AN: I have a special note for AvalorianJaquin and Princess Gakoshi this chapter! I'm getting prepared for the big finale musical number, and I'd like to know Soren and Rachel's Top 3 favorite Disney songs. Thanks in advance for the input!
Gabriel stood in front of Grizzly Peak, holding the keys in his hands. As the combined into one, he looked to his friends and smiled."This is the third core we're going after," he stated. "We're almost halfway there now!"
"Then let's get going," Adam said.
"Wait," Silver paused, getting everyone's attention. "Don't you think getting the keys this time was a bit too easy? What if Hex has something else planned here?"
"Or Hex just got lazy," Logan shrugged. "Come on, we can talk after we free this world!"
Silver sighed, but followed his friends as they all jumped into the portal the key created. The world warped around them, and soon Silver found himself on top of a pile of his friends in the middle of a grassy field. "Ugh, that portal trip did not agree with me," Silver groaned. "I feel like I just put on a few hundred pounds."
"Why am I always on the bottom of these!?" Logan cried, his voice muffled by everyone else on top of him.
"Uh, guys?" Rachel said. "I think that portal did something to us…"
Everyone got out of the pile and then gave surprised shouts as they realized that something had in fact changed. They had all been transformed into various animals! Gabriel was a regular raven, Logan was a snowy owl, Adam was a wolf, Rachel was a ram, Soren was a sabertoothed cat, Silver was a bear, Marian was a regular fox, Sisu was a lizard, Destiny was a mammoth, Jake was a regular mouse, Maximus was a moose, and Poe was a regular duck.
"Oh dear, I seem to have lost my clothes," Marian said sheepishly.
"I as well, Lady Marian," Poe replied. Rachel felt a weird feeling in her chest when he said that.
"What's up, losers?" Hex laughed, appearing before them.
"Hex, I have some choice words for you, after I peck you in the face," Gabriel warned.
"Like the improvements I made to all of you?" Hex taunted. "I didn't have a puzzle fully figured out here- you were ahead of the schedule on this one. So instead I modified your portal and decided to trap you here until you turn back. That gives me time to beef up security in my next two locations. Ta-ta!"
"Ugh, this sucks," Rachel groaned, shaking her head. "These horns are weighing me down."
"And we don't have access to any of our weapons either," Adam pointed out. "Not even my robot arm."
"Are we in the Ice Age world?" Logan questioned. "I mean, we have a mammoth and a sabertoothed tiger."
"No, this is too grassy for Ice Age," Soren said. "But what other movie has prehistoric animals in it- that's not dinosaur-themed at least."
Gabriel perched himself on Silver's head, pondering the question. "Hm… Wait, I got it! This is the world of Brother Bear! And that means I know exactly where we have to go to change us all back to normal: the place where the lights touch the Earth!"
"Would that happen to be those shiny colors over the mountain over there?" Sisu pointed out.
"Yep, that's it," Gabriel said.
"That's going to take forever to get to," Maximus sighed, making everyone jump in surprise.
"You can talk!?" they all exclaimed.
"Well, all of us are animals, right?" Maximus said. "It makes sense to me."
There were some mutterings of agreement before they all started the long trek towards the mountain. "Gabriel, is there any way for us to get here faster?" Logan asked.
"Not unless we had our magic," the raven replied.
Silver looked around as they walked, listening to the wind. A hum started to come to his throat, catching everyone's attention as he did so. The man-turned-bear started to sing, with the others shrugging and joining, creating an acapella chorus.
Tell everybody I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
Everyone sang as they walked through the grassy tundra.
With blue skies ahead
Yes, I'm on my way
And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be
Gabriel, Poe, and Logan flew overhead, twirling through the clear sky.
Tell everybody I'm on my way
And I'm loving every step I take
'Huh, Maximus has a pretty good singing voice,' Silver thought as they went along.
With the sun beating down
Yes, I'm on my way
And I can't keep this smile off my face
Soren and Marian weaved around Destiny's feet, laughing as they played together.
Cause there's nothing like seeing each other again
No matter what the distance between
Everyone took a break and looked up at the clouds, images of their friends and loved ones appearing in them.
And the stories that we tell will make you smile
Oh it really lifts my heart
Logan told a cheesy joke, which made everyone groan but laugh anyway.
