Boy and the Begining

December 27, Harry 11yrs old, South Korea…

Harry took a deep breath and snuggled deeper into his coat as he considered what to do.

He had decided to take a train ride and relax in luxury for once during the less leg of his journey for the rest of the way out of China. He had eaten delicious food, had a riveting conversation with a Mongolian business man who sat in the seat across from him and knew English as he talked about summers with his family at a horse ranch and the delicious foods that his mother made, some of which the man knew the recipes for much to Harry's delight, and was willing to proudly share them with Harry, who reciprocated, passing on a few of his own.

After he had disembarked the train, saying goodbye to the nice man, he had taken a ferry the rest of the way to South Korea and was currently walking around through the bustling city of Incheon (1).

The city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi to the east and Korea's third most populous city after Seoul and Busan.

The temperatures were not quite as bad as that brief chilly stopover in Xilin Gol (somewhere near or in Mongolia), but it was still cooler then he was used to after spending a few years avoiding winter.

This winter though he wanted to embrace a little of the actual season for once.

Harry decided, after some thought and a perusal of a local magazine, to visit The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ for short).

The Zone is a specially designated area designed to create the most favorable business and living environment where foreign nationals can live and invest freely and conveniently. IFEZ, still in development, is planned to be a self-contained living and business district featuring air and sea transportation, a logistics complex, an international business center, financial services, residences, schools, hospitals, and shopping and entertainment centers. It was an interesting concept, and he could see the foreign influences here and there (he got his first Big Mac from a local McDonalds, extra pickles).

He saw a couple of movies, kipped in a hotel now that he had money for it and for the hell of it (again for the first time, though not planning on making a constant thing of it) and dropped a peach pit in a nearby park before moving on.

He went to a few sports complexes as well, the sport enthusiast in him (though not as strong as the food enthusiast) made sure to watch some games such as a football game at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, and a baseball game at The Munahk Sports Complex, and even though they were both only practices, it was still fun and he ate lots of snacks.

He walked along the boardwalk with a large clam shell filled with various raw fish and rode amusement park rides and sold a few sketches, which he still liked to do despite the fact that he now had money to work with for quite a long time to come (how the gold he was given by the immortals form the heaven castle conformed to its worth in present currency of wherever he happened to be was something he was unsure of). There was something about the appreciative regard of others willing to spend money one something that he had created that fed that small corner of himself that thirsted to prove himself, though it was often barely acknowledged.

Eventually he exhausted his attention for the locale, and after he acquired himself several books from the bookstore, he walked to the bus station where he boarded the next leaving bus.

He made sure to get let off on the first bit of nowhere they drove through on their way to another city. The driver thought he was nuts, but didn't stop him, and when the coast was clear Harry took to the air, by this point tired of Normal transportation.

Ooo ooo ooo

December 30, South Korea…

Harry traveled through a variety of cities during his stay in South Korea, such as going to Seoul, South Korea's cultural and economic heart where he toured the Palace of Wonderful Blessing that was once inhabited by one of Korea's old kings. He sketched the vibrantly dressed men during the changing of the guard in front of old ancient gates that stood in silent attention and after he was done doing that he would stroll through the busy markets, particularly the night markets, near by the gates and stare avidly at the thousands of different foods and ingredients for sale.

Harry visited the Koex Aquarium, one of the largest indoor aquariums out there, and spent several days returning to sketch the exotic water life or gaze hungrily at a few rather tasty looking individuals.

Harry's favorite thing in Seoul, other than the markets and the Aquarium, had to be the Nanta Cookin' production, going each evening to the Hoam Art Hall during his stay to watch, and often tried to incorporate some of the frenetic moves (the less messy ones) by the performers that combined music and humour into his own cooking style. He laughed each time he went, never getting tired of it (2).

Ooo ooo ooo

January 4, Suwon Hwaseong , South Korea… (2.5)

Harry was currently in Suwon Hwaseong, sometime after his stay in Seoul, which is an impressively constructed wall surrounding the center of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The sprawling fortress was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty to house and honour the remains of his father Prince Sado, who had been executed by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo after failing to obey the command to commit suicide.

From what Harry understood the Prince never really got a chance to rule before his demise mainly because of a later believed to be mental illness that caused him to randomly kill people and be a serial rapist. It had taken him roughly 8 days to die.

Harry had shivered after reading that little tidbit.

The Wall was located 30 kilometres south of Seoul- an easy flight for Harry, who had interspersed the travel with a bit of hiking here and there- and enclosing much of central Suwon, the Fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung, which Harry took to sketching.

