All was quiet on that cold winter's eve, the land muffled and its creatures lulled to sleep by the silent lullaby of snowfall. High in the twilit heavens, rainbow lights danced among the twinkling stars, a festival of colored fire. Very few men or beasts were still outdoors to enjoy this display, bundled safely inside away from the biting cold. Yet on this particular night, one young man was still outside, eyes turned upward, entranced by the mysteries of the aurora.

Unnvald Ursanel was no stranger to the rainbow dance, for he had caught glimpses of it for many winters both back among his own people and in this new, strange kingdom the locals called "Scotland." His family was a very late arrival—the Danelaw had been abolished some years prior—and though they had found a warm welcome among the families that had settled there prior, the lands of the Britons had changed them. Very few still followed the old ways, and his unique gifts, a source of pride and honor back home, now had to be hidden for fear of shame and persecution. Yet even in this strange and often unfriendly place, he could still find traces of the familiar in the night sky.

"Oi, invader!" The sudden rude voice shook Unnvald out of his musings. Turning his gaze from the skies down to the foot of the rock on which he lay, he saw a group of boys with small makeshift clubs. Though he could not see their faces clearly, it was clear by their taunt that they were locals, Picts perhaps.

"Fancy yer'self a soothsayer, do ye?" the boy at the front of the pack called. "Trying to talk to yer All-Father, are ye?"

Unnvald scowled, before replying in the best Gaelic he could muster, "The sky is beautiful. I watch, nothing more."

Another boy snorted in contempt, before replying in a nasally voice, "Yeh right. We know yer type, invader, with yer rune castin' and yer entrail readin'. Go back to the North!"

The other boys yelled in agreement, before beginning a chant of "Go back to the North!" Unnvald, springing to his feet, began to back away slowly. It was clear they wanted a fight, and he had no wand or weapon to defend himself with. Like wolves surrounding their prey, the boys began to circle around him and close in. Before they could do so fully, Unnvald bolted.

The snow crunched under his feet as he ran, ducking through the frost-adorned trees and shrubs, his tormentors in hot pursuit. The cold wind stung his eyes as he raced forward half-blind. All at once, the ground in front of him fell away into open air, and he barely had time to catch himself before he could hurtle over the cliff. He spun around, eyes darting left and right for another path, but it was too late. The boys had caught up with him, cutting him off from any hope of escape. They now began moving slowly forward, swinging their clubs in front of them. Unnvald swallowed hard. It was obvious what their intent was—they wanted to force him off the edge.

He slowly began backing up towards the edge of the cliff, glancing behind him nervously. The great gulf stretched out before him, ready to swallow him whole. He was getting closer and closer to the precipice. He was now only three steps away… now two… he shut his eyes and prepared for the end…

There was a rush of air, a great shadow briefly blocked the light cast by the moon and the auroras, and the boys gave out sharp cries as they scrambled away from the cliff. Unnvald slowly looked up. There, standing before him, was a massive snow-white bear. It loomed over his tormentors, a low growl escaping its jaws, before suddenly it reared back onto its hind legs and gave out a hair-raising roar. The boys screamed and ran, scrambling over eachother in their haste to escape this juggernaut of a beast.

Unnvald held his breath, gazing up at the massive beast before him, waiting for it to round on him and finish him off. Yet the impact of the massive paw and the ripping of the razor claws never came. The bear turned around and sat on its hind quarters, simply staring at the young man. He stared back, confused, gazing into the great round eyes of the beast. Somehow, he felt great compassion in those eyes, animalistic as they were. It was almost as if the bear was waiting for him to join it.

Slowly, Unnvald crawled forward to sit beside the bear. It watched his movements, but made none himself. Instead, it turned to look upward at the stars and the aurora, the colors twisting and weaving through the sky. Unnvald looked up as well, smiling in spite of the situation. He didn't know how this white bear was here, and right now he didn't care. He leaned against the warm white fur of the bear, and for the first time all night, the first time since coming here even, he felt at peace.