From: BANNON@MAINE.MAINE.EDU
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: Part 2: Polar Bear at Temple of Solitude
Message-ID: <92143.123921BANNON@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Date: 22 May 92 16:39:21 GMT
References: <1992May21.070244.16574@athena.mit.edu>

Polar Bear and Grizzly Bear were in the heart of
the temple district by now.  She knew they had to
be getting close.  "Stop a minute and listen,
Gristle."   The click of the bears claws on the
cobblestone and the soft padding of her own steps
stopped.  Mixed in among the sounds of the city
settling down for the evening was the soft rustle
of stirring silks.  "Ah, there it is!  Left, boy."
They made their way over to the steps of the
temple.  Polar Bear stepped forward and explored
the temple with her hands, "Yes, there are the
silk draperies, and over here..," she moved a
few steps to one side, "there should be a pillar.
Ah ha!  Got it."  She moved one step down, away
from the temple perimeter and sat down.

"This is it," she put out a hand, "Come sit with
me before we go in.  I need to eat something."
She slid her pouch off of her shoulder and felt
around in it for the bread and fruit she knew she
still had left.  Putting the food on her lap for
the time being she reached back with one hand to
scratch the shoulder upon which the pouch strap
had rested.  What a relief.  As she scratched
she seemed to be developing more and more itches
everywhere.  She could hear Grizzly Bear scratching
a few feet away.  She muttered, "Must be a dirt
repelling spell on this place."  She tried to
stop scratching and just wait for the dirt to
leave her person, particle by particle.  The
agony finally ended and, in truth, she felt
fresher and lighter than she had when she first
sat down.  She began to munch on her food
contentedly.

About ten minutes into her meal the grizzly
finally came over to press up against her
side.  "Wow!," she said putting an arm around
the bear's wide, plush shoulders, "that spell
really did a number on you, hunh?  You feel
like a velvet racing-peevey!  No!  Get back!
You've eaten already.  This is MINE!"  She
blocked his greedy muzzle with her shoulder,
hunching around her last piece of fruit until
she could finish it off.  Resigned to just
watching, the bear settled his head onto her
shoulder where he drooled disgustingly into
her thin blond hair.

After the fruit was gone she gave the bear
a friendly pat on the head, a guick gentle
tug on one hear and then she stood, picking
up her pouch as she did so.  "Ready to try
something new, my friend?  Let's go in."
With one hand on the back of the animal's
neck she used to other to begin to push at
the yards and yards of silk draperies hung
between the columns of the round temple.
It turned into an excavation because her
arm was immersed into silk up to her
shoulder but she still had not come to the
final layers.  She bade the bear to move
forward and anyone who might have been
watching would have seen the draperies
slide closed behind them as they disappeared.

As the silk swept together behind them they
penetrated the last layer of material.
Suddenly Polar Bear lost her contact with
Grizzly Bear.  She felt around for a moment
calling to him until she recalled what the
Solitary had said, something like, you may
enter with others but inside you will be
alone.  She loosed her staff from the strap
that bound it to the pouch on her shoulder
and extended it before her.  Then she
began to take slow careful steps.  She felt
a gentle breeze on her face, lifting the
wisps of hair around her face, and she smelled
fragrant flowers and heard the sound of a
distant surf.  It seemed safe enough.  She
hoped fervently that Grizzly Bear was alright.
*END OF PART TWO*