Chapter Eighty-Eight: We're on Our Way

"Hmm" Koda said looking at the funny reflection in the ice like a fun house mirror, "Ahh..." he laughed as Kenai sighed.

"Skinny, fat, skinny, fat..."

"Hey, I've got a mountain to get to, come on, kid" Kenai said.

"I told you before, my name's Koda, say it with me Ko... da" he said.

"Sure your mom didn't ditch you, Ko... da?" Kenai said.

"Hmm" Koda said slidding down the ice he sat on.

"Don't listen to him Koda his mom dropped him on his head, that's why his head so fat" Jason said as Koda laughed as they walked through a grassy meadow.

"Actually, if you really want to know how me and my mom got separated I was saving this story for the salmon run but I'll tell you" Koda said.

"Go ahead" Jason said.

"It was probably the fifth or sixth most coldest day in my entire life" Koda said.

"Oh, this sounds good you should definitely save it" Kenai said.

"You think so?" Koda said.

"Oh, yeah... for your friends" Kenai said.

"Oh."

"Well, I have this other story..."

"Uh, tell you what how about no talking?"

"Ok then I'll sing."

"No, no, no, no, no" Kenai said.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way."

"Will you stop it?"

"New friends and new places to see."

"Shh! Koda, stop singing!" Kenia said covering his mouth

"With...mmmm" he muffled as Kenai put him in a log "Yes, I'm on my way and there's nowhere else that I'd rather be!"

"Uhh!" Kenai growled as Jason pulled Koda out of the log.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way!" Jason sang.

"You know this song too?!" Kenai growled.

"And I'm loving every step I take! With the sun beating down yes I'm on my way and I can't keep this smile off my face! 'Cause there's nothing like seeing each other again no matter what the distance between and the stories that we tell will make you smile oh, it really lifts my heart! So tell 'em all I'm on my way new friends and new places to see and to sleep under the stars who could ask for more? With the moon keeping watch over me. Not the snow, not the rain can change my mind the sun will come out,

wait and see and the feeling of the wind in your face can lift your heart whoa, there's nowhere I would rather be 'cause I'm on my way now well and truly I'm on my way now" Jason sang as they travel a few days as Rutt and Tuke joined them

"Hey! Hold on, eh! Wait... wait up!" Rutt said as the two ran over panting, "How's it going, bear boys?"

"And, uh, smallish bear and turtle?" Tuke said.

"Gee, I didn't know you had a little brother, he's cute, eh?" Rutt said.

"Well, actually, he's just a..." Kenai said.

"Ok, there's this hunter, eh...following us, and I was...we was thinking. If we could maybe just kind of hang out with you guys..." Rutt said.

"Yeah, just hang out."

"That's right. Yeah. It'd be fun, you know? I mean, if the hunter, who's going to catch up..."

"Then you eat him."

"Right. Well, that's what we was thinking."

"We lost the hunter back under the glacier" Kenai said.

"So, you don't think he'll follow those?" Rutt asked as they looked back at the bear tracks they left.

"They are quite nice" Tuke said.

"I've got an idea" Kenai said.

Later!

"Ok, this is really weird!" Koda said as they road mammoths that trumpets.

"Get out, eh. I'm driving" Tuke said.

"When can I have a turn, eh? It's not as easy as it looks. Now, just watch what I do, ok?" Tuke said.

"Well, let's get a backseat or something. I look like you hunted me!" Rutt said.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way!" Jason sang as more animals road the mammoths, "And I just can't wait to be there!"

"Just can't wait to be there!"

"With blue skies ahead! Yes, I'm on my way and nothing but good times to share!"

"Nothing but good times!"

"Tell everybody I'm on my way and I just can't wait to be home!"

"Just can't wait to be home!"

"With the sun beating down yes, I'm on my way and nothing but good times to show I'm on my way!" Jason sang as Koda laughed.

"Yes I'm on my way!" Koda sang.

"Beauty, eh?" Rutt said.

Later that night Koda was on another one of his many stories as they sat on the mammoth tusks.

"Ok, here's how I remember it. If the snow is white,

then it's all right. Yellow or green, it's just not clean! I learned that one the hard way. Oh, that reminds me. Last year at the salmon run...my friend Bucky totally dared me but I'd heard about this other cub...who stuck his tongue to an iceberg...and then he started to float away and so, to save him, they had to, like, rip off his tongue and so now he has to talk...like this all the time and..." he said with his tongue out a Kenai closed his snout.

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Whoa, look!" Koda said pointing to the northern lights appearing in the sky. "The night rainbow you can see the spirits from here."

"You know about the great spirits?" Kenai said.

"Yeah. My grandma's up there and my granddad. Mom says the spirits make all the magical changes of the world like how the leaves change color or the moon changes shapes or tadpoles change into frogs."

"Yeah, l... I get it you know, for a change maybe they could just leave things alone" Kenai said.

"What do you mean?"

"My brother's a spirit if it wasn't for him, l... I wouldn't be here."

"You have a brother up there? What happened to him?"

"He was killed by a b...by a monster."

"Hmmm" Jason said as Koda approached them

"What's your brother's name?"

"Sitka."

"Thanks, Sitka if it weren't for you, I would've never met Kenai, Jason or Max."

"Koda" Jason said as Koda lay next to Kenai.

"I always wanted a brother" he said as Jason spotted the eagle in the tree nearby.

'Sitka what will happen to Koda? Once were humans?' Jason thought.

The next morning the moose brothers were playing a game to pass the time.

"So, you want to play I Spy?" Rutt asked.

"Aright. I'll go first" Tuke said.

"OK."

"I spy something green."

"Tree?"

"Aww."

"My turn?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, I spy something tall."

"Tree."

"Ok."

"Uh, I spy... something with bark."

