The Bear And The Mare

Chapter 1: Farewell, Radiant.

Outside, on the withering forest of the Dire, stood a bear. A tired bear. A broken bear.

He sat on his haunches, staining them from the charcoal ground. His topaz eyes whizzed about, searching for any imminent danger. His elongated ears twitched at the smallest sound, notifying him of his surroundings. His chest rose and fell, his breathing as calm as the river beside him.

He was an Ursa warrior, a general to be exact. His brethren had been called by the Radiant to fend off incoming evil, and fend off they did.

He was the last one to remain fighting, his motive never changing as he fought day after day under the name of the Radiant. The rest of his brethren had either fallen or returned to their homes, returned to their mates.

Returned to their families.

He had no kin, none that could call him when in need, none that would welcome him home if he did, none that would give the affection he so desperately needed. He had no mate, none to bear his progeny, for the dilemma was that of his desire to find one. Not once has he ever returned to his lands after he had been called by the Radiant. He stayed true to his word, vowing to protect the Radiant from evil, for if he failed to do so, his land and others' would be targeted after the fall of the Radiant.

The opposite sex had their sights set on him, for they loved a male who could protect them and their young. But alas, their interests waned day after day, becoming frustrated at his arrival that had yet to come. Soon enough, they settled for lesser males, especially those who had returned from the battlefield.

What cowards they were, to claim their mates from their false guises. The females saw them as battle-worn, savage beasts who would mate with them 'till their season of heat had ended or until they bore their cubs. But in truth, they were nothing but deserters, dastards that scattered upon the first injury. They weren't heroes. They were lesser beings that took advantage of the job that they failed to uphold.

And there they were, holed up in their den, furiously mating until the sun ended. They never deserved it, they never did.

All that was left was the lonely bear, forced to fight until his bones broke and his body shredded. He soon forgot the concept of love the longer he stayed. His mind became flooded with anger, bloodlust, and most importantly:

Regret.

He wanted to return home, to be back with his kin. But his mind called him a coward whenever such thoughts came.

He idly sat, thoughts running across his mind until a presence made itself known.

"I see to it that you have accepted my proposal,

Outworld Devourer."

The bear's voice was gruff, the kind to make any female swoon in his masculinity. His formality had engraved themselves onto his words. He no longer spoke simple sentences like his brethren, as it would be a dishonor to speak so brutishly towards another living being.

"Your intentions interest me, Ulfsaar." The being replied. He, or rather it, spoke with a scattered voice, his words repeated a second longer, as though there were two beings that talked. It's sound was similar to that of a voice inside one's mind.

"Please, call me Ursa, like my brethren called me."

"As you wish."

The guest appeared from a dense grouping of dead trees. The Dire's forest was one that bore no leaves, for the eternal moon in the sky was not enough for its trees to grow properly, forcing it into a state of purgatory, where they are dead, yet alive at the same time.

The creature flapped its verdant wings as they glowed softly. It's structure was similar to a griffin's, save for the head. Obsidian scales and rocks adorned it's back and it's shoulders, the spaces and lines that were left unfilled glowed cyan with a tinge of green. The lights that it emitted pulsated like the stars. It's torso was cream all the way until it stopped at the bottom of it's body as the brown mane surrounded the cream torso's sides and took over the creature's barrel and paws.

It's head was unlike any other, It was as black as space as holes where it's eyes and mouth would be glowed the familiar color. Jagged spikes around it's mouth were it's 'teeth' as the small slits that it used for eyes emitted a sense of fear to those who saw dared to look at it.

Outworld sauntered over to Ursa, it's expression neutral as it held the wand/staff that can knock down it's foes: Celestial Bane.

"I trust that this meeting was meant only for two?" He asked.

"I am true to my word. I have notified the others that I was to roam the top of Dire's landscape."

"I only wished that your brethren were as neutral as you, for it was a shame to annihilate many of them."

"I hold no grudges for your doing,for they died in a war, like any male of our kindred should."

"I only wished that you would have taken the cowards that left their duty as males, for they bring dishonor to our name."

"I sense a feeling of abandonment, do I not?" He inquired.

"You are correct." Ursa stood upwards on his hind legs, similar to the humans that he had met on his battles. His stature quickly grew, revealing his bare-toned chest as he leveled with the winged creature.

"I wish to be removed from the face of this battlefield, for I care not to return to my own kin. I trust that you know an incantation to remove a creature from this plain?"

Without needing another answer, the Outworld Devourer slowly nodded.

"I do, but I can only send you away for a short time, as it has been my overall preference."

"I beg of you to use all of your power. To send me away permanently. I do not wish to fight this battle anymore."

Outworld nodded once more.

"Are you sure that this is what you desire? I have no means of returning you once your being have fully traversed through the veil that boxes our celestial plain."

"You will be alone, in another universe that may or may not be hospitable. Do you not have kin that would miss your untimely departure?"

"I have no need for them, for I have none." Ursa faced the charcoal floor as he sadly averted Outworld's unwavering gaze.

"I see."

Needing no more information, Outworld lifted his staff. The top-most part had been carved into a jagged 'u'. It glowed as an orb of pure light, grew in size within the head.

"Ulfsaar, the ursa warrior. I hereby banish you to another universe for reasons that you have made clear. I wish the best luck for you and your new life, for you shall disappear from this celestial plane, and your position for the Radiant shall disappear."

"The Dire thank you for relinquishing your job to protect the radiant." Outworld bellowed until it threw the massive orb of light at Ursa.

It enveloped his gargantuan stature, a small portal littered with stars appeared on his head.

"I thank you, Outworld Devourer, for accepting my wish." Ursa replied.

"Farewell...Radiant." Was all he said until his entire body, broke into pieces, all flying towards the starry portal that would transport him to another universe.