Simply being curious about how the Spirit Bear moves through the woods again suggests that Cole has the potential to change—and on some level, he recognizes that the natural world has all sorts of things to teach him. Note that Cole’s behavior and what he tells himself are at odds; he’s clearly afraid, but he knows that showing vulnerability will break his act of being all-powerful. Having to keep up this act, however, means that Cole feels compelled to behave recklessly—like swimming in the freezing cold ocean.