-Chapter One-

Running, running, running

I have to get away

Can't stop, won't stop

Have to keep running

Laughter, Screams, Cries

Doesn't really matter what sounds are made

All it matters is that I run

Run, Run, Run

Run, Run...

RUN!


Ice bear opened his eyes slowly, waking up from the strange dream. He got out of the fridge and looked up at the clock. It was 4:00 in the morning. Groaning irritably, Ice Bear forced himself to get up, his aching bones cracking a little as well. Not in the mood for sleep, he started walking around the cave, looking for anything he could do to pass the time. His brothers were surely asleep, it was, after all, very early. Ice bear always woke up early. Sighing, Ice bear walked out the door, knowing that he had to occupy his time somehow.

Once he was outside, Ice bear looked up at the sky. He allowed a tiny smile to reach his face. The sky was littered with stars tonight. Even though the Bears lived near a large city, they still lived in a pretty secluded part of the woods, allowing them to see some very beautiful stars in the night sky, in all of their glory. The other bears didn't know this, since Ice was pretty good at hiding his emotions, but sometimes, when Ice bear was by himself, seeing all of those pretty stars twinkling in the sky... Sometimes he wished he could fly. Fly high enough to touch one of those stars. Feel the wind blowing against his fur.

" Freedom," Ice thought. Don't get the wrong idea. Ice, though he never said it out loud, loved his brothers very much and was really happy with his life. However, with every perk comes a price. Ice occasionally felt lonely, like he was missing something. He felt very empty inside. Then again, Ice had never actually looked towards his older brothers for support or strength, relying only on himself to carry his own problems. Maybe that's why he felt so empty, Ice sometimes thought. But, as fast as the idea came to his head, Ice immediately pushed it away.

Ice bear didn't want to burden his brothers with his own problems. Ice believed that, if he was strong, he could deal with it on his own, like always. No need to tell his brothers, they wouldn't understand Ice anyway. Ice bear felt the emptiness return once again as he continued to gaze up at the stars, perfectly content with the solitude. This has become a regular thing for Ice bear. The nightmares, along with this unusual stargazing routine. Not that Ice was particularly scared of his nightmares, it just... unsettled him a little.

After a few more hours of stargazing, even dozing off for one of those hours, Ice got up and started to walk back to the cave. " Time to get the day started," he thought wearily. *Snap* Ice turned around, hearing a twig break. Ice stared into the woods cautiously. He could have sworn that he saw a flash of light blue, before it went away, and left the dark colors of the forest. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, his sleepiness replaced by awareness. But as the seconds turned into minutes, Ice continued his way into the cave, still on the alert.

When Ice entered, he allowed himself to relax. " Probably just a squirrel or some large rodent," Ice reasoned with himself, but he still couldn't shake the uneasiness he felt in the pit of his stomach, and Ice bear was never wrong about these things. " Well, whatever it was, Ice bear will always protect his brothers. No one will ever hurt his family while Ice is around." What Ice didn't count on, was that his brothers weren't the ones that needed protecting this time.

As Ice continued his preparation for breakfast, he failed to notice a pair of glowing sapphire blue eyes staring at him through the window.


The creature stayed completely quiet as it saw the polar bear slowly make his way into the cave. When it was sure the bear was inside, the creature got out of its hiding place and smirked. " He's much more perspective than his older brothers," the creature mused in its head. The creature was, since there was no better words to put it, an it. It wasn't a girl or a boy, animal or human. It could be anything it ever wanted to be, and no one would ever notice it existed. That's what the creature wanted.

So why would a creature such as this one would have an interest in the Bears? The creature has asked itself the same question over and over again. It happened accidentally.

-Flashback-

The creature made another kill, a human boy, for food. Reports have gone out through San Francisco, all about missing children, adults, women, men, anyone you could think of. None of them were related. Yet, all were found in a similar fashion: torn up, stomachs ripped open, limbs spread apart from their bodies. " Another crazy serial killer" or " just some wild animal" was the excuse people said to calm their fears.

