The crisp air of Grizzly Hills entered my nose as I walked out of the Dream Portal. My knuckles crushed the soft green mosses, as my back paw pads did much the same.
The sight of the taiga, towering pine trees eclipsing all but the tallest trees of Ashenvale. Rolling hills with snow-peaked mountains far from where the rivers of this untamed land were born.
The ancestral home of the furbolgs and, even more ancient, jalgars.
It was a beautiful land that was perfect for us in all that was important. It wasn't the first time I was here. It happened roughly one year and a half after Archimonde's explosive departure.
Of course, I didn't get here by rowing a boat like an idiot the first time. It was with Ursol's help and a similar mode of transportation—a Dream Portal.
Then it was me as he taught me to make them; it was how I traveled today.
As the name intended, it was a portal to the Emerald Dream and wasn't a simple matter.
For a portal to exist, it needed a location in the waking world with a certain threshold of Nature magic concentration or a LOT of mana.
Those were rather difficult first conditions to meet. And that greatly limited where and how they could be used.
It wasn't battle teleportation like with a mage.
A mirror needed to exist in the Dreaming to have a lasting, stable portal, and a connection between the two to be established came after.
Then, the portals were to be crafted, and the power and time necessary were… sizeable.
But when it was done, it could be maintained or altered by anyone skilled enough in druidism, depending on the design. Like any spell, it wasn't rigid, more so for one of Nature.
There were other means, but Dream Portals were by far the most 'common' means of transport.
The Dreamway was there for a reason. Freya made it to untangle the ever-shifting, timeless nature of this realm of Life and Nature. It was Order.
It was a crossroads where connections like roots could be grown.
And one of those roots was from Undrassil, leading straight to Hollowmaw from any Dream Portals on Azeroth connected to the Dreamway.
It was a minute security breach but a necessary risk given the immense value of such magical architecture.
It was only between here in Northrend and the den capital in Kalimdor and scarcely open more than ten times weekly. But it remained a fault line.
One that was worth it.
It tied the furbolgs closer than ever, and trades were strong, notably with honey and maple syrup with their alcoholic variation. Food and various alcoholic beverages were the meat on the bone.
These gates were evidently heavily guarded, their ins and outs, through conventional and magical means as well as botanical.
Still, I was testing how well it worked to convince Malfurion to do the same with the kaldorei Dream Portals across Azeroth. It was for our greater good.
Horde or Alliance, we weren't friends.
It was an extremely potent asset we would absolutely need. And it wasn't my point of view alone; neither was I the first to come up with the idea.
I wasn't blind to the green dragons observing in silence. Having anything but their support would be unfavorable.
The two portals here weren't their property; few were true. Their territory and authority were limited even if they were the primary warden of the Emerald Dream. They weren't our lords.
But we were allies to them. It was no problem, barring the interest in me. While very annoying, it was fair as long as they kept themselves in their lanes.
Anyway, my presence here was for a diametrically different purpose than magic gateways.
I was bringing an important and exciting piece of news.
But that didn't mean I bulldozed through Ursol's Recess, the defended village built around this Dream Portal. Or, more precisely, it was the Great Tree used to make said portal.
It was where my teacher, with his nephews–weaker Wild Gods–Orsonn and Kodian, led the Redfang and Frostpaw, among other smaller tribes of Grizzlemaw, to take care of the corruption.
And it was taken care of.
Vordrassil was cleansed. Every last one of its deep roots was incinerated beyond the surface-level ones that held it stable.
It was followed by the ground being filled back up and sealed physically and magically through Ursine runes carved into the bedrock.
Then, the soil and stump of the World Tree were thoroughly cleansed again. It had been a fine combing from what I wasn't told.
Recently, I planted my second Goldilocks to bud a vibrant ecosystem from the stump. It was far, far from Undrassil, but the impact remained great.
So Grizzlemaw wasn't abandoned with most of its population back.
