The soldiers had faced bears before. Black bears. Grizzly bears. An owlbear, once - thankfully an old, blind one that was easily dissuaded with loud noises.

But this bear stood on its hind legs, its front legs hanging at its sides. It had short, pale brown fur, and wide solid-black eyes, and, bizarrely, a bright red ribbon tied around its neck. Even more bizarrely, its mouth was simply a black line across its snout. They'd heard it roar - and it roared again right there in front of them - but the mouth did not open. The eyes did not blink. There were no claws on its paws, just a blunt end to the arm.

It was a teddy bear. Had this village for months been terrorized by a teddy bear? A giant, roaring teddy bear, yes; it was disconcerting to see a toy which stood a full head taller than the tallest of the soldiers, and which moved of its own free will. But in every hardened soldier's heart was the odd temptation to step forward and give the cuddly bear-bear a hug.

"Sergeant," the commander said, "advance and investigate."

"Uh, yes, sir." The sergeant stepped forward, keeping her sword at the ready. The bear continued to approach, punctuating its heavy footsteps with low roars. But it did not rush her. It allowed her to meet it, and to gently poke at its large round belly with the tip of her sword.

"It's plush, sir," the sergeant called over her shoulder.

"Is this some kind of prank?" the commander wondered aloud.

"A prank that's kept everyone indoors for weeks, if so," said his second-in-command.

The sergeant patted the bear on the arm. It roared again, but they were all getting used to the sound. Perhaps that was all that this bear was magically programmed to do.

"Commander?"

"Yes, sergeant?"

"Permission to hug the bear."

The locals had been certain that the monster was out to eat them. The commander sighed.

"On your head be it."

The sergeant lowered her sword and wrapped her arms around the teddy bear. It was just too wide for her to completely reach around, but her arms sunk into the fabric satisfyingly. The bear roared again, but it had stopped walking, and while the soldiers waited, no harm came to the sergeant.

"We should conduct an inventory of nearby wizards," said the commander. "Find out who's behind this whole mess."

"Yes, sir," said his second-in-command.

"This is humiliating."

"It is, sir. May I have a turn to hug the bear, sir?"

The commander sighed. "Yes, you may."