-Chapter Five-
What do you do, when you have no hope left?
" We're almost there," Theo said nonchalantly. Ice bear nodded weakly as he continued to trudge behind Theo. Theo, noticing Ice bear's weariness, stated," You know, I asked if I could carry you a while back. That offer still stands." Ice bear glared at Theo and he merely chuckled. " Alright tough guy, whatever you want." The afternoon sun slowly went down, and it was already night. It stopped raining a while back, but the air was still damp, as well as the ground below them. Ice bear looked down at is feet and saw the mud and grass staining his white fur. They've been walking for a while now, but it seems like Theo was just leading him in a random direction.
Theo looked forward and smirked. " Like I said, we're almost there. However-" Theo stopped abruptly and turned to face Ice bear, looming over him threateningly. Ice bear unconsciously stepped backwards in surprise, but the hand holding his paw stopped him from going anywhere else. Leaning towards Ice bear, he leered down at him until their faces were only an inch apart. " This will be your resting spot." Theo's sapphire blue eyes flashed and Ice bear staggered backwards in pain. Theo's hand tightened around Ice's paw as Ice fell forward, unconscious. Theo poked Ice bear's body, testing to see if he was still conscious or not. Smirking with satisfaction, Theo changed into a bigger form and hoisted Ice bear over his shoulder. " Sorry bud, but I don't think it would be a good idea if you knew where I lived," Theo said to Ice bear. Smiling slightly, he continued to walk forward, not at all bothered by the extra weight on his back.
When Theo walked around the forest like this, he, surprisingly, felt genuinely happy. Especially if it was nighttime. He felt powerful at night. Everything and everyone seemed to fear him more. At times like this, it reminded Theo about all the times he hunted for food. Simply reminiscing about his prey caused Theo to drool. He licked his suddenly dry lips and looked around the dark forest, wondering if there was something to eat. " I could eat later," Theo thought. " Priority number one, get Icy to my den."
Food came easy to Theo, or should I say, the creature. The creature was a master hunter, but a sadistic being as well. It reveled in pleasure at the thought of hearing its victims high pitched screams, feeling them squirm helplessly as it sunk its sharp fangs into their scrawny necks. Warm blood would then flood into its mouth, making the creature even more ravenous, accidentally ripping said prey into slithers of skin and meat in its excitement. The creature never had a clean kill, it prefered to show everyone what it could do. How much of a mess it could make. And above all, it wanted to show how weak the humans really are.
Carrying Ice bear reminded Theo, or the creature, about all the times he dragged a body, either dead or alive, back to its den just to have it end up rotting away. However, Ice bear would be a different case. What would Ice sound if he ever screamed? Would it be in his regular monotone voice? Would he scream at all? If he didn't, would his eyes swell up in fear? Would Ice's unique grey Ice start to water in fright? Theo shook his head at the thought. Ice wasn't pathetic... but it would be an adorable sight to see. Would he stiffen and shake? But, if Ice did scream, would it be filled with emotion: anguish, fear, pain, anger, you name it.
These are some things that Theo often pondered, and there were deeper things that he was about to get into. Much more interesting things. But, as it finally approached its den, Theo started laughing in glee, similar to how a child would laugh on Christmas day. " Oh, what a beautiful day to be walking in the woods."
" We have to find him," Grizz said to his brother, who was still in a light blue gown on a hospital bed. Both Panda and Grizz were still at the hospital. They wouldn't let Panda leave the hospital because the doctors stated that his condition was still critical, even if he had the antidote in his system. Not wanting to wait it for long, Panda convinced the doctors to let Grizz stay with him until he "recovered". Both Grizz and Panda knew that now was a good time to talk about their current situation.
" I know, but how? We don't know where Theo lives, we can't track Ice bear because he doesn't have a phone, we can't ask for help because no one will believe us, and in the slight chance we do find him we have to face a shape-shifting crazy person who would most likely kill our brother and us if we aren't careful!" Panda exclaimed, hyperventilating a little. " We'll find a way Pan-Pan. Besides, we still have people that will believe us. There's Chloe, Charlie, and Ranger Tabes." " But Grizz, even if they do believe us, how can they help us?"
