-Chapter Three-
How can you protect the ones you love, if you can't even protect yourself?
When Ice bear got out of his fridge, he was surprised to see Panda and Grizz asleep at the breakfast table. Ice couldn't help but smile at the sight of his two older brothers sleeping. Sighing slightly, Ice went towards the closet to get his apron. Once he tied the ribbon, securing it on him, Ice walked towards the fridge to get a few ingredients for breakfast.
As Ice prepared the food, he couldn't help but rub his arm gently as he cut Grizz's bacon into little pieces. Theo's cold hand, the one that grabbed Ice's arm, still settled in Ice's brain, haunting him. " No human hand could be that cold," Ice bear thought. Ice unconsciously continued to rub his arm. He wanted to forget the feeling of that uncomfortable cold hand. He didn't want to see Theo anymore. He wanted the nightmares to stop.
Ice knew that he couldn't just wish for something, and then hope that it'll come true. He had to do something about Theo. Somehow, he'll get through this. Feeling somewhat less miserable, Ice turned his attention back to breakfast. Since Ice didn't feel all that hungry, he decided to only make food for Grizz, Panda, and Theo. For Grizz, Ice was thinking about making him a bacon and cheese stuffed potato with Chocolate Coconut Scones on the side and pulp free OJ for his drink.
For Panda, he thought it would be nice to make him a simple Sunday Vegetarian Strata with Vegan Lemon Poppy Scones on the side. Luckily, not only were these foods vegetarian, but they were nut free as well. For a drink, Ice wanted to make him something of his own creation: a Purple Monstrosity Fruit Smoothie. Since they had a lot of OJ, and the smoothie needed a lot of it, Ice thought it would be a good idea to surprise Panda with it.
Finally, for Theo... Ice sighed and tried to think of a good meal for Theo. He couldn't make his food taste bad... sadly, but Ice didn't want to put too much effort into it. So, after a few more minutes of thinking, Ice decided to make Theo one of his simplest dishes, it was called Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oats (yeah, long name) with a side of Bublik (a poppy seed bagel) on the side. Deciding that this was a good meal for both his brothers and for Theo, Ice bear started cooking.
Ice bear loved to cook. It was his passion. He began humming to himself as he began baking the potato, slicing the cheese, throwing some seasoning- " Hey, what song are you humming, Icy?" Aaaaaand it's over. Ice bear froze a little at hearing Theo's voice and that ridiculous nickname. Sighing, Ice turned around to face Theo. Theo was lounging in a chair, staring at Panda's and Grizz's sleeping forms.
" Well, they had a rough night," Theo said, poking Grizz's head harshly. Ice growled lowly, but said nothing else. Knowing that Theo wouldn't do anything, Ice turned back to his cooking, wanting ignore the creepy man behind him. " You know, it's rude to ignore people, and it's even more rude to not answer their questions. What song were you humming, Ice bear?" Theo's tone turned from feigned warmth to icy cold in a second.
Ice turned his head to glare at Theo. Nobody spoke his name, especially not people that Ice bear didn't like. Theo matched Ice's glare easily. " Is this guy bipolar or something... Maybe he's just crazy," Ice thought. Ice really just wanted to make Theo disappeared. This sounded silly and childish, but Ice wished that he could just clap his paws together and make Theo vanish into thin air.
" I've only known this guy for barely a day and I feel like he's already ruining my life." Not wanting to cause a fight, or a giant stain on the floor of beaten Theo that Ice bear would eventually have to clean up, Ice answered Theo's question. " Ice bear was humming an ancient Japanese lullaby. It's one of Ice bear's favorites. Ice bear knew that song ever since he was little." "What's it called?" " The Red Birds." " Oh, I've heard of that song before. It's a beautiful song." Ice merely nodded his head in agreement and turned his attention back to his cooking.
He heard footsteps approach him. Theo slowly took one of Ice's cooking utensils from his paw and turned towards his unfinished food. Ice bear stared at Theo, confusion marring his features. " You seem tired, I can take over from here." Ice felt shocked at Theo's request, but then that slowly turned into indignation. Before Ice could snatch his spatula back, Theo looked up at him, his sapphire blue eyes glinting dangerously.
