text: [Themes: fantasy, fantasy]
  
  Slowly, you pull the lever, and the door begins opening by itself. You steady yourself, holding your sword and shield in front of you, preparing to fight... nothing. There's nothing behind this doorway. Just a tunnel. No monsters.
  Relieved, you start walking through the tunnel.
  Eventually, you come to a bare rectangular room. There are two different doorways. One of them is so long, you can't see the end of it, and the other has a bright light at the end of it. Which way do you go?
  
  > Long tunnel
  After walking through a bare passageway for several minute, you come across an eerie sight--a human skeleton. It lies on the ground, covered in rags, holding a wooden spear tipped with iron.
  You are about to continue quickly so as to avoid nausea, but then you look back at the spear. It would prove to be a valuable weapon if you came across any other monsters. On the other hand, it's customary to honor the dead by leaving their posessions with them.
  
  Droplets of water strike the steel floor with a ringing.
  You glance nervously around the enormous dungeon. It is an enormous room, made entirely of steel, with a large round dome for a roof, and three huge doors evenly spaced apart. You are alone, and in this enormous, dimly lit room, you start to feel uneasy.
  You are a knight in the army of a great country. You and your fellows have been at war with another country for the past several months. This other country, Tyrannica, is ruled by an oppressive monarch who recently had 1,000 people from your country kidnapped to serve as slaves in his capital city. Since then, the knights of your country have been attacking Tyrannica in order to free the slaves.
  In the last battle, you were captured. You were imprisoned in this sewer deep below the city. It is said that a large variety of monsters lurk in these depths, but you are skeptical.
  In your hands you hold your sword and shield. They are both made of steel, very durable but very heavy. Your shield defends well, and your sword cuts well, but both are difficult to wield quickly, or to run with. You would do well to remember that.
  The three large doors are too heavy for you to open, but are operated by pulleys. Which will you choose?
  
  > Right Door
  Slowly, you pull the lever, and the door begins opening by itself. You steady yourself, holding your sword and shield in front of you, preparing to fight... nothing. There's nothing behind this doorway. Just a tunnel. No monsters.
  Relieved, you start walking through the tunnel.
  Eventually, you come to a bare rectangular room. There are two different doorways. One of them is so long, you can't see the end of it, and the other has a bright light at the end of it. Which way do you go?[Themes: family friendly, animal perspective]
  
  The council of polar bears stand tall and proud as they surround the degenerate fox that dared steal from them. The arctic fox cowers, wishing it could disappear into the snow.
  
  "Stand up and face your crime!" yells Orson.
  
  Orson's bristled fur sticks upward on his arched back. He stares at the fox and leans forward. The fox whispers as snow gathers on top of her white fur.
  
  "I did what was necessary to survive."
  
  Orson growls, revealing his sharp teeth.
  
  "Your actions would have resulted in starvation if you hadn't been caught! Give me a reason not to bite your head off!"
  
  Fross, the oldest member of council, attempts to deescalate the situation.
  
  "Calm down, it is our duty to hear her side before deciding. Fox, what is your name?"
  
  "Zorro."
  
  Fross nods thoughtfully and asks,
  
  "Zorro, are you aware of your crimes?"
  
  She shivers as snow collects on her head.
  
  "My only crime was getting caught."
  
  Orson growls again and takes a step closer to Zorro.
  
  "You stole food and left us to starve!"
  
  The fox whimpers as she buries herself into the snow. Her white fur blends into the snow, concealing her completely. The snow is deep enough that it's impossible to know her exact position.
  
  "Huh, where did she go?" asks Fross.
  
  "She's still within the circle, let's move in," replies Orson.
  
  As the encirclement of bears advances, a white streak flashes before your vision. Zorro darts under a bear's stomach and emerges unscathed. She dashes towards the forest. The councilmembers turn to run with no chance of catching her, only one thing stands between her and the forest...
  
  "Kuma stop her!"
  
  The fox runs towards you, staring at you with her dark, yellow eyes. You can sense fear in her and assume she can sense yours' too. Zorro hurries and attempts to sprint past you.
  
  "What are you waiting for, claw her face in!" shouts Orson.
  
  She is almost in arms reach. You may be young, but your reaction time is among the best of your tribe. You know you could hit her if you tried.
  
