Coming to The Meadow

Lusa walks into the open grass area and sniffs the air. She inhales deeply and looks up at the sky. She walks uto a huge tree and sits at its trunk listening to the murmur of bear spirits. She looks out across the grass land and spots a hare hopping along toward her. She crouch's and stalk's into the grass. When the hare stops and look's around Lusa pounce's and sinks her teeth in to its neck. Carring the hair back to the tree she sets it down and licks her snout. "Just what I need. A juicy hair to fill my roaring stomach." Lusa say's to herslef.

Lusa came back to the Meadow and noticed her hare was still lieing there but eaten to the bone. "I only ate half then went to get a drink..." Lusa thought. She padded up to it. She was surprised that she sented another black bear. "Thats odd. I eat meat only sometimes, but I really like berries. Aren't all black bars supposed to eat berries?" Lusa said to her self. She shrugged and padded over to a tree. She leap off her paws and scrambled up a tree.

Lusa took a long nap and when she woke up she heard her stomach roar. She stretched and pawed her snout. "Time for some breakfast!" Lusa said to herself. She went down the tree and sniffed. She sented hare and another bear. She crouched down and followed the sent of a hare. When she felt it was right behind a bush she sniffed the air and peared around the bush. When she saw anther bear and the hare at the she-bear paws she took a small step back. Se didnt take her eyes off the huge brown she-bear. When the she-bear looked up and spotted Lusa her heartskipped a beat. "What do YOU want?" the she-bear growled. "I-uh sented your hare so I-uh thought I could catch one." Lusa said in a tiny voice. "Well tough luck. Go away!" the she-bear roared and got on her hind legs. Lusa ran so fast everything was a blur. She went up her tree and layed on a branch panting. lusa looked out from her perch and saw the huge she-bear batting the air and roaring. She shivered and watched the she-bear pick up her prey and walk away.Lusa stayed until the she-bear was out of sight. She went down the tree and turned away from the Meadow and looked for berries.

Lusa was walking along when she spotted a berry bush. She licked her snout and padded over to it. She was eating some berries when she heard paw steps. She looked around but saw nothing. She shrugged and went back to eating berries. Then she heard the paw steps agian! Lusa listened with her huge black ears and looked around expecting a huge grizzly to come lumbering out. But instead a tiny black bear cub. Smaller and younger then Lusa. When the little cub potted Lusa her eyes grew wide with fright. "It's ok. i'm not going to hurt you." Lusa said soothly. The little cub took a step back and looked at the berry bush. Lusa then relized how skinny it was. Then i black bear came out. The cub ran over to her. "Thats her mother" Lusa thought. Lusa sat down and said. "Hello." The mother bear nuzzled her cub. Then looked back at Lusa. "Why hello there." the mother bear said. "Would you like some berries?" Lusa asked. "Yes please. Prey has been very thin around here. I think it is the flat-face's. But thats only something i heard." The mother bear explained. She nuzzled her cub to the bush. "It's ok, Willow. This bear is nice. Come on. Lets' eat some berries." the mother bear said to her cub. Willow came padding over and took a mouthful of berries. "Mama, these are very good." Willow said threw a mouthful. "You may have some too. Im not going to eat this whole bush!" Lusa said to the mouther bear. "Thank you! And what is your name young one?" the mother bear said. "My name is Lusa. And I'm guessing your cub is Willow?" Lusa said. "Why yes. My name is Sky." Sky said. "Nice to meet you." Lusa said with a smile. Willow was monching on berries when she asked "Mama, when will all he prey come back?" Sky looked up at the sky and said. "I don't know my little blackberry." Lusa remembered her Mother calling her little blackberry. Sadness washed over her like a gust of wind. "My Mother used to call me little blackberry also." Lusa said half to herelf. "What happen to your mother young one?" asked Sky. "My Mother was torn to peice's by a brown bear trying to protect me. I was only little, but she taught me a lot already. I had to figure out the rest." Lusa said sadly. "Oh, my. Im so sorry." Sky said softly. She nuzzled Lusa in the shoulder. "I hope her spirit found a tree safely." Sky said. "Me too." Lusa said. Willow came trotting over. "Mama, I'm full." she said. "Ok. Well then. Off we go then. Travel safely Lusa. May the spirits be with you." Sky said. She took a mouthful of berries and nodded at Lusa. Lusa nodded back. She watched the mother and her cub walk off. Lusa truned around and too mouthful of berries and walk the other direction.

