"The Mountain’s Heart"
In the time before roads and roaring engines, the Bear stood watch beneath the mountain—silent, steady, eternal.
The People called him Nokomis Makwa—Grandfather Bear. They believed he was carved from the mountain’s spirit, his breath the morning mist, his growl the rumble beneath the earth.
He taught strength through stillness, power through patience. Warriors prayed to him before battle. Mothers whispered his name when they needed courage.
Each spring, he would rise from his den and walk through the pine valleys, reminding the land it was alive.
The Elders said: if you meet his eyes, do not run. Stand tall, breathe deep. For you are meeting not just a bear, but the heart of the mountain.
“To honor the Bear is to walk with the strength of stone and the soul of the wild.”
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