Ch.1

Nahli groaned irritably to herself as she trudged through the Alaskan forest. Five hours had passed since she wandered off into the wilderness by herself, getting further and further away from her village with every step she took. The 16-year old Inuit girl scolded herself for ignoring her parents' wise words of not venturing into unknown territory alone. Nahli hated to be tied down to the small village though. Her strong love for nature and enticing sense of adventure drove her to wake up early at the crack of dawn and quietly sneak out of her hut, leaving behind her family of four who were sound asleep- her father, mother, older brother Noukah, and younger brother Kion.

"Ugh, why don't I ever listen!" Nahli muttered regretfully to herself as she continued walking through the forest, all the while hearing grumbling sounds from her hungry stomach. By now, her family was probably enjoying the scrumptious home-cooked meal of Muktuk that her mother was well-known for cooking in the village. Or maybe they were too worried to eat as they were searching for their missing daughter...

A sickening sensation suddenly spread throughout Nahli's stomach at the thought of her family being in a worried state just because of her own stubbornness of not obeying her parents. She lifted her head and looked up into the grand quaking aspen trees that surrounded her, trying to take her mind off of the bothersome thoughts. Nahli sighed peacefully as she breathed in the crisp fall air. As the chilly wind blew through her long black hair, the Inuit girl knew that this season would soon be replaced by winter which was right around the corner.

Out here was truly a world of beauty. Red, yellow, and orange colors glistened throughout the forest as the Alaskan sun hit the swaying leaves on the top of the trees and shined on the ice caps of the distant mountains. Nahli smiled as a small snowshoe hare darted across the path in front of her. The cheerful sounds of birds chirping in the air and the distant mews of caribou seemed to help calm the teenager's growing anxiety of being lost.

Kenai awoke from his slumber with a start. The young adult bear had been dreaming about his past life as a human. Scenes of running through the village with his older brothers, Sitka and Denahi, flashed through his mind the previous night. The echoes of their laughter in the dream seemed so real that it jolted Kenai out of his sleep. Expecting to be in his village playing with his brothers at that present moment, Kenai's tired eyes fluttered open.

He perked up his furry ears and looked around excitedly calling, "Denahi! Sitka?" But his heart immediately sank as he realized that he was in fact not in his village. He was lying down in a dark cave that served as his home for the past year of his new life as a grizzly bear. Kenai was quite disappointed that his mind tricked him to actually think that he was among his brothers in the village, living a happy-go-lucky life as a mischievous young man once again.

The bear's saddened amber eyes looked down at the chocolate brown cub curled up beside him. It was none other than Koda sleeping peacefully, his head buried into Kenai's cinnamon-brown belly fur. A small smile spread across the bear's muzzle as he looked lovingly upon his little brother. It was not that Kenai no longer desired to live a life as a bear. He was happy that he made the noble decision of staying with Koda as his brother, protector, and friend.

After committing the personally unforgivable act of killing the bear cub's mother a year ago, Kenai felt that it was his duty to care for Koda and display a strong brotherly love that would help fill the void of a mother bear's affection that the cub had been missing for quite some time. A mixture of emotions struck Kenai as a feeling of remorse returned to him once again. Ever since the day that Kenai confessed to Koda the truth about what he'd done to his mother, great sadness would often fill his heart as his mind replayed the horror that was written all over the cub's tearful face.

Looking away from Koda, Kenai sighed deeply as he glanced down at his totem hanging from his neck that was slightly buried in the thick fur of his mane. His deceased brother, Sitka, had always reminded Kenai in the past to follow his totem, and it wasn't until Kenai became a bear that he actually realized the true meaning of what his eldest brother told him. A flood of memories filled the young adult bear's mind, and he couldn't help the tears that now unexpectedly welled up in his eyes. Kenai really missed his brothers. He especially missed seeing Denahi who was the only living human brother left.

When Kenai made the choice of remaining a grizzly bear, Denahi had promised him that no matter what form he took, Kenai would always be his little brother. Denahi also promised that he would visit Kenai as often as he could. But with the new duties of becoming an apprentice of the chief in their Inuit tribe, Denahi eventually ceased visiting Kenai. He never has time for me anymore, Kenai thought gloomily to himself. After not seeing each other for a whole year, Kenai worried that his own brother would no longer understand him as the barrier between bear and man gradually grew them apart. Kenai realized that his chances of hanging out with Denahi were slim to none now, and he began to reluctantly accept the fact that Denahi was not a part of his life anymore.

Even though he couldn't see his brother, the adolescent bear yearned to be in contact with another human- anyone who would remind him of his previous village home. I just need to relieve my mind right now, Kenai thought. All this deep pondering about his past life, brothers, and his present life as a bear were weighing down on him and made him feel rather depressed.

Kenai sniffed and wiped the falling tears from his eyes with his large paws. With a gentle lick on sleeping Koda's forehead, Kenai wearily arose to his paws, being careful not to wake the deeply slumbering cub. He then walked out the entrance of his cave and entered the glistening light of the bright afternoon sun outside.