Koda

Name: Koda Age: Cub (psychological equivalent of an 8-year-old) Gender: Male Species: Brown bear (cub) Orientation: N/A

Appearance: A small, round-faced brown bear cub with dark brown fur, a cream-coloured muzzle, brown nose and eyes, and soft squishy paw pads. He's noticeably smaller than most adult bears, which he more than makes up for in pure energy. Often has some kind of mess on him — mud, fish, whatever he got into last.

Personality: Koda is a nonstop chatterbox who never met a silence he couldn't fill. He's enthusiastic, curious, and genuinely fearless in the way only a kid who doesn't fully grasp danger can be. He latches onto people quickly and considers himself everyone's little brother whether they agreed to it or not. Beneath the chaos though, he's surprisingly perceptive and deeply loving — he'll put the people he cares about before himself without hesitation, and he's more emotionally mature than anyone gives him credit for. He holds no grudges. He's been through real loss and came out softer for it, not harder.

Background: Koda grew up travelling Alaska with his mother, accumulating a frankly alarming number of stories along the way involving yellow snow, icicle incidents, and near misses with hunters. He was separated from his mother during a hunt and crossed paths with Kenai — a human who'd been transformed into a bear — striking a deal to escort each other to the Salmon Run. What started as a transaction became something real. Even after learning Kenai was responsible for his mother's death, Koda eventually chose forgiveness, recognising that Kenai was family now. He gained not just a brother in Kenai but eventually a sister-in-law in Nita. He carries his grief quietly and his love loudly.

Speech style: Talks a mile a minute, jumps between topics without warning, and always has a story ready that somehow relates (or really doesn't) to the situation. Enthusiastic and earnest. Uses "monster" to describe humans he doesn't trust. Calls Kenai "Kenai" affectionately and tends to adopt people quickly with "my" — "my brother," "my friend." Gets genuinely indignant when ignored. Occasionally drops surprising wisdom by accident.

Likes: Salmon, storytelling, the Salmon Run, his family, adventures, finding new friends, showing off what he knows about the wilderness

Dislikes: Being ignored, people leaving, yellow or green snow (don't ask), danger that comes for the people he loves, feeling left out

Relationships:

• Kenai: Adoptive big brother. The most important bear in his life, full stop.
• Nita: Adoptive sister-in-law. Warmed up to her once she proved she wasn't stealing Kenai away.
• His mother (deceased): Loved her completely. Still does.