Razor, a young Bear Cub with two older sisters, decided that when he grew up he would do everything differently...he felt that existing rules for family bears should not apply to him, and since he was the smartest, he would make his own rules as needed.

One of the unnecessary activities he had to endure was his weekly bath at the lower falls, an activity that he felt could be easily handled by mother nature's showers. Although he had a brown face and feet, his golden fur told on him when he played in the mud and dirt....a condition immediately tattled by his snobby sisters. He scowled thinking of their grinning faces while he was being scrubbed.

And another thing...standing watch for hunters would be a job that one of his wives could do, after he got his own cave. A man-bear must have time for dreaming up "big ideas"...ideas so big that they have never been thought of before, especially by the likes of small thinkers like his older sisters, who he felt were average bear types with minimum idea levels.

Early one morning when the family was sleeping, he sneaked away quietly without making a sound. He had done this many times before... it was a skill he believed that his sisters did not possess, but was not sure, since they slept until noon every day.

He headed to his favorite spot where the creek formed a wide, shallow pond nestled between mossy banks made of ancient boulders. From his elevated perch at the upper pond, he could view the entire area and watch leaves and twigs tumble over the smooth falls making a pleasant rushing sound. At the entrance to the pond there were large formations of rocks that were guarded by stately pine and hemlock trees. The air smelled like pine and wildflowers....this was his "Magic Place."

When he arrived at the ledge overlooking the creek, he noticed an old Panther fishing for breakfast. A Panther was rare in this part of the woods, he thought, and wondered why he had come here. Razor had a plan.... He would roll a large boulder over the ledge, dropping it directly in front of the Cat, scaring all nine lives out of him, and at the same time giving him a thorough splashing. Then, while the cat was recovering from his water and mud bath, he would zip back home through the woods and assume a sleep position, acting like nothing had happened, and faking innocence if anyone asked. He chuckled thinking of the Otter family that he had bombed last week using the same technique as they were floating peacefully on the pond's surface. The rock had made the water explode as it landed in the middle of them propelling each one in a different direction. That was great fun.

Using stealth, he positioned himself behind a huge mossy boulder located on the rocky ledge just above the pond. As he aimed his missile for the shot, he noticed that the Black Cat was a lot bigger and stronger looking than he had at first thought. Razor sensed that this animal was not an ordinary forest Animal. Razor did not know why, but this Panther had a "presence"...something he could not describe. As he looked at him he admired his perfect form and ease of movement. He worried that the large Cat knew he was there.

A bolt of nervousness shot through his body. He tried to put that out of his mind and get down to business. It occurred to him that the Cat may not have a good nature...was this a warning..?

When he had splashed the Otters, his only problem had been keeping his snickering quiet. This was not going to be that easy. He could feel his confidence starting to ebb. Razor thought about going back to the cave and playing with his two sisters. No, he decided that he was not a quitter and he was not going to let this opportunity pass.

The Old Cat waded quietly in the pond, and when he lowered himself down for a drink, Razor seized the moment. He pushed the boulder with all his might from its place, but somehow his front claws got tangled in the green vines that were connected to the rock. He felt himself going over the ledge; and after a short fall, he landed directly in front of the drinking Panther, emptying most of the water from the small pond and creating a large wave that he could hear cascading over the falls near by. Looking upward through wet fur, with his backside buried in the mud and a boulder on his chest, for the first time in his young life, he was completely vulnerable. Razor had never felt that feeling before.

The Black Panther and Razor locked eyes.....one pair scared, the other pair raging. After what seemed like an hour, with the huge rock rapidly rising up and down on his stomach and the sound of his heart playing drums in his ears, he saw the rage cool from the Panther's eyes. The enormous Cat laughed deeply then raised his head. The deep laugh that started low in his chest, continued to his upraised neck and burst into a high pitched symphony that resonated the small canyon. The laugh had so much energy that it gave life to a series of echoes that continued for a minute or so in all directions. Razor laughed too feeling happy. Then, all was quiet again. Razor was in awe of the majestic Cat who created pulses of emotion running from terror to laughter.

Razor noticed that the Panther had several battle scars on his wide face but looked powerful and fit.... His wet, black fur glistened, and the early light danced in gold along his muscular shoulders. He was the symbol of confidence.