Lusa was walking along chewing the berries. She padded over to a stream. She was lapping up water when she felt like he was being watched or hunted. Lusa lifted her head and looked around. No one was there. Not a bear in sight. She went back to drinking when she was a silver shape swim right past her nose. Lusa pounced but ended up with nothing. She sighed and wadded out of the water. Shaking her fur she felt like he was being watched or hunted again. Lusa looked around, but there was no bear. Lusa went back over to the stream and sat on the bank. She spotted a few more fish and wished she would know how to catch one. what she really wanted was to know what the stuff "honey" her mom told her about tasted like. Lua sighed and wished her mother was here. Lusa was staring into the stream and didn't relised that she WAS being watched. There was a young black bear cub staring t her from a perch in a tree. When Lusa smelled him she looked around. "Hello?" Lusa said half expecting no reply. "Hello." said a little cheerful voice. Lusa sat up "Where are you?" Lusa asked. "Up here." Said the voice. Lusa looked up and saw the little male black bear cub. He looked down at Lusa curiously. "What is your name?" he asked. "I am Lusa. And you are?" Lusa said. "Im Yogi." he said. Yogi slid down the tree and came snout to snout with Lusa. "Why where you watching me?" Lusa asked. Yogi thought for a minute then said. "I don't know. I was sleeping then i heard you come and drink. So I just watched you." Yogi said. "Oh." Lusa grumbled. Lusa looked around expecting Yogi's mother to come out. "What are you looking for?" Yogi asked tilting his head. "Where is your Mother?" Lusa asked. Yogi looked down. "S-She was killed by a brown bear." Yogi said sadly tears welling up in his eyes. He sniffled and looked at Lusa. "Where is your mother?" He asked looking into Lusa's eyes. "M-My mother was also killed by a black bear." She said looking at the ground. Yogi gasped and said. " Really? That's so weird. Where you hiding in a tree and your mother was protecting you?" Yogi asked. Lusa looked up at him in surprise. "Yes, i was!" Lusa exclaimed. "I was too!" Yogi yelped. They looked at each other for a minute then Lusa looked away. She padded over to the stream and started lapping the water again. She heard yogi sit down and star at her again. Lusa truned around and sat next to him. "Now what?" Yogi asked. Right when Lua was about to anwser Willow came running toward Lusa. She stopped dead at the edge of the other side of the stream. Lusa could tell she had been crying. "Willow what happen? Where is your Mother?" Lusa asked getting up. "H-How do you know my name?" Willow asked. "I was the one at the berry bush." Lusa said. Willow hook her head like there where bees in her brain. "What happen?" Lusa said wadding across the stream. When Lusa got to the other side standing infront of Willow Willow ran right to her paw. lusa sat down and let little Willow snuggle in her belly fur. She started whimpering. "M-My mama w-was fighting a huge WHITE b-bear." she said threw wimpers. Yogi came wadding across the stream and sat next to Lusa nuzzling Willow. "White?" Lusa asked half to herself. "There is such thing as a white bear?" Yogi asked. "Apperently." Lusa said. Suddenly Sky came limping out a the tree's and into the clearing. Yogi gasped, Willow whimpered more when he saw the huge gashes on her mother, and Lusa got up. "Oh my goodness!" Lusa roared. "What happen?" Yogi asked. "There are white bears... In the forest!" Sky explained.

Lusa looked at Sky in surprise. "There are such things as WHITE bears?" Yogi asked. "Yes, they live on the ice but since it's leaf-time the ice melts and they come on to land." Sky explianed licking her woundes. Lusa took a peice of moss and dipped in the stream. She padded over and set it on one of Sky's wounds. "Thank you young one." Sky said greatfully. "Anytime." Lusa said. She sat down infront of Sky. "What happen?" she asked. "Well, Willow and i where eating some berries off a bush and a huge white bear was going to attack Willow. It looked like he was going to eat her. So i slashed him in the face. I told Willow to run, but instead she hid behind a bush. i fought of the huge white bear, but I told Willow to run. She ran off and i had to fight the bear a little longer thats when he did one last blow and I fell. I saqw him pad away. That's when I came here." Sky explained. Lusa looked at her and then at Yogi looking at the wound on her leg. He padded and got some wet moss. Willow was snuggled up agianst her mothers belly fur. She nuzzled her. "I will go find some berries." Lusa announced. Willow stood up. "Can i come?" she asked. Lusa looked at Sky and she nodded. "Alright." Lusa said. Willow let out an excited squeak and they padded off together.

