text: There's a difference between being brave and being suicidal. You clench two fish in your mouth and take off running. Your base is only a few thousand feet away.
  
  There's a problem, you forgot how much faster wolves are than you. The only reason you and Nadette escaped before is that they let you. None of them wanted to fight two bears.
  
  One bear? That's fair game.
  
  The wolves release a battle cry and charge towards you. You keep running as they reach you in no time. They nip at your legs as You see Nadette running in your direction.
  
  "Get help!" you scream, louder than you've ever screamed before.
  
  Nadette turns around and shouts something you can't make out. You turn your attention to the wolves as they have gotten too close for comfort. There's no more running, they'll tear you apart. It's time to stand your ground.
  
  "These fish are my kill, don't make me have to carry any more corpses home," you threaten at them.
  
  The wolves growl and snap their teeth at you as one speaks up,
  
  "Give us your fish before help arrives, and we'll let you go...NOW!"
  
  You prepare to fight, there's no way your giving up your fish. Just as you're about to make a move, the wolves all retreat.
  
  You turn around and see Nadette with three other bears. They chase after the wolves, managing to kill a few. While they do so, the wolf who was talking before says,
  
  "This won't be the last of me. You'll rue the day you refused to bow down to Maverick!"
  
  Nadette and you both head home as the other bears feast on their kills. When you arrive, a crowd gathers around you.
  
  "We heard a scream," says Karissa, a hunting instructor, "what happened?"
  
  You hang your head in shame as you realize she's talking about your scream. Nadette looks at you and says,
  
  "Kuma and I were hunting and he got ambushed by wolves. If he didn't run away he might not have made it out."
  
  A lot of people say you did the smart thing. Still, others mutter about your lack of bravery. You avert your eyes and walk away from the crowd. Nadette runs to catch up with you and asks,
  
  "What's wrong?"
  
  You can't even look her in the face as you answer.
  
  "I ran away from wolves not once, but twice. What kind of a bear am I?"
  
  Nadette puts her paw on top of yours and says,
  
  "A smart one. You did the right thing Kuma, no matter what anyone else says."
  
  You shrug as you notice your legs leaking blood. The wolf encounter was so intense that you hadn't realized until now.
  
  Nadette makes one last plea,
  
  "Promise me you'll see Fross, ok?"
  
  Fross is the doctor of the tribe. You're certain he could whip something up to stop the bleeding.
  
  "I will."
  
  Nadette says her goodbyes as you make your way to Fross' den. Before you get there, Orson runs towards you clenching a clump of meat. He sets it at your feet.
  
  "Chin up Kuma, we can't all be as brave as me."
  
  You scowl at Orson in anger.
  
  "Hey, don't be mad at me. I brought some meat to cheer you up."
  
  You stare at the meat and notice blots of yellow on its surface. It exudes a pungent stench; despite being freshly killed.
  
  "What are you waiting for? I've had some and trust me, it tastes better than it looks."
  
  You don't want to hurt Orson's feelings, but the smell alone leaves you with little appetite.
  
  > eat the meat
  You bite into the meat and tear off a large piece. Wolf juices squirt into your mouth as you gulp it down. He's right, it does taste better than it looks. Still, something about its texture disgusts you.
  
  "Atta boy Kuma! Now then, where is Nadette? She deserves a piece too."
  
  You point him in the direction of Nadette as you scarf down another chunk of meat. You burp loudly as you finish and head off in Fross' direction. You are filled with a renewed energy and break off into a sprint. It looks like eating that meat was a good decision after all. You lick your lips and walk up to call for Fross. He emerges from his den and says,
  
  "Kuma what happened? Quick, get in here and I'll patch you up."
  
  You crawl into his den and lie down on the snow. Fross drops a bunch of silver berries near your mouth.
  
  "The berries will accelerate the healing process. Do be warned, you'll become very tired once they hit your digestive tract."
  You eat the berries and grimace as their sour juices spray your mouth. You stick your tongue out in displeasure. Fross begins rubbing your wounds with his paws. He puts a coat of a sticky, brown substance over every cut and puncture. It smells sweet and provides immediate relief.
  
  "The honey will prevent infection," he explains.
  
  The last thing he does is stick a patch of fur each blotch of honey to stop the bleeding.
  
  "It'll be best you rest here tonight."
  
  "I'm not even tired," you say, filled with energy from your earlier meal.
  
  Fross sighs and says,
  
  "Trust me, once those sliver berries kick in, you'll sleep like a log."
  
  You sigh and close your eyes. You constantly fidget and scrim as you struggle to get comfortable.
  