  [Author's Note: Play as Kuma, an adolescent polar bear. When a fox steals your food, how will you respond? With vengeance? Forgiveness?]
  
  > claw her face in
  No hesitation, just as you were taught growing up. You swipe at her face and slice her throat straight open. She collapses and gurgles through her bloodied throat.
  
  "This is only the beginning."
  
  Her last words are interrupted by cheering. The councilmembers gather around you and praise your heroic act.
  
  "Kuma the fox slayer!"
  
  "Just as we taught ya!"
  
  Orson's cheer sticks with you the most, "I couldn't have done it better myself!"
  
  In a cruel twist of irony, Zorro makes an excellent meal. You take a chomp of her stomach, as blood spatters on your face. As the councilmembers make their way over, you yield your kill over to them. It is a showing of respect you're sure they won't forget. You smile as blood drips out of your mouth. You've done well.
  
  Later that night you discover the extent of Zorro's crime. Orson tells you she was caught stealing salmon from our stockpile. This was something that had gone on for months, with her stealing one fish at a time. If she continued, the winter's mortality rate would increase tenfold.
  
  You go to sleep with a smile on your face. For the first time in your life, you killed without fear. You'll tell your best friend all about it in the morning.
  
  > The next morning
  "Were you scared at all?" asks Nadette.
  
  "A little, but once my instincts took over it washed away."
  
  She nods in admiration and asks,
  
  "Like how instincts took over when we were attacked by wolves?"
  
  You gulp as you remember how close you both were to dying. You were out hunting together, and a pack of wolves attacked the moment you were isolated from your tribe. You were scared and too weak to take them all on. Your last resort was running back for help, an act so cowardly you'll never live it down.
  
  "It wasn't like that, this time it was different."
  
  Nadette laughs and nuzzles you.
  
  "I know it was, I was messing with you. You're not the same cub who ran away from wolves. You're... no, we're stronger now."
  
  Nadette starts to leave.
  
  "Where are you going?"
  
  She glances over her shoulder, then continues walking.
  
  "Just because you killed a fox doesn't mean I'm not going hunting. You coming or what?"
  
  You don't even bother answering as you run to catch up. Before you know it, you're all alone as you head towards the ocean side. There's a thin opening between two giant icebergs. Nadette immediately jumps in. You jump in after her and tense up as the freezing water drenches your fur. You open your eyes and are greeted by the familiar deep blue.
  The water is filled with all sorts of fish. You wade through the water and bite into the side of an unexpecting salmon. Jackpot! You clench the fish in your mouth and set it down on the ice. A couple more of these and you could have a feast that would set the feast of Zorro to shame. Nadette and you continue catching fish and dropping them onto the ice. You soon have gathered a dozen fish and decide to call it a day.
  
  As you climb back onto the surface, you're faced with the prospect of bringing the fish back to base.
  
  "How do we want to do this?" you ask.
  
  "One of us should carry them back home while the other stands watch. We don't want any thieves stealing our food."
  
  You volunteer to guard the fish while she carries them back. She agrees and leaves with two fish hanging out of her mouth.
  
  "Run fast it's almost nightfall," you yell at her.
  
  "Hmpph," she responds, struggling not to let the fish slide out of her mouth.
  
  You watch the sunset as she continues running back and forth. The moment darkness takes over, a chill is sent down your spine. The echoes of howling surround you as you see the red eyes of black wolves light up the darkness. The howls only get louder as more of them gather around you. You glance down at the fish you've been guarding. All that remains are four pink salmons. You could grab two yourself and run to safety. On the other hand, if you can prolong the wolves long enough for Nadette to get back, you could grab all four together.
  
  > grab the two salmon and run
  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.
  
  > Refuse
  "Sorry Orson, I'm not hungry."
  
  Orson's face turns grim.
  
  "You're not hungry?"
  
  You nod.
  
  "You're telling me, you're not hungry after all that? You ran faster than any bear I've ever seen and you're not hungry!"
  
  You gulp before nodding again. Orson's face turns red.
  
  "I witnessed my mother and father starve to death during the great famine. They would have gotten on their knees and begged for a bite of this delicious meat! You chose to be picky when mere decades ago we had mothers eating their first-born?"
  
  You stare at the ground in silence.
  
