The Bear, the Wolf and the Martens

---Disclaimer: I intended to write a children story, but it lacks the hopeful tone those stories frequently carry. Also my writing style probably fails to meet the "kids" criteria. I leave it to the judgement of the reader, and won't tag it as kids---

The checkerboard was lit by the afternoon sun, tinted green by the canopy of leaves of the oak forest. The brown paw of Bear moved a piece, capturing a white piece.

-And that’s it Wolf, eh!- Bear gloated, staring at Wolf’s sorry snout -What’s the score now, 8-2?-

A low growl from Wolf is the only response -Come on, let’s get to the pond. I’m thirsty, and this game has grown stale-

-Oh don’t sulk, you just need more training- Bear replies merrily, following his serious friend.

A silent swooshing of wings grabs they attention, as they see Young Hawk approaching distressed -Wolf! Bear! We need you, there has been an attack!-

-Where?- they both call out, ready for the prowl.

Young Hawk had already taken flight -To pond, follow me!-

They both run, keeping up with the young bird high in the sky, soon arriving at the pond.

The Martens brothers were circling around Doe and Fawn, while Lady Sparrow was in a corner crying.

Wolf and Bear crashed in the clearing, announcing their arrival with two mighty roars.

Wolf crouched almost to the ground, his teeth barren and sharp.

Bear rose on his two feet, widening his arms thick as tree trunks, looking big as a mountain.

Their entrance was impressive and majestic, and the Martens quiver in fear watching the two dwellers of oak forest come to the aid of their fellow citizens.

-What are you doing here Martens. You are not welcome- Wolf growls

-Nothing, nothing- Slyly replies the brother with the gray fur -Just taking a stroll in this beautiful forest, and having a chat with our good friends-

The shrilly voice of lady Sparrow rises from the side -They destroyed my nest, and injured my husband! They were trying to eat him!-

-Just a prank, just a prank- Once again gray furred Marten replies, with his brothers giggling behind him, nodding at his words

-OUT!- Bear roars, shaking his impressive arms -You thieves are not welcome here. Don’t you ever come again!- His roar so powerful that also the trees shook, and the Marten brothers cower and whimper before running away.

The oak forest community took some time getting back to normality. The Beavers tending to Mr.Sparrow’s injuries, and everyone helping rebuild the Sparrows’ nest.

-We should chase them. Have them run so far away they can’t harm anyone- Wolf commented, walking back to his den, with Bear strolling at his side.

-Oh, you are such a sore looser, you wanted it to be you to scare them out,eh? I scared them good enough, they won’t come back- Bear replied, jolly as ever

-They might think that we are all bark and no bite my friend-

-I’m not a wolf like you, I’m Bear, it’s different. I don’t bark at all- He declared, then taking a serious turn by adding -Violence is never the answer, it’s wrong and I will never resort to it. We are big and strong, we don’t need force to protect these woods-

Wolf scoffed -The Martens Brothers don’t care about your ideas. They only know of what they have, don’t have and can have.- he takes some time -They don’t think like us. They are dangerous-

-They won’t dare attack us again. And you say what you think is right, but I know, you don’t want to do it just as much as me.-

They arrived at the den, and Wolf sat down, dropping his head on the front paws, finally resting -Probably, you’re right-.

Some time passed. Life at the oak forest had turned back to normality, and Bear was going back to his cave after an afternoon swim in the river.

Something wasn’t right, and he felt it. He arrived at his cave, wary, and there he found the Martens brothers, sneaking and rummaging in his food storage.

He roared -Away you vermin!- rising tall as a pine -This is MY stash!- and he started flailing his mighty arms.

The bandits stopped, turning their eyes at Bear in fear. Yet the gray furred one, and probably the smartest, looked at him with glinting eyes.

