Chapter 2 - Painful Flashbacks

Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear were sleeping. Ice Bear was able to get a huge ice box, so he was able to keep cool. Panda slept peacefully in his sleeping bag. Grizz was sleeping... but not so peacefully... he was... squirming and sweating.

In his dreams, he heard bunch of sirens in a stormy weather. he was sobbing on a tree branch. The sirens were louder that the sound waves hit him hard on his eardrums. The rain poured down his shoulder and back. The water lowered his body temperature and he kept shivering. The flashing siren now blinded him and something carried him away!

"No!" Grizz violently stood up and breathed heavily. "Whew, it was just a dream." He looked at Panda, who was still sleeping harmoniously. Grizz looked at Panda's phone to see what time it was. The clock read "10:14". Grizz sighed and went out the tent. He noticed that Ice Bear was still sleeping with an ax in both of his hand.

Grizz walked around to find any lake so that he could soak himself in a water after all the sweat dried out. He found a waterfall at the edge of the forest. "Ahh!" Grizz grunted as his head hurt for a split second. As the pain on his head was relieved, he saw another image. He was splashing water around and laughing happily. "I keep seeing these images. What's wrong with me? What is going on in my head?"

Panda rolled around and cuddled something. It was Grizz's sleeping bag. Grizz's sweat odor thrusted Panda's nostrils, causing him to jump. "Uggh! What's this smell?! Hm? Grizz?" He noticed that Grizz was not in the tent. He checked to see what time it is right now. "11:25? Oh, I overslept! Well, we did stay up really late singing and storytelling with campfire. But, where's Grizz?" He stepped out to see if Grizz was out there. Just Ice Bear in ice box, who was still sleeping. Panda walked up to Ice Bear to wake him up. "Brother! Brother!" He shook Ice Bear. Ice Bear squinted his eyes open. "Big bro is gone!" Panda panicked. Ice Bear turned his head and went back to sleep. "Brother! Wake up! We have to find him."

"Ice Bear needs his beauty sleep," he replied with his eyes closed.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" Panda panicked even more. "We gotta find Grizz!"

"Ice Bear believes that Grizz is fine," Ice Bear replied, his eyes still closed. Panda angrily crossed his arms and tapped his feet. Ice Bear lifted his ax, his eyes still closed. Panda flinched and decided to go back inside the tent.

Grizz stared at the water with an empty mind for hours or so. Like a pond of diamond, the water was so clear that the afternoon sunlight reflected the surface and blinded Grizz. He slowly dunk his feet in the water, then his body, then his face. The water was so shallow that he had to lie down on his stomach so that whole body was dipped into the water. Grizz let his face out of the water as he let out a deep breath. He sighed with relief and panted slowly as the breeze skimmed his wet fur and cooled him down, which made him feel good. To get a better sensation, Grizz slowly walked over where the waterfall and the pond met. "Ahhhhhhh..." Grizz said as he felt the water run down from his head down to his back and his belly.

Something came into his mind again. He was screaming under the waterfall, and the something carried him put and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Gaaaaaahhhhh!" He screamed as he grabbed his head, and stopped and kneeled. "What are these images? Why are they keep appearing in my mind?" He screamed. "I need to know the answers. There's gotta be someone who knows what happened around here." He ran back to his campsite.

"Grizz!" Panda called as he watched Grizz run to their campsite.

"Ice Bear said so," Ice Bear said as he watched Grizz running towards them.

"Grizz, what the heck, man? You should've told us where you were!" Panda said. "I was so worried about you!"

"Sorry bros," Grizz said. Ice Bear walked up to him and hugged him. "Aww... I know care so- WHOA!"

Ice Bear flipped him over. "Don't ditch Ice Bear."

Grizz snickered and said softly instead of energetically, "Fair enough."

"Grizz, what's wrong?" Panda asked, concerned. "You've been acting so strange. You're much less energetic than usual. Is something bothering you?"

"Well, uhh," Grizz said as he was still lying down. "I think I lived here before... as a cub. I keep seeing these images of me, very little, doing something in this area."