Harry spent a few days walking along the expansive walls, and hanging upside down from the roof of a watchtower.

During his time there, he was startled but then quickly unsurprised, given his experience so far that the rumors about the area being haunted were actually true.

He watched ghosts of soldiers and workers who had died there playing Ssirum, a form of wrestling/combat that is similar to sumo wrestling in some of its moves, actually rather enjoying the combative competition among the pale specters from his hiding place in the shadows and rafters. Eventually, when the ghosts did notice his presence, further reassured Harry by not doing anything against him or otherwise being scary, so he had ventured closer and closer to the specters until eventually he was sitting among them cheering and booing and making bets.

During his time here he also had the ironic experience of learning how to exorcise a site of the supernatural from a dead priest who had died during the wall's construction when a brick fell on his head (and thus no longer able to go exorcise anything), though Harry was polite enough not to try anything out here, much to the priest's disappointment.

He stuck around longer to learn this, since it might come in handy someday, given his track record with Abnormals, and remembering the creepy ghost way back in China. The priest had a ritual for both spirits and demons (which Harry was leery of learning actually did exist).

After his time there, Harry traveled further inwards, playing tourist or hidden student or artist when the mood strikes him until finally after a little over a month, he decided that it was time to settle somewhere for a bit and take time to digest information and pay attention to his latest acquired books.

Ooo ooo ooo

February 4, South Korea, The Sobaek Mountains…

Harry was currently flying through an unpopulated area of what was dubbed by South Korea as "The Spine" a south-westerly mountain range that ran through the country on a rough diagonal and Harry's current prime place to settle in and do some research.

He frowned at the rocks below, doing a lazy swoop, and munching on a sandwich. He paused in his chewing and humming Endless Love under his breath (3). He could have sworn he felt something, almost a tingly sensation in his skin but it was so brief and so fast that he finally shrugged, figuring that he had imagined it. He continued to hum contentedly to himself.

He had just landed in a promising clearing nearby some trees when he felt a sharp pain erupt from his neck. He didn't even have time to feel the dart before he keeled over, unconscious.

Ooo ooo ooo

Several hours later…

"Gom se ma rig a han chib eh it ssuh…"

Harry groaned, trying to rub his head, he felt as if he had been hit in the head with a barrel.

"…appa gom, umma gom, ai gi gom…"

Was that singing? It took him a second, since he was still a little senseless for his omnilingualism to filter the words into English…

"…Daddy bear is fat, mommy bear is thin, and baby bear is cute!..."

Harry blinked as the world came into focus through heavy eyelids as he registered that it was a very young child's voice singing. Sure enough, as the world whirled into focus when he moved his head to the side, he spotted a little girl sitting on the edge of a bed that someone had tucked him into.

The little girl was kicking her feet and waving around a stuffed rabbit…

"…Uksu, uksu, well done…" (4)

Before the girl could gear up for another refrain, he managed to rasp out something resembling words.

"Where am I?"

The little girl, who didn't understand him but did understand that the stranger was awake, started, squealed, and jumped off the bed zipping away though a set of curtains, calling for her mother.

Harry managed to get himself into a seated position blearily looking around the simple room made entirely of wood without any windows when he overheard a scolding voice of an adult woman standing outside the curtain.

"…Told you before Min-soo, you were not to go near the Outsider, he could be dangerous!"

"But Mommy!"

A deep sigh, "I know you're curious, but we make rules for a reason, now go to the kitchen to await your father."

"Yes momma," the little girl mumbled sulkily before her little footsteps could be heard padding away.

The woman shook her head as she entered the room, then the soft admonishment look of a parent dissolved instantly from her face to be replaced by a very hard and flinty expression.

"So your awake," She grunted, stating the obvious, "you have a lot of questions to answer young man."

Harry mentally groaned not only from his headache but from the fact that this unhappy figure who was currently looming over him, did not speak English, which was quickly confirmed when he tried a general greeting of hello only to have her frown at him in incomprehensibility, though it was quickly determined also between the two that he did understand her.

The woman, who introduced herself as Hye-Jin, and much to the frustration and that of others, Harry was not able to answer as many questions as they would have liked.

According to his host, she was a scout who had been hunting with her team in the woods when he had been spotted by one of her hunters, and subdued with a knock-out dart, then taken in for questioning when he awoke.

Harry was not pleased to have been taken prisoner, and was further dismayed when it turned out that The Valley of the Blessed, the name of the place he had stumbled upon, was another Hidden Place, a place that very much did not appreciate being found.