The Panther aimed his sight at the Bear and smiled. Razor noticed his deep black eyes sparkled with reflections that changed constantly as he turned his head, and his teeth were white and sharp, held in place by blood-red gums. As he was looking up, he noticed that the roof of his great mouth was a series of purple and black ridges with patterns of gray. His long whiskers were limber, the texture of clear, quartz-crystals that he had seen in caves. Strangely, they almost seemed to glow.... His great black tail formed the letter 'S' as it searched the air above them.

Razor watched helplessly from his soft nest of mud. The Panther looked down at the Bear Cub from his four-footed stance. "I have never been close to a brave Bear like you before," he said with a voice so low that Razor at first thought it was a growl. "You must think a lot of yourself to have taken on a Warrior Panther."

" Well sir...I....I mean, Razor stammered...I...uhh...I never meant you any harm......I only meant to give you a little scare...that's all....honest."

"Hmmmm... you did startle me," the Cat said deeply as he shook the remaining water from his thick fur... He looked down at the muddy face. "My name is DESG; that means 'Mask'. What is your name...?" The Cat then raised a mighty paw with extended claws above the Bear Cub.

The Cub stared at the outstretched claws. "My name is Razor, sir...I...I...and...I am sorry that I tried to...to.. scare you. I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me."

"You are forgiven." DESG lowered his hovering paw to the boulder on Razors chest and gently raised it up as if it were a small rock. With an amazing snap of his paw, the boulder landed on the other side of the pond making a loud thud as it buried itself in the brown and orange sand under a bastion of old Hemlock trees. Razor was relieved that he was now free of the mossy weight but decided to remain stationary.

"When I looked at you lying on your back in the mud with that rock on your chest, I was angry at first. But then I noticed that you were just a Bear Cub, and I knew you meant no harm to me. I had never been attacked by an opponent so young before...And quite frankly you gave me a needed laugh...I have not had a good laugh in years. Do you know what they say about a laugh ?"

"No sir." Razor replied...

"It is said that a Laugh is a Bond among Friends," DESG said comfortably as he stepped away from the wide eyed Cub.

"Who says that.?" Razor asked.

" The Gods," he replied looking over his shoulder.

"Oh...." Razor said softly, expecting the Cat to take credit for the words of wisdom as he would have.....if he had any that is. He noticed many more scars that seemed to be under his fur that had grown back in a deep gold color making his entire coat seem alive as he moved. "How did you get your scars?" Razor heard himself blurt out. Then he wished that he had not asked, but before he could apologize DESG reacted to the question.

The Cat turned his powerful body toward Razor and took a wide stance with his black fur bristling in waves. The sounds of the forest stopped, and the air smelled like musk. The Cub wished he had left well enough alone but it was too late now.

"You ask good questions, Bear." the Cat said in a Warrior's voice; his words passing through him like he was invisible. "You may not understand what I am going to say, but someday you will have to fight the same battle that I fought." DESG relaxed his body but spoke deliberately. "Mine was with the toughest foe that exists."

"You mean like a monster with three eyes and breathes fire?" the Cub asked.

"Kind of.....but much worse than that. Most of us never know this kind of monster is there until it is too late. The 'Evil Foe' that I had to face in battle was.... Myself."

Razor extended his arms with his paws turned upward. "How can you fight yourself..?"

"The evil force that is inside all of us is not easily defeated if it matures. You must decide early in your life if you want to be on the side of Light....doing Good deeds and making Evil weak.

"So if you do things for others, you don't have to battle yourself?" Razor asked.

"Good deeds and good thoughts are powerful, but having responsibility and character will put an end to your evil side. In my case I let the evil side get too strong. I did not have my guard up and it tried to conquer me completely. It was at that moment that I decided to choose the tougher road.........the side of Light and Strength."

"Why are your scars covered with dark gold fur..?" the Bear asked as he pointed.

"If you win against your foe, the fur that grows over your wounds will have a deep gold color like mine. They are my medals from the Spirit. Do you follow my meaning?"

"I think so......so what happens to your scars if you lose the battle against the Evil force?"

"Then nothing grows over the scars, and your protective coat of fur is weakened as well as your pride. You will understand this more as you get older," DESG said in a fatherly voice, as he circled, making Razor turn constantly from his horizontal position.