The creature made sure to be careful with this particular kill. It was a young boy of the age of 12. Black hair, hazel eyes, kind of pudgy, short, and he just happened to be the son of a very important celebrity. Just when the creature was about to dine, it heard voices coming from the east of him. "Hey Grizz? Are you sure you're not lost?" one voice asked. It had an insecure tone to it. The body that was attached to that voice must be an awkward individual. "Sure I know where we're going, lil bro! We're... umm, well?" this voice was older sounding. It was more gruff, loud, and obnoxious.

The creature felt itself turn its attention back to its feast, not caring about who or what the voices were. Then, the shuffling grew louder and louder. Knowing that it would get caught if it didn't act fast enough, the creature hid its kill and transformed into a bird. It decided to wait and see who were the bodies connected to the voices were. Who knows? If they looked delicious enough, maybe he could have an even larger feast.

Licking its lips, or in this case beak at the idea, the creature turned its attention back towards the ground. What appeared through the bushes were two bears, a panda and a grizzly. They appeared to be looking for someone, since they started calling " Brother" or " Little Bro". " So there's a third individual with them," It thought, feeling a grin grow on its face. The creature looked around the perimeter, trying to spot what, the creature guessed, the third bear looked like. It frowned, not spotting the bear anywhere. Suddenly, it heard bushes shuffling around, and the simultaneous calls of "Brother" reached its ears. The creature snapped its head back down and saw a young polar bear.

The bear was both leaner and taller than the two other bears. " So, I guess he's the youngest," the creature thought. There was something about this bear that the creature found... interesting. The creature felt attracted to the polar bear, and for once in its life, it didn't feel all that hungry anymore. " Ice bear needed to find his ax," a voice stated. The creature realized that it was the young polar bear talking. His voice was interesting to say the least. It was monotone, it was dull, but it was also smooth, calm, quiet... soothing almost. " So, the bear's name is Ice... just like his voice," the creature mused in its head. Smirking slightly, the creature decided to let the Bears live... just because Ice's voice wasn't annoying like his two older brothers.

-End of Flashback-

Since that day, the creature spied on the Bears frequently, or more precisely, it spied on Ice bear more frequently. The creature felt a growing obsession for the bear as the days rolled on. It learned that the bear was bilingual, and that he loved dancing, cooking, and martial arts. Oh, how that bear was full of surprises. The creature even watched Ice sleep one time. The creature had to be quiet when sneaking into the very large fridge. It was only once though. Since the polar bear slept in a fridge, he was kind of hard to spy on. Even so, that was the only time it saw Ice look so... vulnerable, cute. He actually looked like the youngest bear. And what made Ice look even more adorable, was that on that particular night, he was having another nightmare.

The creature thought Ice was absolutely adorable when he was having a nightmare. Ice's face would scrunch up cutely and he would start making whimpering sounds in his sleep. But then, the bear started thrashing violently, and his face scrunched up even more. The creature felt a pang of surprise when it saw the young bear looking so pained. Hesitantly, the creature allowed its spidery long hand to reach out and pet Ice bear's fur. It was soft and plush, unlike the stoic bear the creature came to know. It buried its hands deeper into his fur, lost in thought, while the bear stopped thrashing and fell into a deeper sleep.

The creature stayed like this for a while, even lifting the bear's head on to its lap to continue petting him. The creature, not liking the idea of being shorter than Ice for some reason, took the form of a really tall and thin woman (in order to fit inside of the fridge) in her late thirties. The creature felt a genuine smile reach its lips as it saw the bear smile happily in his sleep. It was a small smile, but it was a adorable nonetheless. Finally, opening the fridge door to let itself out, the creature saw the sun slowly starting to ascend into the air, queuing the creature that it was time to go.

Once outside and into the safety of the woods, the creature looked back and saw the bear get up and continue his day. Cleaning, cooking, and taking care of his brothers. Sometimes the creature couldn't believe that Ice was the youngest brother.