At first glance, you'd think that Ice bear's eye color was black, but you'd be wrong. Ice bear had a unique eye color. While both Ice's brothers had dark brown eyes, Ice had a pair of silver grey eyes. " Like a storm," Theo pondered in his head as he stared into Ice's eyes. " Like my nightmare," Ice thought as he stared into Theo's eyes. Suddenly, Ice felt a huge pang of pain hit his head. Ice groaned in pain and dropped his remaining utensil to rub his head, trying to get rid of the pounding headache. Slowly, Ice felt himself get so tired. He felt his eyesight swim and his vision blur. Ice felt so lightheaded.
Ice heard Theo say something, but it was really muffled. Feeling an arm snake around Ice's shoulders, Ice unconsciously leaned back into whoever was holding him. The thing allowed him to do so and started directing him towards the fridge. Slowly entering it, Ice relaxed and looked up at the blurry shape of the person who helped him. Before Ice fainted due to utter exhaustion, he saw the person smile a little, before closing the fridge, surrounding Ice in darkness. As well as darkening Ice's world.
" What's that smell?" Grizz thought. Forcing his eyes to open, he saw that he was sitting at the table. Grizz turned his head towards Panda, tapping him awake. " Hey, Pandy, wake up." " Uhh, my head." Panda opened his eyes slowly, trying to blink away his sleepiness. Then, he started to sniff the air. " Hey, is little bro cooking?" " Nope, just good ole Theo." Both bears jumped at the voice. Due to fatigue, they didn't notice Theo standing in front of them. Instead of their brother cooking in front of them, it was, of course, Theo.
Grizz stood up in alarm. Where was their brother? " Where's our little brother?" Panda demanded angrily. Theo merely gestured towards the fridge, not taking his eyes off of the food he was making. Grizz walked up to the fridge and opened it slowly. Thankfully, Ice bear was sleeping peacefully, a blanket wrapped around his body tightly. " Icy was too tired to cook, so I directed him back into the fridge. I took over the cooking," Theo said.
Panda walked over to the fridge and sighed in relief. He brushed Ice's head a little and fixed the blanket so it would be more comfortable for him. Closing the door, Panda and Grizz turned towards Theo. Theo had a small smile on his face. This time, Panda noticed that his smile seemed almost genuine. Happy. Turning towards the table, Theo gently placed the plates of food on it and sat down. Hesitantly, the two brothers did the same.
" You know, your brother looks adorable when he's sleeping," Theo commented, breaking the silence. Grizz and Panda stopped eating and turned their attention towards the man sitting in front of them. Though Theo meant it as a compliment, he had a creepy edge in his voice that made the two older brothers' warning bells go off. Not wanting to be rude, Grizz replied," Umm, thank you. Uh, the food tastes great by the way. What kind of seasoning did you put?" " Oh, just some Italian spices. I made sure not to put any nuts in Panda's food."
" Umm, not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why are you cooking? Usually he's up by now," Panda asked. Theo merely shrugged and turned back towards his food. Feeling tension rise once again, Grizz cleared his throat awkwardly. " Hey, when you're done eating, we can go and look for your phone-" " Great idea! After we're done, I can wash the dishes. Once Icy wakes up, we can go and search for my phone."
Silence... Until Panda spoke up. " We were actually hoping to let him sleep and we will help you find your phone." Theo's blue eyes shone in irritation, but then he quickly covered it up. " I thought it would be a good idea to wait for Icy. My phone could be anywhere in the woods. With his help, it might help me get out of your hair faster." Panda turned towards Grizz slowly, silently asking him to not agree to Theo's terms. Grizz nodded towards Panda and turned to look at Theo. Grizz was planning on telling Theo no. Ice needed rest and they didn't need his help. " Once we're done with finding Theo's phone, I think Panda and I should have a little talk with Ice bear about his nightmares," Grizz thought.