"Tree?"

"Aww."

"Ok, I spy something...uh, a vertical log."

"Tree."

"Yeah."

"Ok, I spy..."

"Tree."

"Ohh!"

"Ok, my turn."

" Tree."

"No, I got..."

"Oh, it counts."

"I didn't even spy anything."

"It counts."

"Ok...Tree."

"Uhh. Let's play something else."

Meanwhile the bears were snoring as Koda lay on Kenai face.

"Uhh Koda, uh... come on. Koda, wake up" Kenai said.

"Two more months, mom" Koda groaned.

"Uhh" Kenai sighed as Koda yawned, "so, where are we?"

"Um...Hmm" Koda said looking around as he realized he didn't recognize anything and gasped.

"Well, which way?" Kenai asked.

"Yeah Koda where to next?" Jason asked.

"Um... I think it's that way" Koda said pointing.

"You think, or you know?" Kenai said.

"Uh, that way?" Koda said pointing in another direction.

"Ugh! Why wasn't I turned into a homing pigeon?" Kenai muttered.

"I would trade for that" Max muttered.

"Come on" Kenai said as they jumped off the mammoth tusks.

"Hey, riding mammoths was your idea! Thanks for the ride, guys. See you" Koda said following.

"Lucky for you I've been lost worse than this before, last summer, I was digging for roots with Bucky..."

"Ugh! Enough with the stories! I don't care about the time you and Binky found...you know, the world's biggest pine cone ever!" Kenai said.

"First of all, his name's Bucky, not Binky. Second, it wasn't a pine cone it was a pine nut and it was huge even bigger than your fat head!" Koda said.

"Oh, gee, our big guardian bear is leaving, eh?" Rutt said still on their mammoth back.

"Yeah, yeah, we better follow come on" Tuke said as they tried to get off.

"l... can you swing your leg..."

"I can't... I can't get off."

"Me, neither. Ok, you guys! I guess we'll...I guess we'll just catch up with those guys later, eh?"

"Ahh. Good trip, eh?"

"Beauty."

"You know, I was thinking. Now might be a really good time...for me to drive, eh?"

"Just relax and enjoy the ride."

"Yeah ok...Whee."

"Should we help them?" Max asked.

"Nah they will get off eventually" Jason said.

"I'm sorry we're lost, ok? Even though it's pretty much your fault" Koda said.

"My fault? Ugh! That's it!" Kenai growled.

"Just remember, if it weren't for me you'd still be hanging upside down right now!" Koda said.

"Yeah, well, better than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with you and your blabbering mouth "I'm lost I can't find my mommy will you take me

to the salmon run?" Why don't you just grow up?"

"Fine! I'll just go on my own, then."

"Fine go ahead!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Kenai! Koda!" Jason said looking to Koda walking away, "smooth genius! You have such a good way with kids! Koda wait up!"

Koda was by some rocks as he picked up a scent and began to sniff.

"Koda?" Kenai called.

"Koda" Max said as they saw Koda by a rock with many drawing of all the animals.

"Whoa" Koda said.

"Wow" Jason said looking up at the animals forming a spiral on the rock on the roof above them, "just like that...hey!" Jason said spotting the keyhole design in the center of the spiral.

"The keyhole" Max said as they saw Kenai approach a single rock with a man with a sphere and a bear standing on two feet.

"Those monsters are really scary especially with those sticks" Koda said from behind them.

"What do you know Kenai they're afraid of you as well" Jason glared.

"Come on, let's go" Kenai said as they walked away to a stone trail as Koda road on Kenai back, "So, you recognize anything yet? Or maybe you can't see past my fat head" he said as they all laughed.

"So, do you really think I have a fat head?"

"Well, if you hunched your shoulders a little it wouldn't seem so big" Koda said.

"Oh, you mean like this?" Kenai said hunching one shoulder as Koda laughed, "Or like this? Ha ha! How about this?"

"Come on guys" Jason chuckled as they heard two Rams lock horns.

"Oh, my. That was good" one of the rams said.

"Hey, maybe they can give us directions" Koda said.

"Uhh! Ohh! Oh, that clears up the sinuses!"

"Oh, it does."

"OK, OK, OK. OK. Hit me again I think she's looking. Hello, sweetie. Ha ha ha" the ram said to a lady ram neaby.

"Oh, yeah. She's checking me out, all right."

"What?"

"Hey, baby."

"No, no, no. Come on, you nitwit are you out of your head? She's looking at me look at that."

"Right. Like she's looking at your ugly mug?"

"My... excuse me, miss. One second. It's go time, baby!"

"Oh, you want to go?"

"Yeah!"

"Come on, bring it on!"

"Horns up!"

"Hey!" Kenai said.

"Hold on" the large ram said.

"Excuse me" Kenai said.

" What do you want?" he yelled as his voice echoed, "what is that? Who is that?"

"Just a minute, bear" the skinny ram said, "Hey, shut up!"

"Hey, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!" the large Ram yelled.

"No, you shut up!"

"Hey, will you shut up?"

"Hey, will you shut up?"

"No!" the large Ram yelled.

"Just shut up!"

"Just Shut up!"

"Ha. I think their horns are screwed on too tight" Koda said as they laughed.

"That is amusing" Jason chuckled as Koda sniffed.

"Hey, wait a second I know this place!" Koda said jumping off Kenai back.

"You do?" Kenai said.

"Yeah the salmon run's not far!" Koda said.

"Finnaly!" Jason said.

"We just have to go through here" Koda said as Kenai, Jason and Max eyes widen to see the lava area with steam hissing from the magma rocks.

"What?" Koda said seeing their expressions.

"Oh yeah that's a good way to get our FUR BLOWN OFF OUR BACKS!" Jason said.

A.N. Please Review