Excerpt:

Prologue:
If he was home, he would have woken up to a father in a bumble bee apron. His dad would probably be whistling the winnie the pooh theme song. The smell of hot fish cakes would be wafting through the two bedroom appartment. He would be safe, comfortable, and content in a wonderfully soft bed.

But, he wasn't home. His father wasn't wearing the bumble bee printed apron, in fact his"father" wasn't even his actual father. His fake father wasn't even there. He didn't wake up to the smell of fishcakes. He woke to the lingering smell of disease and waste. When he opened his button green eyes, he woke up to the despair and melancholy of a forgotten land and an ancient civilization. Instead of a comfortable bed, he was lying in a tomb of a jack in the box. A rusting call of a dying spring and a forgotten melody echoing throughout the tomb. All he had of his home in the Teddy bear kingdom was his lion paw medallion and his smiley face pajama bottoms.

Angry tears flattened rebellious furs of his face as he steamed, clutching his holy lion paw he nearly roared out to the very sky. What had he done to deserve this? He had always obeyed the authority, just as it was written on the rounded stones. He obeyed his over protective "father", and his betraying mother. And look where that got him, exiled for false charges trying to save the one he loved.

He just sat in the darkness of the tomb and slammed the head against his medallion. Muttering curses against himself, against his birth father, his birth mother, and hie first love. His stomach growled impatiently, cursing him once again. So, he was hungry. What else was new?

Still practising religious pennance against his brow, he stood slowly, and he walked to the mouth of the tomb. And even the golden sun itself looked with pity at the barren and fallen counrty of the Jack in the box. As he beat his brow, a band of army stragglers dragged along a kicking and screaming. Once he heard a feminie screech , he dropped the medallion back to it's place against his black bear chest. The soldiers were laughing and throwing the doll around, when he snuck in the shadows. The medallion about his neck beat against his chest as his heart raced, pumping more and more stuffing into his veins. The bear in him filled every centimeter of his stuffing, his heart thudded and the screams of the doll stopped. But, th ecries of the soldiers grew louder and louder then in a sickening move all was still and his rage was fullfilled.

"You saved my life, sir, I am forever grateful", thanked a voice that was definitly not female. He turned and looked at the doll, trying not to stare. One black eye stared into his two green ones, a fully black furred face stared into a half brown and half skeltal white face. The brown half's mouth moved to speak, "Since you saved my life and all, why don't I invite you back to the cave for some diner?".

The brown side of the doll's face was blushing lightly, while the skeletal face held no expression. As the doll kept going on about what "Killer" was cooking for diner, the bear's stomach began to preach angrily at him. The doll, once hearing that immediatly covered his empty eye socket and squealed. " I am so sorry, sir! Let's get going. You must be starved".

The doll led the bear on through the cracked earth, still speaking. The brown side couldn't be seen, but the skeletal side was stoic and still. The cheerful words and laughter came from the brown side, but the skeletal side was barren and sad. Just like this country. They walked for a long time, the golden sun was on it's midway point of journey across the uncharted sky. The two, the bear and the doll, stood side by side before a cave. The brown side held a smile that almost invaded the skeletal side . "Alright this is home! ", the brown side asked in a cheerful voice. Before they descended the skeletal side spoke in a voice as old as the ground itself, "What is your name furried one?" The skeletal side's empty eye socket, though void of an eye ball seemed to watch the bear. The bear couldn't help but smile, "Just call me Cross".