"Well, I don't know how to handle that," Panda said. "But I hope we can figure it out."

"Ice Bear's done cooking," Ice Bear announced as he held up a tray with three plates if different kinds of food.

"Yea, let's think about it after eating," Grizz said as he grabbed his plate.

"Yea, we should," Panda agreed as he grabbed his plate.

"Gamsahabmida," Ice Bear thanked as they all started to eat. He grabbed his ax and sliced his food.

"We were waiting for you to come back," Panda said. "We didn't want to feast without you."

"You didn't have to wait for me," Grizz said. Grizz started to munch on the grilled sausages and patties. Panda quietly slices his waffles and berries. Ice Bear brutally slices his grilled salmon with an ax and took a huge bite.

Even thought the sky was pretty bright earlier in the morning, the cloud began to slowly cover up the sun, then the whole sky. The sky was soon covered with gray, heavy, fluffy clouds.

"Man, do you think it's gonna rain soon?" Panda asked as he chewed on his lunch.

"It seems so," Grizz said as he swallowed his mouthful. Another scenario flashed in his mind again. He saw some red-ish, orange-ish, and yellow-ish light was devouring the forest. "NO!" He screamed as he looked down and held the sides of his head. Panda and Ice Bear flinched by his sudden outburst.

"Grizz, what happened?" Panda asked.

"This forest..." Grizz said. "Was once... on fire."

"This forest?" Panda looked around. "It looks all right to me."

"Ice Bear sees no signs of fire," Ice Bear said.

"Well, that was years ago," Grizz said. "The signs of fire should be less visible or gone by now."

"What should we do now?" Panda asked. "Something fun, you know?"

"Ice Bear brought some cards and board games," Ice Bear took them out from his luggage.

"Why don't we play cards?" Panda suggested.

"Sure," Grizz agreed.

"Ice Bear is down," Ice Bear also agreed.

The three bears played various games: Uno, Go Fish, Spoons, Speed (they took turns), Thirteen (just the rules for it), and Egyptian War. They were playing peacefully until Ice Bear felt the first raindrop on the tip of his nose. "Ice Bear feels rain."

"Huh?" Panda looked up. The raindrop landed on his forehead. "Oh darn, let's go back inside and continue our games." Panda took the deck of cards and went inside the tent. Ice Bear followed Panda, and Grizz followed Ice Bear.

Panda set everything back up again and the three bears continued their game. As the game continued, the rain poured down even more heavily.

Grizz felt a little bit better as he sniffed. "Ah, I love the smell of rain."

"You're so positive in this situation," Panda said.

Grizz chuckled. Just then the thunder roared and lightning flashed down. As the lightning flashed, something flashed in Grizz's mind. In one dark, stormy night, he quickly climbed up the tree, trying to avoid the hot light. He went up so high that he shook in fear, although the lights that gobbled up the forest was now gone. He started to wail as the fear grew bigger in his heart.

"Ahhhh!" Grizz grabbed a blanket a d covered himself and crouched in the corner, shivering as the pain as the pain has dominated his heart and brain.

"What image do you have now?" Panda asked. Panda was still worried, but surprised by Grizz's outburst anymore.

"I... I don't know..." Grizz stuttered. "I climbed... up the tree... and... I was scared..." Ice Bear went up to Grizz and hugged him to make him feel better. "Thanks little bro."

"Ice Bear cares for his brother," Ice Bear said softly as he patted his back.

"Hey, uh," Grizz said. "It's getting late. Why don't we just... rest our eyes?" He suggested.

"Yeah, let's just sleep," Panda agreed. "We did have a little fun. It felt much different playing cards out here than in our cave."

"Ice Bear will bring the ice box inside," Ice Bear walked out in the rainy weather and dragged the ice box inside.

The three bears quietly went to sleep. Grizz hopes that he wouldn't have any crazy dreams like last night.

A/N: Poor Grizz... what can his flashbacks possibly mean? Would he able to figure it out? Let's find out! Stay tuned for last chapter! I know... short one... but it'll be worth reading!

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