On the Deer Point island is a village called Berryville. The bears of Deer Point toiled ceaselessly, constructing ingenious makeshift devices to snare the diverse array of food that flourished within their forest home. Other bears, ever vigilant, meticulously maintained the powerful Earthsphere barriers – shimmering walls of pure energy that encircled their territory, ensuring no unwelcome visitor could enter unannounced.
Their leader was Grax, the brave gray bear, a formidable presence whose wisdom guided the tribe.
GRAX
By his side was Mama Bear Grixie, the gentle heart of their community.
GRIXIE
The sheer might of the tribe resided in Grinex, a towering Kodiak bear whose strength was legendary.
GRINEX
And finally, there was Gravixor, the brown bear warrior, whose compassionate nature made her a friend to all.
GRAVIXOR
One evening, as the tribe celebrated a successful day of hunting with a joyous feast, a jarring disruption shattered their peace. A young boy, no older than seven, stumbled into their midst. It was Braxill, his head bleeding, his eyes dazed and unfocused.
BRAXILL
A stunned silence fell over the feasting bears. "How did a boy like this get beyond the barrier?" whispered one.
"It's a man," Grinex rumbled, his voice laced with suspicion.
Grixie, her eyes filled with concern, mused, "He seems to be lost."
Grax, ever the leader, boomed, "Child, how did you get beyond the barrier? Were you sent by the King to take our land?"
Braxill offered no reply, only stumbled back, prompting the bears to instinctively adopt defensive stances. Grinex, seizing an axe from beside a honey-laden table, declared, "I'll get rid of him."
But Gravixor, quick as lightning, stepped in front of the boy. "No! He's just a child!"
"Why are you defending a human?" Grinex challenged, his brow furrowed.
Just then, Braxill collapsed, unconscious. Gravixor rushed to his side, shouting for water. Several bears, responding to her urgency, dashed off and quickly returned with a filled gourd. Gravixor gently offered the water to Braxill. As he began to stir, her eyes widened.
"OMG, he's so cute!" she exclaimed. "Grax, can we keep him?"
"Absolutely not!" Grinex scoffed. "Us bears don't mix with humans!"
"I didn't ask you," Gravixor retorted, her gaze fixed on Grax.
Grax, torn, turned to Grixie. "We can't. Let him rest, and afterward, he has to leave."
Gravixor's face fell into a dejected pout.
Later, Braxill lay recovering, Gravixor sitting beside him, watching intently. He slowly opened his eyes, immediately noticing her bear ears. His own eyes widened in surprise, and in a spontaneous burst of gratitude, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Gravixor in a tight hug. Gravixor's heart comically "exploded" with warmth.
"Thank you for saving me," Braxill mumbled.
"You're so cute!" Gravixor cooed. "Who are you, cutie?"
"My name is Braxill."
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Braxill? I've never heard that name before. My name is Gravixor."
"That's a cool name," Braxill said, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Are you a bear, by any chance?"
"Yes, I am," Gravixor chuckled. "And you are human, right?"
"Yeah." Braxill saids
Gravixor "Where are you from."
Braxill "I don't know."
She pointed to his head. "What, did you hit your head on?"
Braxill touched the bandages on his head.
"That's right, you have a head injury," Gravixor continued. "What happened? Did you get lost and fall?"
"Umm, I don't remember," Braxill replied, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Gravixor, approaching with a gentle smile, said, "Don't sweat it, little guy. Look, I'd love to keep you as a pet, but Grax says you can't stay."
Braxill's face crumpled. "Wait, but where will I go? I can't go out in the forest—there are monsters out there!"
Gravixor's face saddened. "I know, but we bears, we respect humans, but we don't really mix. At least, that's not the tradition."
"But I'm not a human," Braxill insisted, his voice rising. "I'm a bear!"
"I'd believe you if you had some kind of proof," Gravixor said, a playful challenge in her tone.
Suddenly, Braxill's eye glowed green and two black bear ears sprouted from the top of his head. "See? Look, I'm a bear!"
Gravixor's eyes widened in astonishment. "How did you do that?"
"Oh, it's an ability I've always had," Braxill explained with a shrug. "It's called the Art of Imagination. I can pretty much create anything I want from my mind."
Gravixor chuckled in disbelief "wait, you're serious".
It wasn't long before Braxill stood outside, a bit awkward, as Grixie, Grinex, and Gravixor hovered over him, staring.
"So, is it true you think you're a bear?" Grinex grunted, arms crossed.
Braxill hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, I am a bear."
Grinex, the burly, tough bear, squinted his eyes. "This is the most insane thing I've ever seen! A human claiming he's a bear, and he has a power to imagine whatever he wants!"
Gravixor "Not just whatever he wants, he can imagine it in reality."