  "Kuma sit still," Fross says, "Look, I'll tell you a story if it will help you get comfortable."
  
  You smile and nod, it has been a while since you've heard one of Fross' stories.
  
  "There once was a bear named Malygos who went mad."
  
  > The story of Malygos
  Malygos grew up just like any other bear. He went hunting with his friends and vowed to protect those close to him. His vow of protection proved futile once the great famine hit. Food was scarce and starvation was abundant. He did everything he could to gather food and feed his friends. His everything just wasn't enough.
  
  As all those closed to him perished in the famine, something snapped. He was filled with an extreme rage and took out his frustration on others. At first, a few insults here and there to other tribes members. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but this was only the beginning. He would stay up until the wee hours of the night and go hunting. The problem was there was no game to be hunted. Every animal was holed up and trying to outlast the famine. The only prey available? His fellow polar bears.
  
  The first one to go was his little brother. He was sound asleep in his den when Malygos came and bit his head clean off. He consumed his corpse right away and took a liking to polar bear meat. This liking developed into an insatiable craving that could only be quelled by more meat.
  
  Malygos repeated this process, mainly with those most vulnerable. Whether it be newborn cubs, mothers holed up all alone, or even his own relatives, it didn't matter. He grew stronger as he ate more and more. Those around him were getting more emaciated by the minute, while he became the size of three, albeit malnourished, bears.
  
  Malygos slipped into full-blown madness when he decided to hunt an instructor from his youth. As he pinned him to the ground and leaned in to bite his head off, he spoke his last words,
  
  "How could a fellow polar bear do this to a former teacher!"
  
  He grinned, drooling on top of the instructor's face.
  
  "I am no bear, I am Malygos the mighty dragon!"
  
  Malygos bit repeatably into the instructor's neck until it resembled mushed cherries. He then tore open the instructor's stomach and pulled back the skin. He tore out his heart and swallowed it in a single gulp. He left the instructor's body and decided now it was time to leave the tribe. Dragons don't live with polar bears after all.
  
  It was around this time that the great famine ended. The fox and wolf populations rebounded, and the polar bears now had something to hunt again (that wasn't themselves). Malygos was still angry and paraded himself around as the mighty dragon. He ran around killing foxes and wolves screaming about how he was the dragon king. The foxes and wolves did not take this lightly, especially considering Malygos left many corpses uneaten. Such senseless violence could not go unpunished.
  
  The leaders of the fox and wolf tribe came together to develop a plan to stop Malygos. One day, while Malygos was out hunting a fox, ran up to him and asked,
  
  "Are you Malygos the mighty dragon?"
  
  Malygos beamed with pride and boasted,
  
  "Yes, I am! I take it you are dinner?"
  
  The fox smiled nervously and taunted,
  
  "You're no dragon you fool! You're just a polar bear."
  
  Malygos turned so angry that one could have mistaken his heat for the fiery breath of a dragon. His face contorted and his arms began to shake.
  
  Malygos chased the fox as it ran towards the forest. He was so consumed by rage, that he didn't notice the foxes and wolves joining the hunt. Malygos followed the fox until he finally had it cornered. A mountain blocked the fox from going anywhere but backward, where he would be greeted by a dragon.
  
  "TIME TO DIE!" screamed Malygos.
  
  He raced towards the fox and jumped as if taking flight. He landed right onto a pile of leaves and found himself falling into a deep pit. Before he knew it, he was staring up at a fox sticking its tongue at him.
  
  The fox laughed at him as all the other animals kicked rocks at him.
  
  "If you're a dragon, why can't you fly away!"
  
  Malygos cowered as he was pelted by more rocks. He was left all alone to consider his choices. In the end, he suffered the same fate as his former friends. He became just another victim to the great famine.
  
  Fross takes a deep breath as he finishes the story and turns to look at you. He raises his eyes in surprised when he sees you wide awake.
  
  "That was quite the tale."
  
  He nods as a tear fall down his cheek.
  
  "I hope you take it to heart. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from it."
  
  "I still have so many questions! Like if it was a true story, or if Malygos really was a dragon trapped inside a polar bear..."
  
  Fross sighs and says,
  
  "Ask away."
  
  > say "Was it a true story?"
  "By all accounts, this really did happen."
  
  You stare at Fross awestruck and ask,
  
  "How come I've never heard of it before?"
  
  He sighs and says,
  
  "Because it happened to a tribe hundreds of miles away. Now, do you have any other questions?"
  
  > say "What lessons should I take from the story?"
  "You really want me to just tell you what lessons to take?"
  
