Episode 4.
“The Featherwaite Brothers”
It had been 2 weeks since the Bictoria riots and the city and its citizens were still in a state of shock over the events that had transpired. And with the involvement of the army, the shock had been much greater. Some spoke of the whole affair as a civil war and there were those who had started pointing fingers to find someone to blame. And point they did, straight right to Cher Bear. How desolate she had become. Eating nothing and crying like a little Little Bear. She did not know how to handle the infamy. But we shall not bore the reader with the trials of Cher Bear, we shall let her relive the experience on her own as we move on with life.
Down in the meadows of Bictoria lived a family known as the Featherwaites’. It consisted of a father and his two twin sons, Mitts and Rye-anne. The two sons had grown up playing with each other but had turned out pretty different. Mitts had become a popular boy while growing up. He could do no wrong. Everybody loved him, he was the nice guy with a touch of manliness in him. It was obvious to everybody that his father loved him more than Rye-anne. Rye-anne on the other hand had grown up a little bitter in his twin brother’s shadow. First off, he did not have an appropriate name and had been ridiculed through out his schooling years. This made him desire to earn the respect of those around him and he did everything to gain their attention and earn their respect. Like the time he tried to fight a snake and nearly got bitten, or the time he drank three beers in a go and nearly killed himself or even worse, when he tried to swim in the local river and nearly got swept away by the currents. Yet, whatever he did, he just could not earn the respect of his father or his friends. Unlike Mitts who never had to do anything to be popular, Rye-anne had to work extra hard to have others notice him. And notice him they did not. This aggravated him and hurt him to no ends.
On this fine Sunday, both Mitts and Rye-anne had awoken to a bright sunny day and were determined to make the best of it. Both of them had set off for the woods together but had separated upon entry, each armed with their own agenda. Mitts was looking for some berries now that there were plenty in bloom. Rye-anne on the other hand was looking for trouble or infamy. He had set off for the darkest parts of the woods and he hoped to find the adventure there that would finally win him the applause he so desired. He hoped to find something that would earn him everybody’s respect. So, deep into the woods he wandered and as they say, be careful for what you wish for, as you might just get it. Deep in the woods, he found the biggest and most scary she-wolf he had ever seen. How angry she looked and how she growled. It was none other than Sarrow the She-wolf. It was a Sunday and Sunday was simply not Sarrow the She-wolfs day. She hated Sundays for some unknown reason she could never really figure out. And on this day, she had set off for a walk hoping to find something, anything that would give life meaning. It was then that she had run smack into Rye-anne. None of them knew exactly what to do. They both stood there and just stared at each other. Rye-anne wondered what Sarrow would do to him while Sarrow wondered what a human was doing in this part of the woods. This was no mans land and here was a man, or so he looked. Rye-anne was about to set off running but decided against it. There was no saying what Sarrow would do to him if she caught him. So he turned to her and in a soft child like voice started saying “Here wolfie wolfie wolfie, come here boy”. Sarrow could not believe what she was hearing. Was this human actually attempting to tame her? And what did he mean by calling her boy. This just made her angrier and she growled louder. Rye-anne in fright decided to get down on all his fours. He had been told that the best way to deal with wild animals is to make them believe that you are one of them. So he had gotten down on all fours and had started growling too. Sarrow could not believe what she was seeing. She had never liked humans and thought they were the silliest creatures on earth. And this one seemed to be the silliest of them all she thought. So, as she stood there growling while hoping Rye-anne would get the hint and leave, Rye-anne had continued growling at her and had even started growling louder. So she had sat down on her arse and stopped growling hoping Rye-anne would realize how silly he looked. Rye-anne had continued growling for some moments and then gotten up again. He had then proceeded to try and pat Sarrow on her head. When he attempted to do so, Sarrow had snapped at his fingers hoping he would get the hint and leave. However, fortunately or unfortunately for her, Rye-anne was not one to be dismissed so easily. He kept calling out “Here wolfie wolfie wolfie” and finally she agreed to let him pat her on the head hoping he would leave her alone. Having patted her on her head, Rye-anne thought it would be just wonderful if he could convince Sarrow to come back with him to the farm. He wanted to show her off to his friends. They all had Doggette’s which they loved to show off to their friends. How cool would it be if he showed up with a She-wolf he thought. Very cool he thought some more. So after patting Sarrow’s head, he then picked up her front paws and slowly began dragging her back to the farm. Sarrow could not believe what was happening and in her state of shock let Rye-anne continue dragging her to the farm. “How did it ever come to this?” she wondered. Yet, she did not resist and on that bright sunny Sunday began one of the [1]strangest relationships ever seen in the whole of Bictoria and possibly Banada too. That between boy and She-wolf.
