"A little mouse is coming… walking on four feet's…" Kenai go with his fingers across Koda´s hip "Waking on four feet… and from all the sudden he goes and says…
Kenai taped Koda on his belly button.
"Piii!"
Koda laughed and tried to go out but Kenai grab him by the arm.
"Hey you´re not going anywhere! You´re mine!" said Kenai with fun as he approached Koda back to his arm, then Kenai knock his little brother on the ground and start tickle him on his naked feet's, since they both have just awaked and haven´t go out of their tent, then Kenai tried to kiss Koda on the cheek.
"No, ih-uh" said Koda as he avoided Kenai´s kiss.
"O so you want to fight"
Kenai tried to kiss him but Koda was resisting, dodging Kenai kisses and tried to fight back but Kenai also avoided his attacks with success.
"Calm down the two of you!" said a voice above them "I want to sleep!"
"Oh no, he´s awake" said Kenai.
He released Koda and the younger one climbed for the stairs until Denahi´s bed.
"Good morning Denahi!"
"Morning Koda" said Denahi, and then he yawned "Men I´m tired"
"You are?" Kenai "I'm always doing most of your work, I'm the one who should be tired!"
"Don´t make me laugh Kenai!" said Denahi "Could you give me at least five more minutes please?"
"For me it´s fine" said Koda "And you Kenai?"
"Okay, come on Koda, let´s go outside" Kenai.
"I´m coming"
After changing his clothes, the two brothers go outside so Denahi could sleep.
"Thank spirits, now, where I was?" said Denahi as he felt asleep.
…
Kenai watched as Koda played with his friends.
It´s has been a year since the death of Sitka and the events that marked his whole life, his really short life, and Koda´s first birthday as a human was coming soon, and Kenai wanted to do something really special, but not any kind of special, something big and dangerous, he didn't even knew if it was allow it, so he wanted to ask Tanana if the Spirits could make it, even if it was just one time, but he wanted do it.
"Hello Kenai" said Tanana, she was beside Kenai.
"Hello Tanana, I´m glad to see you"
"Yes, Takashi told me you wanted to ask me something"
"That´s right, em, Nana, you know that Koda´s birthday is coming, and that´s has been almost a year since, well, you know what"
"Yes I know it Kenai"
"Okay, and I was wondering if the Great Spirits could turn us into bears, just for another time, and then that´s it, you see, every year on these time of the year, bears from all across the wood reunite in the Salmon Run, and I think it will be good to Koda if we go at least for one last time, so, you think it´s possible?"
Tanana sighed, she looked to the ground and then to Kenai.
"I think they could, but like you said, just for this time, they won´t repeat it at less it´s necessary"
Kenai smiled, so they could do it.
"But Kenai, I have to tell you something, this detail you want to make for Koda it´s really cute, but maybe it hurt him"
Kenai was now surprised, he didn´t knew what Tanana was talking about.
"What do you mean?"
"You see, Koda has adapted to the human life right?"
"Right"
"So, if he sees another time the bear life he could feel bad because that´s no longer his life anymore and he can also be confused, he could decide to stay permanently as a bear"
Tanana´s word make Kenai think on that situation, Koda sad as they got back as humans, wanted to be a bear again, and this time forever, but, if that was the picture, he could also make the sacrifice of been a bear, only to stay with Koda, and, maybe even Denahi join them, yes, life as bears wouldn´t be so bad.
"I´m aware of the danger Tanana, but I want to try, see how thing come out, and then, well, between us, we will find the answers, together, as brothers, but thanks for the advice, I´ll have it on mind"
Tanana smiled.
"I understand Kenai, thanks for listen to me, so, who´s going?"
"Me, Koda and Denahi"
"Okay, in that case you and your brothers will have to leave this night, then walk in the direction of the Salmon Run and sleep on the woods, when you awake, you will be bears"
"Thanks Tanana! You have made my day!" said Kenai hugging her.
"Oh, you´re welcome my dear, but remember, this is the last time, and spirits can´t change you into another species all the time!"
"Yes, never again, I swear!"
Tanana hugged Kenai.
