Thanks again for reviewing, teenchic2004! I am happy to be updating again today, because I know you will enjoy this chapter. I kinda understand what you say about Kia being too upset about her mother...but...I think I would feel the same way as her, if my Mom was all I had and she was killed before I got old enough to care for myself...Anywho, onto the chapter! Next update will be the last, so I hope this has been an enjoyable fan fic to read!
Tug walked into the center of the circle of bears, waving a salmon around in the air. "Alright everybody! Let's hear some fish tales! Now who's gonna be first?"
Many bears raised their paws, shouting, "Me! Ooo! I have one! I'll go!"
Tug threw the salmon, laughing, and the elderly bear Mable, who Kia had met earlier caught it.
"This year I lost my dear husband, Edgar!" she said in a pitiful voice.
Just like earlier, a male voice yelled at her "Quit saying that I'm dead!"
She frowned. "Sometimes I can still hear him!"
All the bears just stared at her. Kenai turned and looked at Kia who was sitting next to him.
"She tells this same story every year!" He whispered to her, laughing quietly.
Kia also giggled, and listened as the next storyteller began. It was a small black and gray cub.
"This Summer, I climbed this huge tree. I almost think it was taller then a mountain! But I never gave up, I just kept on climbing, and then when I got to the top, I found an eagle's nest. But the mama chased me down the tree, pecking at me so I jumped into the water until she went away." A few bears laughed, including Koda.
"What a funny story!" he whispered into Kia's ear, and the older female bear nodded, chuckling under her breath.
The black and gray cub threw the salmon then, and a large brown bear caught it.
"This year I came face to face with a hunter!" he said, and all the bears grew quiet. "That hunter would have been able to kill me, if not for my speed and muscular strength! I ended up knocking him into ice cold water, and he died instead of me, all because of my brains and brawns."
All the female bears let out dreamy sighs, as the large brown bear showed off his muscles to everybody. Kia looked at Kenai.
"He's buff and tough, huh Kenai?" she knew this probably annoyed him, but she could not help but be in awe over the other bear's muscular form.
Kenai rolled his eyes. "I guess...But don't go getting any ideas, Kia.." he said. He placed his paw around her shoulders, to keep her here beside him.
Kia giggled. "Ok, Kenai. I won't be getting any ideas, don't worry..."
Kenai nodded, but still kept his paw around her shoulders.
Koda grinned at Kia. "Why don't you tell a story now?"
He threw the salmon, and she caught it. "Oh, uhh...I don't know...what can I tell...? Are you really sure you want me to go?"
A bunch of bears called out. "Yeah! Come on, Kia! What's your story? What did you do this year?"
Tug chuckled. "Alright, now let's hear it, Kia."
Kia frowned in thought for a minute. What could she say? She glanced at Kenai, and Koda. Suddenly, she knew what to say. Clutching the salmon in her paws, Kia began her tale.
"This year, I met the stubbornest, most adamant bear, who managed to get me to come along on this journey." She glanced at Kenai, who was laughing.
"With him was the biggest chatterbox I have ever met!" Kia purposely looked at Koda, a smirk on her face. "You know the funny thing about these two?" she pointed at Kenai and Koda as she spoke. "They turned out to be my best friends!"
Kia put her arms around both Kenai and Koda, in a hug, and the three of them laughed, for they all knew this was true.
After a minute or two, Koda caught the salmon, and began his story.
"Okay okay, here we go! This year, I taught Kenai how to fight like a ragin' ball of brown fur, like me!"
The cub turned to Kia. "Ya gotta gimme credit for that, I mean...Kenai half the time acts like he doesn't know how to be a bear...like he wasn't always one!" The cub glanced away from the white bear and smirked at Kenai.
Kia laughed, but grew confused as Kenai shushed the little cub hastily, then darted a nervous glance at her. Kia frowned. Why did Kenai suddenly look so nervous? Koda had only been kidding about him not always being a bear! Right...? She began to wonder.
The question began to bother her so much, that she could not pay attention to the stories the other bears were telling, and instead found herself fidgeting restlessly.
Kenai noticed this. He got up quickly and walked away.
Koda followed him, leaving Kia all alone.
Kenai turned and growled at Koda. "Why did you have to give her that idea?" he cried. "You've made Kia very suspicious. Now what am I supposed to tell her if she starts asking questions!"
Koda smiled at him. "Tell her the truth." Kenai started to say something, but Koda wasn't finished. "You've gotta tell her sometime."
Kenai hung his head sadly. "Koda...you've seen how she reacts to hunters. If I ever told her I was once human, she'd run away..."
Koda put his small paw on his big brother's back. "I've talked with her, Kenai, and I think she really likes you. Now if she really cares about you, she won't run away, just because of your human past.
Kenai looked down at the cub. "But even if she doesn't leave...Aren't you afraid she will come between us?"
