The Bright and Pale Cubs (Part II)

(Part I of this story was featured on Saturday, August 14th)

Three days the Man stayed at the cottage. At first the Bear God thought perhaps he was the mate of the old she-human, but he seemed younger, more of an age to the cubs. The Man left on the fourth day with his cart and pony, leaving behind trade goods for the she-humans, making promises to return before winter. When he had gone the Bear God fished again, for he had dared not leave the cottage while the visitor was there, and in the evening he returned to his humans.

“Oh Great Bear, we have been so lost without you!” cried the Pale Cub on his return. The Bright Cub and the old she-human regaled him with tales of the traveler. They showed him bright goods that shimmered in the light and begged him to taste delicacies from across the mountains while the Pale Cub combed his coat and stroked his paws. As night approached the humans grew sleepy and made their excuses to bed down, but the Bear God lightly nudged at the Pale Cub. “Pale One, I must speak with you a moment.”

“Of course, Great Bear. What is it you require?” She looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were not the black of the birch but rather the dark blue of the winter night. “Sing me a song, Pale One, for I will leave soon and I wish to remember your voice in the wilderness.”

“Great One, why is it that you are leaving us?” Her voice was full of sadness and fear. “Have we displeased you?  We wish only to make you happy.” She stroked his coat and laid her head upon his shoulder.

“You have done nothing wrong child. I leave now because I see that soon you and the Bright One will find mates and leave this place. I am loosing my humans who mean so much to me. There is sadness in my heart that I must ease with solitude.” The Pale she-human made sounds of distress, but could not deny that soon they would need mates. “Please, sing me a song before we part.” She sang to him then, a song of the Aurora Borealis in a voice sweeter than any birds’. When she finished she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her tear soaked face against his cheek. “Return to us once, please, before the winter.” He gently shook her off and made his way into the night.

Many weeks past and the days grew short and cold. Still the Bear God did not return to his humans. As the leaves fell and firewood was stockpiled the Pale she-human often watched the woods for signs of the Bear God and she sang songs to the stars at night for him. The Bright and Old she-humans were sad that they were no longer graced with the company of the lord of the land, but in their hearts they had known he could not stay forever. Gods were subject to their own will and humans of no more account to them than salmon or birds. The Old she-human often said comforting words to the Pale One, encouraging her cubs with thoughts of the traveling male-human, soon to return. Finally the first frost came, and with it the Man.

Much deliberation had gone on within the heart of the Old she-human since the Man first made her the offer of marrying one of her cubs. Both were beautiful, one Bright as berries, one Pale as snow, but the mother worried how her cubs would take to a mate. The Man and the Bright Cub seemed of a similar temperament, but as she watched the Pale Cub suffer across the summer and autumn, the Old she-human wondered if it might be best to match her with the Man to ease her loneliness. Her final decision yet unmade, the return of the Man brought with it a sleepless night for the Old One.

Part III, the conclusion of the story, will not be published on the blog as I am hoping to do some editing and submit it for publication. Those of you who are familiar with folktales and fairy tales may recognize the bones of the story as inspired by "Snow White and Rose Red" and those of you familiar with Russian geography my recognize Kamchatka as the location of the Valley of the Geysers.