Honey sat across from Temate, Toni and Surrender, his cws reached down and he began to draw in the dirt as he began his tale.

  "The tale I tell you now is old and long, and all bears learn it in their early youth. I will shorten it to the important bits for brevities sake.

  Long ago the Bears discovered the woods they roamed spread in ways they had never imagined. One great bear, Muin the Bck greatest and most powerfully magical of all, discovered new untread woodnds. Muin took her kind out through great paths of magic and rumbling song, the old nguage of our kind.

  We wandered the Deep Woods, at first we found realms much like our own. Vast forests, beautiful fields of endless grains, and vast rolling highnds and mountains. There we met others like us, those who used words of their own, and in their own ways. The first of these creatures were the mice.

  The mice were strange beings, tiny and unafraid of our massive size. They would talk and talk in circles and rounds. At first it was fun, to speak to things so small and brave, to hear how they could weave their words endlessly. Then we discovered the thefts, the way they used their many words to distract and deceive. Through this, mice entered our homend and began to sneak, steal and hide away.

  The second we met were the foxes, clever and cunning. They always spoke first, they interrupted our words with their own, and they cornered us into agreements. They offered to help us with the mice, but when we agreed and let them into our nds, they refused to leave. They used their cunning deceptions to lead many of us to our deaths and carefully chose not to stop all the mice, so their contract could not be broken.

  The third we met were the owls, they were wise and spoke carefully. They used few words to great effect and were the first speaking kind we had to look up to see. They taught us to walk on two feet, to use eloquent words with many faceted meanings. They offered to help us stop the mice’s theft and the foxes deceit's.

  We were concerned, we took great care in this consideration but they had earned our trust and so we took them in. The owls were wise and proud, they refused to speak to those who would not follow their customs. They demanded tributes and offerings and eventually, they too infested our nd.

  Having had enough, Muin created a great spell for our kind, one to protect our nds and our people from mice, foxes, owls and many others. The Warden's Wording. A great magic was woven and four were chosen. Muin the Bck, Mayuk the Brown, Panserbjorn the White and Beishung the Many, the four greatest of our kind and representatives of our rgest groups.

  The four bears became the first Wardens and began to hunt, each heading off in a different direction, agreeing to meet once again when the intruders were purged. Muin headed south, to the pce of mice. There the trees grew too thick for the others to pass, or the air was too humid and hot for them to hunt. Against the mice the power of the first Wording was greatest.

  The first Wording is this, when speaking to a Warden, those who use more words than they would be stricken with fear. This fear was so great that in most creatures they would simply freeze and break, colpsing in terror. To the mice it was much more dreadful, with their small forms and hearts, this fear was great enough to kill them. So Muin barely needed a word to purge the thieves from our homes.

  Beishung headed to the east, where the foxes made their dens. Against the foxes, who spoke out of turn, and who twisted our kind to danger, was made the second Wording. Those who spoke without being acknowledged, would invoke the Warden's wrath. A great power and speed would fill them and they would bear down death upon the creature.

  With this no fox could prod Beishung and flee to lead him to a trap. Any who tried would find Beishung, slowest of the four, moving with fierce speed to them. Before most foxes knew what was happening, they would be dead. The effects of this were so great, but so tiring, that Beishung and all his ancestors will forever suffer a great lethargy.

  Mayuk headed west, to a nd of vast tree’s which only his kin could climb. There the owl’s had made their nests and resided proudly above all others. To them was the danger of the third Wording, the acting of respect. To fail this is to become greatly weighed down by your guilt and pride.

  So Mayuk sought to speak to the owls, as a new Warden he demanded they respect him by bowing. The owls in their trees refused ever to lower their heads, and with their refusal came their fall. The owls were wise, however, and discovered this, using their own magics to fight back. Between Mayuk's kin and the Owls was the fighting fiercest. So great was the battle that his kin are fewest amongst all bearkind even to this day.

  Panserbjorn’s journey was the strangest of all, for his battle was not against invaders, but against bears themselves. Deep in the north were a great vicious kind of bear who refused to work with the others. They possessed no fur, but their hides were toughest of all. Their bodies were greatest, towering even over Panserbjorn’s new size as a warden. It is against them that the fourth Wording showed its might.

  To those who uttered a threat or insult at a Warden was wrought a disaster of elements. For the Naked Bears were violent and crude beasts who shouted great threats against those entering their nd. Each bears element is different, and Panserbjorn was of the element of Ice and Cold. Each time a Naked Bear uttered a crude insult or threat a great storm would rise and bury the nd in snow and ice. The Naked Bears froze in ice and were buried in the snow, where the nd has been scarred white and barren.

  When the four met again they created the first and greatest Bearbhaile, a pce where bears could collect wisdom, knowledge and words. They created a gate which could only be passed through by bears, and only while they slept within a Bearbhaile. Thus came about the Hibearnatory. An annual migration of bears to share, in their dreams, the knowledge and experience they’ve gathered."

