Greenland, 15th Century

The glacier has laid on these shores longer than humans have inhabited them. The blue ice glistens in the morning sun, slick and brittle, mocking us with its treacherous nature. Wispy clouds of gold hang above the cliffs that frame our journey toward freedom.

I can never be free, as my body has become a prison in itself, but Ivar and Aakku can still soar on uncharted winds. They can choose a path far away from my father's looming shadow. And I can take them there, which means my continued existence still has a purpose.

Once I see my traveling companions climbing the path toward where I wait, at the mouth of the glacier, I step onto the ice, giving my brother a look to signal that he should follow. Even though my belly is filled with seal meat after a successful hunt the day before, I can't trust myself in predator form. Precautions are a must if this journey is to be successful.

I wonder what Ivar has told Aakku. Because to tell someone to follow a bear across a frozen wasteland could get one labeled as a madman even in the best of circumstances. If you also claim that said bear is your brother, that may be cause for ostracization. But Aakku isn't just anyone: she doesn't follow the same rigid rules as our society. So perhaps her criteria for full-blown madness are different as well.

The snow on the glacier crackles beneath my impressive paws with every step, threatening to collapse and take me with it.

At least then I would find out whether there is a way for me to escape this existence. The pain and darkness don't scare me. The only thing that scares me is being the cause of my brother's demise. Because Ivar needs to live. He needs to thrive. He needs to love. That is all that matters.

I sit down for a moment to look back upon my brother and the woman he loves. They walk hand in hand, bundled in fur parkas with hoods that frame their faces, keeping snow and wind away. Aakku must have crafted the clothing items, since they're in the style of her people, and hid them away from my father, who abhors all customs of the skrälings.

That will be his detriment but I won't let him doom Ivar as well.

There is a life on the other side of this glacier. Not the life we know, but a life nonetheless. A good life, among people whose skills will help them survive on these frozen shores for generations to come.

I can see them before me as I gaze into the distance: children with her dark hair and his blue eyes running across ice sheets, laughing like we used to do. My nieces and nephews. I won't meet them but I will ensure that they have a chance of being born into this world.

This magnificent world. Even the eyes of a beast can recognize the beauty of the surroundings. I wonder if there are such sights back in the old world, from which my ancestors came. I've been told of cathedrals and castles on unknown shores, rising high toward the sky. But surely those man-made wonders have nothing on the shimmering beauty of the landscape before me? Towers of ice shimmer in the morning sun, threatening to blind me with their glory.

Voices disturb my admiration of the icy world before me. Ivar and Aakku are approaching. As my eyes register their movements, I'm hit by the urge to strike. Anything swaying in the wind or fluttering at the edge of my vision registers as prey to my other self.

From within the beast, I prevent the attack. As long as the rage and hunger aren't all-consuming, I can still control myself. But I worry that there may be a time when I'm unable to. Once I completely let go of my human senses, there's no knowing the damage I may cause.

I plod along on the icy path. A light snowfall has descended this morning, hiding dangerous crevasses beneath a white glittering blanket. Before every step, I hesitate slightly to put down my full weight, uncertain whether the surface will carry me.

Just when I'm starting to trust my footing, the ground suddenly betrays me. With a thunderous roar, the snow before me ripples into a cascade of frost, blinding me with its sheen. Instinctively, I step backward, attempting to escape the avalanche of death. Everywhere I look there is only whiteness. I don't know whether I'm standing or sinking.

"Björn!" my brother's voice cut through the cold fog. His hand lands on my giant shoulder, making me realize I'm still in this world.

But the gentle touch is a mistake. You don't pet a predator. My eyes see red and my nostrils smell meat. My head snaps toward Ivar, with a loud growl, teeth bared and vicious. Everything is chaos in my head. Red anger and white snow merge into a blur.

"Björn," Ivar says again. Softer and more desperate. "It's me. Your brother. Remember?"

I do remember. I remember holding him as he learned to walk. I remember running through fields together. I remember showing him where to hide from our father.

I close my jaws with a low sneer. The bear side of me is disappointed in not getting to eat. The human side won. This time.

As the stirred snow subsides, making the world once again take shape, I back away. A giant crevasse has opened in front of us. We will have to walk around, which means our trek will take longer than planned.

