The only thing that separates us..

Malachi · 01-13-2011, 03:28 PM

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SSWM: 2,447 words.
This is written as if Mala had never been swept up by the river as a cub. She fell in, but her mother caught her, and so she lived out a normal life as a bear.. never living with or talking to wolves. This takes place one year from now, at 5 years of age, with two cubs of her own. Set in Ethereal Eclipse in the springtime.

It came faster than anyone expected, as the last bit of snow fell from the treetops. Birds slowly shook off their feathers, heavy from ice and lack of use, searching the skies for those first drops of spring. Their tune carried well into the day, followed by several other species of birds, and other twittering, squeaking, groaning, and grunting creatures. Slowly, animals small and large emerged from dens, nooks, crannies, rocks, trees, and holes in the ground, blinking their eyes to the fresh new world.

Funny how it happened each year, when the coldest season came around and nearly sucked the life out of the lands. But the earth was ever changing like that, still providing predators with prey though it was scarce. Then spring fought back, driving winter cold, harsh winds and snowy breath away. Every year was the same, and with spring game the gushing of lake waters, new and flowering buds, smells and sights that begged to be explored. To see what mother nature left behind in its cold wake, and what was to come with the green, happy season. Most importantly, though, spring brought new life.

The great, shaggy female opened her eyes, only slightly. They fluttered closed at the slightest hint of sunlight that peeked through her den. Frosty stalactites hung from the ceiling, which was low but provided moderate space for her large form, and the two sleeping balls of fuzz at the female's side. Icicles, no different than their interior counterparts, dripped at the mouth of the cave, the warm sun wishing them away with bright streams of its rays. The large creature already knew spring was here, as it was every year, and slowly she began to shift her body, waking it up from its long, seasonal sleep. Her massive head still rested in between her paws, honey eyes half open. The angle she was shifted into brought a stream of light to hit her eye, and a flash of malachite green flashed in a small space around her orb, before disappearing.

Turning her head, a smile crossed her cream colored muzzle at the soft breathing of the little ones beside her, curled up into rounded balls against their mother's belly. This would be the cub's first spring, as the mother grizzly was fortunate enough to bear young in the heat of early summer. She found the large male responsible not a year before, last spring, with dark chocolate fur, a color as bold and strong as he was built. As bears did, he stayed only long enough to court her, and be on his way once more. The female knew no different, though, she knew as she bore her two young ones, the male with a lighter, creamier pelt coloration, like her own.. and the other as dark as her sire. She watched as the stirring of her own bodies were slowly waking, them, too, but they still refused to acknowledge the light.

Her cream colored muzzle leaned in to nudge her young, who squeaked in retaliation. If they weren't going to get up themselves, she would move them, but first she had to move herself. The shaggy mother knew it was time to get, up, feeling her blood pumping and her muscles aching to move. Slowly her paws lifted themselves from their resting spot, a nest she put together out of bits of grass and leaves that she found, to keep her and her cubs warm. There was a large indent in the spot where she slept, as the female grizzly raised her body upwards. It took an effort, but she was finally up on all four of her massive legs. She looked even more intimidating then, as the beast was large with stored winter fat and fur that grew during the coldest times. It wasn't new to her, being so heavy, having eaten her own share of weight for hibernation, but she had to eat even more that winter so she could nurse her cubs.

A small 'Hnnnggg' came from her throat, which seemed foreign to her, in the direction of the cubs who now rolled up against one another. The female's voice was deep and heavy, putting them to use after an entire season. Her breath huffed, wriggling her nose to the fresh scents of spring that lay just outside. The female shifted her weight, towards her young, nudging them with a bit more force, wanting them to open their almond colored eyes to see the new day. A day she knew they'd be excited to see, and she was anticipating it for them. One by one their eyes opened, until two sets of eyes peered up at their large mother. It didn't take long for them to see the sun shining, warmth slowly emanating in the cave and into their bones.

The cubs were up and bouncing around their mother's large paws, and she couldn't help but chuckle, her mouth still closed, eyes beaming with love for her children. They were anxious to see this fresh new world, explore in the soft green grass, and taste the sweet, red berries that clung with dew. She led her cubs to the entrance of their den, and peered out into the world. Creatures were alive left and right of them, trees cast their long shadows down onto the soft, warm earth, which was still littered with patches of white, melting frost.

Cream colored muzzle turned upwards, as the large female's lips angled out to lick at the dripping icicles, the cool drops of water dribbling into her parched throat. From the corner of her eye she watched as drops occasionally found themselves landing on their soft brown heads, in between their ears, and they squeaked in surprise. Their small paws lashed out at their "attacker", only to find it was too high for them to reach. But their attention spans wavered, and soon they forgot about the icicle drippings and rolled out to feast their eyes upon a budding new season.

"Don't go too far," mother warned, growling her displeasure if they disobeyed her. Soon she saw the young cubs wrestling with one another on a patch of fresh grass, almost as tall as they were on all four paws. The shaggy brown female watched them, humor glittering in her eyes as her entire form emerged from the den, sunlight kissing every last inch of her hulking form. Being a mother, however, instinct drove her to the limits of overprotecting her brood, being ever watchful and straining herself to listen for any potential danger. She would make the cubs stay close to her, for as long as she could, and though they were never threatened by attackers, the mother would gladly spare her life for theirs. She waddled forward, the muscles in her tight form responding, pushing forward to see yet another spring.

