I know not whether this tale should make it into the Company Logs. My kinsman, Steven (called Blackhawk) Fox, is in dire (not said in jest) peril. When he and I were attacked by the Dire Bear in the old forest, it never occurred to me that there would be any lasting affects from his injuries. He was healed and it was done with, or so we all thought. After finding Blackhawk bruised and naked in the forest, the signs all pointed to only one thing. Blackhawk was now some kind of a lycanthrope, a werebear. But not just a werebear, a dire werebear. Raven tried to discern the nature of the affliction, and reported that, unlike a normal lycanthrope, she could see two spirits inside of Blackhawk, each vying for the upper hand. She said it is a very old strong being who is in possession of him and that she fears he will be lost to it. He cannot be cured unless he finds the wherewithal to break away from it and it is obvious to all of us that in some way, he doesn't want to be cured. Stephen made the wise observation that this could be a lesson, a blessing or a curse, but it seems clear that unless he gains control, Blackhawk will be consumed by the bear spirit. After a brief discussion, it was decided that I should teleport the group to Turlough so that when the moon rose, Blackhawk would not be able to do damage to anyone or anything important. It was clear that he would become a creature of huge size and strength, so Raven said she would stay and try to speak with the bear. Elensul would stay to protect her if necessary, and Stephen and I would go up to the top of the cliff and observe, pitching in if the need arose. I cast Rary's telepathic bond on the three of them before Stephen and I went up to the top of the cliff. Blackhawk began to get agitated close to sundown. Raven sat before him, telling him to remember who he was and trying to help him focus. Later, he told us it felt like he was falling asleep, that he couldn't fight. He fell to the ground and started to twitch. It is hard to describe what happened next, but he began to shift and twist and grow, larger and larger until he was the size of a two story house! When the transformation was complete, the bear roared and the ground shook. Raven tried to speak with it, but after it looked at her for one long moment, it bumped past her and with a last almost disdainful glance, headed for the docks. Raven changed into her mountain lion form and ran up the hill. Elensul, running next to her, heard her say "damn!" as she raced past. He suggested strongly that we should avoid the bear. As if we needed to be told! When she had recovered from the trauma, Raven shifted back and told us she was sorry, that she was not ready to deal with the bear spirit, and that Blackhawk was in great danger of being consumed by it. She said that it is aware when Blackhawk is in human form, that it is a power and must be treated with respect and honor. We were all sobered by this news, and it was a very subdued party that teleported back to Arbor for the night. It was quiet at the Inn, where we were all recognized to greater or lesser degrees. I was surprised that no one inquired about Blackhawk, since I believe he has spent considerable time there. Stephen offered to play and sing and the Inn keeper was so impressed that he offered Stephen a permanent job, with 40% of the door. Stephen graciously declined. After a while, we went to make use of the baths, which were very soothing after our stressful day. We went to bed, and were disturbed by strange dreams haunted by the screams of goats.

In the morning, we packed a basket of good food for Blackhawk and returned to the island. The bear had been busy during the night. He had disassembled one of the cliff buildings, slicing through the stone with his claws like a knife through butter. We found Blackhawk naked and cold, with no memory of the previous night's adventures. The goats were nowhere to be seen. Stephen sang a soothing song as Raven debriefed Blackhawk. She said the spirit seemed to feel that she was beneath speaking to, that it was aware all the time and that it chose to possess Blackhawk. She told him he must retain his own personality or it would take him over completely. His response to this news has worried me greatly. He first said that he thought he should focus on the bear, trying to be more "one" with it. We all argued that if he did, the bear would just gain more power. We spoke for a while about the impact Fara's next task might have on the problem. Would the bear spirit leave if Blackhawk's body was dead, even for just a little while? Or would it remain and leave Blackhawk "homeless"? Blackhawk seemed upset by this discussion. Elensul asked if he subconciously wanted the power and Blackhawk replied that the spirit had blessed him with it's presence and why should he give away the gift? He said he chose to view it as not a curse, but a challenge.

I think all of us are wondering, is he up to this challenge?

Respectfully submitted by Maxfield Jaden Fox