When he expressed his confusion during his interrogation on what the Blessed were, Hye-Jin answered by transforming into the biggest bear he had ever seen and back again.

He would later find out that the entire village was made up of entirely of these bear shape-shifters, his first real experience with a community of Abnormals. (5)

Harry's excuse (after a lot of yes and no questions and hand gestures) for his presence in their land that had not been graced by the presence of an outsider for several centuries was by pure accident. His age somewhat helped in this quarter, and an earlier examination of his person by their head healer (which Harry assumed was a doctor of some sort) while he was unconscious (something Harry was not happy with) had also revealed that he was a magic user, and his youth combined with his power might have accidentally facilitated his entrance, said the Healer and agreed upon by the Elders, some of the oldest and most revered of the Blessed.

Then he had been asked whether there were other magic users like him, like his parents, nearby that might go looking for him.

Harry was not familiar with human Abnormals, and was honest in admitting that he had been traveling alone and didn't rightly even know if he was human himself really (the last part uncommunicated).

His interrogator grumbled at that but eventually when nothing more was forthcoming from him, eventually finished her interrogation by informing him that only the Blessed were allowed to cross the Great Barrier that protected their civilization from humans. The fact that he had, even by accident, done so, was a threat to her people. The fact that he was a child was the only thing keeping him from being killed outright.

She had informed him curtly that his magic was now bound by the use of a golden bracelet etched with symbols that he didn't understand, and that he would never be able to leave the valley, and that he was to be placed with her family.

He was required to learn the ways of the Blessed and participate in the daily life and duties of being an adolescent in the village, a conclave that was situated in the varied honey combed caves of a small mountain range at the heart of Blessed lands surrounded by dense forest.

With that, she left Harry to come to grips with his new fate.

Ooo ooo ooo

A few days later he was deemed sufficiently recovered (having taken this long perhaps due to the fact that he was a non-blessed adolescent boy) from the knock-out arrows to begin his integration process.

Harry stared sullenly at the small pile of new cloths, a tunic of faded green and loose legged brown pants with a green cloth belt, rubbing the gleaming surface of the golden bracelet on his left wrist.

He scratched at the edge of the bracelet. It itched.

His satchel that he had been given by Xi Wangmu which currently held all his worldly possessions was gone.

Hye-Jin had informed him that in an effort to help him acclimate, everything that had been attached to his person had been removed.

He didn't think that the Blessed would be able to get their paws inside his satchel or destroy it; it was a gift from a goddess after all. Likely they were storing it somewhere.

The first thing he needed to do was get this bracelet off.

The second was to get his satchel.

The third was to get out of here, which he reckoned would be easier once his magic was free.

For the moment though, he would just have to play along…sort of.

He pulled on the provided cloths, and grudgingly admitted that they were at least comfortable.

He padded out of the room provided to him and peeked into the kitchen were Hye-Jin, the little girl called Min-soo, about 4 or five years old, and a swarthy man who was a big, muscular, and hairy as his wife (a body trend among the Blessed, reflecting their bear side) were sitting eating bowls of some soup of ox blood and vegetables called, he later learned, haejangguk. (6)

Harry reluctantly took a seat at what had before been a happy early morning family table but became tense at his presence.

"So you are Harry?" the husband, who introduced himself as Sung-min, "I must say that outsiders are a lot smaller than I thought they would be."

It was a strained attempt at levity, Harry shrugged.

He cleared his throat, "it seems you understand our tongue but don't speak it yourself?"

Harry nodded.

"I understand that it took a while to discern the circumstances to your arrival, and while your understanding us, somehow, without knowing how to communicate back will be a bit tricky, you'll soon pick things up quickly."

Harry appreciated the man's awkward attempt at conversation and reassurance, despite the fact that he was clearly uncomfortable with the situation he now found himself with, an outsider living with his family, something that Harry was also uncomfortable with, so he just nodded a small token towards their mutual unhappiness with the situation.

He finished his food without further comment, which was rather tasty, took the small satchel that was filled with a lunch for later, and left the strained atmosphere of his host family.

He took a seat on the front stoop, eyeing his surroundings.

It was like being in a giant bee-hive made of stone with hundreds of stone paths, stairways, and rope bridges criss-crossing all over the place through the heart of the village.

His current abode was situated about a few levels below the top most levels of the village, which did make for a great view of the village itself and the very long drop below.

Hye-jin had informed him that he was going to be working with the basket weavers, a simple useful chore that didn't require much communication from his end.

