Jack did as he was told but didn't feel as comfortable when he saw that the carriage led to Mount Erb, the mountain of danger and doom. It was a place that was rarely visited as it was fraught with danger, one of them being the constant snow and ice that always seemed to prevail at the top of Mount Erb.

Yet there was no going back with two challenges finished and only two to go. Jack felt a duty to go through it all for better or worse. And even though he wasn't sure if, after his quest, he would be able to reclaim his home, at least he could hope to reclaim his calling once again.

After traveling up the winding road for some time, almost running off the road, they finally reached the top. The summit of that particular mountain was as beautiful as it was dangerous. The fog seemed to hug it so tightly that the carriage could barely find any road.

"Well, this is where I leave you," Red said, his words so quiet that they were merely a whisper carried on the wind.

"Aren't you coming with me?" Jack wondered in his terrified mind.

"Are you insane? I am not a fool to stay here even a second more than I have to!" Red said, quickly getting back into his carriage and driving away as fast as possible.

Seeing an enormous giant flee from the infamous mountain didn't make Jack feel any better about the quest he was about to undertake. Still, he gathered his courage and moved forward because going back wasn't something he could do. Not without betraying himself and all he stood for.

"What do we have here? A delicious snack or something else?" a gruff voice closer to a growl asked.

"I come in peace! I come in peace! I come in peace!" Jack thought like a mantra.

He hoped it might serve as a shield from whatever beings were lurking around the dark forest which stood on both sides of the road.

"Well, well. If that ain't a storyteller who lost his voice," a bear-like creature immerging from the forest said as its shining eyes fixated on Jack.

"The Four Little Bears," Jack thought in shock. "They are supposed to be a legend."

However, the brown being that approached him through the layer of snow was anything but a legend. Even more terrifying was that the creature wasn't really a bear, more like a werebear.

"I am afraid that the legends have a few things wrong. First of all, it's Mama Bear and Three Little Bears. Secondly, we haven't been little for a while, and mother is too old to go hunting these days. Still, we would've been happy to share you with her. I am sure you would make a delicious snack," the second bear said as it ran to sit next to its brother.

"Children! Children! Enough! There will be no eating of this little thing. The Seer is quite fond of him, and you know how she is if she gets mad," Mama Bear said, slowly trotting from the opposite direction, her hair going white at places being the only thing to show her age.

"Oh, mom, that's not fair!" the third bear whined, standing next to his brothers, who were definitely not little.

The chorus of complaining and crying didn't stop. However, Jack knew that no matter how big the children were, they always listened to their mothers. Thus, he was not to be yet another snack on their plate.

At that moment, a girl with beautiful gold locks skipped towards them with an air of prey that wasn't aware it was prey. Her bright smile and curious eyes made her even prettier, more innocent.

"Alright, children, if you are that hungry, you can snack on that little twig over there," Mama bear said, pointing at the goldilocks. "It won't be much, but it will at least keep you satiated until I prepare the next meal."

Jack was horrified at the notion and terrified by the strange glint that started shining in the eyes of three enormous bear-like creatures. It was unimaginable for him to see anything happen to someone so young and unspoiled by the hardships of life, so he chose to do something about it.

"Eat me, instead," Jack yelled in his mind on reflex.

He wasn't ready to die, but he thought that at least he had lived some kind of life. The girl hadn't had the chance to experience anything, good or bad. It was only fair to offer up his life instead of hers as he had had a well-lived, if not a long life.

"You passed the test," Mama Bear said, smiling brightly as her teeth glistened whiter than the snow, "It was our job to test your courage, your selflessness as we prepare you for your last challenge."

"Come, Goldilocks, the games are over. We can all go home now for some well-deserved honey," Mama bear said.

"Can we have some fruit as well? Or some fresh grass?" the three bears asked, talking over each other.

Once again, confusion was all that Jack could feel as the shift between menacing beasts and friendly hosts was so sudden that it still had his head spinning.

"Oh, they really got you going, didn't they?" Goldilocks said after skipping to where Jack stood with his mouth wide open. "I guess your legends don't say anything about the Four Little Bears being vegetarians, do they?"

"Vegetarians?" Jack thought, dumbfounded.

"Yes, it means they only eat honey and plants such as fruits and vegetables," Goldilocks said calmly. "I guess their acting skills have really improved over the years.

The loud giggle that followed her words was proof enough that everything that had happened before was an act, a charade, and the one they had often done. No matter how impossible it seemed, it was clear the truth was as far from the fictitious characters of the legends as it could get.

"Come on, follow us. Some warm honey will help you better digest the truth," Mama Bear said invitingly.

Jack followed behind, hoping they weren't amazing actors tricking their dinner into their pot. After all, in the world of magic, good and bad, everything was possible and impossible at once.

Living with that all his life, Jack had learned to listen to his instincts, and at that moment, they were telling him he was being told the truth. Still, an amount of caution was desirable.

To Jack's luck, or thanks to his impeccable instincts, the bears, or werebears as they preferred to be called, turned out to be the kindest, the most gracious hosts anyone could wish for. Food was plentiful and delicious, and the conversation was vivid and full of warmth.

"Has the Seer mentioned what am I to do next?" Jack thought about the one question that seemed the most important to ask.

"As a matter of fact, you should drink up your honey. Your next challenge is about to pass by our window," Mama Bear said, looking at the endless whiteness covering the world.

"A snowman?" Jack wondered.

"Yes, but not any snowman. It's the very one whose tale you were trying to pre-tell," Mama Bear said knowingly.

"That's Snowflake?" Jack thought in disbelief. "Shouldn't he be the happiest snowman who loves Christmas?"

The figure that trudged through the snow despondently was anything but happy. Snowflake looked like the whole world had come crashing down, and there was no way for him to rebuild it. Thus, it didn't strike Jack as the least familiar.

"I am afraid that is him," Mama Bear said, scrunching up her eyebrows to see the sad little snowman better. "That was before something horrible happened to him."

"What happened?" Jack asked, having lost the thread of his story because he was trying to pick it before it was ripe.

"That's up to you to discover. Help Snowflake find his path and you finish your quest and get your voice back. But hurry up, the little fellow can be quite fast on his feet," Mama Bear warned.