Grizz went silent for a moment, pondering Panda's words. He had a point. Chloe, though was both a genius and a prodigy, was only a child. They can't drag her into this. Charlie was actually "Bigfoot" and because of that he can't show his face to the public. Theo could use that against them and put Charlie in danger. Ranger Tabes was left. Sure the Bears knew others, but it wasn't wise to place all of them in danger.
Maybe, if they played their cards right...
" We can still have Chloe, Charlie, and Ranger Tabes help us, but we'll have them help us in way Theo wouldn't suspect," Grizz finally deduced. " What do you mean?" Grizz walked towards one of the drawers and took out a piece of paper and a pencil. He walked back towards Panda and sat next to him.
" Okay, let's pretend that all of our connections make a tree-" " Bro, that really doesn't make any sense," Panda dead panned. " Bare with me. So, let's say that Chloe, Charlie, and Ranger Tabes are the three main branches and everyone else would fall underneath them," Grizz said while drawing out the diagram. He drew Chloe's branch first. Underneath her was-
" Nom Nom! You're planning on asking Nom Nom for help!?" " Hey, he isn't that bad when it comes down to it. Besides, Nom Nom is internet famous! That's something that we don't have. If we're going to pressure Theo into giving our baby brother back, then we need the right person to trap him."
Panda sighed sadly and said," Okay, if we do somehow convince Nom Nom to help us, how is Chloe going to help?" " Like Nom Nom, Chloe doesn't have to be physically involved in this problem. She can help us track down Theo. She'll be in the tracking branch. Nom Nom will broadcast a video about our missing brother. We'll make this big so that it will be easier to find Theo."
Then, Grizz started drawing Charlie. Nobody was underneath his branch. Panda looked up at Grizz in confusion. " We can't match Charlie up with anyone, it'll blow his cover." " Right, right. Continue." " Charlie is technically a supernatural creature and he's traveled through the forest many times. Heck, he practically lives there!" " Grizz, we live in the forest too." " That's besides the point. Maybe he's heard about what kind of creature Theo is. He can also try to track Ice bear through the forest, on foot."
Finally, Grizz started to draw Ranger Tabes, nobody was underneath her either. " Ranger Tabes will be part of the law/justice branch. Like Charlie, she knows about the forest and, more importantly, about the law. She will provide us with information regarding reports on missing people." " How will that help us, Grizz?" Panda asked. Grizz shrugged. " It's just a hunch, but something tells me that Theo is the kind of person that does more than kidnap random people."
Hearing the dark edge in Grizz's tone, Panda gulped nervously. He believed that Grizz's theory was probably more correct than he knew. Shaking away his nerves, Panda reviewed Grizz's plan in his head. " … I think your plan might work, but there's still a few problems with it." " Like what?" " Well, for starters, I don't think we should broadcast the kidnapping." " What!? Why not? Wouldn't it be better if everyone knew?" " Yes, but then Theo will figure out that we are planning on getting our brother back. He'll hurt our little brother!" " Panda, Theo already knows that we'll try to get our brother back. Also," Grizz took a deep breath, " ... We might have to consider the possibility... That no matter what we do... Theo will hurt him anyways," Grizz whispered out sadly. The air between the two brothers thickened with tension. The unspoken truth was made known. The uncomfortable silence stretched on for minutes.
"... I know that. But, if he's going to get hurt either way, I would prefer if… I... I don't want him to get more hurt than he needs to be." "... Okay, you have a point. So, no to the broadcast." " Yeah. We can figure something else out. There's one more thing that I don't like about your plan." " What's that?" " Do we really need Nom Nom? What if he doesn't agree?" " We need to try Pan-Pan. Trust me. Our plan will work."