Sadly, Grizz never got the chance to reject Theo's idea, since he was interrupted by the sound of the fridge door opening. " Oh, hey little bro! Glad your awake," Panda said, forcing a smile on his face. Ice stood in front of the fridge, rubbing his eyes tiredly before opening them. Ice's tired face turned into one of surprise after seeing three dirty plates on the table. "Since you were asleep, I decided to make the food for you. Think of it as a thank you gift for your gracious hospitality," Theo said sweetly. Ice still looked confused. " Hey, if you're still tired, you can go back to sleep," Grizz suggested. Ice merely shook his head and headed towards one of the plates.
" It's okay bro! I got it," Grizz exclaimed while snatching the plate from Ice's paw. " I can help too," Panda said, taking the remaining plates and walking towards the sink. Ice stared at them for a while before plopping down on a seat across from Theo. It didn't take long to wash the dishes, since there were only three dishes and three cups to wash anyway. After the two bears were done, they walked towards the table once again. " Well, come on! We have to find your phone don't we," Grizz said. " Yeah, you need to get home," Panda agreed.
Theo smiled back at the two and stood up. Ice was about to stand as well before he was stopped by Grizz. " Hey bro, I don't think you should come, I mean, you still look tired. Maybe you should stay here." Frowning a little, Ice shook his head stubbornly. " Ice bear is in perfect condition." " Yeah, but-" "Ice bear is fine." " But you were-" " Ice bear is fine." " But-" " Ice bear is going. And there's nothing you can do to stop Ice bear." Sighing in defeat, Grizz nodded his head solemnly before walking out the door with Panda in pursuit. Raising a brow at the two, Ice followed as well, along with Theo. " I need to go with them, to protect them from Theo," Ice thought as he walked out the door. " We need to protect Ice from Theo," Panda and Grizz thought simultaneously as they continued to walk out of the house and into the forest.
Each brother wanted to protect each other from the human named Theo. Each would do anything for each other. Maybe, just maybe, if they knew how powerful the "human" was, they would have doubled their defenses, they would have guarded themselves more.
Grizz made the mistake of letting Theo stay at their place for dinner, he made the mistake of letting Theo sleep in their cave, he made the mistake of offering Theo their assistance to find his phone, but his most recent mistake will cause both Grizz and Panda to lose the thing they cherish the most. Things will never be the same, just because the Bears underestimated their guest. " Grizz shouldn't have let Panda eat the food I made," was what Theo thought as he walked out of the cave. He stared at his prey in a way a cat would leer at a cornered mouse before devouring it. " This'll be easier than I thought," Theo said out loud, smirking almost sinisterly while staring at Ice bear.
" Did you say something, Theo?" Panda asked suspiciously. Allowing himself to grin at Panda, Theo replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. " With all of your help, finding my phone should be a sinch! Thank you again, Panda, for helping me." Panda merely shrugged and ran towards his brothers.
Smirking once again, Theo silently added," Because of you, I'll finally get what I want." Evil thoughts flew through Theo's mind as he ran a little to catch up to the Bears. Thoughts that only the craziest of people would think. But, Theo never thought that his mind was crazy. As he played through his sick imaginings once again, all Theo thought was," What a beautiful day in the woods."
" Okay, did this guy just run around the forest blindly until he found our cave? Where the heck is his phone?!" Panda thought as he looked under another bush. A half an hour passed already, but no one could find Theo's phone. " Come on man! Do you even have the slightest idea where your phone is!" Grizz complained tiredly. " Yeah, my feet are hurting, and I checked my weather app. It's about to rain soon," Panda whined, pointing at the dark storm clouds forming above their heads. " Ice bear is getting frustrated," Ice bear said monotonously.
" Wait! Now I remember where it is!" Theo exclaimed. The Bears sighed in relief. Theo then broke the mood by pointing deeper into the forest. " I remember walking through this part of the forest before I dropped my phone! It must be in there. Come on guys! I'm sure that in a few minutes, we will find my phone!" The Bears looked past Theo to stare at the hoard of trees behind him. The area was dark and gloomy. There were spider webs everywhere, and it seemed that every tree was bare.