He was to meet another, a girl his own age who would be his guide to the Crafters Cave, where Harry was to begin his first day of making himself useful to the village weaving baskets, this guide also had basket weaving duty, which is why she would be showing him around.

Ji-woo is a rowdy girl who practically flung herself from one ledge/stair/path to another. She had the same wild hair worn loose down to her waist that was worn similarly by both men and women of the Blessed. Unlike Hye-jin's and her husband's hair which was a brown so dark it might as well be black, hers was a very light almost ash brown that made her large dark burgundy eyes nearly pop in contrast.

She was dressed similarly to himself, though there was hints of muscle definition and a more superior height in her cloths which showed a bit of a tighter fit then his loser cloths.

He was unceremoniously dragged after her after she gave him a hurried greeting. Apparently they were going to be late if they didn't hurry up.

One near-death experience dash later, Harry was dragged, panting into a wide open cave were other children around their age group had already gathered.

Head Craft's Woman Chun-ja was the overseer of the Crafters Cave. Here, under her iron dictator ship, weave work, leather work and other crafts needed for everyday necessities and toil were cranked out in an environment of punctuality, perfection and utter quiet.

He could see why talking wouldn't be an issue.

She made particular no bones about her dislike of him, and was further displeased when it turned out Harry, outside of wearing a certain pair of magical gloves, was pants at weaving.

Harry was immensely grateful when he was summerly kicked out of Crafters Cave in the woman's sheer disgust with his efforts and results.

Harry took the opportunity to explore.

By the time that the sun had set and Ji-woo had stumbled out of the cave, muttering under her breath, Harry had managed to find his way back, suspecting that he was supposed to remain in Ji-woo's care/watch during his acclimation process.

He was rather cranky himself since he had not been able to find any sign yet of either his things or anything viable to free him from the bracelet. He had even tried a rock of all things and banged on it for a solid hour with not even a dent.

Ooo ooo ooo

Harry had three more days in Crafters Cave, tossed from one thing to another in the hopes that he displayed some usability, but he remained cheerfully untalented.

Not that he was completely pants at everything, he was marginally decent with pottery, but he made sure to down play even marginal capability. Not looking to be stuck in a cave all day.

Eventually his host family was informed via a message written down, given to Harry, which he handed over to Hye-jin informing her that Harry was banned from Crafters Cave.

The next morning he was informed that he would be joining Ji-woo in cleaning fish that was brought in by the fishermen/women that went out in small boats to a gigantic fresh water lake on the other side of the mountain.

The kitchen overseer, a large burly man with beady dark eyes was a bit more relaxed then the crafts overseer, but even he to became frustrated after a few days and Harry showed little to no talent in cleaning fish (something that Harry was actually exceedingly good at, given his food proclivities).

After being put in various positions in the kitchens, Weavers Caves, even suggested to have him watching children (Harry refused outright) and accidentally losing a few ox that took a scout team hours to find, he was collectively deemed a useless idiot and by this point Hye-jin suspected sabotage.

Harry of course gave her innocent looks and shrugs that clearly stated "oh well."

Despite all his efforts to annoy his hosts/jailers, he had yet to find a way out of this mess, which is until Hye-jin herself unknowingly provided him with the solution to his problem.

Hye-jin had sat him down one morning and informed him curtly that because he had the usefulness of a toddler, and effused to co-operate, he would be treated like a toddler and had informed him that he would be dropped off in the village's version of kindergarten/daycare to learn the most basic of lessons that all toddlers and young children are required to learn.

By this point Harry suspected that she suspected that he was purposefully sabotaging his efforts and had decided on a method of humiliation as a tactic of approach to get him to co-operate.

So after a hearty meal of Kimchi and rice (7), he was left with Min-soo holding his hand, for once Jin not accompanying him, and tugging him in the direction of Crèche Cave where a man by the name of Sung-ki pulled him into an enthusiastic hug of welcome.

Teacher Sung-ki, who was a shaman in training to the head-shaman, his grandfather, and was simply put, teddy bearish. He didn't treat his attendance as an intended humiliation at all, but like he was a warmly welcomed visitor.

The other toddlers and young children were soon crawling all over him, chattering questions and exclaiming at everything from his weeny arms, his pale white skin, his short hair, and green eyes (green not being a colour found among the Blessed).

Min-soo, as the one whose house Harry was staying in and thus in her mind the owner of the interesting weeny teenager, sat in his lap when they all gathered for lecture/story time on the rug before teacher Sung-ki.

The teacher chuckled at the sight then said in a brisk manner, "Well children, what story from our illustrious history shall I relate today?"