Grizz gave Panda a reassuring smile. Panda sniffed a little before smiling back at Grizz sadly. Just then, the doctor came in and read over her notes. After a few minutes, the doctor turned towards the two brothers and adjusted her glasses. "Okay, Panda, it seems that you are clear to go. Your vitals are back to normal and your swelling has gone down completely. There is no chance for it to spike up now." The doctor opened the door and gestured her hand towards it. " You may leave now."
The brothers muttered a quick thank you and walked out the door quietly. As they got out of the hospital, the bears got back on their normal bear stack routine, feeling empty knowing that the brother they love and cherished isn't at the bottom of the stack, providing them with the strength and security that the two older brothers depended on. They walked back towards their cave, wishing, but knowing, that Ice bear won't be in the kitchen, preparing a delicious meal for them. They wouldn't see Ice's emotionless gaze staring back at them. They wouldn't hear his cool and calm voice telling them that the food was getting cold. Ice bear wasn't there.
But that doesn't mean he's gone.
" Okay, first order of business: We need to call all of our friends," Panda said. Right away, the bears went to work, contacting their friends and asking them to come over at different times. They decided that it was best if they asked Charlie first. After all, Charlie was currently sitting on their living room couch eating some Cheese Poofies™ and watching some TV.
" Charlie! What are you doing here?" Panda asked. Charlie turned towards the bears and literally jumped off the couch. The Cheese Poofies™ were scattered everywhere in his excitement. He ran towards the two brothers and gave them a big hug. A big hug. " Hey buddies! I didn't expect you guys to come back so soon! Want some snacks? I made some snacks!" Charlie bent down and picked up a hairy Cheese Poofie™ from the ground and handed it to Panda. " Have a Cheese Poofie™ Pan-Pan! They're literally everywhere!" Despite the situation, Panda couldn't help groaning in disgust. Wiping his cheese coated hands on his fur, Charlie noticed something was off. Weren't there usually three bears? " Hey, where's sunshine? Isn't he usually here with you…" Charlie started to trail off when he saw the identical looks of guilt cross both Panda's and Grizz's faces.
" H-hey, what's wrong guys? Did something happen to sunshine? Why isn't he here with you?" Charlie asked in concern. " Charlie, something terrible has happened and we're going to need your help," Grizz said urgently. Charlie nodded his head quickly. " I understand. Something happened to sunshine. Why don't you guys sit down and tell me everything."
The group moved towards the kitchen and sat down. The Bears had a lot of explaining to do.
" Cold. So cold," a voice moaned out. " Why is everything so very, very cold!?" another voice screeched. " Where is everyone? Why am I alone?" another asked " Please help me! Anyone! Someone! Help!" a voice screamed. Ice bear kept walking, however, trying his best to ignore the screams and agonized wails of the walls around him. " It's just a dream, it's just a dream," Ice bear reminded himself. But dream or not, this place was terrifying.
Like last time, Ice bear was walking alone in a large dark cave. Unlike last time, Ice bear wasn't lost. He knew where to go. This time, Ice was searching for something... Or someone. " Where's that little girl?" Ice thought as he continued to walk through the large maze of walls.
" I hope she's alright. She did after all help me escape... Oh what am I saying! I'm in a dream, and I'm thinking about my last dream, in my dream!" Ice bear groaned in frustration and stopped walking, his traitorous thoughts giving him a migraine. Who knew that you could think about a dream in a dream to find a dream-made girl who helped you in your last dream to escape from a dream creature from said dream... If that makes any sense.
Ice sighed sadly and sat down near the stony wall. He curled up on himself and hid his face in his knees. " What am I doing here?" " W-what a-are you d-d-doing here?" a small voice repeated. Ice bear gasped and looked up. It was that frail girl! The girl was standing above him, looking down in confusion. " A-and w-why d-do you keep c-coming b-back here?"
Ice bear shrugged. " Ice bear has no idea either." The girl's expression fell into an even more saddened state as she said," Why did you just refer to yourself in the third person? I heard you talking to yourself earlier and you were talking regularly." Ice bear visibly stiffened. " I... Ice bear would prefer not to talk about that."