But Ursol's Recess remained from the furbolgs that stayed, and the Dream Portal reinforced its existence.
Knuckle-walking through the moss path, furbolgs respectfully parted away for me with joy and reverence in their eyes.
Cubs pointed claws or oohed, while adults had more varied reactions, but it always was of that worship-like variety.
A reaction that I was now more or less used to. I had, too, but one of my nascent instincts was pleased about this development.
My bodily development into what was essentially a mid-way between furbolg and jalgar–our ancestors–leaning heavily on the latter only increased that.
It was where those instincts came from, too.
I was marginally taller than before, which had been important, even by ursa totemic standards. But I wasn't on two feet anymore, and it was a big deal, quite literally the case here.
I was slightly leaner, less bulky than blocky, more svelte, and more predatory.
My chest was larger, more humanoid, vaguely primate-like, with longer, mightier, muscular, and nimbler arms. I could lunge, turn in a slip second, and my reach was significantly more.
My more compact and flexible waist thinned out to my legs, which became digitigrade.
They were closer to that of other canines, such as wolves, yet remained bear-like.
They developed like my paws had since the Totemic Ritual metallic.
Now, they ended with dark, bladed claws. And speaking of paws, my front ones were so big I could fit my head in one.
My entire fucking head, with the muzzle and all, and it didn't grow smaller in those three years.
My grip strength was… sizeable, and that was the least remarkable aspect.
I lost my pinky fingers, though; they fused into the annulars. In exchange, my claws were tougher and not as jarring and impractical.
They never felt unnatural per se, but somehow they felt righter. And in many ways, they were. Ursa totemics were warriors first, and it wasn't all positive.
The claws were oversized for combat, not for playing music, painting, or writing. Now, they fit my body perfectly. It's not that I was any better at either, but it wasn't as awkward.
And the lack of overall nimbleness of digits was inconsequential, given I had Groot and could grow what I needed on the fly.
I could climb well before; now, it was no different than walking, whether a tree or a cliff.
To top it off, I grew a small fluffy tail of a bear at the end since furbolg actually didn't have that. Well, some furbolgs did, but it was like having eyes of different colors.
There was more; the body affected the mind, but outside of being able to walk on two legs, the changes in my daily life weren't that drastic.
It differed from others' perceptions of me, even if it was a more pronounced effect of what was already there.
My people didn't consider me normal for a long time, but with that? I was something beyond in the most direct sense—something far closer to the Twin Bears than anything else.
"Chosen of the Twins! What is it you seek so that we may give?" The jolly, if nervous, voice of an aged male furbolg in shaman garb came to my right.
"Elith, no need to stress your old heart every time I come here, really. Relax. I'm passing by." I rumbled with a soft smile to the grey-furred Elder Shaman of Ursol's Recess.
He was a good bear. But he was very into tradition and wouldn't have me be unsatisfied if he had a say in it.
It was a matter of honor, but he made it appear as if it was between life and death.
He fussed over non-important points too much in fear of not being enough, of not being worthy, wise, and mighty enough.
It wasn't unique to him; furbolg as a whole had changed on those points. No more were we content to hibernate and migrate to the whims of the seasons.
It had many positives, and motivation for one was the greatest boon with loyalty. But it led to some being a bit too eager for their own good, like Elith.
Ancestors bless his heart; he needed to chill a wee bit. Not that anything I would say wouldn't be taken wildly out of context to what I meant.
"Bu-but I can't hav-" I cut him with a wave of my paw, and Groot gently placed a root over his muzzle.
'Good treant.' I signaled with a shift of mana, and he cooed in delight.
"Give me the usual, a barrel of dry maple mead, no need for a buffet. Not for me. I advise you to stock up on food and drink; soon, you will have a true reason to celebrate. Trust me." I said, my smile shifting to a grin that showed my metal-infused fangs.
"Right away!" And it was him, the Elder Shaman, who went to bring it to me.