There were calls of favorite titles that meant nothing to Harry.

Sung-ki seemed to realize this and asked him directly, "You've been with us a little under a fortnight Harry, have you been informed of the origins of the Blessed?"

Harry blinked when he realized that no, he hadn't, all he knew was about the present culture he found himself in, not the origins. He shook his head.

The teacher chuckled, slapping his hands together, "well you're in for a treat young lad!" then his voice dropped into the smooth dramatic tones of one about to delve into a serious bit of story telling.

The children, despite likely having heard the story numerous times before, settled and listened rapturously.

" Long ago in ages past uncounted, there was a She-Bear by the name of Ungnyeo and a Tiger who wished for themselves to be human. They lived together in a cave, the cave at the very top of the Blessed mountain it is believed, and prayed to the divine king Hwanung to be made human . Hwanung heard their prayers and decided to give them a chance to fulfill their desire so he gave them 20 cloves of garlic, and bundle of mugwort and ordered them to stay out of the sunlight, told to only eat this food for 100 days, and not leave the cave into sunlight. Due to hunger, the tiger, whose appetite was as voracious as his teeth" Sung-ki made an exaggerated snarling face, making the children giggle, "left the cave after roughly 20 days, but the she-bear remained inside, still determined. After 21 days, she was rewarded for her diligence and was transformed into a woman."

" Ungnyeo was grateful, (especially for not having to wait another 79 days with nothing but garlic and Mungwort to eat) and made offerings to Hwanung in thanks. Eventually though, her loneliness and lack of a mate drove her into depression, and she began to pray beneath a sacred betula tree to be blessed with a child. Hwanung heard her prayers and was deeply moved. He took Ungnyeo as his wife and soon after, she gave birth to a son, Dangun , who many Outsiders, having heard our founders tale as well, believe to have founded the peoples of this country."

" What no one knows however, is that Ungnyeo didn't completely shed her bear form. And her later offspring, twin daughters, also bore the ability of carrying the bear and the human within them."

" They eventually found mates of their own and all their children since have the ability to become a bear, and thus the Blessed were founded." (8)

The children clapped at the end of the story.

He chuckled and sent the children off to go play in a section at the back of the class filled with toys.

Harry approached the teacher with a thoughtful look on his face and grabbed a bit of parchment and a piece of charcoal and began drawing.

When he was done, he handed it to the man.

Sung-ki found a rather well rendered picture of the Blessed mountain and forest with what looked like a curved line over top it.

"The Barrier?" Sung-ki guessed.

The boy nodded, tapping the arched line.

Sung-ki sighed, he supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. He had heard from his grandfather who had discussed the boy's less then co-operative attempts at fitting in with the other elders, and figured that it was only a matter of time before someone sat the lad down and better explained things. Hye-jin was not the type to wax explanation, usually stating relevant facts without background information, the same with her husband. They were both scouts so it couldn't be blamed really, it was the Shaman's prerogative to teach the finer stories of history, so he sat the boy down and explained.

"The barrier was created by an ancient non-blessed, the only one that was ever considered friend to our people. Many non-blessed, or Outsiders, as they are now referred to, became jealous of our bear selves and some even hunted us, thinking that our parts would be strong medicine or magic for their own benefit. This non-blessed saw what his fellows were doing and so he gathered together all the Blessed under the Great Barrier, with enough animals to multiply and hunt, and a great lake filled with all manner of fish for us to eat, and fertile land to crow crops and and fruit filled forests. He closed us off from the greedy hands of Outsiders. He himself remained outside the barrier after its completion and disappeared. The elders of the time however were told that should the Blessed ever need to venture outside of the barrier that the way would always be opened to one of the Blessed. One must walk as bear to pass."

Sung-ki eyed him shrewdly, "your presence here has raised many questions because of this, and caused quite a great deal of alarm. Do you understand now why you are being made to stay? If there are other outsiders who have the same power to cross our barrier without the need of bear form, then we are in danger. That is why you cannot leave."

Harry looked thoughtful for a time, and then nodded before venturing off to watch the children play.

Sung-ki gave a relieved sigh. Maybe the lad would now see some sense and try to make the best of things, without access to his magic he would be unable to cross the barrier.

He sometimes wondered if the elders had suspected that someday an outsider like this boy might breech their home. The construction of the bracelet he now wore, made him wonder. (9)

After class Harry returned, helped prepare dinner, ate and wandered off to bed, not bothering to give his host family any trouble or even a dirty look.