The girl smiled weakly and she sat down next to Ice. " I understand why you wouldn't want to tell me. I know that I'm not the strongest person here. I know that I'm pretty pathetic." She started laughing humorlessly, a few tears trickling down her eyes. " I'm trying so hard not to stutter, you know? I was always a weak person, but being here for so long..." She decided not to finish that sentence. Silence grew between the two as they sat in the dark.
" ... Ice bear speaks like this... The reason why is..." Ice bear sighed sadly, trying to explain. The girl, seeing his frustration, commented," You don't have to tell me now, if you don't want to." " Arigato." " So, your name is Ice bear?" Ice bear nodded his head. " What's your name?" Ice asked. The girl's expression fell at the question. " I... I don't remember. I know that I have a family. I know that I have a name. But I just don't remember." Ice bear pondered for a while before saying," Ice bear can give you a name." The girl's eyes lit up like fireworks, her green eyes actually gaining some color.
"You... You would do that?" Ice bear nodded his head.
Suddenly, the girl shot towards Ice bear and wrapped her arms around him. " Thank you!" Ice bear stiffened a little before awkwardly hugging her back. When she finally let go, she gave Ice bear a weak smile. Ice bear coughed a little before saying," Ice bear was thinking about naming you Ch-"
" Time to wake up, Icy," a voice said.
Ice bear's eyes snapped open in surprise, but immediately shut when he felt a stinging pain hit his forehead. After a few seconds, the throbbing pain became bearable and Ice bear opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but soon began to clear. The first thing he saw was Theo. He appeared to be crouching in front of Ice bear. Ice tried to get up, but found that impossible. His limbs felt too heavy, and Ice bear felt too tired to try anything else.
" Sorry about that. Usually if I use my more powerful illusions, it tends to leave people... fatigue, immobile even. Don't worry, the effects should be wearing off soon," Theo said. Ice bear opened his mouth to talk, but found that he couldn't. Just like his limbs, his throat refused to work. " Oh, that happens sometimes too. Here," Theo gave Ice a bottle of water," have some water." Nodding his head, Ice bear weakly lifted his arm and took the bottle of water in his paw and lifted it up to his mouth. Cool water spilled down Ice's throat and made it feel better. " What do you want with Ice bear," Ice said gruffly. His voice was always soft, but it was even softer and scratchy sounding now.
Theo smirked and stood up. " Why should I explain, when I can show you?" "Ice bear can't move." " That won't be necessary." Slowly, Theo morphed into another creature. It seemed to be some kind of mammal, a quadruped to be specific, but Ice bear couldn't tell. Whatever it was, it was huge, scary looking, and it had razor sharp teeth and claws. It walked up to Ice bear and gently bit his scruff, dragging him across the floor. Ice bear grunted in pain when he felt said razor sharp teeth dig into his fur. Instinctively, Ice bear began to struggle, but all he could do in his current condition was move his arms. Theo, not noticing Ice bear's weak attempts to get away, continued walking steadily.
Ice bear sighed and allowed himself to be dragged. The ground was uncomfortable and he was pretty sure that he was bleeding from the bite mark (it still hurt even when Theo was being gentle), but there was nothing Ice bear could do but wait. Theo felt something warm leak into his mouth. It tasted like copper, it was a taste Theo knew all too well. Smirking slightly, Theo bit down a little harder causing Ice bear to yelp in pain. Ice bear turned his head towards him and glared at him weakly. Theo ignored it and continued walking.
After a few minutes of walking, Theo dropped Ice bear on the ground and gestured to one of the cave walls. Ice bear's gaze followed Theo's paw slowly. When Ice bear saw what Theo was pointing at, Ice bear felt like he was about to throw up. It was a horrible sight indeed.
" Oh God," was what passed through Ice bear's mind as he stared in horror at the bloody puppets that lined up on the shelves of the dark cave.
Puppets that were once people.