The Creature in the Tree

Chew Bear is a rare, magical creature who serves as the mascot for Stikii Shoes. Chew Bear is a friend to all and is devoted to his life-long mission of traveling the world in search of new Stik-ems to share with children everywhere. He makes us laugh, he makes us happy and most of all, he helps us to dream big. This is the story of how that wonderful individual arrived on this earth many years ago.

Chew Bear was born on October 28 in Chaledo, a magical city of ruins on Stikii Island. Legends say that Stikii Island is an ancient land located in Lake Erie, somewhere of the coast of Toledo, Ohio. The reason no one knows the exact coordinates of the island is that it is visible only to those who descend from Ancient Stikii, or those who have crossed through the “Green Portal”. The Green Portal is an invisible hole/door in the force field that protects Stikii Island from enemies and intruders, and is the only way that humans can travel to the island. Crossing through the portal only ever happens by accident or luck if you wish, because the force field rotates at an unknown speed which puts the portal in a different location every moment. Thus, many humans are unfamiliar with Stikii Island and the unique civilization who settled there several centuries ago.

Chew Bear’s biological parents were creatures known as Dog Bears. Dog Bears were a population of half dog, half bear hybrids with magical and mysterious powers. The creatures were very wise and very fascinating. We use the word “were” in association with the Dog Bears because their population died out a few hundred years ago – or so we thought. Chew Bear is actually the last of the ancient Dog Bear civilization.

Now I bet you are all wondering, “If the Dog Bear population disappeared hundreds of years ago, how did Chew Bear arrive to present day?” According to ancient markings found in the cave of Chew Bear’s biological parents, his mother was a time traveler, meaning that she could travel through time from one year to another. We believe that after giving birth to Chew Bear, she embraced both her husband and the baby and must have accidentally triggered her time travel abilities. As the three Dog Bears traveled through time and space, Chew Bear slipped through their paws and landed in the 21^st Century, and his parents were unable to locate him.

When Chew Bear fell through time, he landed (unharmed) in the highest branches of a Chew tree. Because he was only an infant, he was too frightened to climb down to the ground, so he remained hidden in the limbs of the tree. To help calm his nerves, Chew Bear did what comes naturally to Dog Bears; he began singing and rapping as loud as he could.

At the very same time, somewhere in Lake Erie, two humans with tan skin, dark brown afro hairstyles and plenty of beaded jewelry were taking a sailing trip. Chaka loved to take his wife Chacha sailing on the lake where they could enjoy one another’s company in peace. It served as a break from their hectic home lives. Out of nowhere a huge thunderstorm appeared and sent the waves splashing over the sides of the tiny ship. The skies grew darker than night and lightning flashed repeatedly. The boat started spinning and Chacha and Chaka gripped the railings, fearing for what was to come. Then, all of a sudden the sail boat flew through what looked like a giant hole in the water and landed in an area of perfectly calm waters and bright blue skies! Unbeknownst to them, they had just traveled through the Green Portal!

Not knowing what else to do, Chaka anchored the ship off of a nearby island to assess the damage. The storm had caused some harm to the structure, creating a small hole near the bow that kept collecting water. There was no way the boat could return home safely if it was not patched up, so the couple set off to explore the island in search of something that could fill the hole.

Chaka and Chacha scaled the island, covering the beach, the river and the forest. Amidst a clearing in the woods, Chacha saw an enormous tree that caught her attention and filled her with hope. The tree resembled one that she had heard of as a child in a story from the Elders. It was a Chew tree!! The leaves gathered from a Chew tree are used to make a special type of chewing gum. The gum is very strong and very sticky (Stikii!), perfect for patching up the hole in the sail boat!

Chaka and Chacha raced toward the tree and began to fill their satchels with the precious leaves. As they were gathering, they heard a beautiful sound coming from above. It was the perfect mixture of rap music and singing. The looked up and scanned the branches for the source of the music. It was then that they first laid eyes on Chew Bear, a tiny infant creature stuck at the very top of the tree. Chaka climbed up the branches, lifted Chew Bear from the tree and returned him safely to the forest ground.

Chacha and Chaka had noticed that there was no other sign of life on the island, and knew that it was their destiny to take the baby home with them and make him their own. They returned to the ship with the baby in tow and set out to mend the hole. Chacha pulled the Chew tree leaves from her bag and began to chew them into a soft, sticky substance. The child watched in awe, grabbed a handful himself, and began to mimic his new mother. Together they chewed enough leaves to repair the ship. It was then that Chacha decided to name him Chew Bear, after the tree he was found in and his love for the gum that it produced.

The three boarded the ship and set sail into the sunset, off to a new life, a new family and a new home…….

To be continued.

**Apparently, anyone can leave Stikii Island at any time, but as soon as they pass through the force field, the island disappears.**