Back at Chalmers Inn, the homely abode of the three Little Bears, there was much ado about nothing. They were all seated feeling bored and simply stared at each other. The real reason for their boredom was Kir Bear. Whenever she was in low spirits, it seemed to affect all of them. Kir Bear was feeling a little bit sad. She had not realized just how much she loved and missed Sissy Bear until she left for Bengland with Bealexander Honeypot III. She sort of felt all alone and her moods had an effect on those around her. Ali Bear, who would normally be reading the 3 Musketbears while sipping some lemonade, did not feel like doing so on that bright sunny Sunday. Today he was just not in the mood and did not know why. Cher Bear was busy picking her Little Bear nose and hoping no one could see her as she lay on her side on the couch. It was then that Ali Bear decided that they should all go out on a picnic on this bright sunny Sunday. Kir Bear lifted her eyes in anticipation. Cher Bear was ready to dismiss the idea, not due to the fact that she did not want to go or because she thought it was a bad idea, but more so because Ali Bear had suggested it. But she could not find anything wrong with the idea so they all decided to go to the woods for a picnic. They quickly packed some sandwiches, juice and potato chips. Ali Bear decided to take his guitar and serenade the other 2 Little Bears. Cher Bear thought that it would be a good opportunity to criticize Ali Bear for something. She was dying to criticize someone for something on this day.
So off to the woods they went and it was then that they ran smack into Mitts. They were both surprised to see each other. The 3 little Bears, and especially Ali Bear, wondered what Mitts would do to them. Humans tended to have unpredictable behaviour. Ali Bear was holding his guitar by its neck, ready to strike Mitts at any moment if he had to. Mitts was just as surprised to see them in the Woods and offered his hand as a friendship gesture. Ali Bear approached him with his meanest face and greeted him in the most manly way he knew how. He could not sense any danger and he relaxed a little. He then introduced Kir Bear and Cher Bear to him. Mitts was immediately taken with Kir Bear. She was the most beautiful Little Bear he had ever seen and he shook her hand longer than that of the other two. Ali Bear noticed this and it made him frown a little. He then asked them what they were doing in the woods on this bright sunny day. They told him of their mission and also asked him what he was doing there too. He stated his mission that he was busy looking for Berries. Cher Bear who knew where all the berries were was quick to tell him where to go. It was then that Mitts suggested that maybe they could help him pick some berries and then possibly, they could all go back to his father’s farm and they could all share what they had to eat. Ali Bear was hesitant but Kir Bear and Cher Bear seemed open to the idea. He wished that Cher Bear would quit speaking to Mitts directly and let him handle the situation. So, Ali Bear responded in affirmation after giving Kir Bear a sideways glance to see what she thought of the idea. And so, Cher Bear led them all to the part of the woods where the berries grew and before long, they had two baskets full of berries. One would be for the picnic; the other Mitts would share with his father and Rye-anne during their dinner that night.
The 3 Little Bears and Mitts walked back to his father’s farm and in approximately 30 minutes were there. In the distance, they could see a couple of humans who seemed to be applauding to something. They could not see what it was they were applauding. Mitts told them that it was his twin brother Rye-anne and a couple of their friends. Ali Bear was more hesitant than ever, Mitts friends looked pretty wild he thought. They sounded pretty wild too. If he felt apprehensive at the moment, it would grow even more when they could finally see what the humans were applauding too. It was none other than Sarrow who seemed to be basking in the glory she was receiving from the humans. They seemed to be in awe of her and Rye-anne. Rye-anne was feeling especially great. He was receiving the attention he always sought, but Sarrow was feeling even greater. She was in a state of euphoria and even considered standing on her hind legs and hitting a double biceps pose for them. She was about too but decided that may scare them a little. So she instead jumped up high in the air. Higher than they had ever seen any of their Doggette’s jump. They all applauded and clapped some more. It was then that Mitts and the 3 Little Bears arrived. It was at the same moment that Ali Bear and Cher Bear recognized Sarrow the She-wolf. Ali Bear was in a state of shock and he quickly grabbed his guitar by the neck again. Cher Bear stood behind Ali Bear shaking like a leaf on a cold windy winter night. Sarrow had seen them too and let out a growl. She was still very much upset about what had happened and had vowed revenge no matter what. By then Mitts had reached the scene and introduced everybody to the 3 Little Bears. They all stood in awe of the 3 Little Bears. They thought them the funniest creatures they had ever seen. They too seemed to be taken by Kir Bear. It was then that Mitts introduced them to his friends and Rye-anne who in turn introduced them to Sarrow. Mitts friends looked even wilder up close but one could also sense something boyish about them. Cher Bear continued hiding behind Ali Bear while shaking like a leaf while Ali Bear grasped his guitar neck even harder. Kir Bear appeared to be completely unfazed and greeted Sarrow as though she had never seen her before in her life. The other 2 Little Bears thought her to be a little bit crazy for doing that. They however realized that Sarrow would not attack them there so they calmed down. Mitts told his friends that they were going to take a picnic and his friends laughed at him. He did not however seem to mind and decided to have the picnic right in front of them. Rye-anne and Sarrow were feeling a little bit angry. Sarrow hated the fact that the 3 Little Bears had taken attention away from her. Especially that very pretty one. She was of course talking of Kir Bear. Rye-anne too appeared to be angry since he believed that he had been upstaged by his twin brother again. All their friends seemed totally enamoured with the 3 Little Bears and did not pay Sarrow and Rye-anne any attention. They especially loved Kir Bear. They thought everything she did, from how she walked to how she spoke to be funny, so they let out some laughs now and then whenever she did anything. At first Kir Bear had been disturbed and seemed to want to control her movements to stop the laughter. Ali Bear had been growing angrier about their laughter but yet he could sense it was harmless. They thought she was the cutest Little Bear ever and everything she did seemed to amuse them somehow. With time she relaxed and decided to ignore their laughter which seemed to do the trick. Cher Bear who seemed to notice that Kir Bear was receiving all the attention decided to jump into a ballet routine. The humans turned their attention to her and applauded her. This seemed to make Cher Bears head bigger metaphorically speaking and she became even more aggressive in seeking their attention. She even attempted to break-dance. With time however, they got tired of her and she started to seem annoying since she would now quit in her attempts to gain attention. They thought she was trying too hard. So they turned their attention back to Kir Bear and simply watched her do everything she did. For most part, they simply ignored Ali Bear and wondered why his head was almost twice as big as the other two. But they did not dare ask him since he appeared to be a mean little Bear who apparently did not seem to know how a guitar was held.
