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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781982215026 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Balboa Press |
| Publication date: | 11/08/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 114 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
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CHAPTER 1
REUNION
"What do you mean you are going to have a cub?" Mato (Mah TOE) asked. The fifteen hundred-pound polar bear seemed almost small as he posed the question. "When? How? I mean ... Ursula!" he shouted at his much smaller sister.
She was the cub he had grown up with, his twin, his confidante, and rival. They pushed each other to be better, although they were very different.
"Oh, Brother," said Al (short for Alpha), an older bear the same size as Mato. He shared the same mother as Mato and Ursula, but he was from the first litter of Nanuqua (Na Nook a). The twins were from the last.
"Oh Brother is right." Ursula shook her head. "Okay, biggest brother, what new hunting technique do you have to show me?" She nodded at Al.
Mato threw his front paws up in disgust.
Al patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. I'll explain it all to you later."
Mato looked up at a star overhead, shouting, "You never told me anything!"
Their beloved mother, Nana (Nanuqua), had died and become a star. It was a beautiful ceremony actually, with a spirit bear named Roland that had come to the North Pole to see his old friend Nanuqua one last time. They had met before she had Al.
Roland was the last bear of his kind and held a special spirit ceremony with Nana, Mato, Ursula, and Charles the arctic fox. Mato and Ursula were sent to go out and live on their own, and Charles would accompany them. Roland and Nana continued the ceremony. Watching from a nearby ridge, they saw their mother polar bear and the spirit bear dancing up into the sky on colorful lights until they disappeared, leaving behind two bright stars.
Ursula and Charles had separated from Mato shortly after. Nana and Roland had taught them to follow their own True North, which means to follow your heart. So, Mato followed his heart toward his True North and Ursula followed her heart in another direction that was her True North.
Charles went along with Ursula, as he had made a promise to Nana to stay with her as she went on her own. Ursula had encountered a male who she deemed suitable for mating. She spent three days with the male, frolicking and mating as polar bears do in the springtime.
Meanwhile Charles went for a quick visit with his family. For Ursula, as with other female polar bears, her pregnancy would not actually start for almost four months so she could eat a lot and build a den to get ready for the birth of her cubs. It was very important for Ursula to gain a lot of weight so she would actually become pregnant with cubs. The only male near Ursula since had been Charles.
Ursula intended to return to the tundra, but she and Charles were drawn to investigate a wonderful scent. They came upon the great whale feast and seven male bears that seemed to be in charge of it. Luckily for Ursula and Charles, Mato was one of the seven polar bears watching over the whale feast. Normally Ursula would not be spending time with male bears. Mato introduced them to Al so they felt safe to take part in the feast.
Mato and Al told them the story of the great whale, Alma, that had come all the way from the coast of Mozambique in South Africa to lay down her life and leave her body to help feed the polar bears. She was old and had swum around the world several times. It was her True North to beach herself on the ice shore of the Arctic Circle where she would be most beneficial to others. At sixty-nine years old and over seventy feet long, Alma was a blessing to dozens of bears who came from great distances to feed on her carcass for over a week. Ursula and Charles were most grateful.
Ursula was an excellent hunter. She was eating as much and as often as she could. It was crucial for Ursula to eat twice as much to be able to nourish her cubs once they were born and for months after. She could have up to three cubs. She would probably have two, maybe even just one, but it meant fasting (not eating) for several months even while feeding the cubs. She was grateful to be feasting on whale and curious about the new hunts Mato had discovered with the rest of the seven.
"Okay, boys. Let's see what new hunting tricks you have. This new momma can't expect a whale of a feast to come along all the time." "We will see what we can do in a day or two. We need all the boys — Ket, Oslo, Sven, Lars, and Slick ... I mean Beaufort — for a successful hunt," Al explained. "We've been eating a bit differently. Our new favorites are narwhal and beluga whale."
"Are those the unicorn whale and white whale that Roland spoke of in the ceremony, Master Mato?" Charles asked.
"I am pretty sure they are," replied Mato. "Ket knows the proper names for lots of things."