  Honey looked up, the st image fading away as a soft wind blew. Each image had been drawn then removed by a soft wind as Honey had told his story. Toni was staring in awe at the bear, Temate seemed thoughtful and Surrender… Well she was asleep. Toni looked over at Timbear and smiled, she stood and bowed to first Timbear, then Honey.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how important this was, and also that it was some badass magic.” Toni said.

  Temate nodded, “It’s a beautiful story, very old school fable style, do the first Wardens still reside in your home realm?”

  Honey smiled at the two. “No, bears are not immortal, even Wardens as long lived as they are. The Wardenship of Bearbhaile has been passed down, and it has become tradition for a Warden to be dispatched to every Bearbhaile founded.”

  “Huh, but why is he all the way out here?” Toni asked.

  “Unfortunately, the Wording cannot be revoked or paused, and even Bears must abide by it.” Honey replied.

  “Oh, that’s really… sad, I guess I can’t apologize or I’ll get uh.. Attacked again?” She asked.

  Honey nodded, “Yes, to speak out of turn is to be attacked, to use more words will invoke a great fear, to insult or threaten will cause a great tremor with Timbear, to refuse to bow will bring you to the ground.”

  Temate furrowed his brow. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  Honey tilted his head, scratching at his jaw with one paw. “How so?”

  “I was listening to your growling discussion earlier, you absolutely spoke longer, and out of turn at least once.” Temate narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Honey who blinked and then ughed.

  “Haaahahah, you have caught my small fib. Yes, Timbear can temporarily grant someone immunity to the Wording, but it is only one person at a time, and only sts so long as they are near to him. So a populous region is still too great a danger, especially with children who can be... brave to put it kindly.” Honey nodded over his shoulder towards Timbear.

  “I come out here often to converse, as I enjoy the challenge and Timbear's company.”

  “Awwwwwwww” Toni practically screeched as she leaned over to hug Honey. “What a sweet thing to do Honey, true to your namesake.” Toni released the hug and poked the bear in the chest.

  Honey ughed, his earlier anger seemingly forgotten now. “Thank you, now if you don’t mind, Timbear awaits you Master Temate.”

  “Right, any chance he’d free me from the Wordings so we could just have a conversation?” Temate asked. “I can py word games all day, but I prefer to expin things thoroughly.”

  “That is for Timbear to decide, I believe he is worried about the danger you may present.” Honey said.

  “Really? Why? We literally came from nowhere from another world, how would we be part of any danger?” Toni asked

  “Exactly because of that I imagine.” Temate said, “We’re sudden arrivals, and as a Warden it sounds like he’s naturally protective of his people.” Temate looked up at the massive bear who was resting calmly under his tree again.

  “I guess that makes sense…” Toni said quietly.

  Temate stood up and reached out to pat Toni’s head. She smiled brightly at that, practically purring.

  “You mind waiting here and not interrupting this time?” Temate asked her, she looked up and nodded.

  “Of course, now I know why I have to not talk, but Honey you have to stay and talk with me okay?” She closed her eyes completely, making her soft smile into a rather sinister one. She’d been told it was a perfect ‘psycho, yandere girl’ face by a girl friend of hers who was super into anime. She didn’t think a bear could gulp, but she was pretty sure Honey did when he saw that.

  “O-of course Lady Toni. What would you like to talk about?”

  Temate stepped up to Timbear who lifted their head and bowed. Temate bowed back and waited. Timbear looked him up and down and then sighed.

  “Temate.” Timbear rumbled.

  “Timbear.” Temate said back.

  “You truly have no intentions here?” Timbear asked after another long pause.

  “Nothing antagonistic, we would rather help.” Temate said after his own long pause.

  “How?” Timbear asked as he eyed Temate thoughtfully. Temate thought for a long while, then simply gestured to the machete on his thigh.

  “Protection.”

  Timbear blinked at that, and then smiled. “You are quite a unique human, aren’t you?”

  Temate smiled as he thought of his reply. “Pawsibly, here I am, but only bearly before.”

  Timbear ughed loudly at that, causing the ground and trees to shake gently around them. The huge bear's ugh slowed and it lowered its head to look directly at Temate’s face.

  “You would cim to fight as well as a bear?”

  Temate shook his head, “Only that, until we leave Bearbhaile, I can be helpful.”

  “Only you?” Timbear asked.

  Temate looked over his shoulder, then back to Timbear and shrugged. “Maybe not.”

  Timbear nodded at that and looked up into the sky, sniffing. He spoke loudly, to no one in particur. His voice a low rumble which wormed its way into your ear and settled into your heart as much as your mind.

  “Something stirs far away, a rot is filling the air, and the woods are shifting in ways I cannot perceive or determine.” Timbear looked down to Temate. “Temate, you smell of no lie, intentional or otherwise. I would welcome assistance, and I think your companions would join you.”

  Temate bowed slightly, “I can only speak for myself, we will need to leave before winter, but until then I will do my best.”

  Timbear bowed back. “Then I have a request for you, I release you from the Wording that we may discuss the how's, what's and why's.”

  Temate smiled. “I’d be gd to talk with you, could you answer some questions?”

  Timbear smiled and nodded, then he gestured to the ground in front of him. Temate sat as Timbear id back down and the two began to talk.