Grizz sighed sadly and began walking towards the trees before a white paw stopped him. " Ice bear believes that we shouldn't go in there." " It's not like we have a choice, little bro. Look, the sooner we find Theo's phone, the sooner we can go back home." Before Grizz could continue, he was once a again stopped by Ice. " Ice bear strongly believes that we shouldn't go in there." " If you want to stay here, that's fine, but I'm going in," Grizz said, crossing his arms stubbornly.
Ice turned towards Panda. " It's better if we just hurry this up," Panda said. As the two brothers started walking towards the forest, Ice stayed behind, occasionally looking south, the direction their cave was in. Sighing, Ice started walking into the woods along with his brothers, a terrible feeling in his gut getting stronger with every step deeper into the intimidating forest.
The brothers, feeling extremely nervous, started to huddle together as they followed Theo, shivering slightly at all of the misshapen trees and dead plants. The air around them was thick and musty, the tension didn't help at all either. After a few more minutes of walking, Panda finally spotted something. " Hey Theo? I think I found your phone," Panda said while pointing to a rectangular object on the ground. Theo walked over to the phone and picked it up gently. He inspected it to see if it was broken. Apparently it wasn't, since Theo then gave the Bears a huge smile.
" I thank you for your assistance, Bears." The Bears sighed in relief, glad that the search was finally over. They turned around and started to walk back home... until a voice stopped them. " But, there's one more thing I would like for you to do," Theo said. All the Bears froze at Theo's tone. It was quiet and gentle, but there was a sharp edge to it. A sinister edge to it. The Bears turned around to face Theo. He had one of his hands behind his back while the other one held his phone gently.
Grizz sighed in irritation, clearly annoyed with Theo's antics. " Theo, we are very busy today. Now, if you'll just-" Suddenly, Theo's expression melted into a deranged smirk as he squeezed the phone in his hand, breaking it into little pieces. Grizz's mouth closed as his words died out from surprise. Nobody said anything else.
The only sounds that were made would be from the rustling of the trees and the thundering of a storm coming. A single drop of rain fell from the clouds. It made a small splashing sound. The sound was barely audible, but it awoke the Bears from their confusion nonetheless.
" What the heck, dude! It took us a half an hour to find that!" Grizz yelled angrily. Theo shrugged and dropped the phone pieces on the ground while smashing them even more with his boot. " I didn't need it anymore," Theo said as he stalked towards the Bears menacingly. He pointed to Ice bear. " He's the one I want. The one I spied on for days. The one I'm going to take home with me today."
Though they were still shocked, confused, and scared, both Panda and Grizz managed to glare venomously at Theo. He was not getting their little brother. Grizz and Panda stood in front of Ice bear protectively. " You can't have him you crazy loon!" Panda exclaimed. " You're not getting anywhere near him," Grizz growled. " Ice bear should have brought his ax," Ice stated as he positioned his body into a more defensive stance.
Theo's smirk widened and he shook his finger at the Bears, as if he was talking to mere children. " I don't think you clearly understand your predicament. I have no doubt in my mind that you will see reason and let me take Ice bear or, if things go really well, Ice bear himself will come with me willingly." " We will never hand our little brother to you!" Panda yelled. By now, the storm has gotten worse. The wind has picked up speed, the sky darkened threateningly, and more water droplets fell down the sky in a rapid pace.
" Think about your current situation," Theo said. " You're in an unknown territory, you have nowhere to run, and one of will die if you don't do as I say." " Is that a threat," Grizz said. " No, in fact, the effects should be kicking in about...
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2-" Suddenly, Panda started coughing. His condition grew more poor with every second. The brothers stared at Panda in worry as his coughing continued to worsen. " Well, that was faster than expected," Theo said in amusement. Panda fell on his knees and onto the ground, gasping for breath. " Panda!" Grizz exclaimed as Ice caught Panda from falling face down on the dead grass. Panda continued to wheeze violently, his throat and cheeks swelling up, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe, let alone talk.
