The Hibernation Situation

Three bears set out to explore the universe looking for a safe place to hibernate, but they're about to find a whole lot more.

            Their mission was simple. The three-bear crew needed to find a planet where the rest of the bears on Ursus could safely hibernate during the coming months. The sun never set on their home planet, which was helpful when it was time to work, but made it very difficult to sleep at all, let alone hibernate for weeks at a time.

            And tired bears need their rest. Tired bears are grumpy bears. No one wants to deal with grumpy bears, not even other grumpy bears.

            "How long until we land?" asked Scout, the ship's engineer.

            Marlow, the pilot, pulled a honey flavored sucker out of his mouth and said, "Twenty minutes, give or take."

            "That should put us there just after sunset," said Captain Avery, "The moon dragons should be expecting us."

            Scout exhaled a low growl, "I don't trust 'em," he said, holding out one of his enormous paws. Scout was easily the biggest bear of the three. "Don't trust anything that calls itself a dragon but can fit in the soft part of my paw." He clamped his hand into a fist, to make a point.

            Marlow laughed, "You're just afraid of their barrier magic. Or maybe you're jealous." He pointed his sucker in Scout's direction. "Rumor has it that the moon dragons' barrier magic is stronger than any force field you've ever been able to build."

            Scout swatted at the sucker, but Marlow was too quick. He had it back in his mouth and spun around in his pilot's chair before Scout could make contact. The engineer growled louder this time.

            "That's enough!" ordered the captain. Her voice boomed, bouncing off the walls of the small space craft. Then, after a very still, uncomfortable moment, she lowered her voice and said, "The moon dragons offered to let us hibernate in the mines below the surface of their home on Perilune. The least we can do is meet them with open minds," she said. Then, turning to Scout, "And even tempers."

            The big engineer seemed to shrink in size as he collected himself. Marlow shot him a quick wink to try to rile him up again, but Scout took a deep breath and remained calm.

            "Now," Captain Avery said, "you have five minutes to secure your things. Then we strap in and prepare for landing."

            The sun was indeed setting on the moon dragons' home as the ship successfully landed. As the three bear crew put on their dark grey space suits, Captain Avery started giving orders, "Marlow, give the ship a quick checkup. Make sure it's ready to get us back in the air."

            "Yes, boss," Marlow said. Avery hated being called boss. It didn't command the same respect as Captain, but she knew Marlow meant no harm. He spent ten years working on the assembly line at a factory that made the fastest space cruisers in the known galaxy. Boss was just the word that followed yes in Marlow's vocabulary.

            The captain continued, "Scout, come with me. You'll need to run tests on the air and soil in the mines to make sure it's safe enough for hibernation."

            Scout gave a quick salute as he finished zipping up his suit along the reflective red stripe that ran from shoulder to belt. He was known for having a temper to match his huge size, but Scout knew his place on the ship. "Fix it if it's broken and break it if it fixes to hurt the captain" was his motto. Scout was the whole package: mechanic, master technologist, and bodyguard all wrapped up into a furry, dark brown crew member the size of a refrigerator.

            As they put on their helmets and double checked their oxygen supply, Captain Avery said, "While we're down here, let me do the talking. And like always, be ready for anything."

            The ship's doors opened and the bears were suddenly surrounded by smoke. Even though the sun set nearly an hour ago now, the sky was still a dull orange color and thick smoke hung in the air.

            "Captain," Marlow said with a slight tremor in his voice, "I'm not so sure I want to sleep here."

            "Something is wrong," the captain said. "This may have just turned into a rescue mission. Scout, grab the medical supplies and foam canisters. Marlow, cut the landing inspection short. You have five minutes, then we'll all try to figure out what's happened here."

            All of the moon dragons' buildings, their houses and storage, the lunar fountains and libraries were all smoking, charred ruins. Giant plumes of smoke erupted into the sky as the bears put out the few remaining fires.

            "Probably some backfired magic gone all sorts of wrong," Scout said, coughing. "I told you I didn't trust them. The oxygen levels look safe enough, if we could just clear out all of this smoke."

            "What could have done all of this?" Marlow asked as he covered the last flickering flames with foam.

            "Or who..." Captain Avery said in a thoughtful tone. Just then, something caught her eye. "Look! Over there!" she pointed into the smoke. "Crew, follow me."

            Through the smoky haze, a faint blue light peered out into the devastation. As the bears got closer to the light, they saw that it was coming from a deep hole in the ground no wider than one of Scout's muscular legs.