As the minutes turned into hours, the creature continued to spy on the bear, pondering why? Why was it so drawn to one bear? Why? An idea went through the creature's head. Ice was usually by himself, alone. It would be easy to eat him. The creature shook its head at the thought, it didn't feel hungry when it thought about Ice. It wanted Ice for... companionship, it guessed. Someone to talk to. Someone it could feel comfortable with.

Besides, Ice could fight, cook, and speak multiple languages. He could also be a valuable asset for its... Plans. But knowing Ice bear, he could be painfully stubborn. He needed some... persuasion. The creature chuckled a little as it continued walking through the woods.

The creature knew that Ice desired freedom, so... Why not simply "free" Ice bear from the nuisances he called " brothers." The creature started to scheme, planning on how to trap Ice bear. After all, these types of plans needed patience. It might take a few days to make everything perfect; flawless.

Yet, the creature couldn't wait to begin.


-Five days later-

*knock* *knock* " Who's knocking?" Grizz pondered out loud. It was late at night, 8:00 to be exact, and it wasn't like the Bears got any visitors anyway, other than Chloe and Charlie. All the Bears were just done with their dinner, so the two other bears heard the knocking as well.

" Maybe it's Chloe, sometimes she visits late," Panda said, not taking his eyes off of his phone while Ice bear cleared their plates. " Yeah, but doesn't she usually call?" Grizz asked. Panda paused in his texting and looked up at Grizz. " ... Well, yeah, but who else would visit us. Charlie never knocks, he just breaks in through the windows," " Should we answer it?" " Grizz, what if it's someone dangerous?" " Ice bear says we should just leave it alone." After a few minutes of arguing, the bears were once again interrupted by more knocking, the knocking being more frantic this time.

" Okay, okay. I'll open the door. If it's someone bad... then Panda, karate chop them," Grizz said, " Wait, WHAT!?" Panda exclaimed. Before the two younger brothers could protest, Grizz already made his way towards the door and opened it slightly, just enough to see who was outside. It was a young man in his late 20's, about Grizz's age. He had blond hair with purple and red dye on his bangs. He was pretty tall for a person, being about 6'4. He was pretty normal looking, only wearing a brown hoodie, a pair of faded jeans, and green sneakers. However, the man looked worried, afraid even.

Grizz tentatively widened the already opened door to asked," Umm, can I help you, sir?" " Yes, can I stay here for the night? I'm lost and it's about to rain." " Sir, your a stranger, and I don't know you. Besides, there's nothing to worry about, it's not gonna-" Just as Grizz was about to the man that it wasn't going to rain, it immediately started raining. Grizz looked up at the sky in confusion. " That's weird, the sky was clear a few moments ago," he thought. Grizz turned back to the man and sighed. The man started shivering in the rain, sniffling a little. Grizz, seeing such a miserable look on the man's face, gave him a small smile and said," Come on in, sir. We have plenty of room in our cave!" The man smiled gratefully and said," Thank you." Grizz smile widened as he led the man inside of the house. " No problem, man!"


" You're gonna love my little bro's cooking, I swear that he's probably the best in the world!" " I can't wait," the man replied with a small smile on his face. Panda nervously shifted in his seat, staring at the man in front of him. The man didn't really pay any attention to Panda, since he was mostly listening to Grizz chatter on and on about him, Ice, and Grizz himself.

Panda had a bad feeling about this man and wondered if Ice and Grizz felt it too. The man, though he seemed pretty normal and calm, also seemed too normal. It was almost like the man was putting on a mask. Panda cleared his throat, and the man turned his attention on Panda. " Through all of the commotion, you never mentioned your name," Panda said, with a small polite smile.

" Oh, my name is Theodore Park, but you can call me Theo," Theo said, lifting up his hand to shake Panda's paw. " Firm grip," was what came into Panda's mind as Theo squeezed Panda's paw almost in a painful matter. Once Theo let go, Panda started rubbing his very sore paw. Now that they were inside, Panda noticed a few things about Theo. He was a pretty lengthy individual, but he wasn't a string bean. He had some muscle, note the strong grip, but he wasn't ripped. Theo looked like a normal human man.

