One summer day, when the ice was becoming thinner, a new family of three polar bears played together on the mainland of the north. The mother was known as Ahtena by the other polar bears, and her two male cubs were named Muk and Luk, after their disappeared father. Muk was older, even if he was much smaller than his obese brother. Ahtena and her cubs weren't liked very much by the other polar bears, because she supposedly took another female's mate. That was fine with her, because she was happy with her new family and her goal, along with searching for her mate, was to take care of Muk and Luk.

"Mum! Look! I made a snowball!" cried Muk, his voice high-pitched with a peculiar accent.

Ahtena looked back at him and smiled. "That's great, kiddo!" She had an accent like her son. She looked at her younger cub. "Luk, what do you think of the snowball your brother made?"

Luk just wimpered happily in responce.

Ahtena shook her head wondering why Luk never talked. Muk was just as old as he was and was quite the little chatter box. She guessed that it wouldn't matter. She wasn't expecting them to associate with other polar bears besides themselves anyway. She and Muk understood his wimpers just fine.

There was a cry from Muk and Ahtena instantly focused her attention on her sons, thinking something bad happened.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"MUUUUUM! Luk ate my snowball!" pouted Muk, shoving his brother, his pushes not phasing the bigger cub. Ahtena giggled to herself.

"Luk, that wasn't very nice," she said. "If you boys were hungry, why didn't you say so? We'll look for a seal's fishing hole and get some food."

The cubs bounded with joy. They sure loved fish, but not nearly as much as snowball fights.

The family continued walking on the huge mass of ice they were on, looking for any crack in the ice to break a hole into to fish. Ahtena eventually found a hole in the ice, formed into a perfect circle.

"Here's a hole, Mum! I found it!" said Muk, proud. Luk shook his head at his mother, making small wimpers to let Ahtena know that he was lying and that he himself found the hole.

"Good job, you two." Ahtena smiled. "But I don't think it's safe to fish here."

"Aww, why not!"

"Because a human made this hole," she said. "And if they come back while I'm under the water fishing, I won't be able to protect you from them."

"Human?" Muk asked. The cubs were thinking that humans were some sort of scary, ferocious, saber-toothed monster. "Yeah, it's best we don't stay, then! Let's go find a hole a human won't go to!" The two cubs tugged at their mother's fur to urge her to continue searching.

The sun reached the highest point in the sky and Ahtena had yet to find a seal hole to fish in. The family searched all over, and eventually found themselves on an icy cliff that hung over the dark blue sea.

"Wow! That's a big water!" Muk exclaimed, Luk wimpering in aggreement. "Can we go play in it? We've never played in water before! Please, Mum, please!"

"No, that water's much too deep, boys," Ahtena advised. "It's too dangerous for cubs your age, yet."

"Aww, that's not fair," Muk complained. He felt a snowball hit the back of his head. He looked in the direction it came form and seen an guilty-looking Luk standing there. Muk dug his claws into the ground. "Hey! The ice is softer now!" He rolled the snow into a ball and threw it at his brother. They continued having snowball fights while their mother watched.

She shook her head and chuckled. How could her cubs not eat and have so much energy? Their father wasn't nearly as energetic.

There was a big cracking noise and then a splash.

"What was that?" Ahtena asked herself out loud. She padded over to the edge of the cliff they were on and seen parts of the ice break off and fall into the water and make huge waves. She was so amazed at the sight, she didn't notice that the ice she was on was breaking too.

"Ok, Mum, we're hungry now," Muk announced. The two cubs looked in their mother's direction and seen her and the ice she was on collapse and disappear. "MUM!" Muk and Luk ran to the edge of the cliff where it hadn't broke off and scrutinized the berg that held their mother plunge into the water below. They watched the water, wide-eyed, waiting for their mother to come back up. It seemed like ages before the berg she was on floated back to the surface. She was barely hanging from it.

"Mum!" Muk cried.

Ahtena groggily pulled herself onto the ice berg better and collapsed onto it from exhaustion. Muk kept calling for her, but she was unconscious. The two brothers watched their mother's ice berg float away from the main land until she was out of sight.

Luk started crying. Muk said, "The water took Mum away."

Muk and Luk layed near the cliff, waiting for any sign of their mother. They waited two days, but she never came back.

Muk finally decided that the two should make a move.

"Sitting here isn't going to bring our Mum back, Luk." he said. "We best go find more polar bears." He looked around for his brother. Where was he?

Luk was further on the mainland chasing after some gulls for food.