So, tell 'em all I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
The sun started to set as the group was about halfway to their destination now.
And to sleep under the stars
Who could ask for more?
With the moon keeping watch over me
The gang took a rest for the night, with most of them using Destiny's huge mammoth body for warmth.
Not the snow and not the rain
Can change my mind
The sun will come out, wait and see
Over the next day, the group had to face both a blizzard and a downpour. They were shivering afterwards, but grateful once the sun came back.
And the feeling of the wind in your face
Can lift your heart
Oh there's no where I would rather be
As they came across a canyon, everyone felt the wind blowing their way. It was amazing how a change in perspective could help bring out the beauty of nature in their journey.
'Cause I'm on my way now-
Well and truly
I'm on my way now
The group continued to travel as the sun travelled across the sky.
I'm on my way now
Well and truly
I'm on my way now
(I'm on my way now)
They took another rest as they woke up on the third day of their journey.
Tell everybody I'm on my way
I just can't wait to be there
Everyone, despite their new bodies, helped each other out as they finally reached the mountain.
With blue skies ahead yes
I'm on my way
And nothing but good times to share
Adam smiled as they jumped between rocks, with Rachel headbutting any stray rocks that rolled down.
So tell everybody I'm on my way
And I just can't wait to be home
Once they got to the snow, they were almost at the top.
With the sun beating down yes
I'm on my way
And nothing but good times to show
Sisu warmed herself in the sun as they reached the summit.
I'm on my way
Yes, I'm on my way!
"…And that's why montage songs always make travel faster," Gabriel concluded. "We reached the top of the mountain too!"
"Finally!" Soren said, comically flopping on his face as his tongue lulled out. "I'm tired of walking everywhere. I miss my wings…"
"All we have to do is touch the lights, right?" Maximus asked. Gabriel nodded 'yes,' prompting the horse-turned-moose to touch where the lights connected to the ground. The aurora borealis burst into golden light, with images of various animals surrounding the group. A great eagle came and landed in front of the team, quickly turning into the form of a man.
"Welcome, Dream Keepers," the man greeted.
"It's an honor to meet you, Sitka," Gabriel said, giving a bow. The others followed suit as well. "So, we came all this way to turn back into our regular selves."
"And the spirits will gladly do so," Sitka said. "However, first I must ask a question of one of you." He pointed to Silver. "My friend, why is it that you think you took the form of a bear."
Silver looked quizzically. "Huh, I didn't really think about it. Gabriel, you know this movie better than me…"
The raven shook his head. "I'll let you answer this one, Silver."
The man-turned-bear thought about it. "Well, it's not for my strength, that's for sure. It's not for courage either. Or wisdom. It has to do with something that I already have, I guess?"
"Your kindness is what first comes to mind for me," Maximus said. "It's true. The only other people I've met with a pure heart like yours is the princesses themselves."
"You have to wonder what that says about us," Adam joked.
Silver looked to Sitka. "So, was I turned into a bear because… I'm the heart of the team."
Sitka smiled and nodded. "In my tribe, the Bear is the Totem of Love. Your kindness towards others is what makes that a fit for yourself, Silver." With a flash of light Sitka turned back into his eagle form, spreading his wings out and wrapping them around the group. They were all lifted into the air, and with another lightshow were returned to their normal forms.
Gabriel smiled and thanked Sitka as the lights returned to normal, the raven holding the world orb in his hands. He released it back up into the air, giving protection from Hex to California Adventure.
"You know, I was hoping that I'd get to see your human forms after this," Logan said to Gabriel and Soren.
"Eh, I'm not much to look at," Soren shrugged.
"And you're more adorable like this anyway," Marian said, cuddling the Jaquin in her arms.
"Let's get back to Oswald for a break," Gabriel said. "And a proper bed for the night. And Silver? Good job today?"
Silver smiled, feeling more assured about his role in the group more than ever.
Author's Note
Brother Bear is one of those movies that gets written off because it came out in the 2000s, but I really liked it as a kid. I think it helped that my own little brother was also named Kota! Fun fact about this movie: Sitka's voice actor also voiced the main character Aladar in the Dinosaur movie. I always thought there was something familiar about his voice, but learning that fact clicked the pieces together for me!
And Silver gets his moment leading the song in this chapter. Next time will be the down chapter, checking back with Jasiri and preparing for the next world!