" Well, the only thing that would be unusual about this man would be his eyes," Panda thought. It's true. The man had a very unusual pair of blue eyes. His eyes were a really dark blue, but they had really light hues of blue in the center of his eyes, making them pop out even more. " Like sapphires," Panda awed in his head. As Panda continued to silently stare at the man, he noticed that Theo sometimes shifted his gaze from Grizz to another location. Confused, Panda followed Theo's gaze and saw what he was staring at. Surprisingly, what Panda saw was just Ice cooking.

Ice was always creative when he was cooking something. Like usual, Ice held his stoic composure, but he seemed to almost glow in happiness when he was cooking, adding spices or different types of vegetables when needed. Panda felt a pang of worry when he saw Theo staring at Ice, his older brother protective instincts flaring a little. Panda knew that Ice could take care of himself just fine, but still... there was just something wrong with this picture.

" Should I tell Grizz? I mean, this is a very important topic here. I really don't think this man... Theo should stay with us," Panda thought. He continued to ponder as Ice laid down some food for Theo. It was lobster bisque. As usual, the lobster was cooked to perfection, with creamy soup base around it. " Enjoy," Ice bear said quietly. " Thank you! You know, Grizz is absolutely right! You are a wonderful cook! This looks absolutely delicious!" Theo gushed out in a sickly sweet way. Ice bear nodded stiffly as he sat down next to panda. He started to slowly scoot towards his older brother... and as far away from Theo as possible.

Theo got up, with his plate, to get some napkins and a glass of pulp free OJ... just to then sit down in a vacant seat next to Ice bear. Ice sulked a little bit in his seat, but was polite nonetheless. " Did Ice notice Theo's staring as well? Well, Ice is more perspective than me, so I guess that makes sense," Panda thought. " So, Theo, how did you get lost in the first place," Grizz asked, breaking the awkward silence.

" I was looking for a national park that was close to this forest, but then I got to a certain part to the woods that I didn't recognize. I started walking back, but then I got more lost. It was getting late, so I started looking for shelter. Then, I stumbled across your cave," Theo said. " Well, why didn't you use a phone or a GPS? If you're going hiking or walking in an unknown area, you should have one," Panda stated. " I did have a phone, but I must have lost it while I was walking."

" Well, what's important is that you now have a place to stay. What about this, we can help you find your phone tomorrow," Grizz said suggestively. " Grizz-" " You would really help me?" Theo asked, smiling widely. Grizz ignored both of his brothers and answered," Sure, why not?" Panda, along with Ice bear, sulked deeper into their seats as Theo thanked Grizz and made sure to repeatedly compliment Ice bear, saying that he made delicious food. " This'll be a long night," Panda and Ice simultaneously thought sadly.


" Grizz, I need to talk to you, it's important." After dinner, Panda decided to talk to Grizz privately. Ice bear needed to wash the dishes and Theo (unfortunately) volunteered to help, in order to pay for the meal. "What's wrong, Pan-Pan?" Grizz asked while playing his video game. Panda waited for him to finish the level, wanting Grizz's full attention. Once Grizz paused the game, he turned towards panda, waiting for him to continue.

Panda sat down and started the must needed discussion. " I'm going to cut to the point, I don't like Theo." " What? Why not?" " He not only creeps me out, but he creeps our little brother out as well." Grizz just shook his head," You two are just being paranoid. The guy seems fine in my books." Before he could start his game again, Panda interrupted him once more. " He keeps stealing glances with our brother and if that's not creepy in 'your books', then you need to update it." Grizz's facial expression suddenly turned from confusion to surprise shock. " What? He kept-" " Yes, and I'm worried Grizz! I'm worried for our brother!"

Grizz pondered for a moment, then replied," What if it was just harmless staring? I mean, you've got to admit, Bro is an awesome cook, maybe Theo was just amazed?" " I don't know Grizz, I just have a bad feeling about this guy. It seems like he's trying hard to get very buddy-buddy with our little brother. " " Okay, if you really feel that uncomfortable being around Theo, we can just try to cut ties with him after we help him find his phone. He is leaving tomorrow anyway." " What if he continues to talk to or visit us?" " We'll only help him if he needs us and that's it. No friendship, just acquaintances."