"No get ready, you have a long journey in front"
"Yes, thanks again, I don´t know what will I do without you"
…
Kenai tell the plan to Denahi, when he was finished, Denahi had a confused look on his face.
"Wow, bears? Me as a bear?" asked Denahi pointing himself.
"Yes, it isn´t that bad, I promise everything is going to be fine, I hope"
"Look Kenai, I love you, and I love Koda, but, I don´t know if I could make it, I´m sure I´ll be the worst bear on earth!"
"No you won´t, you´ll have Koda and me to guide you"
"It´s been a year, you rembered how to be a bear?"
"Yes" said Kenai "And Koda can teach us how to be bears"
"He remembers that?"
"Of course, like he says, he´s a bear on the heart"
Denahi then started thinking, Kenai got scared, he wanted to have his two brothers beside him on the journey, he also wanted to Denahi visit the Salmon Run, and it wouldn´t be the same without him.
"If you accept, you can call me lovely bear all the way"
Then Denahi smiled and looked at him.
"Can I?"
"Yes"
"Okay" said Denahi giving up "I´ll go with you"
"Thanks!" said Kenai hugging him.
"Okay, okay, it´s okay" said Denahi hugging him "Anything for my little brothers"
…
When they told Koda about the plan, the little kid smile and started to jump around the tent in joy.
"Yes, bear again, and the Salmon Run! Yes!, I´ll see Tug, Bucky and all my friends again, yes, when we go?"
"This night" Kenai.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let´s go!" Koda.
"But what about provisions, and weapons?" asked Denahi.
Kenai and Koda looked each other and laughed.
"Will not need them" Kenai.
"Yes, bears can survive without any of that on the woods Denahi, I´m going to teach you a lot about how to be a bear"
"Okay" said Denahi, normally he was the one who teaches his younger brother, but now it was the other way round, and it wasn´t the first time since he learned how powerful was the love thanks to Kenai.
"Perfect, now we better get going" said Kenai.
…
Koda say goodbye to his humans friends while Kenai and Denahi were saying goodbye to Mia and Takashi.
"Don´t worry will be here before your ceremony" Kenai told to Mia.
"Yes no problem" added Mia "I´m not getting my totem that soon, two months more, but, be careful please, you´re the only family we had"
Takashi nodded with the head.
"She´s right, we don´t want anything bad happened to the three of you"
"Don´t worry, will be careful" said Denahi "I´ll be there for watching them"
"Yes, that´s what worries me" Mia.
They all laugh and then they hugged each other, when Koda entered the tent.
"Ready, I said goodbye to all my friends, now´s time for my cousins"
"Oh come on here" said Mia as he walked to him "I´m going to miss you so much"
Mia hugged Koda and he hugged her back.
"I´m going to miss you too Mia, you´re the best cousin I´ve ever had, don´t tell Takashi, he will get jealous"
"Don´t worry I won´t" said Mia smiling "And Koda, once again, I´m really sorry for the slap on your face"
When Koda saw the death cub and loosed control, Mia had to slap him on the face so he calm down, then he relaxed and talked what he had saw, and finally Mia comfort him.
"No worry, I deserve it, and you were a lot of help that day, thanks Mia"
"You´re a love Koda" said Mia hugging him.
Then Koda said goodbye to Takashi.
"See you really soon little man" said Takashi hugging him.
Then the three brothers abandoned the tent of his cousins and walked into the woods.
…
After one hour of walking, the brothers found an empty cave, since it was dark, they go inside.
"Tanana told me that when we awake, will be bears"
"I hope it don´t hurts" Denahi.
"No it doesn´t, you will only feel tired and confused, but you get over it quickly"
"Okay" said Denahi "In that case, good night"
"Good night"
"Good night"
Then they fell asleep.
The three dreams with bears, eagles, wolfs and fishes.
Denahi was the first one in be awake, he didn´t felt different, until he scratched his hair, his nails were sharped than usual, and his hand was feeling… hairy.
Denahi examined his hand, which was no longer a hand, it was a bear claw, and then he looked at his body and saw he was a now a bear, around him were the rests of his destroyed human clothes, the only thing of his human costume remaining was his totem.
He made a great effort to not scream.
"Well… at least I´m look better as a bear" though for himself.