It Was The Best of Times,

It was the worst of times. For the Bear. Look closely at the ears. Any guesses?

Beary (or "Barry," I don't know if the Bear actually has a preferred spelling), if you are a long time reader has been Tom's companion for lo' these many years. The Bear has been to five continents, lived on three, has ridden the Trans-Siberian, seen the, well, you get the idea. Where we go, the Bear goes.Tom will tell you that he has spent only six nights in his life away from his furry compatriot. Although I do believe there were some early months that don't get included in his calculations.

Which brings us to the day of our Kiruna sled dog adventure. Whilst the rest of us were mooning about admiring the sled dogs, the Bear came *this* close to meeting what I would have described as an untimely end. Jeff the Heartless perhaps would have categorized it as "timely," but that's a discussion for another day.

What happened was this: we arrived at the kennel, hopped out of the van and apparently left the door open. Then, according to the children, the van was surrounded by a pack of ferocious Wolf Dogs. The good news was that Lambie and Beary are of Warrior Stock! Lambie (seen below in case you have missed this vicious mug over the years) went on the offensive! Using only her paws and fangs (ha! bet you did not know that lambs have paws and fangs??), she left thirty of the Wolf Dogs dead, seriously wounded twenty, and wounded one. Beary, valiantly standing his ground, managed to kill three, wound ten and severely wound one more.

But, alas! The Wolf Dogs proved too strong for even this mighty fighting duo!

One dog grabbed Beary in his jaws, thankfully ignoring the exhausted lamb, and dragged him from the van. Luckily, at this point, I happened to notice the dog run by with the Bear in his mouth. Ever the vigilant mother protecting her young, I did exactly what you would expect me to do: I yelled for Jeff to go rescue the Bear. Which he did.

Shockingly, despite the obvious heroism I displayed calling Jeff into action, this  earned me a serious yellow card from my children. Their position is that as the first to see the emerging crisis, I should have acted. I remind them that despite my failure to approach the Wolf Dog myself and wrench Beary from its salivating jaws, if I had not raised the alarm when I did, we might still (cue the ominous music) be wondering if maybe Beary hadn't gotten dragged into the same black hole as Hope's purple coat. That quiets them down a bit.

Beary, on plane to Kiruna, blithely unaware of what awaits him.  Poor Bear: he was really looking forward to this trip, because, for the first time in his life, in the Icehotel he was planning to hibernate. No kidding. This bear leads a very interesting life.

And now, you ask? Has the Bear recovered? Yes, indeed. While I am not the quickest on my feet when faced with the Jaws of a Wolf Dog, I am a reasonably talented plastic surgeon. Or is that seamstress? Whatever, the Bear is scarred for life. But, that is as it should be after so harrowing a battle. He wears his battle scars proudly, missing the tip of one ear, and with a slightly longer tail. The better to swat mosquitoes with, Tom will tell you. 

Comments

[Gwynna]

Oh no, Brave Warrior Bear! So glad you came through with naught but a few scars to impress the lads and ladies! I would hazard to say your brave and valiant deeds were bolstered by your protectiveness of and love for your One True Boy. I can't wait to hear the skalds (bards?) sing of the glorious battle of Lambie and Beary Against the Wolf Dogs!

Had such a fate befallen my beloved Bunny, I would have just curled up into a ball and given up all hope of life (Bunny lives under the covers to protect him from The Vicious Blank Panther and The Ferocious Rug-Beast). Bunny is old enough to be of legal drinking age for several years now.

Great job raising the alarm and tending the wounded. No society would be safe without competent guards and nurses. :)

[NP]

I wonder if the bear adventure was just a diversion for the true mission of the Wolf Dogs, which was to score a spiffy purple coat? In any event, Pink Puppy holds Beary and Lambie in high regard. Venerably old though he may be, PP never faced so stalwart a foe, and enjoys his retirement (petrification?) atop the TV in my bedroom.

[Ellen]

Good heavens, I never thought of that! It is entire possible that while one dog was distracting us with the abduction of Beary, that a second, wily dog snuck off the with the coat!

Really, we do wonder where on earth that coat got to.

[Donkaloosa]

Poor Beary! And three cheers for the brave Lambie! It's not nice to laugh at this near tragedy, but I'm still snickering about it --- and visualizing a sled dog wearing a purple coat...

[Debbie Hanson]

Did you knit him a new set of ears? :)

[Ellen]

No, I did not knit him new ears! But the children have requested that I knit Lambie and Beary "battle claws" in case this sort of thing happens again. If you have ever read any of the Guardians of Ga'hoole books (which you probably have not), the Guardians are Owls armed with metal battle claws. I am not sure why the children think KNITTED battle claws will help their stuffed friends defend themselves, but I am considering it. As a knitter, I thrive on challenge. ;-)

[Monica]

Warriors! Excellent teamwork!