役に立たないクマ (The unhelpful bear)

    役に立たないクマ

   (The unhelpful bear)

The mother bear peacefully walked along the ancient cobblestone path laid long before her massive paws touched the stone. All the bears in the misty forest knew from legends that the road had been there since the dawn of time. It without fail led to the most abundant food source, a hidden river with plenty of Salmon rushing upstream. No one aside from the bears knew about its existence, though the clever wolves and foxes did wonder why they always followed the same narrow and foggy path come Springtime. But no animal could challenge a mighty bear for they were the top predator in this little forest, known far and wide as the rulers. 

Aina, the mother bear continued down the path now overrun with overgrown vegetation and towering trees, blocking any sunlight from entering the passage. The forest was most often raining, its abundant foliage heavy with chilly water and the ground slippery with all the mud. Her two newest sons, Riku and Mo struggled to navigate the path. Its horizon was covered in a deep fog, confusing the newcomers. But Aina knew the way well, taught by her own mother when she was an innocent and curious cub. 

“Mother!” Mo shouted with a quiver to his voice, “I can’t see!”

Aina backtracked to see Mo, trying to climb over a fallen tree too big for his small size. She climbed atop the tree with ease, she huffed at the ticklish feeling of herds of ants climbing around her fuzzy paw. Aina shaked them off with a kick and made it over the tree to see Mo who looked relieved to see her. 

“Mo.” She said softly, “Don’t give up after such a short time. You can surely make it over the tree.”

“I kept trying but I just couldn't do it!”

Aina cooed at his prominent pout but also hated seeing him so dejected and scared. She reluctantly picked him up by the nape of his neck and carried him over the fallen tree. She could only assume that Mo’s deep brown eyes were glowing with wonder seeing so much of nature. He’d been scared to first venture out into the wild but nevertheless, his youthful curiosity fueled him and made him giddy seeing new things. 

Aina gently set him down and looked around for her rambunctious son, Riku who was oddly quiet. Normally he’d been tumbling down hills with joy despite the protests of his brother, still just a little nervous about leaving his mothers side. 

“Riku!” Aina called but to no avail. The forest's wildlife was deadly quiet today, only the sound of the heavy downpour prominent. 

A rustle came from the bushes to the West and Aina protectively shielded Mo behind her. He stayed behind her silently, feeling his mothers tension about the unknown sound. 

A paw like hers came from the bush and Aina assumed the worst of an angry male hunting for her cubs but thankfully that didn’t happen. Instead, a young cub came from the bushes with a large branch of berries in his mouth. Riku stood tall and proud at his find. He shook the branch to emphasize his catch to his mother who was less than thrilled. 

“Riku! Drop that right now!” 

He sulked but eventually listened to his mothers stern words, “Why? I thought this could be an afternoon snack!”

“Those are Yew berries. They’re poisonous to us!” 

Riku flinched away from the branch like it was a feisty snake. Aina heard a faint chuckle from Mo who came around her to tease his brother but she wasn’t pleased. “Riku, I’ve shown you before the berries we can eat. Never touch those again, okay?”

“C'mon! They all look the same. It couldn’t have been that bad.”

Aina huffed, “The future of our rule in this forest is on the line. I won’t accept any of my cubs dying too soon, you both still have much to do in your life.”

Mo sensed the disappointment and frustration from his mother. He never got into the trouble Riku did but they were brothers, and they were responsible for reigning each other in since mother is so busy protecting him. But Riku shrugged off her concerns. 

“Follow me.” Aina said softly, “The destination’s not far away.”

“Where are we going, mother?” Riku questioned. 

“I told you it's a surprise. Where’s the fun if I spoil it?”

Riku sighed and looked away from the horizon and into the denser foliage. It’d be easy for a bear, even the largest male to get lost in there and Riku could easily slip away and hunt something for his mother. While lucky and abundant in berries, she’d been lackluster in recent days in her hunting. She claimed it was to save up for the feast after the path but Riku couldn’t help but wonder if the reason was more serious. 

They continued the journey in silence until they approached the destination. Aina pushed the bushes away with her snout and revealed a paradise. Bears surrounded a loud and racing river where Salmon leapt from the water into the bears awaiting mouths. Mo gasped in awe at the unity on display for normally bears were solitary, even if you wanted to form a friendship with them. Other times, especially in regards to males, they were downright deadly even if you were the same animal at heart.

“This is our secret place. No wolves, no coyotes and not even the eagles have found it. Best of all? There’s no adult males. You’ll both be safe.”

The area was quite large with abundant space along the river to rest against some logs. The bears were mostly focused on the feast but others talked to one another while waiting for the fresh and fatty Salmon. Aina made her way toward an empty space where Mo followed along eagerly. She gracefully nodded with a soft huff to other mother bears with inexperienced but learning cubs by their side, trying to imitate mothers style of catching fish. 