            "That must be the dragons' barrier," Captain Avery said.

            Scout said, "Or it could be whatever destroyed their town."

            "Quiet," said the captain, "I think something is coming."

            Something was coming. The light grew brighter and the bears heard a low buzzing sound as the light continued to creep up the narrow hole in the ground. Marlow took one step backwards, then one sideways to get behind Scout. Captain Avery held up one paw, signaling for the crew to remain still. Her other paw reached up and unlocked her helmet.

            "Captain, don't..." Scout whispered urgently. But Avery already had her helmet off, holding it tucked next to her side. The blue light slowed its ascent, but the hum grew louder, turning into a dull, electrical buzz.

            "We mean no harm," the captain said. Her voice was strong, but not threatening. "My crew and I come from Ursus on a mission to speak with the moon dragons."

            The buzzing calmed back down to a gentle hum, and the blue light finally came to the opening in the hole. Marlow poked his head out from behind Scout's arm.

            Avery continued, "We've stopped the fires outside. Is everyone safe in there?"

            Just then a creature the size of a small bird emerged from the hole. Its skin changed from dark purple to light blue to a brilliant white and then back again as it slowly floated up to eye level with Captain Avery. The moon dragon's body was completely enclosed in a protective, glowing bubble as it flew.

            Scout took a step to stand closer to his captain, but the moon dragon didn't seem bothered by the giant bear. It only tilted its head to one side and looked at him, more curious than afraid. Then, looking back at Avery, the tiny dragon's color pulsed from bright white to a dull, pale pink.

            Not a word was uttered. The dragon was speaking directly to the bears' minds as it continued to flicker between light and darkness. "Your timing could not have been better, travelers."

            Scout shook his head violently, as if he was trying to physically remove the voice from his skull. Marlow stepped out to the other side of Captain Avery, intrigued by the way the dragons communicated.

            The flashing lights continued as the dragon said, "Thankfully, none of us were harmed during the attack. My name is Prism, I am the one who invited you to Perilune."

            "But your town is in ruins," Avery said. "We can call for a work crew to come, but it may take weeks..."

            The dragon interrupted her with a short, bright flicker of green light, "The town will be fine. We should move inside to talk, it may not be safe out here in the open."

            Scout cleared his throat and said, "Apologies, ma'am...or sir? Doesn't matter. Two quick things. First, your town is a total wreck. It might take months or even years to rebuild it, and that's after the crew can get here. And number two," he looked at the small hole in the ground where the dragon emerged, "I don't think inside is big enough for a bunch of bears to talk."

            Captain Avery spun around and began scolding Scout, "That'll be enough from you. Are you trying to insult these unfortunate creatures? They offered us their land, protection, and hospitality and we come to find their home in ruins, but the only thing you can think to do is make sarcastic comments?"         

            But the engineer didn't hear a word of it. Scout's eyes were fixed on the moon dragon behind the captain. The protective bubble surrounding it started spinning, growing larger and larger with every rotation, doubling in size while Avery was still disciplining her engineer.

            "Captain," Marlow said, pointing at the dragon. And again, he took a half-step back behind Scout.

            When Avery turned to see what had her crew's attention, she suddenly understood. The moon dragon was perfectly still inside the spinning ball, but the sphere continued to get larger and larger. It spun and grew until there was room inside of it for the dragon and all three bears.

            "All due respect," Scout started, "but I don't like the look of this."

            Captain Avery's mouth opened the slightest bit, but no words came out.

            Before the bears could take another breath, the moon dragon's color changed to a vibrant yellow. It slowly opened its wings, spreading them as wide as its tiny body would allow. Then, in a flash, it snapped them shut, crossing them in the front. With a quick burst of wind, the giant protective bubble blew from the dragon to surround the bears.

            "Fascinating," said Avery, as she reached out to touch the barrier's wall.

            Scout managed to contain his anger by only letting out a short, rumbling growl. Marlow put his hand on Scout's broad shoulder and said, "Jealous?"

            The dragon flapped its wings and began changing color again to speak, "The light of the moon will repair our buildings, as it has for the last several weeks that the pyrobots have been attacking us. Tomorrow morning, the town will be fully restored, lustrous and beautiful beyond compare."

            "Pyrobots?" Captain Avery asked.

            Marlow straightened up and said, "Pi-robots? Like pirate robots?"

            Scout elbowed him, saying, "Look at all of the burned up buildings. These are pyro-bots. Pyro. Like fire."

