clear due to the fact that merchants and traders set up booths and stands, taking up all of the wall space that was not occupied by light sources.

There were merchants and traders of all kind
s. There were many stands set up where a bear might purchase things to decorate their cave. Patterned blankets and rugs of all colors hung in display, as well as tapestries to hang on cave walls. Soft mattresses filled with straw or feathers leaned against the walls of the tunnel as well.

The bears were also fine artists. Paintings of King Irontooth could be purchased
, as well as recreations of some of the historical events that adorned the ceiling of the main tunnel. Strongback’s lighting of the Everflame was a particular favorite.

Housewares were also a popular commodity. The metal workers were selling pots and pans
, as well as grates to place over a fire for grilling.  The woodworkers did a bit better for themselves, as they sold tables and cabinets for storage. Some bears had wooden doors fit to the front of their caves, though most found doors to be rude and antisocial. The woodworkers also delved into the artistic and their carvings were very popular. At the present time, it was popular to have a carving done of your family and have it hung on the wall. Eveneye had been looking into it for himself and Goldenheart, but he thought that maybe it would seem empty without the addition of a cub.

There was also a booth set up for leisure activities. Just last week
, Eveneye had purchased a johnball.  He and Whiteclaw were very good johnball players and at least once per week, played with other bears in the Kingdom. Johnball was a simple enough sport, the goal being to move the johnball into your opponent’s territory by any means necessary. They played in teams of five and the team who had crossed into their opponent’s territory the most, at the end of an hour, was the victor. The johnball Eveneye had purchased was a spherical, dark-brown, leather ball with a stone on the inside for weight. The johnballs used now were less barbaric than what was used by the inventors of the game, some years back.

The story follows that a man was out hunting bear
, and, rightly so in the bears’ eyes, was killed by his prey. The bears who had killed the man then played a game with his head as the ball. Having previously seen that upon the man’s trousers was written, property of John Hoell III, it was decided that the game would be called Johnball. To make it popular for the masses, as most bears do not enjoy playing with corpses, the ball was “redesigned.”

As Eveneye passed, the activities merchant waved. Eveneye quickly turned
, as if he had not seen him. He was not eager to be pulled into conversation today.

The main tunnel was also where the bears purchased their food. Breads, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, different cuts of meat and certainly fish. The fish merchants were like a little market of their own, selling all types of fish. There were stands selling salmon, mackerel, bass, trout, cod, halibut, tuna fish and sword fish, catfish, herring, pickerel, chub, carp, smelt, grouper, flounder, perch, haddock, sardines, sole, tilapia and even candied anchovies for the cubs. This section of the tunnel was always the busiest. No bear could pass through without
having their mouth begin to water.

Eveneye tried to make his way through the tunnel as inconspicuously as possible. The boy was in a
sack that hung around Eveneye’s neck, just as the fish had been carried the night before. Eveneye was tempted to check the sack many times as he moved through the tunnel, due to the fact that the boy never fussed or even made a sound. He was remarkably well behaved and it struck Eveneye as being a little odd. He didn’t dare open the sack in the tunnel, as the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself. However, as he passed Hawksfoot, the old salmon merchant, his luck ran out.

“Eveneye! Hey! Let’s see your catch!”

Eveneye moved quickly toward the old bear. The sooner he could get to him, the sooner the bear would stop drawing attention with his yells.

Hawksfoot was an old bear with gray fur and wide
, staring eyes. He had been a celebrated fisher in his day, but had long since lost the necessary reflexes. It had not made him bitter though. Instead, Hawksfoot had turned to selling fish, which it seemed he loved just as much.  He was always in a friendly mood and always eager to see Eveneye’s catches.

“Eveneye, what have you brought me this morning? Night fishing again? I’ll bet you’ve got a big catch to sell me today, don’t you?” Hawksfoot ogled the fish
sack with expectant eyes. He always made great profit from Eveneye’s catches.

“No. Nothing today, Hawk. Just passing through today. Sorry.” Eveneye tried to be casual but his
words came hurried and awkward.

“You all right?” asked Hawksfoot, narrowing his eyes a bit.

“Oh, me? Fine,” Eveneye chuckled. “Just up late, night fishing. You know.”

“So you do have fish! Let me see
’em.” Hawksfoot stepped forward and reached for the sack.

“No!” shouted Eveneye. “I mean…I can’t. They’re not for sale. I’m on my way to see the King.”

“I should have known,” said Hawksfoot, smiling. “I always said you was the smartest bear I know. You’ve got yourself a prize catch there and you’re off to offer it up to the King. You’re a keen one, Eveneye, real sharp.”

“Well, you’ve figured me out,” laughed Eveneye, visibly relieved.

“Go ahead and run on, so those fish stay fresh. Go on.”

Eveneye nodded at the old bear and made his way onward. He had been so nervous talking to Hawksfoot that he was surprised that his legs still worked. As he continued through the main tunnel, the boy inside of the
sack continued to behave remarkably well. Only once did the boy stir at all, and that was as Eveneye had passed by the sweet treats merchant. The smell of baked goods obviously reaching the boy through the sack.