Rise of the Underdogs: Jasper

The Voyage Continues

As a month drifted by in relative peace, Ujurak’s presence remained a quiet but powerful support. His immense bear form commanded respect and caution. While I had no desire to challenge him, both Levi and I felt a growing determination to advance our skills. The need to improve became urgent, pushing us forward in our training routines.

Ujurak guided us to truly engage with our environment, encouraging us to go beyond the limited perspective of our human senses. He showed us how to observe the world as wolves do, to notice subtle differences and cues that would otherwise escape our notice. This approach required us to step back from our habitual ways of seeing and to focus on the details and patterns woven into the landscape.

As Levi and I practised aligning our senses with our inner wolves, we gradually became more aware of our surroundings. We started to recognize the ways the trees moved and bent with the passing wind, and we learned to listen for the distant sound of water rushing over stone riverbeds. These observations, once easily overlooked, became crucial elements of our training, sharpening our awareness and deepening our connection to the wilderness around us.

Through our training, we came to realize that many of the still shadows we had previously overlooked were, in fact, animals inhabiting the same landscape as us. Among them were wild wolves and Arctic foxes, along with several other species that kept their distance from those of us with supernatural abilities. These creatures watched us with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, always careful not to get too close or become easy prey. Their instinct for self-preservation was evident. They were cautious, never reckless, and certainly not foolish enough to put themselves in danger.

In contrast, hares, rabbits, and small rodents were much more easily caught. Their behaviour followed predictable patterns, making them less adept at evading capture. Over time, we learned to distinguish these differences, further honing the skills Ujurak had encouraged us to develop.

One evening, as the Aurora Borealis shimmered above in blinding hues of blue, gold, and green, we Stone siblings quietly began to pack up camp. The brilliant lights filled the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the landscape and marking the significance of the moment. We gathered only our personal belongings, careful not to take more than necessary, and split the provisions we had managed to scrounge with Ujurak, ensuring fairness and gratitude for his support.

While storing our gear by the cave mouth, Ujurak discovered us in the midst of our preparations. He watched with a silent curiosity, his brows rising so high they disappeared beneath the hair that fell around his face. The scene was charged with anticipation and a sense of change, as both our group and Ujurak understood the importance of the journey ahead.

“You are leaving?” He asked, his gaze searching each of our faces for confirmation. His question lingered in the crisp night air, underscoring the magnitude of our decision.

“We were not meant to stay in this area long,” I said, my voice tight with the longing to return to how things used to be. But, deep down, I knew that there was no way that was ever happening.

“What road do you seek to travel?” He continued, the weight of his words making it clear that our departure was not merely a physical journey, but a step toward something greater. The gravity of the moment settled between us, unspoken yet deeply felt, as we prepared to share our intentions with the one who had guided and sheltered us during our time of growth.

“South,” River said without looking up from his current project. “We were originally heading to the land of the Grand Alpha King. Mother said he would protect the fallen.”

Ujurak nodded solemnly, his weathered features softening. “Good. You do not leave without purpose, but with direction and names. I will come part-way.”

I shook my head, “You don’t have to.”

“I must insist,” he stated. “Your female holds a powerful scent. She is what you five brothers protect, and I understand why. You line has only ever bred female Alphas, making her life worth more than all five combined. Am I wrong?”

Carson and Quinton answered this time, their voices a brilliant echo of each other as their cadence added a musical quality to their tones. They confirmed Ujurak suspicions, admitting that our sister was the last of the Alpha line unless she reached adulthood. Until she met her Mate, and bore children. Things we had no idea would happen if we didn’t get her to the safe haven of the Shadow Storm lands.

Smiling, his eyes twinkling like the Dancing Lights above us, he said, “Since you have lived on my territory, even for a breadth of time, I offer help in getting to the next human settlement. One moon is not long for many, but to those who live in solitary, companionship is… currency.”

