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"The Polar Bear King"
An American Fairy Tale

            In the frost and snow and cold of the North, lived the king of all polar bears. The Polar Bear King was a massive creature; a giant among polar bears. His white fur was thick and shiny. He had strong, sharp teeth and thick pointed claws that could dig through the cold frozen icy ground.

            He was all the things a good king should be: wise, brave, strong, fair, and even friendly to those who knew him. To his enemies, he was dangerous, and most animals feared him. The birds were his friends; they loved him because he always left them food when he was finished eating.

            The Polar Bear King seemed to grow stronger and bigger every year. It was whispered amongst the animals that the Polar Bear King’s strength was enchanted or magical.

            The Polar Bear King ruled over all animals in the North. One day a group of men came on a boat to the North. The Polar Bear King, curious (he had never seen men before), went out to meet the boat to see if the creatures were friendly. He stood at the shore watching them. He watched as one man lifted a strange instrument. Then he heard a BANG! The Polar Bear King felt a horrible pain in his side, felt himself falling down, and then remembered no more.

            When he woke several days later, his whole body ached. Every inch of his body was stinging in pain. The birds that flew above him whispered to each other, “The Polar Bear King is magical. Not even men and their guns can kill him!”

            “Look,” said another bird realizing what the men had done. “They have taken his fur. The Polar Bear King will surely freeze to death.”

            The birds, who loved the Polar Bear King, flew down near him, and they all dropped the feathers that they did not need upon the Polar Bear King until hundreds of feathers covered the great Polar Bear King.

            “Awake, great Polar Bear King,” they sang. “Our feathers will protect you from the cold. Awake great Polar Bear King and live again!”

            The Polar Bear King, warmed by the feathers, got up from where he lay. His body ached, but he was able to crawl to his icy cavern. He slept and healed himself for many weeks, and within months, he was as strong and healthy as he once was. He was not ashamed by the feathers, but they did not feel as comfortable as his fur, and so he did not wish to meet with the other bears.

            Several months later, two polar bears arrived at the King’s cavern to ask for advice. When they saw him, though, they laughed. “Our king looks like a giant bird,” one said.

            The Polar Bear King walked slowly to the polar bear, and with his giant hand and thick claws, struck the polar bear dead. The other polar bear ran as fast as he could.

When the polar bear reached the other polar bears, he told them the news about the Polar Bear King. They had a meeting.

            “He is half-bird and half-bear,” one said. “He is not fit to be our king.” All the other polar bears agreed.

            “Who shall take his place?” asked another.

            “I will,” said Woof. Woof had grown into one of the strongest and fiercest polar bears. “The strongest should be the king!”

            All the Polar Bears agreed. A message was sent to the Polar Bear King that a fight had been requested to see who should be king of the polar bears. Several days before the fight, the birds visited the Polar Bear King. “An eagle has seen your coat of fur in the marketplace of men!”

            The Polar Bear asked for their help, and one hundred birds were sent south to look for the fur of the Polar Bear King. The Polar Bear King hoped to have his fur back before the fight, but on the fight day, not a word had been heard from the birds.

            Near the icy water, in front of hundreds of other polar bears, the Polar Bear King met Woof for the fight. All the polar bears watching were whispering to each other about the feathers that covered their great Polar Bear King.

            When the fight began, the Polar Bear King raised his feathers (as birds often do) and appeared twice as large. Woof, who had been quite sure he could beat the bird-bear, stood frightened. After several blows, the Polar Bear King lifted his heavy paw and smacked Woof across the head. The giant bear, Woof, fell to the ground, dead.

            At that same moment, one hundred birds flew down from the sky carrying the fur of the Polar Bear King. They had found it and returned. The Polar Bear King shook off the feathers and wrapped his mighty fur around himself. When he stood up, all the polar bears recognized him as the same magical Polar Bear King they had always known, and they dropped their heads in shame.