Sophia's Story
A Disney crossover by talking2myself
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable Disney characters. All original characters are my own creations.
CHAPTER 50. Denahi
"Okay…"
Sophia finally found enough energy for the word to leave her mouth. Her voice sounded shaky and fragile, like it wasn't her voice at all. Sophia swallowed hard and tried again. "Okay… is everyone… not dead?"
There was a group groan.
"I might be slightly dead…" Jack said.
"Good," Sophia snapped, ignoring him. She struggled to sit up and looked around, making sure that everyone in their little group was actually okay. They all looked a bit shaken and paler than Sophia had ever seen, but no one seemed seriously hurt.
Now that she had time to think about it, her ankle was throbbing again. She struggled to sit up and then wobbled unsteadily to her feet. She smoothed down her skirts, frowning at the layer of mud and dirt that had accumulated on them. There would be no saving these clothes once she got home.
If…
The word entered her mind unbidden. She frowned and shook her head struggling to get rid of it. She looked back at the other side of the cliff. The geysers were still going off. It was as though they hard started a chain reaction that couldn't be stopped now. At least they were on this side of the expanse. "All this effort over two bears," Sophia grumbled to herself. "To impress one grouchy old man!"
She turned towards Jackie. There was a scrape running across Jackie's cheek but she seemed otherwise okay and had managed to sit upright. Sophia tottered over to Jackie, leaning heavily on her good leg. She offered Jackie her hand and helped pull her godchild to her feet. "We need to keep going."
"Going where?" Jack asked.
"I don't know," she sighed. "Wherever the bears go."
"Wait, do you hear that?" Mim asked.
"All I hear is the ringing in my head," Merlin grumbled.
"Well, then pipe down and listen you old coot," Mim snapped. Everyone fell silent. Sure enough, Sophia did hear a sound.
"Running w-w-water?" Jackie asked.
"So?" Merlin asked.
"So… Mr. Science, what do bears eat?" Mim asked crossing her arms.
"Actually, bears are omnivores and have a rather varied diet consisting or berries, small rodents, roots…"
Mim rolled her eyes, "What do bears PREFER to eat?"
"Well, this far north I would say salmon…"
"And where do salmon live?" Mim asked.
"Oh." Merlin said, suddenly catching on.
"Let's go," Sophia cried. The ragged little group moved on, scurrying towards the sound of the water. Sophia stepped gingerly, struggling not to injure herself further. She moved slowly, pushing aside tree branches and brush. Finally, they approached the edge of the cliff. The sound of running water had become a dull roar. Sophia pushed aside a tree branch and gasped at the sight below.
The river they had been following tumbled over a series of rocky red stone falls. The water was a brilliant blue green color and white foam collected at the bottom of each fall. The stony falls were filled with bears. Bears of every size and color. Young ones splashing around in the pools, old ones diving into the river and emerging with plump red salmon clasped in their jaws. There was bears in hues of brown, gold, and russet.
"W-w-wow," Jackie whispered as the little group stared at the falls in awe.
"It really is something," Sophia smiled.
"There's so many of them," Mickey cried.
"Yeah…" Innoko agreed. Her smile fell, "Which ones are ours?"
Sophia's heart dropped as realization sunk in. Here she was. They had finally caught up with the two bears after numerous hardships and days and nights of cold, exhausting wandering, and now she realized that those two bears were lost among literally hundreds of other bears. They were looking for a pair of needles in a haystack.
Sophia let out a wail of misery before flopping to the ground. "Sophia…" Will said gently, kneeling besides her.
"I give up," she cried. "I give up!"
"Sophia, wait," Will insisted. "It's going to be okay."
"No, it's not!" Sophia cried. "We've gone through all of that, we've come all this way only to lose the two bears at the end of the finish line."
"We don't need them anymore," Will insisted.
"Don't need them anymore?!" Sophia cried in disbelief. "Will! Have you lost your mind?!"
