On the shore of a remote pond underneath the reaching branches of a weeping willow, a pile of orange and red leaves shifted. A wandering fox dug at the pile of leaves, looking for a small mouse or a vole to satisfy its stomach. It scratched against red fabric, and fastened its teeth on the unknown object and tugged. The pile of leaves shifted more, and the fabric surfaced, and with it an arm, of a child. The fox sniffed the arm for a moment, cautiously, then darted away warily when the hand twitched. For a moment, the pile shivered, then fell away completely as a young boy say up, dislodging the leaves that had covered him. He blinked his eyes slowly, and tried to focus.
The fox watched warily from a clump of bushes. The boy didn't appear to me more than 10, and seemed to be quite alone. He made no sudden movements, and didn't seem to have a weapon of any sort with him. Just when the fox had decided that this boy was not a threat, a white furred animal stirred next to the boy and sat up. Instantly the fox was on alert. It could sense something strange from the pair, and was afraid. The bear (for it was a bear) shook itself and took a few steps. Even though it was a bear, it was not much larger than the fox, and though it appeared to be a polar bear, it was nowhere near the snowy areas where a polar bear ought to be. The boy reached out his hands and gripped the polar bear's fur, and pushed himself to his feet. He picked up the animal and tottered to the edge of the pond and peered in. He stared uncertainly at his reflection and tightened his grip on the polar bear. The bear squirmed in his arms and looked into the face of the boy holding it. It hesitated for a moment, then opened its mouth. "Who are you?"
The fox turned tail and fled.
The boy stared at his reflection in the water, and brought a hand to his cheek.
"I don't know. Who am I?"