"And think about how useful his power will be to all of us!" Gravixor interjected, her eyes sparkling. "We don't have to slave away putting up barriers or trying to get honey from giant trees!"
Grixie stared at Braxill, a gentle smile spreading across her face. Braxill blushed and looked away.
"Anything that makes life easy for bears, I guess I coud consider it" Grinex admitted, scratching his chin. "Besides, he kinda looks like a bear to me now."
"Grinex, seems like you've got a soft spot for humans after all," Grixie teased.
"Don't get carried away, I wanna see if it's true," Grinex defended. "Say kid, my names Grinex and I'm incharge of the bear soldiers, so what do you say? How about you create something that could get us loads of honey?"
Braxill concentrated for a few minutes.
Later, all the bears in the tribe stood jaw, dropped. The branches came to life from the tall trees knocked down big behives of honey. Honey was everywhere, flowing in rivers, piled in mounds. "I can't believe it!" Grinex exclaimed, wiping honey from his chin. "This amount of honey would have taken us months to get!"
Grinex forward, a scruffy brown bear named Pokeel, always the cautious one. He dipped a paw into the honey and slowly, suspiciously, brought it to his mouth.
A beat.
He smacked his lips. Then his eyes shot wide.
"It's real," Pokeel whispered dramatically. "And it's got that floral undertone!"
The entire tribe roared with joy. Bears rolled in the honey, danced, and hugged one another. A few were already building jars and containers to store it.Other bears murmured their agreement. "Humans really are special!"
Gravixor grabbed Grixie's hand. "Please, Mama Bear, talk to Grax. Let us keep him, I beg you!"
Grixie sighed. "He's not going to like this but what the hell."
Gravixor pulled Braxill aside. "Listen, Grax isn't going to like that we went against him, but we have to show him that you're a friend and not an enemy."
"How do I do that?" Braxill asked, his eyes wide.
"There is only one way," Gravixor declared. "I'll teach you. It's the first step in being a real bear."
"Please show me!" Braxill pleaded.
Just then, Grax returned from a journey of gathering honey. His eyes widened at the sight of the overflowing bounty. "Gravixor, Grinex, how did you guys get all this honey?"
Braxill quickly hid behind Gravixor. Grinex struggled to speak, stumbling over his words. "It's a long story, but as you can see, whatever we did worked out in our favor, and it's something we should continue to do, because it's clearly given a great outcome."
"Why are you talking like that?" Grax demanded, his gaze sharpening. "And Gravixor, why are you so quiet? Somebody say something!"
All the bears in the tribe fidgeted, unwilling to betray Braxill. Finally, Grixie stepped forward. "Grax, this was done by the human child."
Grax's expression hardened. "Grixie, why is the child still here?"
"Grax, he's a good kid," Grixie pleaded. "He has nowhere to go."
"That isn't our problem," Grax stated firmly. "Turn him over to the other humans or give him over to the coyotes."
"Grax, have a heart!" Gravixor cried.
"Removing that child is having a heart," Grax countered, his voice unwavering.
"Why do you hate humans so much?" Braxill blurted out, stepping from behind Gravixor.
Grax turned to face him. "I don't hate them. I understand their importance, but I also understand they are the reason we live in the sky. We can exist with them, but we should do it from afar. The child cannot stay here. He's to leave before sundown."
"No, I'm not leaving!" Braxill declared, his small voice echoing across the clearing. Grax stared at him. "I don't have anywhere to go, and all the bears here have been nice to me, all the bears except you!"
The entire bear tribe watched in stunned silence. Grax's eyes shifted, first to Braxill's newly formed bear ears, then to the immense piles of honey.
"You call me human one more time, and I'll show you I'm not a human, I'm a bear!" Braxill shouted, tears welling in his eyes.
Silence filled the tribe.
"Human," Grax said, a challenge in his voice.
Braxill screamed, a childlike roar bursting from him. "ROAR!"
Grax broke out laughing. Braxill, confused, watched as the entire tribe joined in, their laughter filling the air.
"Ahhh, I see you are different," Grax said, a smile on his face. "What did you say your name was?"
"Braxill," the boy replied, wiping away his tears.
"Braxill," Grax repeated thoughtfully. "Well, Braxill, never have I ever seen a human actually want to be anything other than human. I've got to say, your power is extraordinary. You've been kind to my fellow bears, and I understand you have nowhere to go."
Braxill nodded, hope dawning in his eyes.
"Well then, Braxill," Grax announced, a wide grin spreading across his face, "how'd you like to be a bear?"
Braxill's eyes widened. All the bears cheered, "Alright! Here's to the human, Braxill!"
Gravixor ran to Braxill, scooped him up, and spun him around in a joyful embrace.
"Gravixor," Grax called out, "he's your responsibility."
"Of course!" she replied, beaming.