Hye-jin congratulated herself on a plan well-wrought, but just to be sure she would have him attend the classes for a few more days to drive the point home then try him out perhaps with the semesters?

The next morning however, Harry was already gone.

Hye-jin was slightly worried about this, they were supposed to be keeping an eye on the boy. He was wandering around the village on his own a lot more then he should have been, but being a mother she knew that sometimes children needed their own space to figure things out.

Fortunately, Jin-soo stopped by to inform her that she had taken Harry to the sacred cave, the boy had indicated (via pictures and hand gestures) that he wanted to meditate there for whatever reason.

Hye-jin had not thought the boy the type to meditate, and was mildly interested to note that it was still a practice amongst outsiders. Meditation is a common practice amongst the Blessed, had she known, she might have taken him to the meditation caves sooner.

Jin-soo had also told her that the boy was likely going to be there awhile as he'd been carrying a rather large pack of food, Jin-soo wrinkling her nose as she mentioned the strong garlic smell.

Hye-jin decided that there was no harm in this, the sacred caves were a place where not only where many practiced in the spiritual arts, but was also a place favored for meditation, though usually more favored by the old, or expectant mothers, went to clear their thoughts.

When the sun had set and dinner had long passed and Harry had not returned, Hye-jin thought that it was about time that someone went to bring the boy down.

It took her a bit of time to trek the long winding climb up to the top of the mountain, but it was a rather pleasant evening so it was enjoyable.

She paused, surveying the dark rocky top, taking a deep breath of the clear air and enjoying the view of the Blessed lands spread below her before turning to the business at hand.

She didn't call his name at first. After all, there had been cases of mediators sometimes venturing into deep trances, even young ones of Harry's age, and she didn't want to endanger him if that was the case, sometimes bodies did not take to the shock of transition well.

She gave a brief respectful vow to the entrance of the sacred cave before stepping into the darkness, raising her lantern that she had brought with her high.

There was no Harry.

She ventured deeper into the cave, the tunnel narrowing further as she went along, and she was forced to duck as she walked.

Eventually she came into what was considered to be the inner sanctum of the cave. A small cozy cubby area that was just big enough to fit maybe three or four well filled men comfortably, or one large bear and tiger.

Still the boy was not to be seen.

She frowned, wondering if he had already headed down and they had missed each other. She had just turned around when a glint reflecting off of gold caught her eye coming from a tight crevice at the back of the cave.

She stepped forward kneeled down and peered inside and thus found the boy.

Harry was sitting patiently on what she recognized was a set of his blankets from his bedroom, the light of the lantern had caught on the gold of the binding braclet which was exposed as he currently had his sleeves rolled up.

The space he was currently in was barely big enough for a full sized man unless he bent at the waist.

Since he was watching her calmly with his intense outsider green eyes, she growled "Harry! Come out of there this instant! It is long passed the beginning of sleeping hours!"

The boy eyed her then shook his head.

She gave an exasperated huff, fists going to her hips, and here she had thought that perhaps they were getting through to the boy.

"hiding in a hard to reach places will not help you any," she said, "I can have a group of miners up here and pulling you out before you can so much as blink."

Harry blinked slowly, mockingly, then pulled out the sack that the girl had mentioned from earlier and opened it in her direction.

She leaned forward at his beckoning gesture and found what looked like her entire stock of Garlic from the kitchen, a small peeling knife, and also her entire stock of Mungwort.

She frowned in confusion.

Then the boy gave her a picture of a well rendered bear.

It clicked then what the boy was trying to do.

She folded the picture and put it in her pocket and sighed then crouched down again.

"Child, it eases my mind that you have finally accepted that you will have to remain with the Blessed, but you cannot be one of us by doing this."

The boy gave her a stubborn look, folding his arms across his chest.

She tried the logical approach, "the story of how our great mother became from bear to woman is from ages passed and was from the desire of a bear to be a human. A human cannot become a bear the same way."

The boy frowned at her and raised an eyebrow, the silent response saying "oh yeah? How do you know that for sure?"

Hye-jin managed to interpret this and huffed "it is simply how it is, outsiders are not the Blessed and can never be truly blessed because they were not born of a bear to begin with."

Harry didn't look convinced; his arms remaining crossed the look definitely stubborn.

Hye-jin sighed, getting to her feet.

"Fine then, I shall leave you for a time to think on it."

She took the lamp with her, hopefully spending a night in a dark cave would be added incentive to get him to leave.

The next day the boy didn't return and this time her husband went up to try to talk sense into the boy, but when that didn't work, Hye-jin took the matter to the Elders.