  "Fine then! I'll see if the a braver wolf wants some. Where the hell did Nadette go?"
  
  Orson leaves you and begins calling for Nadette. Knowing her, she'll probably refuse too. You hurry to Fross' den, not wanting to be around to witness Orson's reaction to her likely refusal. You arrive and call for Fross. He emerges from his den and says,
  
  "Kuma what happened? 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," Fross explains.
  
  The last thing he does is stick a patch of fur each blotch of honey to stop the bleeding.
  
  "It'll be best for you to rest here tonight."
  
  "I'm not even tired," you say, still filled with adrenaline from the fight.
  
  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 grunt out a yes and Fross begins,
  
  "There once was a bear named Malygos who went mad."
  
  > The tale of Malygos, the maddest bear to ever live
  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 "Is the story true?"
  "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?"
  
  > Is there a moral to the story?
  "You really want me to just tell you what moral 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."
  
  > Was Malygos a dragon in a polar bear's body?
  "What do you think, Kuma?"
  
  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 "No more questions Fross."
  "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?"
  
  "Good, I didn't either."
  
  You nods in agreement. You then ask,
  
  "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.
  
  > say "I agree with Fross, but we should go above and beyond in good faith. Not only will we not attack them, but we will also defend them from other predators."
  "The seals have been unfairly persecuted for far too long. Not only do we agree to Charlie's offer, but I want to offer more in return."
  
  "You got to be kidding me," says Orson.
  
  "Okayyy...that's not the response I was expecting. What exactly would this alliance entail?"
  
  You explain that in exchange for fish, you promise the seals protection from all predators.
  
  "You must have misspoken; how could you possibly protect us from ocean predators?"
  
  Oh yeah, you forgot Orcas dine on seal too.
  
  "I can't believe a seal has more common sense than a fellow bear," says Orson.
  
  You glare at Orson and continue,
  
  "Well, if we can't protect you from Orcas, we could at least protect you from other land predators."
  
  Charlie is still unsure.
  
  "Aside from yourself, there's no other land predators. Well, aside from the walrus, but we came to an agreement a long time ago."
  
  Looks like your offer was too good to be true. You stare at the ground dejected.
  
  "Cheer up bear, I still appreciate the offer. Can we proceed with the original deal as planned?"
  
  You nod as Orson leaves in frustration. Charlie sighs a breath of relief as Orson goes out of sight. You discuss the terms of trade. It is quickly agreed 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. Our kind will finally sunbathe in peace!"
  
  As his flipper contacts your paw, you easily control your primal desire to eat his flesh. Charlie says,
  
  "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."
  
  "I just don't understand his desire for violence. We aren't the same polar bears as our ancestors. We've evolved to be better than such barbarism."
  
  Fross scratches his ear, considering your words.
  
  "Don't be so dismissive, sometimes violence is the answer. It remains to be seen whether the seals will follow through with the agreement."
  
  "Didn't you just say the seals aren't ones to play tricks?"
  
  Fross laughs and says,
  
  "I only said that to calm Orson down! He was seconds away from gouging Charlie's eyes out."
  
  You slap yourself in the face. A big reason why you offered the seal such a lucrative deal was because of Fross' words. While you can criticize Orson for acting too brash, you might have just done the same in the opposite direction.
  You leave Fross and are left alone with your thoughts. You may have made an amazing deal or walked right into a trap.
  
  > Epilogue 2: Peace
  Months went by and the seal-bear trade agreement turned out great. Your tribe ate like kings through winter, and the seals were free to sunbathe. Everything was peaceful in the land.
  
  Like all good things, it didn't last. Those damn thieving foxes just had to ruin all the fun. They came in packs and ambushed your stockpile. They look ravished and acted like their primal ancestors.
  
  The bears managed to capture many, while a few got away with lots of food. Many thought you should make an example out of them. Others thought that they acted out of desperation. Perhaps you would even act the same if put in their shoes.
  
  The fate of the foxes came down to your vote. You decided to let the foxes go in exchange for peace among your tribes. You would give them food as long as they stopped hunting in your territory. Seeing as the other option was death, they hastily agreed.
  
  Because of your actions, peace was reached. It may not last forever, but right now, what you have done is unprecedented. You've done well Kuma. You've done well.