Lusa and Willow padded threw the forest. Willow stayed close to Lusa. Lusa sniffed the air and noticed Willow was doing the same. "Can you teach me how to hunt, Lusa?" Willow asked looking up at her. Lusa looked down at the little cub and said "Alright. Lets start with finding berries. That's the easiest." Willow nodded. "Ok, now lit her snout into the air and take a big sniff. What do you smell?" Lusa said. Willow did what she was told and finally say "I smell grass, trees, other animals, and... BERRIES!" Willow yelped with joy. Lusa sniffed the air and noticed she was corect. "Good!" Lusa roared. "Now follow that sent." Lusa said she started walking toward the sent of berries with Willow right at her paws. They found the bush. Lusa looked around and found a HUGE leave and gave it to Willow. "What is this for?" she asked. Lusa took off a branch of berries and put it on the leave. "This is how we are going to carry the berries." She explained. "OK!" Willow yelped bouncing with excitment. Willow put her little jaws on the stem and they dragged it back to Sky and Yogi.

When Lusa and Willow got back to Yogi and Sky, Sky was fast asleep and Yogi was pawing the stream.Yogi spotted them right away and took the berries from Willow. Willow followed him and she went over to her sleeping mother and curled up at her paws. Lusa looked at them in carring eyes. Remebering how her mother used to do the same. "I'm going to go hunting in the Meadow." she whispered to Yogi. Yogi looked at her then nodded.

When Lusa reached to Meadow she looked over at her tree. She spotted the remaining hare and looked back out at the clearing. She sniffed the air and sented a hare. She followed the sent till the sent was close. She crouched down and looked behind a bush at a hare eating some grass. She pounced on it and killed with a blow in the head. She heard a kind of laughing sound. "Who's there?" Lusa growled stepping over her prey. A white bear came out of the tall grass. Lusa looked up at the massive bear. "Nice catch." the white bear grunted. "Lusa sat down looking up at him. "Thank you. If you don't mind I will be on my way now." Lusa retorted. She started to turn around when the white bear said " Aren't you going to share?" he asked. Lusa looked over her shoudler in surprise. "Why don't you catch your own?" she asked. "Besides, I have some other people to feed." she said. The white bear stat on his haunches and looked down at her. "Why don't you have some attitude." he said. "I better be going." Lusa said. she picked up her prey and trotted off. She felt the gaze of the white bear pressuring her back. She walked back into the forest with a fresh hare in her mouth.

Lusa found the others all huddled together talking. Lusa padded over and dropped the hare. "I saw a white bear." Lusa announced. Yogi gasped, Sky grunted, and Willow looked up at Lusa with wide eyes. Lusa sat down, "He was huge" Lusa began. "He started talking to me and telling me I shoudl share my prey and stuff like that. I thought he was going to fight me for my prey but he just sat there and talked to me." Lusa said. Sky sat there and asked "Was it male?" she asked. "Yes it was." Lusa said. "Did he have blood on his claws?" she asked. Lusa thought back to the massive white bear. "No... Well, I dont know. I didn't look at his claws, but there was a scratch on his face it looked new... Oh no." Lusa said. "Yes, that was the one who attacked me." Sky said.Sky yawned and then Willow yawned also. "Mama, i'm tired." Willow said. "I am too little blackberry." Sky said. "Lets get some sleep." Lusa suggested. Yogi climbed up a tree, Sky and Willow went under a bush, and Lusa climbed up the tree after Yogi. "Night guys!" Lusa called from the tree. "Good-night!" they called back. Yogi licked Lusa's snout. "Goodnight Lusa." he said. "Good night Yogi." she said resting her head on her paws. She felt Yogi put his head on her back. And before she knew it she was asleep.

Lusa was awoken by the sound of paw steps and murmuring. Lusa looked own from the tree and saw Willow and Sky where well hidden under the bush. Yogi was snoring on the side of Lusa. She huffed with amusment and looked down agian. She heard the murmur's and pawsteps grow closer. Then, two young grizzlies came out into the clearing. Dawn was just braking. She could here them chatter. "That was amazing how you scared off the family of black bears!" one said excitedly. "They where just a few dumb black bears." the other said. Lusa bunched her muscles and called. " Black bears aren't dumb!" she called. The two grizzly cubs looked around confused. "Who said that?" the second one snarled. "I did." Lusa said jumping down from the tree. The two grizzlies looked at her insurprise. "Oh, great. Another black bear." the second one grunted. "Tocklo, this one is just a cub." the first one whispered. "Where is your mother?" the second one asked. Lusa thought if she should tell them. But her words came out like a stream. "My mother was torn to peice's by a brown bear. Protecting me." Lusa said. She sat on her haunches while the two brown bears looked at her shock. "Really!?" they said at the same time. "Yes. And i am wondering why you are still here. Black bear's are not dumb. Brown bears are KILLERS." Lusa said. She tryed holding back a whimper of remembering seeing her mother torn to peice's. The first one padded over. And loomed over her. "Brown bear's are not killers!" he exclaimed still looming over her. "Where is your mother?" Lusa asked. The second one came trotting over. "Our mother... left us." Tocklo said. "This is Tocklo. I am Tobi. We are brothers." Tobi said. Lusa was going to say something when Sky padded over. "Lusa, why are these brown bears here?" she growled. Willow came trotting over but stopped and hid behind her mother. "What happen to you?" TYocklo grunted. "I was attacked by a white bear." Sky said. The two grizzlies looked at her in shock. "Now, why don't you two go on now?" Sky said. The both ran across the stream.