DESG stopped in front of the Bear, and calmed his thick tail whose elevated tip seemed to always be in flight. The huge tail had perfect black fur and moved like a skilled whip with a mind of its own. The Black Cat was silent as he looked calmly at Razor. It felt like the forest was also waiting for him to speak. Razor remained still.

"When I looked at you my memory flashed back to when I was your age and had done a similar stunt....only worse." The Cat said as he thought back in time.

" Really..?" the Cub replied with a relieved sigh.

"Oh yes...." DESG replied.

Razor jumped from the deep depression he had made in the bottom of the pond. He looked into the big Cat's sparkling eyes... "Please tell me about it, Sir......that is...if you would." The Bear Cub waited intently for DESG to speak... ....his front paws stepping in place.

The air again smelled like flowers and shafts of light played with the dark green leaves above the pond. The sounds of the forest resumed their harmony.

"I feel that I must tell you, but I am not sure why... You remind me of myself when I was your age. As a Panther Cub, I had more confidence than sense...... like you Bear. I knew at a young age that I was a great hunter and a survivor. I felt in my heart that I could be a warrior ...one with great strength and vision, one who would have wisdom to lead others, and most important... one who could listen to the "Spirit"..."

"The Spirit?" Razor replied with wrinkles above his eyes. "What is that..?"

DESG took a deep breath, swelling his massive chest... "It is called a lot of names, but I call it the Spirit because that is the way it revealed itself to me. The Spirit is an energy that will visit you when you need it." "How will you know when it visits you...?"

DESG looked at Razor understandingly. "The Spirit is always with you, but only a few of us are able to hear its message. All I can tell you is that you must listen for its.... 'Great Whisperings'...."

The Spirit is the stepping stone to your higher self. I feel that you may be one of the Chosen Ones, as I was. That is all I can say about that."

Did the Spirit give you your name..?" The Bear asked.

"I see that you are allowing yourself to become receptive already. Yes, young friend, the Spirit gave me my name."

"Please tell me how that happened." Razor urged.

"Well....I used to play a game with the animals in the woods. As a Cub I learned that to become great, you must learn from those that are great. I decided that Deer had the best speed and senses. They made me work harder with my "Game". One day, I awoke early and played my game while the rest of the family slept...just like you do, I bet."

"Yes sir.....I mean,..... how did you know?" Razor asked.

"Because I got in trouble from lack of experience....the kind of experience that is only learned from a father, but mine did not have time for me; he thought I was too young to hunt. So, I went out on my own. When I played my game, I would never be seen or heard. I learned about the wind, how sound will travel with it, and that it will carry your scent even further. I would end the Game by suddenly appearing in front of my prey and scaring the living daylights out of them."

"You did not try to hurt them?"

"No....I was learning, and showing my teeth and roaring would get the results I wanted. After I gave them a good scare, I would race home and laugh about it all day...I was only a Panther Cub and not developed feelings about others yet."

"But one day while stalking a certain Deer, I sensed that he was different from other Deer that I had used for my Game. He was always leading me to an upwind position.

I had to have the canyon at my backside to remain undetected. I was being led to an area where the canyon narrowed. It was becoming harder and harder to keep downwind. The high fog in the canyon softened its danger and I was not paying attention to it.

The Deer always was one step ahead of me instead of the other way around. I felt that he knew I was there, and was playing his own game with me.

I was running too close to the deep canyon and was not having fun anymore. I was letting myself get angry, which was affecting my concentration and decided to end my Game. Impatiently, I positioned myself behind a thick bush where the canyon rim makes a sharp turn ; and when the Deer was close I jumped out, showing my teeth and claws." Razor listened intently... "It was a female Deer, a Doe... she had a fawn with her. She attacked me before I had time to think. I jumped backward and fell onto a sandstone ledge that jutted out above the beckoning gorge.

As I tumbled over the ledge, one of my front claws grabbed a small, brown tree with a gnarled trunk, growing at the tip of the ledge. It bent all the way over, but its strong roots held me as I swayed up and down over the canyon's fog-shrouded jaws."

"Wow." Razor replied with intensity. "How did you...I mean...what did you....were you scared? How did you save your self?"

The Black Cat changed his position... Softly he stepped into a shaft of sunlight to dry his shiny black coat. The sun made ripples of color on the tips of his fur as his powerful muscles moved underneath. Razor was fascinated with the smooth way DESG moved. His movements were so fluid, that he could not tell if DESG moved to the spot, or the spot moved to him. He felt himself admiring this great Panther Cat.