Though I did follow him and was out of the village minute after with the offering–which it was, at least to the old shaman–strapped on my back.
A root straw was grown for me to sip at my leisure, even in bat form.
But I didn't waste time; too much had passed already, and by Bear Lords, it always felt like I never had enough of it.
Be that as it may, it would change, at least for the project behind my presence here.
And as the massive broken form of Vordrassil grew in my sight, I veered down to the base of a mountain. The dead World Tree wasn't my destination; it was Ursol's Den.
Technically, the clearing atop these mountains was also my teacher's den, but it was renamed since he stopped sleeping there in Ursoc's absence.
It was nothing ill-intentioned, just the effect of time.
It was more of a shrine to the Bear of Might's honor. Its entrance was a distant yet massive bear head carved from the mountainside, standing above Grizzly Hills, watching, waiting.
It was beautiful, pure, and wild; the air was chilly, and with the warm sun, it was perfect.
But sightseeing was short as I reached a small clearing that seemed all but random until the world rippled. The illusion of hiding a cave through water reflection was passed through.
And I smelled the three that I contacted for today right away. The trio of semi-divine bears' musk had been hidden and masked.
Ursol hid his den well. If I hadn't known where it was or been allowed in, I would be flying in circles right now. Not even the spirits of the ancestors would have deigned to answer me.
It was the elements and nature working against you. There were very few ways to work around that.
It wasn't stealth alone, and on the off chance, something that shouldn't be here found itself. Not that, given its position and the sharp cascade next to it, it lacked danger.
The bear totems, carved, molded, and cast from stone, wood, and metal, weren't mere decorations.
My internal rambling was killed as a red-brown-furred bear whose head reached my shoulder on all fours came into view. Her stride ended, and her piercing, glowing golden eyes sparkled as she noticed me.
"Ohto! Greetings, my young friend. I've received your missive. What is it you need? You're usually… blunter." Kodian, Daughter of Ursoc, let out, and I answered the Ancient with a smile.
"It's easier to explain bear to bear, and I need samples," I said as I entered the cave. And she followed in silence, yet it was evident she was left unsatisfied with my answer.
I would, too, if I was in her place.
But I didn't want to repeat myself and wouldn't have wasted time. The Scourge and Drakkari Empire were problems requiring their focus.
The Lich King was explained to them to the best of my recollection.
Since he was on the same continent with an undead army stretching all start, he was an ever-expanding and growing threat.
It was a cancer.
A threat nobody wanted to let fester beyond the fact that he was an abomination of the highest order.
It was among many reasons why I was here today; this undead horde couldn't be left unattended.
And the trolls were secondary, but there was a reason they didn't touch Grizzly Hills since the dawn of their empire.
This aside, with Kodian in tow, we arrived at a large flat stone where a blue-furred bear and a smaller white-furred one were playing a pandaren chessboard game.
It consisted of piling up flat slate in a way that matched the carved and painted symbol.
It was a gift from Chen that caught Ursol's interest. Hardly the only part he found interesting with pandaren.
And he was crushing Orsonn by the look of frustration on his muzzle and that of false innocence from the bigger Wild God.
My presence didn't take long to be remarked, and I got both full attention, sapphire-like shining eyes and gold on me.
"Ah, you arrive at last. It must be of vital importance for you to need us all, Ohto." Orsonn said first, his voice measured with a natural harshness, unlike his sister.
"Indeed," The Wise Bear agreed, and I fell under the combined gazes of the three Wild Gods. There was a certain innate pressure from that, and if I were a lesser furbolg, I would have keeled over in prostration.
But I wasn't, and I ignored this sensation I was thoroughly acclimated to.
"The floral womb is finished." I let my words hang in the air for the understanding to hammer in the snoot of my small audience.
The daughter and son of the Mighty Bear reacted pretty strongly.
"Truly?" Kodian began, her voice almost breaking, "Then Father can be brought to us!"