  You nod slowly.
  
  "If it was as simple as just telling you the message of the story, what would be the point in even sharing it?"
  
  You shrug not knowing how to respond to the question.
  
  "Fine, I'll tell you one lesson from the story."
  
  You wait expectantly.
  
  "If you ever think you're a dragon, stay the hell away from me. There are some things even medicine can't fix."
  
  You chuckle and tell him,
  
  "I'll keep that in mind."
  
  > say "Was Malygos a dragon trapped inside a polar bear?"
  "What do you think?"
  
  You shake your head.
  
  "Well, then that's your truth. I prefer to keep mine to myself"
  
  You roll your eyes as he finishes speaking. Everything is a mystery with Fross.
  
  > say "That's all my questions."
  "Alright then, go to sleep."
  
  You close your eyes and soon the silver berries kick in. You sleep like a cub. When you wake up, you find yourself all alone. You feel much better and figure that you've rested enough. You get up and make your way over to Nadette's den. You want to see how she's holding up.
  
  "Nadette are you awake?" you say from outside her den.
  
  "Hmph," she says, having just woke up.
  
  Nadette emerges from her den and asks,
  
  "What do you want?"
  
  You bite your lip in hesitation. Is she still pissed at you?
  
  "I just wanted to talk."
  
  She nods and says,
  
  "Talk away."
  
  You begin by asking her if she ate any wolf meat.
  
  "Of course not, didn't you smell it?"
  
  "How did Orson react when you refused?"
  
  "If he was upset, he didn't mention it. He left and put the meat in stockpile."
  
  You decide to change the topic.
  
  "Hey, have you ever heard about a 'dragon' named Malygos?"
  
  She tilts her head in confusion.
  
  "Is that some sort of fairytale?"
  
  "What? He was real!"
  
  "Kuma, I hate to break it to you, but dragons aren't real."
  
  You facepalm yourself and sarcastically say,
  
  "Thank you for your wisdom. Just, if you have time, ask Fross about Malygos."
  
  "Sure thing."
  
  You leave Nadette content that things have somewhat smoothed over. Now that you have some free time, you think you'll watch the polar bear council today. Word around the tribe is that they are having a dispute with a seal named Charlie. You walk over to the meeting circle and see a chubby seal cowering before two polar bears. Charlie frantically pleas,
  
  "My seal brethren live in constant fear, we can't even sunbathe without feeling exposed."
  
  Orson snarls at Charlie while Fross asks,
  
  "What do you want us to do about it? Your kind is an excellent food source and I don't see that changing anytime soon."
  
  "Speaking of excellent food, I could go for some seal right now," Orson says, licking his lips.
  
  The seal glances around nervously before continuing,
  
  "I can give you much more than my flesh. Our leading seal scientists have developed a way to breed fish in captivity. With your support, we could supply you with fish through even the worst winter imaginable."
  
  "Intriguing, go on," Fross says.
  
  "You see, we have created a fish chamber deep underwater, below where ice forms. Even if hell itself froze over, we would still have access to fish."
  
  "I call bullshit! This seal is trying to trick us into not hoarding meat before winter. He would watch us starve before sharing fish," says Orson.
  
  "That's not true..."
  
  "Shut up! You're lucky I'm not hungry or you would have been dead the moment you crawled over here!" Orson shouts.
  
  "Calm down Orson, the seals have never been one to play trickery."
  
  "Exactly!"
  
  The two bears debate over what to do and find themselves at a stalemate. It's not until Orson notices you that he says,
  
  "Kuma, get over here."
  
  You walk over as the seal grows more frightened at the arrival of another polar bear.
  
  "It's good you're here, it looks like we need a third opinion," says Fross.
  
  "Or someone to agree that we need to show strength," says Orson.
  
  Charlie stares at you solemnly, his fate lies in your paws.
  
  > agree with Fross, you take Charlie up on the offer
  "The seals aren't known for their trickery. I say we take Charlie up on his deal."
  
  Orson grimaces as Fross says,
  
  "Thank god, for a second there I thought we would squander the opportunity."
  
  Orson grows red and retorts,
  
  "Yeah, squander the opportunity of walking headfirst into a trap. Whatever, I'm out."
  
  Orson runs away as Charlie sighs a breath of relief. You discuss the terms of trade. It is quickly agreed upon that if no polar bear attacks them, they will supply fish on a bi-weekly basis. Charlie extends his flipper out to you and says,
  "Pleasure doing business with you. Don't listen to that hot-headed polar bear, we just want to sunbathe in peace!"
  As his flipper contacts your paw, you struggle to hold back the primal instinct of ripping his arm off. If Charlie notices, he doesn't say anything.
  
