A Bear of a Day

The red cat regarded him coolly before saying to the students, “This will be a lesson all its own.”

Sanura had decided to hold her post-graduate seminar on ethics at The Institute’s giant fountain today, which made her much easier to find than most days. Blinking in from a time gate with urgency, Wells inadvertently scared the pants off several of the students with his sudden appearance.

“Pardon the interruption,” said Wells with a polite bow to the class. “Sanura, we need you. Something rather large, probably dangerous, and definitely frightening has unexpectedly emerged from gate 01.06.10.”

The red cat regarded him coolly before saying to the students, “This will be a lesson all its own.”

Moments later, Sanura and Wells found themselves at the source of the disturbance. In front of a shimmering multiversal gate was a bear-like creature as large as a polar bear, though with profound differences. Its loud, fearsome roar revealed a toothy, grinder-like throat which pulsed with the beast’s ululating cry. Showing characteristics of both a carnivore and herbivore, it had eyes both in the front and on the sides of its long skull. Its mottled fur was almost patchworked in its coloration.

A feral-looking child crouching like a wolf growled at the creature. Having grown up on a planet of dangerous beasts, Rachany knew the animal body language needed to confront a threat. The bear-like creature looked at Rachany and paused in what appeared to be confusion.

“I’ve already alerted security,” said Wells.

Sanura smiled. “Why ever did you do that?”

Without hesitation, Sanura floated toward the being, stopping within the dangerous distance of the creature’s massive clawed paws. She then let loose a surprisingly loud yowl straight at the creature’s face.

The being stopped and relaxed, its threat suddenly gone.

“What is happening?” asked Rachany in a raspy voice.

“He was saying hello,” said Sanura.

As if in answer, the creature began to change. Its mottled fur burst into bright, vibrant colors as its legs began to shift into a form more suitable for bipedal movement. Rising on two feet, its claws retracted and its paws peeled back to reveal hands, with long fingers and thumbs, clearly designed for fine manual dexterity.

The creature made what might have been customary signs of greeting, before saying, “Gratitude for your invitation. I am Geruil.”

Rachany stood up from her crouch, a mix of confusion and wonder on her face.

Wells' face echoed her sentiment. “That was unexpected,” he said.

“Don’t let fear stand in the way of something wonderful,” replied Sanura, wearing her knowing smile.

---

Join us
Twitter | Instagram | Website | Blog | Whitepaper