Panda groaned angrily. He honestly didn't like that answer, and Grizz knew it. " Look, we can't really do anything if he hasn't done anything bad to us. It will just be plain rude if we keep rejecting him for no reason." " Yeah, your right." " If there's anything you need, you know where I am," Grizz said. Before Panda could say anything, Grizz returned to his game. Panda sighed dejectedly before he turned around and headed towards his room. If this guy really was bad, Panda assumed that he wouldn't try anything while all of them were in the same house, even if he was with Ice.


" Is Panda right? Now that he mentioned it, the man was staring at Ice, only for a few seconds. He even moved his seat so he could sit next to him. But, that's no reason to be so jumpy." While Grizz played his game, he continued to think about Panda's words. As the eldest brother, it was only natural for him to worry for both of his brothers. He never actually had to worry about his youngest brother, since he never really needed any protection.

Ice wasn't sensitive like Panda, nor did he crave for attention like Grizz. In fact, Grizz often wondered if Ice preferred to be alone. Grizz, even though he didn't see anything wrong with Theo, trusted both of his brothers. They would have to be cautious around Theo for now on. Hopefully everything would turn out okay in the end. Hopefully.


" Do you enjoy doing chores for your brothers? I mean, I get that you're good at cooking and cleaning, but I think your brothers should appreciate you more," Theo said. Since Theo wanted to help Ice bear wash the dishes, Ice gave him the job of drying while Ice cleaned the dishes. " Ice bear likes cooking for his family. He also likes cleaning," Ice said gruffly as he continued washing the dishes.

" Not really a talkative bear, are you?" Theo asked, amusement lacing his voice. Ice bear narrowed his eyes slightly at Theo's tone, but didn't reply. " Well, that's okay. I like silence as well." " Then why are you still talking?" Ice thought irritably. They continued washing the dishes in uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable for Ice at least, since he kept feeling Theo's eyes burning into his side. " Why are you staring at Ice bear?" Ice asked. "I've never seen a polar bear up close before." " Ice bear assumes that you have seen Grizzlies and Pandas up close before."

Theo simply laughed a little. " No, it's not like that. I just think you're an interesting individual, that's all. If you don't like my staring, I could stop." " Ice bear would appreciate that." Theo simply smirked and shrugged his shoulders, irritating Ice even more. Finally, they were done with the dishes. Ice sighed in relief. He looked at the time and saw that it was already 11:00 pm.

Ice was about to enter the fridge when Theo (oh my god) interrupted him once again. " Why do you sleep in a fridge?" " Ice bear wonders why you ask so many questions." " Last time I checked, not a lot of people sleep in a fridge."

Before Ice could retort, thankfully, Grizz entered the kitchen. " Hey man. The bed's made up and everything. I can lead you to the room." Theo's smug smirk melted into a sweet smile so quickly, that Ice almost felt scared that a human could change moods that fast. " Thanks again Grizz for letting me stay." " No problem man, now come on." Grizz turned towards Ice. "Night bro." Then he left.

Theo turned towards Ice bear, his smirk back on his face. " Goodnight, Ice Bear." As Theo turned and left the room, he made one final comment. "Hope you don't have any nightmares!" When Ice was sure Theo was gone, Ice turned towards the table and sat down, sulking deeply into the chair and rubbing his temples tiredly.

For once in his life, Ice felt a twinge of fear. This guy, Theo... why was he staring at him? Why was he so... so creepy? Ice bear sighed and got up from his seat. He went inside the fridge and closed the door. " Hope you don't have any nightmares!" The way Theo said it was almost in a mocking tone. He said it in such a sickly sweet way that made Ice bear want to vomit. But, the thing that unsettled Ice the most was Theo's eyes.

" I could have sworn that I saw a familiar shade of blue when I went outside at night a couple days ago," Ice thought. Ice, however, didn't evaluate on this matter anymore, for he slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.