  "Several seals will come soon with a mouthful of flounder my friends!"
  
  He leaves as Fross gives you a pat on the back.
  
  "It's a good thing you showed up Kuma. Sometimes, there's just no reasoning with Orson."
  
  You leave Fross and are left alone with your thoughts. You may have made an amazing deal or walked right into a trap. Only time will tell your fate.
  
  > 20160 minutes later...
  One morning you wake up in the middle of the night and clutch your stomach in pain. Stomach bile rises your throat. It's impossible to keep it in. Your body curls and pushes it out. Burst by burst.
  
  A pool of vomit lies under your feet and your throat stings from the stomach acid. Something is terribly wrong, and you need to see Orson immediately.
  
  You walk over to Orson's den to see how he's doing. When you arrive, he's already outside.
  
  "We have a problem Kuma."
  
  He invites you into his den and you immediately scrunch your nose. Chunks of half-digested meat lay in pools of stomach acid. The snow colored floor is now an off-colored orange.
  
  "Looks like we both have a problem," you say.
  
  Orson begins to answer but suddenly bends over. He heaves and projectile vomits strands of blotchy, yellow meat. As he gets up, yellow spit dribbles down his chin.
  
  "Tenth time today."
  
  Orson sways as you try to understand the madness. How long has this been going on? Orson shouts as loud as his burned throat lets him,
  
  "I know who's responsible! We're not the only ones, dozens are sick!"
  
  "Responsible for what?"
  
  "The abnormally abundant vomiting. Half of the tribe have reported the same sickness. I've already thrown out all the fish from the seals. It's the only explanation.
  
  Orson must be awfully sure if he threw away most of the food the tribe has. What does he know that you don't?
  
  "How are you sure it was the fish? Could some other meat not have gone bad?"
  
  "Bah, nonsense. All I know is that the sickness occurred suspiciously close to the latest arrival of fish."
  
  "How can you be sure the seals tampered with the fish?"
  
  Orson pounds his paw onto the floor, accidentally hitting a slab of thrown up meat.
  
  "I know they have! I didn't trust them the moment they sent Charlie over. As I said from the start, the only thing seals are good for are meals."
  
  "So, if you think the seals messed with the fish, what're you going to doing about it?"
  
  Orson sighs and states,
  
  "In my sickly condition, not much. You, on the other hand, could teach those fat bastards a lesson."
  "I'm sick too you know."
  
  "You're from a different breed Kuma. The fact you were even able to walk over here tells me you're strong enough."
  
  You nod, less than confident, and ask,
  
  "What's the plan?"
  
  Orson smiles and gleefully shares,
  
  "Gather the tribe and kill every single one of them!"
  
  "That's rough."
  
  "It's what they deserve! Are you gonna' do it or what?"
  
  > say "I'm not sure. I think something else might be behind the sickness... "
  The seals poisoning the fish doesn't make sense. For one, the fish both tasted and appeared normal. You think the more likely culprit is the wolf meat.
  
  "What else could it be?" Orson asks.
  
  "The wolf meat."
  
  "Bah this again. That meat was delicious."
  
  "Don't you find it odd how both of us are sick and both of us ate the meat?"
  
  "Kuma, we both know the seals are at fault. That's why I trust you to teach the seals a lesson."
  
  "I'm sorry, I don't the seals are responsible."
  
  Orson begins to retort, before vomiting again. Yellow bile drips down his chin.
  
  "Whatever, I guess we need to focus on finding new food regardless. I threw all the seal fish of a cliff, it's gone forever."
  
  You're still angry at Orson for such brash actions, but cool down when you remember the miserable state you're both in. It'll be best for everyone to keep emotions in check as you focus on gathering more food.
  
  > Time passes as you gather more food
  Following your hunch, you alert the whole tribe to your theory. You isolate all the remaining wolf meat in its own stockpile. Best to focus on finding food.
  
  You manage to hunt enough food to survive. Times are tough and compounding this are the foxes who make their way into your stockpile. They steal the tribe's reserves, leaving you to starve.
  
  An idea strikes you. Why not leave the wolf meat in the stockpile and let them steal that? Then, you can finally solve the puzzle of who the true culprit of the sickness is.
  
  In no time, the foxes have snagged all the wolf meat. The next time they return, they look green and more ragged than before. In a matter of weeks, they have stopped stealing.
  
  By the time spring begins, many of your tribe have fallen to starvation. It will be a long rebuilding effort, but you are confident you will find a way to survive. You always have.