Mo stood side by side with Aina as they looked toward the horizon. The river narrowed significantly the deeper it went into the forest, shrouded by trees and fog. 

“Look at that, Mo. The forest gives us food and life.”

“But I can’t come here one day?” Mo asked with sadness.

“There are other rivers where Salmon flow and fly. But this is a sanctuary, only for the mothers and their cubs. You’ll only come here once but this one experience will teach you so much.” 

“I hope Riku learns as well. He’s not the best at finding food funny enough.” Mo joked. 

Aina chuckled, thinking fondly of her energetic but clumsy son. He was always trying to impress her but more often than not, he brought poisonous berries or rotting meat to the den. Nothing appetizing but it was the thought that counted, his desire to provide and help his family was lovable. 

Aina turned to her left, expecting to find Riku also looking at the river in awe but he was nowhere to be seen. She nervously looked all around the area but no sign of Riku, not even along the shore where some cubs were resting. Mo glanced at his worried mother and quickly caught on to her concern.

“Riku!” She desperately cried, altering other mother bears of her situation. 

“Aina?” Suzu, a mother bear who came every Spring approached Aina with hesitation, “Is Riku a missing cub?”

“Yes!” Aina answered hastily, “I don’t know where he is. But I have a feeling.”

Without more explanation, Aina hurriedly took off into the misty forest, leaving Mo with the others knowing they wouldn’t harm him. She sprinted faster than she ever had before, only tragic thoughts of his demise running through her head. 

The foliage was thick, soaring and suffocating. She felt blind within the foliage, the only thing she could see was endless green. 

Aina sniffed around for his scent and picked up something close. She took in a deep breath of relief, knowing he was at least nearby. But something else was on her radar. The scent of multiple wolves, not as many as some packs but enough to make her wonder what they were after. 

With that question in mind, she raced toward Riku’s frightened scent. She came upon a small open patch where Riku was pushed against a tree stump. He tried to climb but two white and gray wolves below tugged on his legs which pulled him down while another wolf circled the scene. With a fury unmatched by another, she roared loud enough to shake the Earth. The wolves froze in place and looked to the mother bear on her hind legs, absolutely towering over them. 

Riku gasped seeing her so powerful. He knew mother was successful, on her fourth litter of cubs and a hardened warrior with scars along her back. But seeing his wise and gentle mother be such a powerful force of nature was fascinating. 

Aina thunderously charged toward the two wolves by Riku who immediately had their jaws go slack on his legs and run away. The third wolf was left behind, trying to look mighty but on their own, they were no match compared to a mother bear.

“Leave!” Aina growled, “Now.”

The wolf took the deadly threat and scampered off into the forest in shame. Aina raced over to Riku who was shaking like a leaf. 

“Riku! Why did you leave my sight?” Aina said with sorrow, “What if I hadn't come? You could've been killed!”

Riku stepped to the side and revealed something behind him. Aina leaned in closer to investigate the sight. It was a tiny mouse, ripped to shreds. It was a fresh kill, not some old rotten corpse. Though the mouse was tiny, hardly enough to feed even a weasel, a strong feeling of pride surged through Aina’s chest. This was his first kill and no matter how big or small, this was a triumphant occasion.

“I thought you might be hungry, mother. You haven’t eaten any meat the last few days and I didn’t know why. I just wanted to help.”

Aina’s heart went soft at his kind and thoughtful words, never being more proud of her curious, adventurous and clumsy son. She moved in toward the mouse and easily ate it with a single bite. It did taste good, though it was hardly a substantial meal. Riku smiled seeing her enjoy his first kill. It’d been an arduous journey trying to find something that his mother would enjoy eating. He wanted to take the burden of hunting and foraging off her shoulders but to no avail. But finally, only this foggy and rainy afternoon, he had made her proud. 

“Congratulations, Riku. After trying many times to do the right thing with your pure intentions but always doing it wrong, you finally succeeded. But tell me, I think you did it again.”

“Did what?” Riku pouted. 

“Arigata meiwaku.” Aina said with a chuckle, “Now, you’ve led us so far into the forest even I can't remember how to find the river again.”

“But I gave you a mouse!” Riku argued, “And arigata meiwaku? What does that even mean?”

“I’ll tell you one day. Just promise me this. No more doing me any favors. I’m fine on my own to take care of you both. Truly I am.”

“But I can help you find another way to the river. I can climb a tree for you and scout ahead.” 

While Aina thought it would be funny to watch him try, she had tired herself today from all the adrenaline. She nudged him with her snout and nuzzled against him. He leaned into the affection, feeling though he put them in a difficult situation, his mother was proud of his first kill and loved him no matter what.

“Just don’t do any more favors today.”