Chapter 2

Kinara was stunned.

"You…you really were…a hunter?" he asked.

Kenai smiled. "Yes. A foolish and arrogant one, but yes. I learned my lesson by becoming a bear and raising Koda as my own brother. I have learned my lesson. The question is, have you?"

Kinara snorted. "What lessons have I to learn? I was defending myself. I do not repent."

Kenai snorted inwardly. "Go. We will speak on it tomorrow. I am sure my brother Denahi will be more than willing to accommodate you. We leave tomorrow. Good night." And with that, he rolled over and went to sleep. Kinara left, mulling over what Kenai had revealed to him. The fact that he was once a hunter…he shook off the thought, and quickly found Denahi's tent and pushed the flap aside. Denahi was sitting up, looking lost in thought. He looked over as Kinara walked in. "Ah, I see you have come back from Kenai's cave. Tell me, what did you think?"

"It was…unexpected."

Denahi laughed. "I would assume so. Now, I guess you need a place to sleep tonight, as it is too late to venture out."

"Um…yes…Kenai said you could accommodate me…"

"No problem! Please, make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you…" Kinara had to bite his tongue not to say "hunter,"…"Denahi."

"You're quite welcome. Now get some sleep."

That was the last think Kinara heard as he drifted off. Denahi watched the bear turned human and smiled inwardly. It was a short time later that he himself drifted off to sleep.

Kinara awoke feeling less than refreshed. The Great Spirits had granted him a less than restful night, and visions of the human he had killed haunted his dreams. It was with great trepidation that he got up and left the sleeping Denahi to go find Kenai's cave. He found Kenai and Koda already up and wrestling outside their cave. Kenai stopped when he saw Kinara approach, and Koda, not noticing this, took the chance to tackle Kenai, and it was only then that he noticed Kinara looking on apprehensively. "I am ready."

"Excellent!" said Kenai. "We have to leave at once. Are you ready?"

Kinara could barely hold in his excitement. All he would have to do was go to this mountain with Kenai and he could be back to his old self! It was with this excitement that he nodded in the affirmative.

"Let us be off," said Kenai, Koda following closely behind. Kinara, trying to hold back from breaking into a full on sprint, joined them. They were already deep in the forest when Kinara asked, "So, how far is this mountain thing?"

Kenai gave him a sidelong glance. "About two days by foot, if we do not get delayed."

They continued in silence for a while. Kinara broke the silence after a while.

"Kenai, can I ask you a question?"

"You may."

"Why did you do it? You could have lived as a human and have learned the same lesson, yet you chose to be a bear, one of us. Why?"

Kenai stopped short. He had not been expecting this kind of question, and yet, the answer came to him almost immediately. "Koda," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"Koda. I knew I couldn't leave him. He was my brother after all. I felt closer to him than my human brothers. It was natural." At this, Koda, who had been leading the group, smirked. "You know you couldn't live without me, Kenai!" he chuckled

"That doesn't stop you from being a complete pain sometimes!" Kenai called back, enjoying the ribbing. Kinara listened to the banter, somewhat bemused. Kenai turned back to Kinara. "You see, it was all part of following my totem."

"You're totem? That little stone piece you wear around your neck?"

"Exactly. I became a man, or bear, as the case may be, by staying with Koda as a bear. The proudest moment of my life was when I had my paw put up there with all the ancestors."

"I see…" Kinara drifted off into thought again, pondering what had just been revealed. He was just starting to realize that…that…

"Hunter!" Koda yelled. "Hide!"

Kinara could feel his insticts to run kicking in, when he realized that the hunter wouldn't be after him. An idea occurred to him.

"Quick, you and Koda hide, I'll see what he wants!" he whispered to Kenai, who nodded as he dashed off into the brush. The hunter could be heard approaching, and Kinara could start to see a vague outline of a rather small hunter with a spear in hand as he watched. He hid himself until the hunter was close enough, then emerged from the brush. The hunter, who Kinara could see was just a small child, jumped back and raised his spear when he saw Kinara, then lowered it when he saw it was just another human. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice wavering with nervousness.

"I think the better question would be what to you want?" asked Kinara, doing all he could to give into his bear habits and just run. "Aren't you a little young to be hunting?"

The kid looked down. "I have to. My family has to survive."

Kinara was taken aback. "What do you mean? Don't you have a father to do that for you?"

The kid shook his head. "He was…he was killed by a bear. He was just trying to get us food to survive. Now I have to…carry on."

Kinara was shocked. This poor little boy, barely eight years old, and already having to support an entire family. And his father killed by one of his own. An idea formed in his head. No, he thought. It couldn't be. And yet…

"Might I ask you told you this information?"

The boy sighed. "It was our village shaman, Tanana."

A pit was opening in Kinara's stomach. "What was his name?" he asked, dreading the answer that he knew was going to come.

"Sachak."

For the first time ever, Kinara felt guilty for something that he had done.