And so they all got down to eat some food. Sarrow who had been hungry all along was glad to see the food and begged Rye-anne to get her some of the sandwiches. Rye-anne was offered some sandwiches but instead of letting Sarrow get them easily, he would make her work for them by holding them up high on his hand and making her jump for them. Sarrow seemed irritated but she figured there was nothing she could do so she jumped as high as she could and then nipped on his fingers. Rye-anne was hoping this would get his friends attention but they seemed more interested in Mitts and Kir Bear. This somewhat exasperated him and he decided to settle down while sulking a little. Sarrow decided to lick his hand in a gesture of comfort and also hoping at the same time to lick off any sandwich remnants. This pleased him a little but it did not really work.
And so, everybody had their fill. Mitts and Rye-anne’s friends decided to go back home and feed their Doggette’s. They appeared to be mad that the humans were showering Sarrow and the 3 Little Bears with all the attention and they began to bark out loud in anger and exasperation. So all of Mitts friends left leaving Sarrow, Rye-anne and the 3 Little Bears alongside Mitts himself. They had finished eating and they decided to get to know each other better. Rye-anne looked at Sarrow’s body and noticed some burns and wondered how she had gotten them. He patted her on the head and she let out a smile that looked more like a grimace. Sarrow kept silent all the time. Most humans did not know that wolves could speak and she let them think she was just another dumb wolf. She sat silently listening to Mitts and the 3 little Bears speak hoping to gather enough information to help her plot her revenge. Cher Bear seemed to talk too much and the other 2 little Bears feared she might divulge too much information. So Ali Bear prodded her with his guitar neck but this did nothing to shut her up. She told Mitts everything about their lives and what they did. Mitts wondered how they survived since they never seemed to work. He worked on his father’s farm with his brother and he wondered what they did for money. Cher Bear who was thoroughly enjoying being at the centre of attention was about to tell Mitts about the gold they had discovered one day in the woods but Ali Bear gave her a hard prod with his guitar and she kept quiet. Kir Bear replied by saying that they lived a subsistence lifestyle. Sarrow knew this was not true since she had been to their comfortable inn and knew of the gold. But she was not going to speak, that would scare the humans. After all, she had just realized that Rye-anne could come into handy when she was hungry. She could always seek him out for some food.
Ali Bear kept silent all the time with his eyes darting from Rye-anne and back to Sarrow. Sarrow kept her eyes straight on Kir Bear who appeared to be totally unfazed and simply gave Sarrow an innocent look. Cher Bear was sulking to herself since Mitts seemed more interested in Kir Bear than her. She had taken to liking him a little but he seemed to pay her no attention. Mitts continued with his conversation with Kir Bear while Rye-anne looked at Ali Bear and wondered why he looked so angry all the time. And so, this whole scenario continued with she-wolf playing dumb, humans being too inquisitive and the 3 Little Bears each minding his or her own business, engaging in talk with the humans while also playing with their imaginations as Little Bears are prone to do when bored. This went on until the sun set. Sarrow thought she would have an opportunity to follow them but Rye-anne seemed to have other plans for her. Before she could get up to leave, he put a dog collar on her ad a chain. He intended to keep her. Sarrow was about to go wolf on him but decided against it. After all, she had just realized how handy he would become later on. So she let him chain her and he fed her some steak later on. That night she slept with a chain on her neck. How humiliating she thought. If any other wolf out there spotted her, she would never hear the end of it. But such was life for a wolf in the world today. It had not always been like this but things change, such is the way of the world. The 3 Little Bears quickly said goodbye to Mitts and Rye-anne when they saw Rye-anne chain Sarrow and quickly ran off home, with Kir Bear running faster than them all and Cher Bear struggling to keep up.
The End
[1] Doggette: word used to refer to female dogs. Was used in Brance and Bengland during the early 19th century before being replaced with another word.
