Travelers Book 1: Finding Spirits

Inspired by the Seekers series by Erin Hunter  

Travelers  

Book 1  

Finding Spirits

Chapter 1  

Serrian

If there is one thing Serrian knows it's that she doesn't belong here. In a zoo, that wasn't the life for a polar bear. Her mother, Aself, and her father, Koshepa, were born in the wild. On the ice, that's where she should be. But her mom and pa were captured by the people, sent to live eternity in a zoo. That's not what Serrian wanted. She wanted the wild. Forever she'd been told about it by her pa and older sister, Maryan. But she didn't want stories she wanted to see it for herself. Because of her frustration she was mean to every other bear. No one would come near her because if they did she would snap at them. She had no friends, only her mom would be around her, but just to teach her to survive. I'd be good in the wild, thought Serrian, There would be no one to miss.  

That night the young white bear slept all by herself, again. Serrian had the most wonderful dream; she was in the wild, running free. But there's someone with me, thought Serrian, bears, one black, and one brown. That's impossible... but it's just a dream.  

She woke to the sound of Maryan wrestling with the male cub, Josle, her future mate. It was perfect; they liked each other very much. Aself said Serrian was to be with a male one day older than her, Hadith. She absolutely despised him. One day her mother had said, "He's perfect for you! You're both stubborn!" That was the day Serrian had refused to go eat with him, so had he. Though she hated him, he settled for her, and every morning he would come say hello...  

"Good morning Serrian," said Hadith, "How was your sleep alone again?"  

"Back off Hadith," growled Serrian, "I don't need you this morning!"  

"What still trying to escape to the wild?" he scoffed, "You know you are never getting out of this ditch."  

"I will!" barked Serrian, "I'll escape today if you want me to! I'm just waiting for the right time." Hadith looked at her with big curious eyes. He always did this; he seemed very interested in what she was planning.  

"What are you going to do when you get out?" he asked lying down.  

She growled, "I'm going to the ice of course, where else would a polar bear go?"  

"How are you going to find it?"  

"I'll use my nose, as all bears do."  

"But your nose isn't trained for the ice," said Hadith, Serrian could see the worry in his eyes, "What if you can't find it?"  

"I'll find it," Serrian boasted, standing up, "My father and mother have both grown up in the wild; I have ice in my blood!"  

"I guess you're right," he said as he walked away. Hadith was born here just as his parents and grandparents were, maybe that's why he doesn't want to escape like Serrian does.  

Serrian trotted down to where the people started to feed them. They gave them salmon, different types of meat, and some sort of berry. It was delicious, when she finished she thought of how Koshepa told her that him and mom were captured by the people because they were close to starving to death. She wondered what it would be like to not have a full feeling in her belly every day. But none of that mattered she knew she belongs in the wild. She couldn't back away from her dream because she might get hungrier than usual.  

After eating she went to lie back down again, just to think. How will I get out of here? It will be almost impossible with all the people around us. Then she remembered, there was once a bear, when she was just a cub, Josline. She was born her, just like her. Josline was so strong that the people actually released her in the wild; maybe Serrian could prove herself to the people and also be released. I t was worth a try.  

For the next week Serrian ran circles around the enclosure. She gained a lot of muscle, and she ate less to prove she could survive in the wild without much food.  

After that week Serrian couldn't get up from her sleep. She cried out in pain from her sleeping place. Aself rushed over to her.  

"Serrian," she called, "Serrian what is wrong my child?" Serrian didn't respond, she couldn't.  

The people rushed in from the back of the enclosure. Where did they come from, she wondered. The people gathered around her. One person had a sharp, shiny thing. He stabbed her with it, Serrian cried out to Aself. "Mother! Mother!" Soon she had completely lost vision and all the sounds around her had disappeared. What happened? She wondered.  

When she awoke she was in a puny enclosure with metal bars all around it. When Serrian looked around she realized she was in a building. What was happening?