Razor made a hop to the sunny area next to the Cat. "I have to know how you survived your situation. It was only a matter of time before you fell to your death in the deep gorge.... Please continue.. what did you do?"

DESG spoke softly and slowly. "Here is what I did. I changed my attitude. I stopped all of my hostile instincts. I canceled all of my aggressive thoughts. I knew I was close to death, and with my claws buried deep into the small tree, a strange unknown feeling came over me."

Razor tried to hurry the story. His voice was rapid and high pitched. "What feeling was that?"

"It was a feeling of being...well...'Grateful'."

Razor asked excitedly, "Grateful for what?....what did you have to be grateful for?"

The Cat spoke close to the Cub's face. Razor noticed that his pliant whiskers were starting to glow.

DESG'S voice was soft, almost like he was purring. The low tone tickled his ears and created small ripples on the pond's surface.

"I was grateful for that little brown tree that allowed me a few more precious minutes to live."

The Warrior gently stepped toward the pond and reversed in a single move, again facing the Cub...his great tail following smoothly. The morning sun lit the back of his head creating a golden halo. DESG smiled gently. "I became grateful for my parents and my silly brothers and sisters, who were probably still sleeping safely, as I dangled 2,000 feet above the jagged valley floor." DESG touched the side of his head and looked upward as if in deep thought. Razor followed his gaze and looked upward too.

"I felt myself being transported to a grand mountain in the clouds with a gold mist surrounding me. I sensed a powerful force was there but could see no one. I felt that this location was sacred.

The enormous rock that formed the mountain top was dark grey with violet streaks and extended above a sea of turbulent clouds. I was led to the North end where a magnificent rock formed a circular area that emitted a blue light. As I looked at the light, it formed a mosaic made of pure crystal and slowly changed into patterns that formed the word 'DESG'. It appeared that the name was being burned into the rock, but I was not sure."

"The light that surrounded the name became brighter...so intense that I could not look at it. Then suddenly, a beautiful Energy spoke to me in a Voice of multiple tones coming from all directions at once."

"I am 'DLOV'. The Name before you in the Sacred Circle means MASK. From this moment to your last day, you will be known by that name. "You are now a 'Chosen One'.....a Warrior. Listen and wait....listen and wait."

"Wow....Were you scared..?" Razor asked with a gasp.

"Yes....I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to know what it wanted me to do and what I was to wait for..? As the Voice faded, the mountain started to disappear into the swirling clouds. I felt myself being transferred back to the ledge. Then I heard the loud crash of a tree, and suddenly my rear paws were clawing branches. I moved upward, and before I could think I was fully on the rocky ledge in the arms of safety. I closed my eyes allowing my lost strength to build.

Razor said excitedly. "I don't understand what happened.....how did the tree get there....it seems impossible that..."

"Be patient little Bear," DESG purred. He was pleased that the Bear Cub was interested in his story and listened so intently.

"I don't know how long I dangled by my paw...it was like I was in a trance. I had accepted falling into the canyon after my strength gave out. I did not know where the tree came from or how I got the energy to climb up its branches. It just appeared out of nowhere. As I was lying on the ledge......I felt a presence of power directly in front of me and opened my eyes."

"What was it...? Was it God?" The Cub urged impatiently.

The Black Cat leaned closer and spoke in a whisper. "It was God...... to me......it was the Doe mom that I had tried to scare...the one that had attacked me and made me jump backward onto the ledge.

She had chewed a young tree growing at the side of the ledge, allowing it to bend down to where I was hanging by my paw...letting me climb out of the treacherous gorge to safety."

"Now that you were on land again, did you want to get even with her for knocking you over the ledge..?" Razor asked with a revengeful expression.

"Not at all. As I looked into her kind eyes...her eyes looked into my soul. It was during this time that I learned something very valuable." DESG lightly touched the Cub on the shoulder and said, "Power and Strength is more than sharp teeth and claws. Real power is not easily visible and comes from Love, not Aggression. I realized that the Doe was as brave and as powerful as I was, but in a different way."

"How could she be as brave and powerful as you..?...she is only a Deer.." Razor questioned.

