Chapter 28.

  Beithir.

  Theodren emerged from his newly acquired tent, groggy and unsure of the world around him. Stretching, he welcomed the warm morning sun that banished the chill night air from the world. He yawned and gave a muted grunt as he blinked their small camp into focus, only for a large and familiar mound of brown fur to blink back at him.

  “Oh you’ve got to be joking.” Theodren didn’t dare move. Staring down its scarred snout at him was the young bear from weeks ago, resting by the smoldering embers of the fire. It gave a large toothy yawn as it stretched and clambered to its feet, shaking its own grogginess from a massive furry head.

  Theodren looked around for Reina who was supposed to be on watch. It wasn’t until the sound of a gentle nasally whistle came to his ears that he looked up to see her perched on a large branch, Theviana in her arms and head resting against the trunk of the tree. “Reina!” He hissed, eyes flickering between her and the bear that lumbered closer to him.

  “Huh? Wha? I’m not sleeping, you’re sleeping!” Reina jolted awake, eyes blinking fast as she clutched Theviana to her chest, panic and then relief filler her face She craned her neck to look down at Theodren. “What’s your prob… oh…”

  He was not looking forward to another fight with the grizzly. He held his arm straight, palm out at the bear. “Stop! Stay!” He shouted in a tone reminiscent of his mother disciplining his fathers hounds. The bear stopped in its tracks, cocking its head to the side as it considered the man before it. A look of thoughtfulness crossed the bear's features before its shaggy rear end slumped to the ground, sitting almost like a dog.

  “Huh.” Theodren managed, bewildered by the seemingly docile bear. “That was the cutest thing ever!!!” Reina shrieked from her branch. She swung down from the tree, bursting with an energy Theodren found offensive this early in the morning and rushed to his side. Depositing the baby in his arms, she turned and leapt at the bear. “Reina, don’t!” But it was too late. Airborne and arms spread, she landed face first in the bear's chest, doing her best to wrap her arms around the massive beast.

  Theodren tensed, expecting violence, a roar, a rampage. What he was not expecting was an almost human-like expression of bemused exasperation at the small human clinging to his neck. “Reina! Get off the bear! It could be dangerous!” Her head turned, showing half of a pout. “He’s not dangerous, he’s a friend!” Theodren released a massive sigh. “It’s not a friend, it’s a predator!”

  Reina reached up, grabbing the furry cheeks of the bear’s face, she pulled them upward into an approximation of a smile. All pink and black gums crowned with yellow teeth, Theodren grimaced.

  “If not friend, why friend shaped?” She asked, further terrorizing the creature who whined in response. It was strange to Theodren to see a bear so tame. Especially this bear. Theodren still recalled the roaring savagery of his claws and the ferocity of his fangs as they had battled only weeks ago.

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  His curiosity piqued, he searched deep into the beast’s soul, hunting for some kind of subterfuge or aggression hidden anywhere amongst its Vitae. The Bear’s soul glowed a brilliant green, interspersed with calm blues and pleasant yellows. A tiny dull red of irritation flickered amongst the other emotions but there seemed to be no threat there. What was strange was the brilliant green of the bear’s soul, it was oddly familiar in a way that he couldn’t quite place. A moment passed and then it clicked.

  Theodren looked down at his own soul, thrumming powerfully in his chest. As his connection to the beast became apparent, he groaned. The reason the green of the bear’s soul was familiar was painfully simple. It was the exact same color as his. When Theodren had healed the creature after their fight, he was still inexperienced. Dumping massive quantities of his own Vitae, his own soul into the bear and now…

  Theodren turned his eyes to the beast’s annoyed face as Reina continued to fawn over it like a child with a new puppy. A piece of his soul now lived within the bear, fully absorbed into the creature’s Vitae.

  He ran a hand through his hair. Another mouth to feed, and a big one at that. Reina’s muffled giggling grated at his ears, a sentiment he apparently shared with the bear, who groaned and grumbled at the enthusiastic woman’s harassment.

  Theodren sighed, pulling Reina off the suffering creature. Her giggles continued as she dangled from his grasp. “Can we keep him?” She asked, offering the best impression of a puppy dog face she could.

  “I do not believe my saying no would deter you in the slightest.” He said. She squealed as he lowered her to the ground. The bear stood, plodding up to Theodren, it poked him with its nose letting out a pleased huff.

  “I have to name you now don’t I?” Theodren grumbled. “Ooh! Ooh! What about Barry?” Blurted Reina, bouncing on her toes in excitement. Both Theodren and the bear looked at her with mixtures of disdain and disbelief.

  She blinked at them. “What?” Theodren shook his head, returning his attention to the beast before him. The bear was even bigger than he remembered. Five feet at the shoulder, ten feet tall on its hind legs, Theodren had truly been a novice when he pumped it full of Vitae.

  His attention wandered the bear until they landed on the intense amber of the creature’s eyes. The color and hue reminded him of cold nights spent indoors gathered around the fire. His mother would read them tales of great heroes and vicious monsters, using her thread to cast shadows on the wall, illustrating her tales to the wide eyed children of his father’s hall. Theodren remembered one tale in particular.

  The tale of Beithir. Beithir was a great dragon who lived in the far north, removed from the world. Kings and Queens the world over would make pilgrimage to him, requesting his council or his judgement, renowned as he was for his wisdom and fairness. It was also rumored that Beithir held a vast horde of gold deep in a cave in the mountains where he lived. One day the king of a nearby land came to the beast seeking his riches. Three times the dragon rebuked him, and three times he returned. On the fourth day the king arrived with soldiers and fire, demanding what he claimed was owed to him as lord of that land.

  Beithir acquiesced, under the condition that he would give the gold to the king’s soldiers, and they would have to give it to him. The dragon gave each man a small fortune, and when the time came to relinquish their treasures to the king, they refused. Scattering in all directions, the soldiers returned to their families to live as lords of their own. Leaving the king to stand alone before the dragon he threatened. “A king with no one to follow him is no king at all. And loyalty that can be bought is a poor ware indeed.” Was all the dragon said, retreating into its lair, leaving the scorned king to suffer his fate in the frozen north alone.

  Theodren nodded as he decided on the name. The name of a wise and noble beast. Placing his hand on the bears brow, he spoke. “Your name is Beithir