The Bulkster Bear

Philosophies College Teacher by day, alleyway crime fighter by night.
It would have not dawned on 28 year old Santiago Hectores that visiting his foreign colleague in the high canadian mountain peaks would have got him a fated encounter with his spirit animal the Bear.

Santiago was never one to believe mystical legends, he was already tired out of the tales from his old home in mexico which prompted him to leave for America as soon as he received his teacher credentials.
He was more of a rational dude than a spiritual dude and he taught his students the value of morality and situational awareness in Philosophy rather then the spiritual side of it all.
One day, a former colleague who had moved to a Canadian institution had requested his help managing the university - apparently various students have been feeling drained, lacking in compassion and became a handful for the staff there which hadnt set any prior philosophical classes, the colleague though his old friend could try and motivate the student body to be more lively.
Santiago couldnt refuse and took the first plane available to get there - problem is, he choose too hastily and his flight path landed off course from his original location. He decided to do a bit of the trail on his own to reach the next town thus passing by the cold mountain peaks.
His journey lead him through an oncoming blizzard which forced him to take shelter in a nearby cave.
This
is
When
it
Happened.
In the cave, he struggled to see where he was stepping and decided to light up a torch, to his horror he found himself confronting a large , cave wide bear. W---wait cave wide, yes it was actually stuck in the cave and could not free itself due to its large size. Santiago's heart was beating fast but he could not shake the feeling that this mammal was bad news for him. Deep inside his heart he knew that the poor thing was trapped and would give its last breath in this cave within the next few days. In a moment of compassion, Santiago decided to help the beast out and pulled its back paws towards him. An hour in the task and the desperation cries were felt from both the beast and Santiago's heavy breathing, one last effort was made using all of his remaining strength to pull the beast out.
In that moment of exasperation, Santiago finally managed to pull the beast out from the hole as he fell back from exhaustion. He felt proud, he felt satisfied, he felt alive and then the fear of a life time.
The bear which had came out of the hole began moving towards our tired protagonist, then grabbed him with his paws to put im in a form of bearhug. Santiago's hear was pounding fast, he had no more strength left to battle the beast and though his irrational act of kindness had acted against his agency to live.
He closed his eyes expecting the worst then felt something new - His strength, his arms, he could resist the beast, he could push it back, he could break the hold !!!!
Santiago shook himself out of his shocked state and counter grappled the beast in his own Bear hug, the grappling contest lasted for a few minutes as both Him and the beast were intensively attempting to over power each other's strength. Then it stopped, the beast faded away right before Santiago;s eyes, leaving him bewildered but facing what was far back in the hole this beast was stick in moments earlier. It was a talisman of some form, it glowed in the dark corner of this cave, as if it resonated with what had transpired. Santiago felt rejuvenated, as if he had found a new form of confidence in himself, a new purpose, a new way of life.
He took the artifact and kept it close to his person as he made his way out- he was determined to keep this event a secret to him while setting his sights on helping his colleague out with motivating the students. - Little did he know, motivation was not the main issue of the crisis at hand...

Duuuude, giving him way too much time for now, he'll pop up at some point in tha future! Sphinx time for now, that why i didnt render his bear form out. I've spend so much time on figuring out the texture for his suit, in a comic book form, all this time coulda gone to tha comic in progress hahahahha. i wont make that mistake again yet im glad i was able to flesh him out some more.