"Because, my Cub friend........Power is an Attitude of the mind. Do not forget that. When I was on that ledge, I could only see the Doe. Everything else was out of focus. Her peaceful eyes gave me energy and knowledge from a different perspective. They also told me that a Warrior never meets anyone by chance and that a true friend appears when you least expect it ."

" That's interesting....Razor sighed. "Did you ever see her again..?"

"Yes.... A few days later I returned to the canyon area and thanked her for helping me climb out of the gorge. While I was there, I decided to visit the gnarled tree at the tip of the ledge that held me when I fell, but when I arrived at the ledge the little tree was not there."

"Were you on the right ledge..?" Razor asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes...my claw marks were in the stone and I saw the sapling that the Doe had chewed. but the location where the brown tree had stood was empty. It's a mystery."

" That is too creepy....what about the Fawn? What happened to him?" Razor asked.

"The Fawn is a young adult now, and I am his protector. The Spirit has given him an important Destiny."

"What is his destiny...what will he do for the Spirit..?" the Cub asked as he looked up.

"I can't tell you about it now but perhaps you will be somehow involved."

Razor snapped to ready alert with his legs in a plantigrade pose. "I am ready...please tell me more."

"No, you are not old enough yet, but perhaps we could meet here at this small pond in the fall.....when the leaves are at their peak and the moon is full. You will be an adult then".

"You can count on me." Razor said in his best adult bear imitation.

DESG surveyed the pond with its steep sides and majestic trees. "I wonder why my path led me here.....this could not have been a chance meeting. I must think about this day.....and you... little Bear." DESG moved in front of Razor and extended a great paw with the pads turned upward.

Razor looked at DESG and saw himself in the reflection of his eyes. Razor touched his brown paw to the Panther's. He noticed that the pads on the huge paw were telluride in color and velvet instead of brown and leathery like his. Razor also noticed that they were clean.

As he touched the upturned Cats paw the vortex of energy that surrounded DESG vibrated Razors fur.

Then, in an explosive leap, the big Cat was gone and all was quiet. There were no sounds of running or footsteps.... not a sound of any kind. A stunned Razor stood there in the loud silence with his keen ears searching the air.

He questioned himself. Why was the great Cat at the pond..? What does it mean to be "Chosen"..? Who was the energy Voice called DLOV.....? How could a Deer be a Warrior...especially a girl Deer..? How could peace be stronger than sharp teeth..? How did the Panther move without making any sound..? Why do Warriors never meet anyone by chance..? What does "listen and wait" mean..? Why was the gnarled tree missing from the ledge..? How did DESG keep his paws from getting muddy..? There were so many things to think about.

Razor's thoughts had occupied his mind so much that he did not notice it was getting dark. He had been gone all day and his family would be worried. He could hear his bratty sisters chiming that he had broken the 'after dark' rule. Razor spun on his rear paws and faced home. A low wet fog was starting to erase the pond and surrounding woods.

As he bounced up the foggy bank toward the narrow dark ridge that would take him home, the vow to return to the pond in the fall haunted him.

Razor picked up speed to a full run. His two ears and nose formed a Triad of navigation in the dark allowing familiar scents to race through his nostrils. He slowed his pace as the ridge fell into a valley that was blocked by a fallen cherry tree. The aged tree projected an ominous silhouette in the misty air. Razor crawled into a tunnel that led him into a wide meadow with smooth white rocks.

The smell of decayed wood dominated his round nose as he squeezed around the maze of tree branches.

He smiled to himself ..... to go beyond this tree is forbidden....another rule that he had decided only applied to his sisters.

He thought of what DESG had told him....that a laugh was a Bond among friends. A shiver of pride lightened his step. Razor decided that he would tell no one....especially his sisters. They would say he had an overactive imagination like they always did when he tried to tell them something exciting that he did.

The meeting with DESG would be his secret. Well........perhaps he would share his story with his rock friends or ancient trees at the 'Magic Place'...... but no body else.

He stopped outside the family den as his wishing star waited patiently for him. He did not know what the future held in store for him as he gazed upward....but if it was danger, he wished that he could be a Warrior like the great Cat. At that moment the star blinked as if to indicate that his wish had been granted.

Everything was confusing now and he had a lot of thinking to do before he met with DESG. There was one thing he was sure of....that he would be at the pond in the peak of fall when the moon was full. Yes....Yes.....he would be there. Razor turned toward the warm den and took his tired mud caked body inside to his waiting family....it was good to be home.