...And We Will Have Snow

Chapter 3-3: Xayna

The girl Xayna, whose father Ghandl is the shaman and story-teller of her tribe, is walking in the forest, dreaming of the day when she will go on her own spirit-quest. She is cautiously following a black bear and her cubs, hoping that having found their trail may be a sign that will reveal her totem, her spirit-self or spirit-familiar. After a period of seemingly aimless foraging, the bears are drawn to the shore where the barking of sea lions can be heard. Xayna knows these bears would not normally hunt sea lions. Even though mature black bears are massive, northern sea lions are equally massive, some even more so. But bears are opportunistic hunters, and with four hungry half-grown cubs the mother bear is interested.

The mother's approach to the beach is cautious, but when she sees from the trees that a number of young sea lion pups have ventured quite far from the water, she charges in and swats one dead. The cubs quickly rush to join her, but have more of a chase because all of the sea lions are now alert and heading for the water. But for some of the pups the race is already lost, for on land they are no match for the cubs in speed, and the young bears happily begin what could quickly turn into a terrible slaughter.

Xayna is distressed by what she sees, and is ready to risk trying to drive off the cubs herself, when she notices one young sea lion that is not hurrying to the sea, but is trying its best to reach the pups, clearly intent on defending them. Its progress is painfully slow in spite of its obvious haste, and Xayna is now torn between worry that it won't arrive in time to save the pups, and worry that when it does arrive it too will be torn apart by the bears.

Then she experiences something that can only be a dream, as the black shape of the sea lion shifts into the bulk of a great white bear, rising on its hind legs and loosing a tremendous roar of outrage. The black bear cubs are stunned, their attention completely diverted from the sea lion cubs by this vision. They abandon their kill and hurry to hide behind their mother, now reared tall herself and staring at the apparition on the beach.

As the last of the endangered pups heads toward the water, the white bear relaxes its combative stance, and quietly stands guard until all of them are safely out to sea. It then steps around the two dead pups the bear cubs abandoned, signaling to the mother that these are not for her. She stands for a long moment looking back at him, and then finally drops her head in assent and turns to lead her cubs back into the forest, carrying her own kill, which she will share.

Xayna, who has been drawn several steps onto the beach herself in her distress over the scene playing out before her eyes, stands motionless, still watching. The great white bear turns toward her and takes a step forward. But Xayna's dream continues, for in that step the bear becomes a man, a tall young man with dusky skin and shaggy hair, dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt with a logo on the front that seems to represent a big balloon.

As he approaches her he smiles, his teeth gleam white, and Xayna is folded deeper into the dream. His obvious lack of fear embraces her. She smiles back at him and says, "You are my Spirit Bear."

He stops, and his eyes are warm upon her as he replies, "I suppose I am."