Ursula, Charles, and Mato looked up at the sky.
"What are you looking at?" Al asked.
"Our mother and her spirit bear friend." Ursula pointed up at two bright stars shining like tiny suns in the bright blue sky.
Al slowly sat down while looking upward and settled onto his back. "Nice to see you again, Nana," he said, nodding to one star, "and to meet you Roland, Spirit Bear." He nodded to the other star.
"Miss Ursula," Charles gently began, "I am afraid that a few extra days may interfere with the timing to return to the tundra. We are already a couple of days behind, and the swim will only get longer with the ice melt."
"I agree," said Ursula. "Besides, a hunt that requires seven male bears won't be useful to us." She turned to Al. "But I wish I could see it. Sounds impressive!"
Al nodded as Mato protested, "You can't leave now. There is still whale to eat."
"Not right now, Mato, but soon." She nuzzled her brother. "After another meal, we need to go. I have a lot to prepare for."
Al sat up. "Well, I am sure glad to have met you. Between seeing you and those stars, I have felt almost like having Nana here again."
They all laid back to look up at the sky.
CHAPTER 2THE BEAUFORT PLAN
"What is your plan for getting to the tundra, Charles?" asked Al. "Well, Miss Ursula is strongly motivated to den in the area where Nana met her spirit bear friend, Roland, in Alaska. But I have some concerns. Swim distances have increased quite a bit, and we are farther than most —"
Al interrupted, "Talk to Slick, I mean Beaufort. He is from Alaska. He might be helpful."
Mato added, "Slick is on feast patrol right now. How about we all eat and then Slick can come out to chat with Ursula and Charles for the best route to Alaska?"
"I hope Alma the whale knew how grateful we bears would be for her bounty," Ursula said.
"She did know," Al said. "That's why she came to us."
Charles bowed in the direction of the whale to show his respect. He needed to stay hidden from the view to stay away from potentially dangerous bears. He felt gratitude mostly for the bears he loved as well as himself. The seven bears, including Mato and Al, were asked to watch over the feast because Alma the whale wanted as many polar bears as possible to find and partake in her sustenance without any conflict.
"I'll bring you a morsel," Ursula said to Charles. She turned to head toward the feast.
"Thank you, but no, Miss Ursula. I still have quite a cache from the last morsel you brought to me," Charles insisted.
Mato laughed. "A good-hunting, well-fed polar bear is an arctic fox jackpot!"
Charles cleared his throat.
"Sorry, Charles," Mato replied. "Of course you are also a valued friend and companion. I am very thankful that Ursula has you with her."
Charles bowed again respectfully, this time facing Mato.
* * *
Beaufort, formally known as Slick, was very happy to be asked his opinion on anything. For years, he had been a tagalong to the other bears before Mato and, more significantly, Alma-had come along. He had gone by the name Slick because he had to swim through an oil spill off the coast of Alaska. It made his fur slippery and gave it a weird, blackish sheen. He also had difficulty hunting, so he travelled from one human settlement to another, feeding on their scraps that they called "the dump."
He met Al, Ket, and Oslo after stumbling out to the November pack ice near the Hudson Bay. They had recently been released from bear jail, a polar bear holding facility in Churchill, Manitoba-Canada. They took pity on Slick, who obviously had gotten into something awful at the dump and let him tag along with them ever since.
As Slick was feeling better and even participated in the hunts with Mato and the others, he was still oily, twitchy, and obsessing over chemicals ingested at the dumps. Yet this bear had been transformed while leaning into Alma during her final breaths.
He was not the same. His fur now glistened with the cleanliness of a new cub emerging from the den, pure and white. He moved more fluidly and effortlessly as if he were comfortable once more in his polar bear body. Slick, for all those years of eating from dumps, pacing back and forth, and forgetting who he was, was completely changed during Alma's transition. After she died, he remembered who he truly was and returned to his real name, Beaufort, also the name of his birthplace in Alaska.
"The best way to get to Alaska is through me!" Beaufort cheered as he approached Ursula and Charles.