"Sophia," Will interjected. He slipped one arm around her and gently lifted her to her feet. "Look!" he cried.
He pointed, this time not at the bears or the salmon run. He pointed at the horizon, a short distance away. Sophia let out a gasp as she saw what Will was pointing at. Silhouetted against the sky, was a magnificent mountain dusted with snow.
"The mountain," Sophia whispered. "The mountain where the lights touch the earth."
Will nodded and smiled. "We're here."
Sophia thought she was going to collapse again, this time with relief. "We're here," she repeated.
"Now what?" Jack asked.
Sophia managed to collect herself before she spoke. "I think we need to go to the mountaintop and wait for the lights to appear."
-888-
Leaning heavily on Will and Jack, Sophia was able to hobble up the cliffs. Mickey, Innoko, and Jackie led the way with Elizabeth, Mim and Merlin trailing behind them. "Stay close you two!" Innoko ordered. "Just because the bears are distracted by fish doesn't mean they won't claw your eyes out if you get too close to their territory."
Jackie froze and little squeak of fear escaped her lips. "It will be okay, Jackie," Sophia said gently, shooting Innoko a glare. "Just stay close and don't make too much noise."
Jackie nodded and cautiously took a few steps forwards. The snow crunching beneath her feet as she moved. The sun had set and the wind was beginning to pick up. Snow was beginning to fall and clinging to Sophia's curls and cloak. Sophia vowed that once she got home she was never leaving her home again without a thick pair of wool socks, even if it was July.
"Are we there yet?" Jack asked.
"We're getting closer," Will said wearily. "At least I think so." He turned towards Sophia. "I could carry you. It would go faster."
Sophia sniffed, "Please, I need to maintain some of my dignity."
Jack looked around. "I don't see any lights. If anything it's getting darker.
"That's because we haven't gotten to the top of the mountain yet," Sophia said with a confidence that she didn't really have. "We just need to keep…"
"YIKES!" Mickey let out a yelp of alarm and stumbled backwards into the snow. Where Mickey would have stepped mere seconds ago, a sharp spear stood quivering. Sophia's eyes riveted on the spear. She recognized it immediately. It was the exact same spear that had appeared in the vision.
Seconds later, a figure bounded out the snow and raced forwards, tugging the spear out of the ground. Jackie squealed as she snatched Mickey off the ground and scrambled backwards a few paces. The figure was hooded, dressed in head to toe in gray furs. The figure glared at them before muttering something in a guttural, weary voice.
"Sorry," he growled. "I thought you were a bear."
Sophia peered at the figure. She couldn't see his face but something about him seemed familiar. There was only one person besides them who would be out here wandering around in this weather.
"Denahi?" Sophia asked.
The man whirled on her. He flung back his hood. Sophia finally got a look at his face. He was a young, inuit man. Under normal circumstances, he would have been quite handsome, but right now his face was weathered by frost and there were dark circles beneath his eyes as though he hadn't slept in days. "Who are you?" he demanded. "How do you know my name?"
"I'm a friend! I swear," Sophia cried. Will took a protective step forwards.
"She is!" Innoko pushed her way forwards. "Remember me? We're friends of Tanana. She was looking for you." Innoko surveyed Denahi quickly. "I'm guessing she didn't find you…"
"SHH!" Denahi hissed suddenly. "Listen!" Once again, they all froze. At first Sophia didn't hear anything but the wind, but then Sophia heard something else. It was the grunt of a bear. It sounded like he was in distress.
"The bear," Denahi hissed.
"Denahi, wait, you have to listen to us…" Sophia cried.
It was too late. Denahi sprang through the snow moving towards the sound of the bear.
"He's going to kill his brother!" Jackie cried.
"Pick me up! Pick me up!" Sophia demanded, tugging on Will's arm.
Will scooped Sophia up and the little group tore off after Denahi as he vanished into the dark.