The cub shook his head. "No way Kenai! I love her! She's almost like a sister to me, and we both have a lot in common! I want her to stay with us just as much as you do."
Kenai smiled at Koda. "Really?"
Koda nodded. "Yeah! But you have to tell her the truth, so that we don't have any secrets to try to hide from her. If you don't tell, she will find out, sooner or later Kenai.."
Kenai nodded and stood up. "Okay! I'm gonna do it! I'm going to tell her right now!" That said, he began to walk towards Kia.
"Oh my gosh! I'm gonna tell her!" he said suddenly, as the idea sunk in.
He glanced unsurely back at Koda. The cub nodded, so he nervously walked over to Kia and tapped her on the shoulder.
The white grizzly turned and looked at him. "Oh, hey Kenai! What's up?" she asked.
Kenai gulped. "Nothing. Hey...can I..talk to you for a few minutes?" he asked her quietly, so nobody else would hear.
Kia shrugged, but nodded and got up to follow him.
"Okay...What did you want to talk about?" she asked, as he led her onto a high cliff that overlooked the whole river.
Kenai motioned for her to sit, then joined her on the ground. "Umm, there's something I have to tell you..It's a..story."
Kia smiled. "Okay, but you could have told it when you caught the salmon during story time."
Kenai sighed. "I only want to tell you this story, nobody else."
Kia smiled, her heart touched by his reply. "Oh...okay! Well, what's it about..?"
Kenai looked down at the river below. "It's about...a man...and a bear..."
Kia gulped nervously as Kenai mentioned a human was in the story, but made no move to run off. After all, she felt happy that she was the only one he was going to tell this to. So she sat there beside him, and listened.
Kenai looked up at the sky. "This man did something so bad that-".
"What did he do?" Kia asked in a trembling voice.
Kenai sighed and looked down at his paws. "He killed a bear...Koda's mother.."
Kia gasped but said nothing, though she was getting scared.
Kenai continued his story. "That man's brother, one of the Great Spirits, came down and lifted him way up into the sky. There was this wind...and lights flashing. And as his brother spun him around, he was changed into a bear.." he paused, to see Kia's reaction.
Kia stared at Kenai in wide eyed shock. "Changed into a...a bear! Was this hunter...this bear...somebody here at the Salmon Run? Have I met him?
Kenai nodded sadly. "Yes, you have Kia..."
Kia stared at him. "Who? I wanna go give him a piece of my mind! Killing poor little Koda's mother like that! Imagine!"
As she said this, Kenai remained silent. "Kia...The hunter in that story.."
"Yeah?"
"I'm him...Or at least, I was...Until I became a bear.." Kenai trailed off.
Kia's ears flicked back and she inched away from the larger brown bear. "What?" she asked in shock, not wanting to believe him.
Kenai looked away from her, feeling as ashamed as he had on the day he had told Koda this story. "You heard...I was that hunter..."
Kia stared at him, fear clearly visible in her eyes. "Koda was right...you weren't always a bear!" she said, her voice low.
"But now, I'm a bear, and I swear that heartless hunter who I was is never coming back!" he paused. "So...please? Now that I've told you the truth aboutmyself...Will you stay? Please, Kia. I have told hardly anybody this, and I trust you."
Kia gulped, wide eyed. She stood up and nervously backed away from Kenai, slowly. "Kenai, I...I..." she stammered, her eyes filled with fear as she stared into the eyes of the man-changed-bear.
Kenai turned his head and looked her sadly. "Kia..don't be afraid.."
Kia, feeling frightened and confused, shook her head at him wordlessly, and fled into a snowy clearing.
Kenai quickly got up from his seat and ran after her. "Kia! Wait!" he called after her as she ran further.
She was hard to see, because her white fur helped her to blend in with the snowy ground. The white and brown grizzly ran as fast as she could, looking for any place to hide. She spotted a large rock up ahead, and ran over behind it.
Just then, Kenai burst into the clearing, calling out. "Kia! Please, don't hide..!"
There was no answer from the white bear.
"Kia?...I won't hurt you.." he repeated, speaking so soft Kia almost could not hear him.
Kenai heaved a low sigh. "Kia, I'm so sorry...I never meant to keep this from you..I was just, so afraid. Afraid that you would run away like you have.."
Kia's eyes filled with tears as she listened to him, thinking of al the good times the two of them had had together.
She peeked out from behind the rock for a split second, and caught a glimpse of Kenai. The larger brown bear was just standing in the snow, looking miserable.
He took one last look around the clearing. "Kia, please come out...I promise, I won't harm you.."
There was still no answer as Kia cried silently in her hiding spot. Kenai finally gave up, and decided to go look for her somewhere else.
When Kia was sure he was gone, she came out of her hiding place, and ran towards the mountain where the lights touched the earth..