Chapter 14 king of polar bears

Between the icebergs of the far Arctic lives the king of polar bears.He is old and bulky, with a very bright mind.He is very friendly to all bears who know him.His body was covered with thick hair, long and white, that shone silver in the sun.His claws were so strong and sharp that he could walk safely on slippery ice, catch fish and seals, and tear them up for his own meal. When he approached the seals, they always tried to avoid him.However, seagulls are not the same, no matter they are white or gray, they all like him.Because he ate the leftovers and provided them with a hearty meal. His subjects came to him when they were sick or in trouble.But they were wise enough to avoid his hunting places, lest they should disturb his interest and arouse his wrath.

Sometimes the wolves also come to the Arctic icebergs, and they whispered that although the king of polar bears is not a magician, he can be protected by a god of magic, as if nothing in the world can hurt him, and he can always catch a lot of animals food.Day after day, year after year, he grew taller and stronger. However, one day at last the overlord of the North Pole met man, and his wits were of no avail. One day, he walked out of the cave in the iceberg and saw a boat paddling in the current covered with ice floes. There are several people on board. The polar bear king has never seen a human being, so he walked towards the boat.He smelled a strange smell with curiosity, and he didn't know if he regarded them as friends or enemies?Is it food?Or carrion?

As he approached the edge of the current, a man stood up from the boat, holding a strange object in his hand, and then there was a loud "whoosh".The polar bear was petrified, his brain was numb, his thinking stopped, his limbs trembled, and then he collapsed, his body fell heavily on the hard ice. That's all he remembers. When he woke up, he felt the burning of his huge body and the pain was unbearable.For they stripped the bear's skin with its shining white fur from him, and carried it to a great ship far away. Above him, hovering thousands of seagulls, they are all his friends.They don't know if their benefactor is really dead and if they can eat him.But when they saw him lift his head, moaning, and trembling, they knew he was not dead, but alive.One of the gulls said to his fellows:

"The wolf is right, our king is indeed protected by the gods, and no man can kill him. At present, he is suffering because he has no skin. Let us repay his favor to us, and we will all take all Give him as many feathers as possible." The idea delighted the gulls.One after another, the seagulls took off the softest feathers under the wings with their beaks, and then flew down, and gently placed the feathers on the body of the polar bear king. At this time, they shouted to him with one voice: "Be brave, friend! Our feathers are as soft and beautiful as your own fluffy. They can keep you from the cold wind, keep you warm when you sleep, and give you courage to live! "

The polar bear king endured the great pain tenaciously, survived, and became strong again. The feathers on the Polar Bear King's body plumped up, covering his whole body like his own fur.Most of the plumage is pure white, with gray gull feathers mottled the monarch's coat color. For the rest of that summer, and for six full months of darkness, he lived alone in the ice cave, occasionally fishing and catching seals.He wasn't ashamed of his feathers, he was just not used to it.He avoided encounters with his fellow men. During his recovery from seclusion, he kept thinking about those who hurt him, and how they uttered the "hoo"

that bang.He decided to avoid these terrible animals as much as possible, and this incident made him more vigilant. The moon sets and the sun rises, illuminating the icebergs as colorful and dazzling as a rainbow. At this time, two polar bears came to the cave of the Polar Bear King and asked him about hunting.They laughed when they saw that his huge body was covered with gull feathers instead of bear fur.A bear said: "Our venerable king has turned into a bird! Has anyone ever heard of a polar bear with feathers?" The polar bear king couldn't take it anymore, he walked towards them, roaring angrily, showing an expression of inviolability.His steps were so firm, he swung his terrifying claws vigorously, and the polar bear who laughed at him fell silently under his feet.