Charles jumped back as the bright bear bounded over.
Ursula raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Uh, okay."
Now at a safe distance, Charles asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'through you,' Master Beaufort?"
Beaufort sat down. "Well, I mean my name. I am named for the Beaufort Sea, which is along the coast of Canada and part of Alaska."
Ursula's expression softened. "Oh, please tell us more."
"Every year the ice melts a little differently from the Arctic ice cap, and Alma told me that there is a long-out post of ice extending into the Beaufort Sea. She and I talked about her route to find us, and she said that my name would be significant in the future. I asked her if she meant Slick. She said no. It would be my true name. The name will be a path for others to follow."
Ursula looked at Charles. "I wish I could have met Alma."
Charles nodded.
Beaufort smiled. "Oh, but Ursula and Charles, Alma is but one of many grandmothers who have come to guide us." He looked up. "I wish I could have known Nanuqua. Oh wait! I do know her!" He looked at Ursula and Charles. "Through you!" Ursula burst into Beaufort's arms. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.
"Mr. Beaufort," Charles said, "you are a very special bear to receive such affection from Miss Ursula."
Ursula slowly moved away from Beaufort. "Excuse me. I got caught up in the moment, the power of the grandmothers."
"That is what moments are for!" shouted Beaufort, raising his paws up to the sky. "For getting caught up in!" He twirled around and landed closer to Charles, who jumped to maintain a safe distance.
"Oh my," he said, composing himself.
They all laughed.
"It's settled then. We will go to Alaska by way of the Beaufort Sea. We are near the end of summer. In a few weeks, the ice will start returning, and we will be ready for a long swim," Ursula stated.
"Mr. Beaufort, how many days' journey from here, would you say, by the ice cap?" Charles inquired.
Beaufort replied, "Long enough for the ice to form and short enough for you to stay around a few more days. The fellas and I will be headed in that direction once the feast is over. It will be a few more days before Alma's carcass is picked clean. Even polar bears can only eat so much."
"I can eat again," said Ursula.
"Wow!" said Charles. "You just ate! Where can you possibly put all of that food?"
"I am storing it for the cubs of course," she replied and headed back to the whale feast.
Beaufort followed her.
CHAPTER 3A MOTHER'S CONCERNS
The great whale feast was about to finish. Many of the bears had moved on. Only a few were left besides the seven and Ursula.
Ursula had been introduced to each of the seven bears. Ket and Oslo were surprisingly shy in the presence of a female, especially Oslo, who was never at a loss for words. Sven and Lars adored Ursula and fawned all over her, commenting on how lovely she was and asking Mato and Al how such a gorgeous polar bear could possibly be related to the two of them. Ursula actually blushed at their over-the-top attention to her.
Ket cautiously approached Ursula and kept a distance like Charles did from the bears. "Miss Ursa Bear."
Ursula stood at attention to Ket. He had such a commanding tone, and that Siberian accent made her respond with respect. Ket cleared his throat. "Oslo, Al and others were talking about moving on, and you are invited to join."
"Are you headed toward the Beaufort Sea?" asked Ursula.
"Yes, we go that way. You will join us?" Ket responded.
"Yes, Ket, I would like that." Ursula nodded.
"Is good," Ket said, keeping his composure as he turned to leave. He then turned to her and said as excitedly as Ket could, "We want to show off, I mean, show you our new hunting methods!"
Ursula chuckled shyly. "Thank you, Ket. I'd like that very much."
Birds arrived as all of the bears ate one more time and napped. The great whale sustenance was not exclusive to polar bears. Charles even greeted a few arctic foxes.
Ursula and Charles would follow the other bears. Beaufort would lead the way along the ice shore. They needed to travel southwest along the ocean on the ice cap as they were currently across the water from Siberia. They would need to pass the Chuchki Sea to reach the Beaufort Sea. This was a delight for Beaufort! For several years, as Slick, he just tagged along with the other bears. Now he was leading the group. He was happy to be able to be first in line to locate the next hunt.