Lusa watched the two brown bears walk away. Sky grunted and walked a over to the stream and started lapping water. Lusa looked up and saw that Yogi was just waking up. He rubbed his snout and looked down with blurry eyes. "Good morning Yogi." Lusa said. Yogi climbed down the tree and walked over to Lusa. "Good morning, did I miss anything?" Yogi asked. "Yes you did. Two brown bear cub's just left." Lusa explained. "Thank the spirits I was asleep!" Yogi exclaimed. Lusa hufed with amusment. Yogi padded over to the stream and lapped up some water. Willow trotted over. "Lusa, what's for breakfast?" she asked with big eyes. "Well, why don't we go find some food?" Lusa asked. "Ok! Ok!" Willow exclaimed bouncing up and down. Lusa walked over to Sky. " Are you strong enough to hunt or walk?" Lusa asked. "Yes i am." Sky said. "Alright. Come on Yogi! We are going hunting and berry searching." Lusa called to Yogi. "Coming!" Yogi called back. he ran over to them and they head inland. Willow stopped at the bank of the stream. "Willow what's wrong?" Lusa asked. "I can't swim." Willow said sadly. "Climb on my back i will carry you." Lusa said crouching down. Willow climbed onto her back and she wadded into the stream. Lusa heard Willow's happy squeaks.

When Lusa got to the other bank Willow slid off and trotted up to her mother. Yogi cam and walked by Lusa. They walked through the undergrouth. Lusa spotted Willow lift her iny snout into the air and sniff deeply. Lusa did the same. "I smell berries!" Willow let out an excited squeak. "Let us follow that sent." Lusa said. When they found the berry bush there was a young male black bear. Sky trotted over and said. "Hello" the male black bear looked up at them. "Hello there." he said. "You are a little beat up. Would you like some berries?" he asked stepping away from the bush. "What we came here for." Sky said with a smile. Lusa, Yogi, and Willow padded up to the bush and stated munching on some berries. Lusa noticed the Sky and the black bear where talking. She couldn't here what they where saying. When they where all done the black bear had left and Sky was padding over. "His name was King. He said he was going to a seremony of black bears." Sky explained. Lusa looked at her confused. "So, Willow and I are going there. So this is a goodbye?" Sky said. Willow trotted up to her mother and waved a tiny paw in good bye. Lusa and yogi nodded and watched the walk away. Yogi and Lusa stayed at the bush for a while think of where to go now.

"Lets go to the Crevice." Yogi suggested. "Ok. Where is that?" Lusa asked. "It's in Pine Forest." Yogi said. Lusa took one last mouth full of berries and said "Lets go!" she said threw a mouthful. And they padded away from the bush together.

Safaia stopped,sniffed the air,and when she was sure it was safe,trotted out.It smelled clean from the drizzle,and that was when she realized how hungry she was.Then she saw two bears."Oh,hello little ones."She smiled,showing large fangs."Is there any-"she stopped aprubtly when she saw a huge grizzly come towards them.She didn't look scared,but,perhaps worried.

"Well,then.What do ya want?!"she roared.She reared onto her hind legs,now looking her in the eyes."Well...i..i..."she trailed off.She was pretty small for a full grown brown bear,Saphaia thought."Go on!Shoo!"she motioned with her paw towards the woods.The grizzly ran off."Well then.You two okay?"she paused"Well,I need a new den*yawn*and new territory!"she looked back,to show dazzling blue eyes and a tracking collar"Bye now"

Lusa cocked her head in confusion. She wasn't sure who this bear was and where she had come from. At least Lusa thought it was a she. She sat on her rump and Yogi sat down right beside her. She looked over the bear. "W-Who are you?" she asked a little shyly before the bear walked off.