            The dragon continued, "The pyrobots are truly horrible machines. Their only purpose is to find new, stronger sources of power. Then they destroy everything in their path to collect it. Come, join me inside where we can discuss such things." The dragon looked directly at Scout and said, "It will be easier than you imagine."

            Scout snorted.

            The dragon flew back down to the small opening in the ground. The blue glow from below ground got brighter as the bears walked closer to it. Just as the bears' bubble was close enough to touch the hole in ground, the opening grew wider and deeper, large enough for the three bears to walk single-file down into the moon dragons' home.

            The walls of the main room were covered with hundreds of glittering gemstones, each a slightly different color than its neighbor. Marlow looked up and saw that the ceiling was much the same, but the jewels above them all glowed a warm yellow tone, illuminating the room and its connecting hallways. A faint melody carried throughout the entire corridor.

            "This is beautiful," said Captain Avery. "Where is the singing coming from, if you don't mind my asking? It's lovely."

            "We all sing," answered the moon dragon. "It's how we nurture the gemstones you see all around you. The more they're cared for as they grow, the more pure they will be." Several dragons came from each of the different passageways to welcome the new guests.

            Scout quickly counted nearly two dozen dragons, each flying gracefully next to each other, each surrounded by its own small, circular bubble. "I don't get it," Scout began to say. Avery shot him a stern glare that told him to choose his next words with extreme caution. He cleared his throat and lightened his tone the slightest bit, then Scout said, "Help me understand something. The moon rebuilds your town. You sing to underground crystals to make them grow up right, like watering a flower. But what do you do with the crystals once they're finished growing?"

            Their host answered, "We give them away."

            Marlow and Scout exchanged a shocked and curious glance.

            "As you mentioned," Prism continued, "we have everything we need. The moon provides all that we need above ground, and these halls produce the most brilliant gemstones in the known galaxy. One of the moon dragons' oldest relationships is with a planet made entirely of flowing lava."

            "The Molten Star...,"Captain Avery said with wonder.

            "The very one," Prism answered. "The rock giants who live there use just one of our gems every year to keep their city from melting into the Volcanic Sea. It powers a shield that keeps them cool, cleans the air, and transforms the surrounding lava into cool, drinkable water all year long."

            Scout's jaw dropped open. "All of the defenses on Ursus couldn't...," he paused. "That would take more energy than...uh," he stopped again.

            Captain Avery came to his rescue. "I think what my brightest engineer wants to know is how we can help you with your current pyrobot problem. Isn't that right, Scout?" she said.

            Scout closed his mouth. That wasn't at all what he wanted to know. His mind was racing with different possibilities for using these gemstones back on Ursus. But he fixed his posture and nodded his head anyway.

            Prism turned to address the other moon dragons gathered around them. Speaking in a series of melodic tones, it sent three of them deeper into the glittering hallway to the right of the main room. Then it turned back to Captain Avery and said, "One of the pyrobots malfunctioned during their last attack. It appears to be completely deactivated. We enclosed it in our strongest barrier, in hopes that we might someday learn more about them."

            "How long have the robots been attacking you?" Captain Avery asked.

            The moon dragon answered, "Weeks, maybe months by now. We think they may be using the sun's energy for power. Every day at sunrise, they descend from their charging station positioned just outside of our orbit. They march in waves of thirty or more, side by side, spraying jets of fire from the ends of their arms. They burn everything in their path, always looking for a stronger power source. Then, just before sunset, they turn around and march back through the burning destruction to leave for their charging station."

            The three dragons returned from the side corridor, carrying with them the deactivated pyrobot. It was bright red from head to toe, and if it were standing upright, it would be nearly a foot taller than Scout. Marlow moved closer to inspect it.

            "It looks like a pretty simple design, Captain," he said. "Whoever made them looks like they care more about quantity than quality."

            Scout joined him and pointed to the center of the pyrobot's forehead where there was a charred hole in the shape of a diamond. "That's probably where the power core goes," he said. "Looks like this one blew out like an old light bulb."

            Prism said, "If they ever manage to break through our barriers and use our gemstones as a power source, there's no telling how much damage they could do."

            Captain Avery raised an eyebrow and her mouth formed a small smirk on the left side. "Then that's just what we'll give them," she said.

            Every moon dragon in the room immediately turned to crimson red. The melodic singing that once carried through the halls suddenly went silent.

***

            "Um, boss?" asked Marlow. "Please tell me there's more to your plan than giving the bad guys exactly what they want. You're upsetting all of these nice, magical dragons."