" Swelling is a normal symptom for an allergic reaction. Since Panda is allergic to nuts, I thought it would be interesting to see what his effects are." " But why did the reaction start to kick in now! It should have been as soon as his tongue even touched a nut." "Well, what if I told you that what I gave him wasn't a nut? What I made for him was a concoction of my own. It has the same chemical structure of a nut, but it's still different. I experimented on many people with a similar nut allergy that Panda has. I timed their reaction to see when it will kick in. I was pleased to see that a half an hour was the maximum time limit, give or take depending on the person. Sadly, none of the people I used survived long enough to see my success." Grizz stared at Theo, horrified. " Y-you killed all those people just to get to my little brother." Theo's smirk simply widened.
Grizz's eyes widened in fright as he turned towards Ice urgently. " Bro, get Panda's medicine, quickly!" Ice nodded and shakily took out Panda's medicine. He was about to inject some into his system, before he was once again stopped by Theo. " I admire that you're still trying to save your brother, Icy, but like I said, what I gave him wasn't a nut. You need a different medicine in order for the swelling to go down. Luckily for you three," Theo then took out a needle. It was filled with a light blue liquid. It must be the antidote! " I have the correct medicine right here."
Grizz turned towards Ice bear, signaling him to stand near Panda. Ice nodded and tried to perform some breathing treatments for Panda. Grizz turned towards Theo and asked," What are you Theo?" " What do you think I am?" " A monster." Theo laughed. As he laughed, Theo's form began to change. It changed into something taller, bigger, and scarier. Grizz gasped, Panda nearly screamed, and Ice's eyes widened.
Theo, if that's even his real name, turned into a giant snake. He still had the antidote safely tucked in a skin pocket. The snake resembled a cobra somewhat, but it had a different color pattern on its back. The only thing that the cobra kept that Theo had would be his sapphire blue eyes, now slitted dangerously in malicious glee.
" If you're thinking about taking the antidote from me, you might have to change your plans," snake Theo hissed out. " Besides, do you really have time to fight me?" The snake gestured towards Panda. Panda was in critical condition. His breathing was slowing down and his swelling still hasn't let up. If they didn't get the medicine soon... " No! I can't let that happen! But I can't let this monster get Ice bear either. What do I do!? This is so messed up," Grizz thought frantically. He couldn't choose between his brothers, he couldn't.
" Judging by how he's breathing, and the terrible weather conditions, I'd give Panda about three minutes of life before he suffocates. I don't know about you, but for me that's a long time. Let's speed things up shall we?" snake Theo said. Taking the medicine with his tail from his skin pocket, Theo held it up over his head. Grizz looked up at Theo desperately, already having an idea on what he will do.
" If you don't make a decision soon, Grizz, I'll smash this needle to pieces, along with your hope of saving Panda's life." " Why are you doing this to us!? We never did anything to you before?!" Grizz yelled. Theo smiled down at Grizz and explained his reasons calmly. " It's simple, I want something, and this is the only way to get it. You're the one that's being stubborn." " Why do you want Ice bear? Why don't you take me instead?" Grizz asked pleadingly.
" I don't want you. I planned all of this to get Icy and that's all." Taking a more serious edge, Theo said," Your choices are simple, Grizz. One, let your brother die and I get Ice anyway, since I'm stronger than the both of you or two, you willingly let me get Ice and your brother lives. I won't kill Ice if that's what you're worried about. I wouldn't have planned this much just to kill him." " Then what do you want with him," Grizz thought sadly. " If you can get him by force, then why do all this?" " I like to see my prey squirm a little."
Suddenly, Theo slid up to meet Grizz's terrified stare. They were only inches apart. " What will it be, Grizz? It's your choice," were the only words that crawled out of Theo's mouth as he stared at Grizz, waiting for an answer.
What will he choose? A good question indeed. Yet, the better question is: Will someone choose for him? All good things are given through time. Sadly, Grizz didn't have time. Ice bear knew that all too well.