-No. This is our booty- a glacial calm in front of the monstrous Bear -Finders Keepers big boy-

Bear took a step forward, baring his teeth menacingly -THIS IS MINE, go away!-

-What’s the big Bear going to do now?- the Marten replied, taking a step forward himself, closely watched by his brothers -How are you going to stop us- he hissed

Once again Bear roared, and shouted, and shook his impressive body -Greedy little burglars, you are going to regret this!-

The gray furred Marten took another step forward, soon bolstering his brothers, all noticing how Bear was still not attacking

-Greed! Ah such a wonderful word, easy to say, for those who have something. For those who have nothing, there is no such thing as greed. As there is no good, nor bad. There is just survive, or perish.- he shrugs, closing in with his brothers on Bear.

Bear dropped on his four, still massive against them, yet unwilling to fight -If you need something… we can share, I have enough to spare. You don’t need to steal-

-Ahahah- The brothers laugh all together, always following the lead on the gray furred one. -Crumbs are not enough. Sharing is only for deluded fools, that lived all their life in wealth. We’ve seen enough of the real world.-

He shook his head -You are wrong, there is another way! You are just too afraid of the shadows of your past, to see any light in you future!-

-We are not afraid, we are hungry! Hungry for food, hungry for safety, hungry for your indulgent life that was robbed from us!-

The Martens’ kept pressing on to Bear. He did all he could to scare them away, but they were too blinded by their own darkness to be scared by a timid bear.

In the end, he had to run from them. Bear saw it in their eyes, they were not afraid to do what they thought they must. Even though he knew they were wrong, he failed to show them.

Now he was cut off form the rest of the oak forest, his home was in shambles, and he had lost everything.

It was not enough for the Martens brothers. After razing Bear’s cave, they moved onward to the rest of the oak forest community.

The first stop was Wolf’s den. He was lying on the ground, his head leaning on his crossed paws, eyes closed in the afternoon sun. When the Martens brothers came, he opened an eye -You’re back.-

Smug with their success with Bear the advanced -We are, and no big cuddly fur ball with you today.-

Slowly wolf rose standing on his four, his figure looking even bigger than Bear’s. -No, just me-

The grins of the Martens’ grew, while they boldly approach Wolf -So now go, run like your friend did.- a brief pause -Or you want to preach us how can we all love each other and share the pie?-

Wolf’s sad smile was a forest of fangs -I don’t share with thieves. You had your chance and you wasted it-

-WE NEVER HAD A CHANCE!- The gray furred Marten shouted -We are not the same. We were never pampered, we had to fight for scraps all our lives. It has always been “snatch it before they snatch if from you”-

-I know- Wolf’s reply was low, slowly rolling away -I used to be like you. I don’t know how many meals I had to take from my siblings’ hungry jaws, just to survive one more night. Then, I was given a choice: believe that everyone else was going to stab me in the back, or trust in the good intentions of others.- he sighed, taking some time to continue -Were Bear still here, he would probably give you a second chance. And a third, and a tenth and a millionth. But you chased him away. Now there’s only me, and I know the only language you’ll understand-

The end of Wolf sentence was dragged away by a soft gust of wind, orange and warm in the afternoon light.

Suspended in an infinite second the Martens and Wolf stared at each other. Then, that moment shattered in a thousand pieces, with the seven animals crashing into each other, snarling and barking, fighting with tooth and nail, slamming into each other in a desperate fight for the right to own something. For the right to have an home, a community. For the right to be happy.

The fight raged on, furious and ceaseless, and slowly all the animals of the oak forest came to see, that impossible duel between predators.

At the end, scarred and panting, Wolf prevailed.

The Marten brothers were fleeing away defeated. Wolf had been injured as much as his opponents and was trembling in anger and pain, but he turned victorious to the crowd of observers, howling in the ecstatic pleasure of dominance.

The people of the forest froze at the tremendous howl of Wolf, they looked at him with eyes wide open, trembling in front of his prowess.

Wolf had defended his home and his people. He looked at all of his friends: Buck, Doe, Beaver, the Sparrows… in their eyes he saw the reflection of a monster.

He won, but to do so he had abandoned all that made him part of that group, keeping only his most feral and savage side. He looked at them with infinite sadness, then he turned his back and run away.

Tinted in blood red hues by the sunset, the checkerboard where Wolf and Bear used to play every evening laid broken in half, the pieces scattered to the ground by the tornado stirred by those driven by blind selfishness.