While Akita straddled his back, his powerful form keeping her safe and warm, he leisurely walked with us to the first town on the trail. My sister kept quiet – no giggles, no speaking, no movement. Just still silence as she swayed with the massive bear under her. When sleep threatened, she laid across his spine as calmly as possible without disrupting him.

Now that Levi and I were in tune with our wolves, we’d opened a connection to the Bear shifter. Glancing at him, I said, “She’s asleep.”

‘Let the child rest, boy,’ he replied. His bear form chuffing. ‘Worry not for her, but remember that your protection of them does not end with safety. It ends with your demise. Be weary of those who know nothing of the northern reaches, and remain vigilant forever while breath still enters her body.’

“His demise?” Levi asked, his confusion clear.

‘Our world is complex, young wolf. Things are not always as they seem and appearances can be deceiving. What you think you know of the world and what is can be completely different. Our ways are not nominally thought of nor are they normally considered by outsiders who do not know our history. The history of the True North.’ Ujurak answered.

Levi nodded, “So, then, our survival is contingent on how well we can blend into other places?”

‘A good deduction, Levi,’ Ujurak chuffed in obvious laughter. ‘But forget not the place that birthed you. The place that created the Warrior within. Never forget that our peoples mattered, once and always, despite and to spite those who would rather our northern tribes to vanish completely.’

“Do we have to cut our hair?” River asked, his hand absently trailing his white-blond braid. His eyes sought mine, his fear of erasure clear in his midnight eyes.

“If that’s what it takes to keep our lives,” I told him, though even I wasn’t entirely sure.

He sniffled, “I don’t want to. Can’t I keep it?”

‘Tell him choices must be made in the moment, but things like hair can be returned once safety is confirmed. While legitimate, it is the least of his worries. Regrowth is as rebirth. Both take time and patience. Both take the rebuilding of self to exist,’ Ujurak commented.

Relaying the message, I found myself becoming endeared to the older man and his teachings. He’d helped us more than he knew or, maybe, he just understood us on a different level. Pups were innocent until proven otherwise, after all.

“We’re stopping?” Carson asked as Ujurak laid down.

Quinton scowled, “I’m hungry.”

Shifting back to his human form, his pelts settling around him with an ease only Elders of the Indigenous realm could afford, he sat and started a small cooking fire. Akita rested against his side, her eyes closed in nightly respite. “Grandmother Moon rises, and Mother Earth’s creatures are retreating to rest. We will cover more ground with the rise of Brother Sun, who will guide our remaining journey to Nain.”

“Nain?” River asked, his tone filled with arbitrary confusion.

I shook my head, “Boys, you’re speaking to an Elder. Be polite.”

Ujurak laughed, soft and husky. His breath turning to foggy clouds of condensation as he slapped his knee and shook his head. “All is well, Jasper. Merely having company for this long has helped this old man greatly. To answer River, yes. I will accompany you as far as Nain. There, you will seek haven with the Diggory family. Mention my name, and they will accept it as tribute. From there, you will need to continue south-west until you reach the port location called Blanc-Sablon on the Quebec-Labrador border.”

We were completely rapt by his verbal direction, each of us memorizing the mental map he was laying out. Each of us understanding that he was passing down knowledge to children who had no connection to his tribe except for our common birthplace. The Arctic.

“And from the port? Where to from there?” I asked, already mentally cataloguing the passage route.

Ujurak smiled, “Once you have passage on the ferry, you will travel the Straight and end up in a place called St. Barbe. There, you will offer one thing to a family named Coulson: a brace of hare in exchange for shelter and safe passage to Shadow Storm. They will know how to get you to the Grand King of all Alphas without endangering your lives.”

Handing out portions of dried meat, I sat and let myself relax for a moment. “Will… Will we see you again?”

“If you look hard enough,” he stated, and I couldn’t help realizing that his answer was as cryptic as his ability to know our needs before they were spoken.

To me, there was a mystery to him I couldn’t quite understand. Something that I should know, but ultimately couldn’t grasp.