            Avery walked over the wall and gently touched one of the shimmering crystals growing out of it. The silence the room was replaced by an angry buzzing as she touched the gem. "I'll need one of these, though," she said.

            Prism said, "Explain yourself quickly or you'll find our hospitality is reaching its end."

            Avery's voice was calm. She said, "We have approximately nine hours until the sun comes up. That should be enough time for the two best mechanics in the galaxy to rewire one simple robot, right? Moon dragons, if you'll spare us one of your purest gems, I think we can solve your pyrobot problem once and for all."

            "Captain?" Scout asked, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

            She continued, "You and Marlow are going to figure out how that robot works, and then you're going to make it work for us. We'll use one of the moon dragons' gems to power it. We can program it to use go straight back to their charging station at half-power. Then, once it's onboard, we overload it...BOOM."

            Prism flew to address Captain Avery face to face and asked, "Are you sure your crew can do this?"

            "We have nine hours until sunup. They'll have it done in five. Isn't that right, boys?" she replied.

            Scout and Marlow saluted and in unison said, "Yes, Captain!"

            Prism hummed a gentle melody and the rest of the dragons returned to their natural colors. It said, "You seem confident in their ability. In that case, they'll have the finest gem in our mines. Follow me and we can further discuss the details of your plan. If it works as you say it will, these hallways will be a welcome home for the rest of the bears on Ursus to hibernate under our protection." It turned and began to fly slowly to the left-most hallway.

            Avery followed, and as she passed her crew, she gave each of them a serious stare, making the importance of their task very clear. Then she turned and followed their host out of the room.

            Marlow whispered to Scout, "Do you think we can do this?"

            "I have no idea," Scout said. "But I don't think we have much of a choice."

            Marlow chuckled and said, "Who would have thought that you, of all the bears in the universe, would be the one to use a magical dragon jewel to turn a fire spraying robot against its own squadron?"

            Scout let out a deep sigh that trailed off into a growl. "Let's get to work," he said, slapping Marlow on the back hard enough to knock him off balance.

            The next several hours were very busy ones. Captain Avery met with the moon dragon council to learn everything she possibly could about the pyrobots: where they landed, how they marched, where they marched, and when they all returned to their shuttle at sundown to return back to the charging station.

            Marlow and Scout frantically worked on the deactivated pyrobot. They crossed red wires with green ones and swapped orange fuses with blue ones. Marlow clamped shut the robot's dangerous fire-throwing arms and Scout modified the socket where the moon dragons' gem would fit, bringing life back to the burned up machine.

            And the whole time, the hallways were filled with harmonious singing.

            As the hours passed and late night slowly changed into early morning, Captain Avery bolted upright, wiping a thin line of drool from her mouth. "When? How long..?" she said aloud as a rush of adrenaline reached her feet and she stood up from the table where she dozed off.

            "Not long," Prism answered with a slow glimmer of light. "No more than an hour," it added.

            As Avery regained her bearings, she started to ask about Scout and Marlow and their progress with the pyrobot, but she was interrupted by her host, "You were right to trust your crew. They're two of the hardest working individuals we have ever seen, and we've been here a very, very long time."

            "How long until the pyrobot shuttle arrives?" asked Avery, as they made their way back into the main entrance where Marlow and Scout were slowly waking up.

            The moon dragon host said, "If the past weeks are any indication, no more than five minutes. Possibly less."           

            "Five minutes?!" Avery yelled. "Scout, Marlow, have that 'bot ready to move. You have three minutes!"

            Scout huffed, "I heard five minutes."

            "Make it two, or I send you out there instead. Understood?" Avery's voice echoed throughout the halls, causing all of the growing crystals to momentarily dim.

            "You got it, boss," Marlow said with quick salute. Turning quickly to Scout, he continued, "Let's hope this works." Scout nodded silently and the two began the pyrobot's startup sequence.

            Prism's voice was calm as its words reached the bears' minds, "There is no need for anger. The pyrobots will march, as they are programmed to do, as they do every day. Then they will leave and the moon will rebuild what they have destroyed. And tomorrow, it begins again."

            "No," said Captain Avery. She regained control of her temper, but still spoke with intensity. She looked towards the tiny exit where a faint ray of morning sunlight began to shine through. "Today the moon dragons take back their home and tomorrow the pyrobots will be nothing but a memory. Hide deep in your mines and let us handle them."

            She turned, addressing Scout and Marlow, and said, "Let's move."