A mere call and her cubs were at her side, still anxious to run about and see, taste, smell, play, and touch everything. The mother grizzly's destination was the river, however, finding that their appetite could be satiated there. Her form parted the tall grasses and thick bushes for her cubs, occasionally having to nudge their fuzzy bums forward when they stopped to look at a bug, or a flower with bright and appealing colors. Once did she stop with them, to pluck sweet red berries from bushes, which grew plentiful this time of the year. The female smiled when her cubs had red stains on their paws and muzzles, enjoying the little juicy wonder, and she bent down to lick both of them clean.

The spot she picked for their den was isolated, and quiet, just like the grizzly bear wanted for her young. In her lifetime she had come across various creatures, specifically wolves, watching from a distance as they walked on either four legs or two. Her own mother told her to be careful of the ones on two legs, for they had the capability to stand up against a bear in smaller numbers than when they walked on four legs. A couple times, the tremendous beast had to stand on her own two legs, to make herself look threatening, baring large fangs and massive paws. Though oftentimes, her rounded ears heard the wolf kind speak, in a language that she understood. It never meant anything to her, though, if anything it only helped walk farther away from them.

But bears and wolves lived side by side, choosing to only acknowledge each other and move on. Nature did not intend for the two species to become friendly, and now the grizzly bear found the wolves an even bigger threat with two rambunctious cubs at her feet. The mother let her thoughts pass by, shaking her head as she ambled on, her cubs trailing beside her, nearly jogging to have to keep up. What a ridiculous thought, bears and wolves communicating and living together. It was impossible.

Several budding stems were parted by her hulking figure, as the trio rounded the bend towards the river. It was close, she could both see and smell it, beckoning them to the fresh flowing waters. Shadows played on their shades of fur, creating a series of mottled hues as they walked along the plains. Malachite laced eyes scanned the area was she waddled along, the cubs playfully tugging at one another's short ears, which, for the time being, looked like it belonged on their heads. The mother knew she wouldn't see them grow to their fullest, for they'd be gone from her ever watchful eye come the following year. Another 'Hnnng' was aimed in the cubs' directions, and they straightened up much to their dismay.

They reached the river as expected, and the grizzly female's eyes looked into the widened ones of her young. Ice still caked the sides of the river, but the crystal clear, blue water burst forth with might, flowing freely over rocks, fallen logs, and tall grasses that sprouted from beneath. With water came the stream of salmon, which the large female knew would be further downstream. She wasn't ready to hunt, however, as she carefully led her cubs to the edge of the water. Massive head bent down, and her salmon pink tongue lapped at the cool water at the edge, watching carefully as the cubs mimicked her motions. They were satiated rather quickly, though, unlike their mother's more hulking form.

As she drank her fill, the dark brown female edged closer to the bank and pawed at the moving water, seeing shadows of what looked like a fish. The soft earth under the cub's feet, though, gave way and crumbled, sliding the cub into the river. As the little dark bear called out in distress, mother's cream colored muzzle lashed out just as quickly, grabbing the scruff of the cub just as her small back feet hit the water. The grizzly mother bear's heart froze, as she pulled the soaked cub far from the bank, her light colored brother following suit. Instantly the mother's mind was pulled back in time, remembering when she, too, slipped in the river when she was little.

Her heart pounded in her massive chest, but it also drummed in her ears, as she barked a warning to the young female. The cub winced, ears low, its lower body damp from the river waters. She pressed her small, dark body to the earth, expressing her forgiveness. As protective and demanding as their mother was, though, she was kind and loving, and quickly she lowered her muzzle for the young cub to lick. The male cub did the very same, before lunging himself at his sister, wanting to play.

Lifting her head up, the grizzly bear turned back towards the river momentarily, watching as the waters flowed from right to left. For a moment the mother bear wondered what would have happened to her had she been swept in the river's currents when she was little, had her mother not been able to grab her. Would she have survived? How far would the waters take her, if she didn't drown? Would someone have found her? These thoughts suddenly lay heavy on her mind, but she blinked back into focus when, across the river, bushes rustled.

A wolf on two legs, a Luperci as they were called, emerged to the river bank, stopping down to take a drink. They dipped their claws into the water, cupping it in their palms and lifting it to their lips. They drank greedily, almost, before she noticed the bear across the way. The two locked eyes for a moment, the flowing river separating the two, but this was the closest mother bear ever got to one of them. They seemed to stare at one another for the longest time, two creatures who would never.. could never.. see eye to eye. Though they may have shared the same lands, they lived separate lives, and though they called each other enemies, here at the river it was as if a certain understanding was met.

The cubs came waddling up to their mother again, and stared with surprise at the wolf across the way. They knew it was a wolf, as their mother described them, but never have they seen one with their own eyes. How innocent their minds were, simply staring in curiosity and wonder, while the two larger creatures looked at one another indignantly. Suddenly, the lighter colored cub called out to the wolf across the river, and instantly the mother huffed through her ebony nose at her young. He quieted down, but as her own large head lifted up to stare at the Luperci, something of a smile adorned her features, indicating she understood.

Mother grizzly looked on in wonderment, and a fleeting thought passed by her. 'No, she couldn't have understood us..' she thought. She willed the lingering moment away, and turned her body back towards the way they came, ushering her cubs into the thick bushes before them. They bounded off, their attention suddenly directed at something else, and their large mother lagged behind. She swung her head to look over her shoulder again, at the wolf across the lake, who slowly got up and went their way back into the forest. The wolf, too, looked back at the grizzly bear, two worlds connecting through their glance. Two beings who would never know of one another, separated by the long, flowing river.

For just a moment the large mother wondered, as she ambled back into the shadowy forest after her young, what would have happened if their two worlds were not divided by the large expanse of water.

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