Fever Dream | Moon Bear

The itching wouldn’t stop.

I was lying on the floor. Small. The itching started at my belly and climbed up, a line of fire toward what was left of my right eye.

I was floating. I looked down. It was me. Ants were crawling in and out of my eye socket. A baby's cry tore from my mouth as I opened it.

I lifted my hand. A giant paw. Sharp claws dripping blood. I lept.

I was soaring over a river, the fear of a larger predator snapping at my heels. I hit the water hard and sank. The cold rushed into my lungs.

Looking down again, I was holding a piece of bread layered with dried meat and fresh cheese. In my other hand — a sharp knife, heavy and wet.

I dropped the knife. It fell without a sound. A baby's cry, this time behind me.

I turned. My mother stood there, in a pool of blood, rocking my brother in her arms, trying to calm him.

The water was calm. I looked down. I was an ant. I was hungry, drawn to the scent of sweet milk. I climbed the moving shape, drawn by instinct, heading deeper into the darkness.

I jerked awake. The girl from the day before was standing over me. I could tell that she was wiping me down. In a whisper, “You have a fever, please rest and try not to scratch your bandages.” She stepped away and a moment later she returned with a cup. “Please drink as much as you can. It will help you sleep.”

It was bitter, and I drank what I could. My one good eye started to water, and I tried to hold back the tears. I started to quietly cry, and the girl just gently rubbed my back. Slowly, I faded back to sleep.

The following days were a blur of nightmares and sweat. When I finally had enough energy to move, I checked on Yun.

Yun was pale. His breathing was so soft I could barely tell he was alive.

The girl came up to me and commented, “He is strong, but will need a few more days to recover.”

“I’m Minah and that is Yun, sorry I do not know your name—” “Itzel. My family calls me Itzi.” I looked around. Besides the lady with the bow and the girl, I did not see anyone else.

As if reading my thoughts she continued, “My siblings are back in Nala. We collect mana stones and sell them to a caravan that passes near these parts. I was shocked when I heard the two of you survived an attack from a night wolf.”

I touched the bandages covering my eye. I recalled the giant creature that killed the night wolf. “There was another creature out there. I think it was a some kind of giant bear—"

"YOU SAW THE MOON BEAR!” she shrieked. She covered her mouth.

Her amber eyes began to sparkle.

I blinked, startled by her sudden outburst.

“Sae has run into the moon bear a few times.” She leaned in closer, her voice an excited whisper. “The moon bear is one of seven ancient spirit beasts.”

I nodded as she continued her story, “Sae said that the moon bear can see the future, and only shows itself to those it has acknowledged.”

As she was about to continue, the door creaked open. Itzel straightened immediately, but as she tucked the cloth bundle against her side, she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, fast and breathless, “That’s Sae.”

Before I could react, she turned sharply toward the fire, her face carefully blank.

Then Sae’s eyes swept the room, settling on me and Yun. "How are they?" she asked, voice low with a touch of concern.

"They're recovering well." Itzel said quickly, her voice small and obedient.

She nodded and moved toward the fire, and the room settled into heavy silence, broken only by the crackle of the flames.

Now that I was on my feet, I offered to help. Itzel would not have any of it. As strange as it sounded she would not let me help take care of Yun. My girl pride was on the line and as thankful as I was to Itzel and her aunt for rescuing us I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that I was useless.

Don’t go there, I thought to myself.

A few days later, the color returned to Yun’s face. He was finally talking a bit. Unlike me he had no recollection of the bear or of being taken to this shelter. I could see him turn red when Itzel would wash off sweat or tend to his bandages. Typical.

I grew worried, although they did not say it, I had a feeling that our time here was running out. Later that evening I overheard Yun tell Itzel about what happened in our village. I held my breath, afraid he’d say too much—about Zain, about Hani and Sera. About how broken we really were.

Thankfully he didn’t reveal any painful details and focused on what he saw, the soldiers, their weapons and the calvary.