***

Many hours later, I collapse on rock and moss on the other side of the glacier. Before I can even hit the ground, my body has turned from one form into another, in tune with the setting sun. Only the moonlight reflected in the surrounding ice illuminate the surrounding cliffs.

I made it just in time because while my bear self is dangerous I couldn't have ensured my companions' safe arrival as myself. Keen eyes that can detect every shift in the ice and giant paws that shuffle through the snow were necessary for this journey.

"Are you all right?" My brother's gentle hand touches my shoulder once again. This time, I don't snap or growl. I simply reach my own hand up to touch his.

"Doesn't matter..." I mumble. "As long as you're safe." I curl up into a sitting position, looking down the mountainside toward the bay below. Dots of fire burn by the shoreline as the people down there cook fish or seal for an evening meal. "You should hurry down there, so you can get warm."

"You should come with us, Björn," Ivar suggests. "You can get a hot meal and warm yourself by the fire. Then you can leave before... morning comes."

I shake my head. It's too dangerous. Things may go wrong and then I'm suddenly a raging bear in an encampment filled with delicious prey. "I'll stay here," I say. "I'll find somewhere to sleep tonight and head back in the morning."

Ivar nods, knowing he can't convince me of another way. "Will you..." his voice disappears into a sob. "Will you ever visit?"

"I won't be far away," I promise, getting up to look my brother in the eyes. "If you need me, I will be there. I will watch over you and the ones you love for as long as I live." Which may be very forever, as far as I know, considering death has already passed me by. I don't tell Ivar that. Forever is too much of a burden for him to carry as well because then he'll know he'll one day leave me behind in this world as he passes to the next. Then, I will watch over his descendants.

Ivar gives me a weird look as if he suspects there's something I'm not telling him. "I'll keep you to that, Björn," he says, wrapping his fur-clad arms around me in an embrace that is warm despite the cold around us. "This isn't goodbye. I will see you again."

I hope so too, but I need to keep him safe, and my presence can be a threat to him in the wrong circumstances. So this may be the last time I'm this close to my brother, even if I plan to guard him from afar.

I don't want to let go.

But I need to do so. Eventually, I will have to let go of everyone I've ever cared about.

So I release my brother from my grasp. "You take care," I say, slapping his shoulder in a manner way too nonchalant for the situation. It's better to pretend that everything is as it should be rather than face the truth.

"You too," he replies, looking down at the glimmering snow as his voice grows thick.

That's when another pair of arms are flung around me. Aakku's black braids hit me in the face as she basically attacks me with her embrace. "I'll take care of him," she promises into my shoulder, as the top of her head barely touches my chin.

I believe her. I believe she's the only one who cares for my brother as much as I do, if not more.

"Thank you," I mumble into the top of her furry coat. "He'll need it." I look over at my brother with a cheeky grin as I can't resist throwing in one more jab. "He certainly can't do it himself. It's a wonder he's even able to put on his trousers the right way in the morning."

Memories of me helping my brother dress himself as we grew up flash by. I shake my head, refusing to indulge in the emotional onslaught.

"Well, at least I wear trousers..." Ivar retorts, nodding toward my legs which are covered with a bearskin loincloth. That's how I reappear in human form: wearing the skin of the bear as clothing.

My brother does have a point.

But despite my bare legs sticking out below the fur, I don't freeze. I can see the cold on my brother's face though, as icicles have started to form on his brows. "You should go," I whisper to Aakku as Ivar jumps up and down to warm himself.

"We will," she assures me. "But first, I need to tell you something. It's about Gudrun..."

I've tried not to think about her, reasoning that it will only bring more trouble to us both. She's better off without me. Perhaps her magic can save her from my father's wrath. I've seen what she can do now, as I'm pretty sure the runes she drew on my chest became part of my curse.

But I still need to know what Aakku has to say. I can't not care for Gudrun, regardless of how hard I try. "What about her?"

Aakku looks up at me, her dark eyes sympathetic and kind. "She's with child," she says. "Your child. She told me, woman to woman. She will need your help. You need to go to her."

I can't. I shouldn't. I will only cause more misery if I do. I know that.

But of course, I will. I will come to the aid of my love when she needs me, setting this frosty world aflame in my path.