"Yes, to have him be with us once more… it had been too long, far too long…" Orsonn mumbled with a faint yet hopeful smile breaking his cold exterior.
Only Ursol was more composed, but it was a facade. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. It was evident in his body language, aura, and smell.
To say the least, he was euphoric about this piece of news.
"I also perfected the life force purification process. It's the main purpose behind coming here." My smile grew before I cut straight to the second point.
And what a point it was, I didn't have the Bear of Might remains. Luckily, Ursol was his twin, even if not identical, then was his progeny, assuring I had the baseline to work with.
From those, isolating what Ursoc was and what he wasn't was feasible.
What followed was simpler said than done, but I succeeded in recreating his cell.
Yet I needed fresher material in greater quantity since I used all I had in the floral womb designed for him.
Growing it endlessly from a sample used again and again and again strained the cells, potentially leading to critical failure. Slim as the chance actually was… I wasn't taking any chances.
And it wasn't the only thing.
"I require samples of blood, bone marrow, nerves, ga-" I rattled as Groot took out varying vials made of glass-like plants for me to begin my work.
And I did it with my patients without so much of a flinch to let me work on them, no matter how invasive or painful my actions were.
But it was a necessary evil; different tissues provided distinct characteristics in the life force.
This conundrum to puzzle him back wouldn't have existed if I had anything from the Mighty Bear's body besides ash and dirt.
But without it, I wouldn't have made so many advancements in that branch of biomancy. It was more than my past self was, and it wasn't small since it was one of the pillars of my floral bioengineering.
Yet everything would end with a blob of tissue akin to Ursoc, but it wouldn't be him; it needed a touch of something personal.
It wasn't actually the demi-god I was going to clone; it was an approximation created from his family's blood and flesh.
A connection needed to be built as it wasn't enough with that method. I mean, it was, but barely. And I sought as close to perfection as possible.
"Are you certain there was no other way?" I heard the Son of Ursoc complain as I finished filling a plant vial with his blood. I rolled my eyes with a small smirk.
"Ow… don't be a sour cub, brother. You're late by too few millennia for that." His sister jabbed, and my ears and tail twitched as if she had been any easier.
Not everyone was used to experiencing their internal organs being moved around by magical paws, after all. And it wasn't a matter of gentleness with Wild Gods; they could feel it, and I needed to be a tad forceful.
Their life force and will were that strong even when they were on board with my fiddling.
"Teacher-?" I broke the demi-god sibling dispute. Ursol didn't wait for me to finish; as if reading my mind, he vanished with a nod.
His steps had far more pep, eagerness, and excitement in him than what I was used to. I felt warm at the sight.
He returned two minutes later with leather cords binding in his teeth. Dangling from them was a strange pair of metal gloves ending in five long blades.
The smell of blood and rage from thousands of battles impregnated the air by their simple presence. My heart beat faster in response.
Those were the Claws of Ursoc, titansteel forged gauntlets carrying the Bear of Might's eternal wrath and bloodlust to the profane and sworn enemies of Nature and Life.
It was enough to drive any unprepared challenger mad with both of the above. Beyond that, not much was said in stories aside from the fact that they gave a portion of Ursoc strength.
Otherwise, for the most part, it was a straightforward pair of weapons. The blades were virtually unbreakable, with a sharpness that made obsidian seem dull.
And my only interest in them was to use them as foci for Ursoc's spirit to inhabit the body I would grow.
"The claws of my brother, I entrust them to you, my loyal student." My teacher said, and I respectfully took them from him.
I immediately wrapped them in vines and attached them to my backpack.
"That'll settle it then." And with those final words and a goodbye with nuzzles and happy growls, I was on my way back to Kalimdor.
I could hardly contain my excitement, and with him back, the Wild will bloom into the thorny carnivorous rose that it was to be.
No more stagnation and ceaseless wait; the forces of nature would move and move fast.
*
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/thebipboop2003