Seven male polar bears travelling in a group was quite unusual. Polar bears are typically very solitary, except for a mother with her cubs and the short week or so a male will spend time with a female during mating season in the spring. Ursula had always felt sad for Mato, thinking that his life would be lonely after they left their mother. She was so happy to see that he had a wonderful group of friends.
Ursula also enjoyed the company of other bears. Although Nana had taught her very well, she also had motherly instincts herself that came naturally. Once she had her cubs, she would stay away from males. Ursula had been taught everything she needed to know. Yet she had some concerns about being a new mother. What if her den weren't safe enough? What if it were too close to males or, worse yet, humans? What if she didn't make the den properly and it caved in on her and her tiny cubs? What if something were wrong with the cubs?
"Huff, huff!" Ursula huffed away her worries. She shook her head and set out to join the rest on their next adventure. She turned to see Charles trotting over. He had heard her huffing.
"Is everything all right, Miss Ursula?" He knew when she worried.
Ursula shook again. "Just new mother concerns, Charles. I am confident that I can handle whatever may happen." She looked up at her mother's star in the sky. It sparkled brightly.
"Well," Charles said, "I'd be concerned if you were not concerned. Even the greatest polar bear mothers like your Nana had concerns having cubs ... and not only for their first."
"That does not make me feel better, Charles. You are saying I should expect to worry," Ursula said, annoyed.
"I'm afraid so, Miss Ursula. I would have my own concerns about your offspring if you were not worried. Of course I wouldn't expect you to be filled with it, but it does keep you cautious and attentive, as a good mother needs to be."
Ursula sighed. "Let's just catch up with the others."
Although Beaufort was very excited to be in the lead, he moved at a very purposeful pace. He wanted to be certain that he checked the winds and the snow pack. He stopped each time he thought he caught the scent of something.
Each bear travelled in the same manner. They were methodically curious, except for Sven and Lars, who would seem to spontaneously fall to the ground giggling and then wrestle and chase each other while catching up to the other bears. They were in front of Olso and Ket and directly behind Beaufort in the travelling order.
Each time Sven and Lars were silly, Oslo and Ket would catch up to them and stand over them as they wrestled and growl loudly. Sven and Lars wouldn't notice until Oslo shouted, "Guys!" Sven and Lars would stop, look up, see Ket growling, and then jump up running after each other to catch up to Beaufort.
Al and Mato then followed, occasionally one after the other but often chatting side by side. A couple of times, Ursula would catch up and join the conversations. They shared stories about growing up as cubs. Al was the firstborn to Nana and an only cub. His experience was different from that of Mato and Ursula, but not entirely.
Even as a new mother, Nana was strong and wise. She was a clever hunter and a fierce protector. Mato realized that Al actually had it tougher than he did. He always thought Nana was pretty strict, but Al was truly taught about survival quick and expediently. He was also taught about humans more directly. Nana explained to Al what they were and how to avoid them.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "North Star"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Jayanne Sindt.
Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Prologue, xi,
Chapter 1 Reunion, 1,
Chapter 2 The Beaufort Plan, 5,
Chapter 3 A Mother's Concerns, 9,
Chapter 4 Ursula's Craving, 16,
Chapter 5 Seal Hunt, 22,
Chapter 6 Is This Goodbye?, 27,
Chapter 7 Ship Strategy, 32,
Chapter 8 Ships Passing the Beaufort Sea, 36,
Chapter 9 A Meal and Some Company, 42,
Chapter 10 The Den, 46,
Chapter 11 A Star Is Born, 51,
Chapter 12 Into the Light, 55,
Chapter 13 Playmates and Progress, 61,
Chapter 14 A Human Encounter, 65,
Chapter 15 Tag Plans, 72,
Chapter 16 Spring Loading, 76,
Chapter 17 Star on Her Own, 80,
Chapter 18 A Grizzly Encounter, 83,
Chapter 19 Fast Friends, 88,
Chapter 20 Follow True North, 91,
Epilogue, 95,
Afterword, 97,