Head Shaman Soo-ki, upon listening to Hye-jin's story and perusing the picture the boy gave her, informed Harry's host family that they could not interfere. Hye-jin had been shocked and asked him why, and the Shaman had indicated that, while the boy was unknowing of their ways and an outsider, he was a part of their community now, declared as such by the elders themselves, and had unknowingly enacted a spiritual quest of communion with Hwanung. Granted it was something usually done by shamans, and never really attempted by anyone else, but regardless it is sacred law that they were to not interfere until the boy left the cave himself. Even if it would mean he lay in there and stared to death.

After that Hye-jin, and everyone else were ordered to not disturb the boy.

Ooo ooo ooo

5 days into the cave…

Harry sighed as he lay back on his nest of blankets. He had spent most of the time pretty much bored out of his skull. He sang all the songs he could remember off the top of his head and made up some, admittedly awful ones that got old quick. He composed recipes in his head, tried to see how much math he remembered form his school days, took a few whacks at the bracelet with a nearby rock and so on.

Eventually he used the sharp edge of his whomping rock to begin to etch pictures on the stone.

10 days…

"I got a lovely bunch of coconuts, Dee-diddy-dee!"

13 days…

Harry slept through this one,

16 days…

Harry had long become inert to the scent of garlic enhanced sweat drenched unwashed body.

19 days…

He had run out of garlic and mungwart.

20 days…

The small walls were filled with etching of fantastical and mundane creatures, star constellations and tic tac toe games.

21 days…

Harry had lost track of time by this point and could barely move. His lips were parched and dry from dehydration when his water eventually ran out as well. No one had come in to check on him, and he was beginning to suspect that he was going to die.

22 days…

Harry didn't die, though he felt it might be an improvement. The agonizing pain of hunger had long since turned into a sort of numb sensation.

He lost all sense of self, at times he even wondered if he was breathing.

Unknown day…

"You are a persistent fellow."

The breathing thing lying on the stone ground of a cave didn't blink at the sudden presence that filled the dim stony space.

The voice sighed, "Persistent indeed."

Then another voice echoed throughout the cave, almost mocking "of course he is! If you hadn't been so lazy, wanting to sleep in just a little longer he wouldn't be in the mess he's in now, but no! You just had to be persnickety!"

The first voice grunted "really my dear, at least a little bit of difference in front of the boy?"

The second voice huffed, "well it not like he's even registering your grand presence husband! Look at him."

Both voices regarded the prone figure for a time. Then the first sighed "you are right, best we get to it then? The boy did wake us up, and does deserve to have at least one of his desires fulfilled, I am curious to see what the world has made of itself in our absence."

"Indeed," the second replied agreeably, "perhaps a few cubs to toddle at our feet in our travels?" the second purred.

The first gave a husky chuckle, "my dear I do love you, let's tend to business then."

Great light, light like the heart of a sun filled the cave. The emaciated form of the still alive Harry Potter was dragged upwards into the light. Golden hands, a larger masculine set and a set of smaller daintier ones ran along the boy's body, molding the brilliance to the boy's body, and the glowing body into something else entirely.

When the light disappeared, the first voice huffed and said "there, can we go now love? I have granted the boy's wish."

"Yes, my love" the second gave an unseen eye roll, "let us venture."

Ooo ooo ooo

Harry came to with a groan.

He felt as if he were waking from the most horrible nightmare ever.

He looked around him blurry, trying to get to his feet, and then flopping onto this belly.

He did this several times before he realized what was wrong.

He looked down at his hands, and then turned his head to observe the rest of him.

When he was done he let out a great laugh of ecstatic triumph that in no way sounded like a boy's laugh.

Ooo ooo ooo

Hye-jin was concerned. It had been way to long.

Each day she had gone to the elders, asking, demanding, and then begging to check on the boy.

They refused.

Certainly many wanted to interfere, but the Shaman held the greatest authority amongst the elders and he was highly respected. If he said that they were not to interfere, even if it seemed rather cruel, then no one was to interfere.

Finally, after a little more than a month had passed, Hye-jin came to the conclusion that the boy was dead by this point.

Despite being an outsider, it was such a waste of life! He was so young!

It had made her weep when she thought of the grim business that awaited them in that cave. She promised to herself that she would give him the proper funereal. It was a waste but he had died part of them, it was only right.

When another month had passed, then another, until the 100 days from the story had finally passed, She went to the Shaman yet again. This time the elder gave her permission. So she took two strong stomached able bodied scouts with her, along with a stretcher, and some canvas to cover the body, and retrieve the boy's remains.

