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yoicks not to be.”
“Yoicks?” Rolf asked.
“You remember, Rolf, Auntie Siv used to say that all the time. It’s like polar bears say ‘blairn,’ and owls say ‘yoicks.’”
“And now,” said Theo, “for this owl it is time to say good-bye. Be good cubs and turn around and swim back.”
“All right.” They both sighed. “Bye, Theo.”
“Bye, Rolf. Bye, Anka.”
It was close to midnight by the time Theo reached the end of the tickle, and it was narrow. But just before the end, he spotted the most immense bear he had ever seen. Could this be Svarr? The bear was sitting upright and looking down at something. Theo flew lower. The bear heard him, raised a paw, made a soft patting motion on the air, and then drew the paw to his muzzle as if to indicate quiet. A dark head emerged from the hole and then there was a sudden thwack that reverberated into the night and caused the waters of the tickle to slosh violently. Blood spread across the ice before the bear had even hauled the seal from its hole.
“Be with you in a minute,” he said as he proceeded to rake his middle claw down the seal’s belly and neatly peel back the skin. He began scooping out the blubber.
“Mmmm-mmm, that is one tasty seal.” He turned to look at Theo. “What can I do for you?”
“Are you Svarr?”
“Oh, no! What’s she up to now?”
“Who?”
“Svenka.”
“How’d you know?”
“Svenka has become quite social of late. Most un-bearish. She seems to consort with owls.”
“Well, from what I understand, you know quite a bit about owls yourself,” Theo said.
“Indeed, I do. But they don’t know about me.” The great bear looked amused.
“What interests you so about owls?” Theo was genuinely curious.
“Their politics, their wars, their scheming blairney ways. Very entertaining.”
“Well, I count myself lucky for meeting you,” Theo said amicably.
Svarr looked up for the first time at Theo. “I’m glad you didn’t take offense.”
“No offense. It’s true. I really don’t care for the politics myself. Or the war.”
“So, why are you here, and where do you come from?”
“Originally, I come from the Firth of Grundenspyrr, not far from here.”
“Good sealing up there.”
“Yes. But now I come from another place in the S’yrthghar—the Southern Kingdoms. I come as an emissary of King Hoole.”
Svarr put down a bloody hunk of blubber and opened his eyes wide. “You do, do you?”
Theo nodded.
“I hear the young king is a good sort. Fought bravely at the battle in Beyond the Beyond. And got some sort of magic ember. Maybe he could knock out the hagsfiends with it. Now that would be a blessing of Ursa!”
“You hear a lot, Svarr, and that is why I have come.”
“Why’s that?” Svarr was suddenly alert.
“What you hear could help our young king.” Theo went on to explain Hoole’s plan to have a network of slipgizzles that could keep him informed.
“Well, you know polar bears, we’ve never taken sides. But these owls and their hagsfiends are a bad lot. I heard Svenka herself got caught in a fyngrot back before her cubs were born.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I have a message from Svenka. She said in two years she would meet you. Same time, same place.”
Svarr rolled his huge dark eyes. “What’s a fella to do?” He sighed, and when he exhaled, it nearly blew Theo off the ice outcropping on which he perched. “So you want me to keep an ear open by the old smee holes?”
“Yes. Find out if Lord Arrin is planning a counterattackof some sort. How many troops does he have? Any new hagsfiends?”
“Whooo-hee!”
Again Theo had to grip with his talons on the ice. He wished that Svarr did not indulge in such windy exclamations. “You, my fine friend, are behind the times. These days, Lord Arrin hardly has two yarped pellets to rub together.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“That last battle shattered his forces. They split like ice fields on a summer’s
“Yoicks?” Rolf asked.
“You remember, Rolf, Auntie Siv used to say that all the time. It’s like polar bears say ‘blairn,’ and owls say ‘yoicks.’”
“And now,” said Theo, “for this owl it is time to say good-bye. Be good cubs and turn around and swim back.”
“All right.” They both sighed. “Bye, Theo.”
“Bye, Rolf. Bye, Anka.”
It was close to midnight by the time Theo reached the end of the tickle, and it was narrow. But just before the end, he spotted the most immense bear he had ever seen. Could this be Svarr? The bear was sitting upright and looking down at something. Theo flew lower. The bear heard him, raised a paw, made a soft patting motion on the air, and then drew the paw to his muzzle as if to indicate quiet. A dark head emerged from the hole and then there was a sudden thwack that reverberated into the night and caused the waters of the tickle to slosh violently. Blood spread across the ice before the bear had even hauled the seal from its hole.
“Be with you in a minute,” he said as he proceeded to rake his middle claw down the seal’s belly and neatly peel back the skin. He began scooping out the blubber.
“Mmmm-mmm, that is one tasty seal.” He turned to look at Theo. “What can I do for you?”
“Are you Svarr?”
“Oh, no! What’s she up to now?”
“Who?”
“Svenka.”
“How’d you know?”
“Svenka has become quite social of late. Most un-bearish. She seems to consort with owls.”
“Well, from what I understand, you know quite a bit about owls yourself,” Theo said.
“Indeed, I do. But they don’t know about me.” The great bear looked amused.
“What interests you so about owls?” Theo was genuinely curious.
“Their politics, their wars, their scheming blairney ways. Very entertaining.”
“Well, I count myself lucky for meeting you,” Theo said amicably.
Svarr looked up for the first time at Theo. “I’m glad you didn’t take offense.”
“No offense. It’s true. I really don’t care for the politics myself. Or the war.”
“So, why are you here, and where do you come from?”
“Originally, I come from the Firth of Grundenspyrr, not far from here.”
“Good sealing up there.”
“Yes. But now I come from another place in the S’yrthghar—the Southern Kingdoms. I come as an emissary of King Hoole.”
Svarr put down a bloody hunk of blubber and opened his eyes wide. “You do, do you?”
Theo nodded.
“I hear the young king is a good sort. Fought bravely at the battle in Beyond the Beyond. And got some sort of magic ember. Maybe he could knock out the hagsfiends with it. Now that would be a blessing of Ursa!”
“You hear a lot, Svarr, and that is why I have come.”
“Why’s that?” Svarr was suddenly alert.
“What you hear could help our young king.” Theo went on to explain Hoole’s plan to have a network of slipgizzles that could keep him informed.
“Well, you know polar bears, we’ve never taken sides. But these owls and their hagsfiends are a bad lot. I heard Svenka herself got caught in a fyngrot back before her cubs were born.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I have a message from Svenka. She said in two years she would meet you. Same time, same place.”
Svarr rolled his huge dark eyes. “What’s a fella to do?” He sighed, and when he exhaled, it nearly blew Theo off the ice outcropping on which he perched. “So you want me to keep an ear open by the old smee holes?”
“Yes. Find out if Lord Arrin is planning a counterattackof some sort. How many troops does he have? Any new hagsfiends?”
“Whooo-hee!”
Again Theo had to grip with his talons on the ice. He wished that Svarr did not indulge in such windy exclamations. “You, my fine friend, are behind the times. These days, Lord Arrin hardly has two yarped pellets to rub together.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“That last battle shattered his forces. They split like ice fields on a summer’s
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