"Luk, why would you want to eat those?" Muk asked. Luk pointed at them. "We need to find our father, that's it! If we find him, he'll give us food! Because...cause he's our Dad! C'mon! Let's go!"

Muk and Luk made their way south to where they thought they'd find other polar bears. They traveled far in the next few days and they found what they were looking for. A lone male polar bear walking along the ice.

"There's someone, Luk!" said Muk. "Maybe he's our Dad!" They bounced up to the male bear and introduced themselves.

"Muk and Luk, huh?" the bear said. "You're Ahtena's kids."

"Yep! That's us!"

"Well, then, bugger off!" he said. "I've got fishing to do! Now leave me alone!" He started walking, but the cubs continued to follow him. He payed no attention to them, hoping that they'd leave on their own, but they didn't. Without saying anything, he broke a hole in the ice. He looked back at the cubs. "Well, here, I made a hole for you to fish in. Use it now, before I change my mind."

"We...uh...we don't swim, I'm afraid." said Muk, looking at his brother.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Polar bears who can't swim?!" He scoffed. "What a disgrace! Not only are you cubs of a harlot, you also can't swim! Things are definately wrong with you! Now, I'm not gonna say it again, get outta here!"

Without hesitation, Muk and Luk ran away from the lone bear, further south.

While traveling Luk wimpered in sadness and embarrassment.

"What a jerk!" said Muk, trying to enourage Luk. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to avoid losers like him!"

They continued the search for their father, both of them very hungry, until they heard a strange squeaking noise.

"What is that?" Muk asked. Luk wimpered in confusion. They continued to walk towards the noise, until they came up to a weird-structured place. Muk and Luk didn't know of any animal that could build homes like this, but they sure were amazing. The cubs continued to walk through the town, where the sound was louder. They discreetly wandered around the town, making their way around a large group of strange two-legged animals who payed them no attention. The sound was more clear now and had a bit of a rhythm to it. Muk didn't like it, but Luk was sure attracted to the noise. Luk began mimicing the noises, annoying Muk to no end.

Muk did find somethig interesting in the area, however. The scent of something sweet lured him in, and it led him up to a platform on which it was. Muk had no idea what this sweet thing was, but he began to eat it anyway and it tasted marvelous. Much better than fish. Luk, still making his squeaking noises, tried eating some, but Muk wasn't allowing it. One of the two-legged animals seen them and started roaring at the two cubs. They were frightened and ran far away from the town.

"Well, that was an event!" Muk exclaimed. "But I'm still hungry." Luk wimpered in agreement. Luk paused for a moment and sniffed the air. He smelt another kind of food, but it didn't lead into the town. It led into another kind of structure that was possibly built by the same kind of animals they encountered. But this one didn't look at nice as the other. It looked rather wrecked. Still, Luk continued following his nose. The cubs stopped when they heard squawking.

"And what is this?!" squawked a funny-sounding voice.

"It's called, sausage." said a younger male voice. "It's meat."

"Do I look like I eat meat?!" exclaimed the first voice. "I'm a bird! Birds don't eat meat!"

"You probably would've eaten it if I didn't tell you it was meat," muttered the younger voice, irritated.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," the younger voice chuckled. "Why don't you go into town with me next time?"

"Because, Balto, I don't like people! They're loud and annoying and make terrible music!"

"It's not like anything bad's gonna happen, they pretty much leave us alone." said Balto.

"Well, I--HEY!" exclamied the source of the first squawking, funny-sounding voice, when two little (well one little, one big) polar bears approached him, sniffing the sausage he possessed. "What? You bears hungry? Here." and he threw it over the boat's edge. "You can have it, just don't eat me." And he turned around to face the being that was Balto. Luk chased after the sausage and ate it, while Muk gave the food-giver a big bear hug.

"Daddy!" Muk cried, squeazing him tight. Luk appeared from behind and hugged the food-giver as well.

"Daddy?" Balto snickered. "What were you doing a year ago?" Balto asked, chuckling.

"You don't possibly think these two are mine! Now let go!" And he flew out of the cubs' grip.

Muk and Luk were confused. He must be their father, otherwise, why would he give them food? A food-giver means caretaker!

"But...aren't you our Dad?" asked Muk.

"No, I am not! You are polar bears! I am not a polar bear!"

"You're white like a polar bear." Muk said, poking his "father's" plump belly.

"No, he's just an old goose." Balto said, playfully nudging him. "His name is Boris. I'm Balto. What are your guys' names?"

"I'm Muk!