Half way up the bridge though, there path was blocked by a bear.

The three Blessed froze.

It was a young bear, not even an adult, perhaps a yearling, that was making its careful way down the path. It too stopped upon noticing it had company.

They were the people of the bear, seeing a bear was not uncommon, but unlike the various russets, browns, and blacks of the Blessed, this bear had messy fur of pure gold, like sunlight reflected on water.

It wasn't the fact that the bear was also coming from the direction of the sacred caves or even the fur colouring that made her say the name, but the vibrant green eyes that stared out at them in consideration.

"Harry?"

The three blessed backed away reverently as the bear began walking forward again.

By the time they reached level with the general hubbub of the community, bear form and people form alike froze as the smaller bear ambled into their midst, being led by Hye-jin who looked to be in several levels of shock and awe, with the no longer needed body bearers, not knowing what else to do, discarded their equipment and tagged along behind them.

The Blessed parted before the procession.

Word must have reached the elders as they were already waiting for them by the time Hye-jin and the golden bear entered the centre of town.

The Shaman stepped forward and bowed deeply, the rest of the elders following suit.

Then they stood and the Shaman addressed the distinctly uncomfortable looking bear.

"You have done what we have not believed possible. You have now truly been made one of the Blessed, as true as the form you now wear. For this great act, in honor of legends you have reawakened to the world again, you may ask of us anything you desire."

The bear grunted, waddled up and waved the binding bracelet, still attached to him, under the shaman's nose.

"Of course," the man agreed quickly.

With but a touch to the bracelet, the jewelry popped of (much to the golden bear's consternation) and fell to the ground.

The bear kicked the affronting jewelry aside, and promptly fell into oblivion over the edge with a satisfied grunt.

Then the bear took a claw and drew a rough rendering of a satchel with birds on the side.

"Your things, of course."

A nod from the Shaman and a nearby attendant whisked away and returned with all of Harry's things.

The Shaman himself reverently secured the bag to the bear's back with some the best woolen cloth in the village.

Then the bear whirled around and began making his way out of the village.

The Shaman and Hye-jin transformed and followed the golden bear.

The golden bear halted at the edge of the western most side of the barrier.

The Shaman transformed and bowed again, "please, can you not stay? You are the first of us to be touched by the power that has not been known since our great mother herself; will you not at least consider staying with us? You are now one of us truly; you would have a home here, held in the highest of reverence."

The golden bear regarded the shaman for a moment then huffed again. The bear turned from the man and the other bear. The crane satchel opened of its own occurred and a small velvet bag emerged, floating in the air, which drew itself open and from inside, a singular fruit pit emerged.

The two Blessed watched this, confused, especially when the seed floated a few feet away from their position and was dropped dismissively on a bare patch of ground.

Smaller bag retreating into the crane satchel, the golden bear with the green eyes gave one final huff and lumbered across the threshold of the barrier and continued to walk without turning round to see the surprised bear people watching as a peach tree began to grow at a fast paced speed before them.

Ooo ooo ooo

May 15, Harry is aged 11, South Korea, still in the Sobaek Mountains…

Harry lumbered on his four paws for a good 3 hours before he felt safe enough to change back.

How he knew to change back he wasn't sure.

It was like flicking a finger; he just could without remembering how.

The bear melted away and left a rather naked Harry Potter shivering in nothing but his baggage.

Harry quickly pulled out some cloths and a bottle of water some soap and a few towels.

After Harry had thoroughly cleaned himself off, tossing aside the dirty linen into a disposable bag to dump later, and now comfortably dressed in his own cloths ('oh synthetic fabric how I missed thee!'). He felt significantly better.

Strangely, after observing himself post waking up as a bear, he had to admit that he looked a lot better off than he had thought he would.

He was uncertain if being turned into a bear or some extra divine intervention had aided him, but he was bodily the same condition he had been upon entering the cave, only just a bit hungry and rather strongly adverse to Mungwort (though not garlic for some other strange reason).

He also didn't remember much from his time in the cave.

It have been a desperate, last ditch plan admittedly. He was unsure if it would have even worked, and had hoped that at the very least the Blessed would see that he would go through desperate lengths to leave.

It was his bad luck it was misinterpreted as him wanting to become part of their society further.

Harry rolled his eyes at his own see-saw fortune.

Oh well, whatever had happened, obviously something had taken pity on him and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He wondered if it was a good or a bad thing that he was getting less and less bothered by the notion of divine beings traipsing through his life?

Oh well. Time for some fishing!