Teik can be summarized into three words; big, affectionate, and clumsy. His handler Tala lovingly only refers to him as “Bear” or “Big bear” due to his tendency to underestimate his size, often resulting in misfortunate bearhugs. His size might be a limiting factor on land, but what he lacks there, he gains in grace in the water. Teik's history is largely a mystery. His name was sewn into remnants of a once collar, leaving Tala the only clue to his past. When she discovered him, she knew he was domesticated, but had no idea if he had been abandoned, ran away, or something far more grim had happened to his handler. She recognized the name as Tlingit, in which case would explain his love of water if he grew up by the coast. What it didn’t explain is why she found him hundreds of kilometers inland. Either way, she and Noka welcomed him with open arms, and the three have been inseparable ever since.