            The moon dragons spun a thin barrier surrounding the pyrobot Marlow and Scout worked on the night before. Marlow gently polished the new gemstone in the robot's forehead and said, "Go get 'em, buddy," as Scout picked up the remote control he fashioned from spare parts and made it move towards the exit.

            Captain Avery and Scout followed the robot out of hiding, but stayed tucked carefully out of the marching army's sight. "Of course they pick today to get an early start on their destruction," Avery said.

            "It's okay, Captain," said Scout. "If everything goes according to plan, this will be their last mission and then we can finish our own."

            "What do you mean, if?" Avery asked, but Scout was too focused on controlling the pyrobot to answer.

            Marlow joined them, answering for his partner, "We didn't exactly have the best working conditions last night for this little experiment. The pyrobots are programmed to return to their charging station once they find a new power source. That's when they gather their digging equipment.

            "The first time Scout pushes that little black button in the middle of the remote, it should send out a message telling the others that it found the moon dragons' stash of gems. Once they're all back on board their ship, he pushes it again to overload the gemstone and ka-boom...fireworks."

            "And what do you mean, should?" Avery asked again. "We only have one shot at this."

            "Cross your fingers," said Scout. "Here goes..." he took a deep breath and drove the pyrobot right into the middle of the advancing army as they began spewing fire on the outskirts of Perilune. Scout squinted his eyes and pressed the tiny black button in the middle of the remote.

            One second ticked by, followed slowly by another. Then, one by one, the pyrobots stopped their fiery assault and returned to their shuttle.

            "Good job, buddy!" Marlow congratulated Scout. "We did it!"

            Captain Avery said, "Hold your excitement. The job isn't done yet."

            The pyrobot shuttle lifted off and returned to the charging station orbiting the moon dragons' home. There was a quiet stillness in the air as the bears nervously waited for the right time to detonate their undercover creation.

            Seconds turned to moments, and moments into minutes before Captain Avery gave the command, "Light it up, Scout."

            Again, the big engineer held his breath and squinted his eyes as he pushed the button for a second time.

            But nothing happened.

            He pushed it again. Still nothing. Scout pushed the button repeatedly, but to the same, agonizing effect.

            "I don't know what's wrong with it," he said. "It might have gone out of range or they may have found out about our decoy."

            "I knew we should have put a timer on it," Marlow said. "We didn't have the resources." He stomped his feet and kicked at the ground as he continued to mumble complaints.

            Captain Avery raised her paw and said, "That's enough! Listen."

            From deep in the caves behind them rose a faint melody. It grew louder and more beautiful as dozens of moon dragons made their way out of the mines and took to the surface. The tunnels and hallways were aglow, crystals pulsing in time with one another, changing from yellow to white and back again as the moon dragons sang.

            The bears looked around, both confused and enchanted.     

            The moon dragons' song grew louder as two, then three harmonies joined with the melody. All of the dragons were on the moon's surface now. Avery estimated nearly two hundred of them in total. The song reached its peak and the dragons all held the final note.

            There was a sudden burst of light in the sky above them, followed by a series of fiery explosions. The charging station erupted into a spectacular blast, taking with it the entire pyrobot army.

            "Now," said Captain Avery, "now you can celebrate."

            Marlow jumped up and down, excitedly slapping Scout on the back.

            "But, how?" Scout asked, confused. "It was out of range." He looked at his captain, then at the moon dragons around him. "It couldn't. They couldn't have..."

            "I told you, magic beats science every time," Marlow interrupted. "Well, your science, anyway."

            Scout was too confused by everything he just saw to be upset.

            Captain Avery said, "Either way, the job is done. Good work, crew. Mission complete."

            Prism glided over to the bears, shining brighter than ever. As in their first meeting, no words were spoken, but this time Prism flooded their minds with gratitude.

            That night, the moon dragons prepared a victory celebration for the three bear crew. There was singing, of course, and Prism shared more of Perilune's history with Captain Avery. She toured the libraries with Marlow and tried to teach Scout how the water in the lunar fountains flowed without the aid of machines.

            As the festivities drew to a close, Avery, Scout, and Marlow walked through the mines, each laying claim to a room to sleep for the night. The next day, they would send word to Ursus that Perilune was safe and suitable for hibernation. But until then, they slept, listening to the peaceful lullaby of the moon dragons' song.

Author's Note

This is my first piece of public writing since college. It went live on my children's storytelling podcast in 2015, so I'm not out to do much editing, but I love constructive criticism.