Another polar bear saw that the situation was not good and fled to his compatriots.He told everyone about the strange appearance of the polar bear king.In the midst of the ice and snow, all the polar bears had a meeting and seriously discussed the strange change of their king. "As a matter of fact, he is no longer a bear," said one of the bears, "but he cannot be called a bird. He is half bird and half bear, so we cannot have him as our lord any longer." "Who will take his place, then?" asked the other bear. "Whoever can fight and defeat this bird-like bear," said an elderly polar bear, "whoever is the strongest will be the strongest. Only the most powerful polar bear can rule our nation."

There was a silence, and after a while a big bear came forward and said: "I would like to fight him. I, Wufu, am the strongest of our nation! I will be the king of polar bears." The other polar bears nodded in agreement, and they quickly sent a messenger to the residence of the polar bear king.The messenger told the Polar Bear King that he must fight the mighty Wulf, and either defeat Wulf or surrender his throne. "Because you're a polar bear covered in bird feathers," the messenger added. "You are no longer a polar bear. Our monarch must look like us."

"I would like to grow feathers," roared the Polar Bear King, "am I not a magician? However, I am willing to go to war.If Wulf defeats me, he can take my throne. " Then he went to visit his friends, where the gulls were pecking at the dead bear, and told them of the coming engagement. "I shall prevail," he said proudly, "but my subjects were right. For only a polar bear with a bushy mane can command his subjects." Queen Seagull said: "Yesterday, I met an eagle that had just flown from a large human-inhabited city. The eagle told me that he had seen a huge polar bear skin thrown on a cart that was Driving down the street. That skin must be yours. Oh, King of Polar Bears, if you will, I'll send a hundred seagulls to that city and get you that skin."

"Then let them go!" said the Polar Bear King gruffly.Immediately, a hundred seagulls flew south at a very fast speed. For three days they flew like arrows, over villages and cities, in search of the bearskin. This flock of seagulls is brave, dexterous and intelligent.On the fourth day, they flew to a metropolis and circled the streets and alleys.They saw a large cart driving down the street.On the back seat of the cart was a large white bearskin.They descended rapidly, and in a blink of an eye, a hundred seagulls took the bear skin in their beaks and flew away quickly. They are late.The battle for the polar bear throne is expected to take place on the seventh day.They have to fly fast and try to reach the arctic region on time.

Meanwhile, Bird and Bear are preparing for battle.He sharpened his claws in the crevices of the ice. He caught a seal and gnawed at its bones, experimenting with his big yellow teeth.The Seagull Queen led her subjects to help the Polar Bear King trim the feathers all over his body until the feathers stuck to his body. The seagulls watch the southern sky anxiously every day, looking forward to the return of the hundred seagulls with the skin of the king of polar bears. The seventh day came, and all the polar bears in the arctic region gathered around the cave of the polar bear king. Wulf stood among them, looking very strong and confident to win. "As soon as my paw touches him, the feathers of the bird and bear will fly into the sky!" Woof boasted.The other polar bears laughed and encouraged him. The Polar Bear King is disappointed that he hasn't got his skin so far.However, he made up his mind to bravely participate in the duel without the skin.When he emerged from his cave, he carried pride and the majesty of a monarch.He faced the enemy and let out a terrible roar, and Wuff felt a wave of panic. He realized that fighting the witty and powerful Polar Bear King was no joke. After two heavy duels between himself and his foe, Wulf's courage returned, and he decided to blunt the enemy's spirit with intimidation. "Come closer, you don't look like you!" he shouted, "Come closer, let me pluck your feathers!" This contempt made the Polar Bear King furious.He puffed up his feathers quivering like a bird, doubling his usual size.Then, he stepped forward and gave Wulf a fatal blow. Woof's skull shattered like an egg, and his body collapsed to the ground. The polar bears gathered there were amazed to see the champion knocked to the ground. Just then, the sky became dark. A hundred seagulls flew down from the sky, and put a bear skin on the back of the polar bear king. The white fur of the bear shone silver under the sunlight. When the polar bears saw that the wise and respected monarch had returned to his original appearance, they all lowered their heads in unison to show their respect for the great king of polar bears.