Kulloda and Anachain do see a bear in the cave, using the darkness to its advantage but not taking into account the various observational talents of the group.

As it sees that it is being observed the bear in the cave creeps forward prepared to defend itself and then suddenly Deniz turns into a black bear too... The bear in the cave stops, visibly confused and then let's out a long low growl.

Kulloda looks from the bear in the cave to the one out of the cave and shrugs.

He looks over at Anachain and Grimrin, narrows his eyes a little then says. "Where Deniz hide?"

Kulloda doesn't spare too much thought about it and gestures at the path going up past the cave.

"Let bear and bear talk. We keep going."

Assuming no aggression by either bear towards Kulloda, he keeps going up the path up the hill.

     Anachain looks to the bear outside the cave to see their response to Kulloda's suggestion.  If the bears seem to want some alone time then Anachain will shrug and let nature take its course and follow Kulloda.  But if the Deniz-Bear seems reluctant about the alone time then she will, of course, stay and play chaperone.

(Not really sure how the Deniz-Bear will indicate either way but she figures the eyes always sparkle when love is involved...)

As kulloda tries to ascend the path up the hill the cave bear bounds forward growling in warning. Coming to within 10ft of the party.

Deniz-Bear growls in response, and then when the bear lunges forward, Deniz-Bear likewise approaches, and rises up on his hind legs, roaring with jaws wide open...

     "Kully, hold on a moment," Anachain calls over to Kulloda.  "I think they're starting the mating ritual..."

     While saying this she also grasps her newly acquired wand in case it is needed.

Kulloda leaves his hand on the hilt of his sword but when the one bear rears up and roars at the other one, Kulloda lets out his own bellow as well.

"Go away dumb bear" Kulloda yells in support of the one bear. "Not want kill you."

Then what Anachain has said sinks in.

"Mating?"

     "Mating, yeah... You know...." But then afraid that perhaps he doesn't understand what she means by mating Anachain makes a bit of a circle with her left hand and then pokes the wand she is holding in her other in and out of the hole.  "Mating."

Kulloda looks at Anachain and what she's doing with the wand, frowns then laughs loudly.

"Kulloda not Ilmater priest. Kulloda know what mating is." Kulloda says before he goes back to roaring support for the one bear.

Taking the hint of hostility and with kulloda's help for trying to intimidate or otherwise psychologically subdue the cave bear, Deniz-bear's roar and body language (beary language?) causes the cave bear to rethink its strategy. It stops growling, stops bearing it's teeth and instead approaches slowly braying and barking as if trying to speak.

Kulloda looks at the bear and furrows his brow as if trying to understand what the bear is saying.

"Maybe bear like cat," Kulloda says. "Not really bear. Person that looks like bear."

He looks at the bear again and says, very loudly.

"Bear. We go up hill. Use spike."

He holds up one of the spikes and points up the hill to their destination. With that, Kulloda heads up the path.

     "Can you understand them?" Anachain asks of Deniz chiefly but would be pleasantly surprised if Grimrin could.  "Is that how bears normally act?"

     Just in case it's not, Anachain takes a step away from the cave but brings the wand of web up a bit.  Still pointing halfway between the ground and the bear, she wants to be ready with it if needed.

Deniz-Bear hears Anachain's first question, turns his bear-face to the human and shakes it side-to-side. Then in response to the second question, Deniz-Bear just looks at her, tilts his bear-head and makes no answer.

(Deniz wonders whether bears normally act this way... Nature check: 5)

With the native-bear looking more subdued, Deniz-Bear decides to approach it. His muzzle points to the ground and he snuffles and shuffles closer, not looking the native-bear in the eye until he is closer, then sits on his haunches and waits to see if there is any response, or if he can make anything of it...

(Maybe an Animal Handling as well? Just trying to choose actions that won't antagonise the bear... 24)

There IS something unusual about this bear... like it's used to seeing humanoids... not entirely wild... perhaps... no, not quite domesticated either... just familiarised. Perhaps after years - no, a lifetime! - of seeing the old druid come here each fortnight... perhaps they were used to each other... perhaps even friends. Deniz knows that with the right preparation he too can commune with the beasts, so no doubt the now-dead druid did too. But for now, all Deniz could do was convey a sense of the same familiarity... He thought quickly... mind flashing with ways one might respond to a bear, to show it respect when entering its territory, but also acknowledging it as an equal...

Rising up again onto his hind legs, but this time in a non-threatening pose, Deniz-Bear stands for a moment... Then in a most un-bear-like manner, he drops to one knee. It's difficult - the bear anatomy doesn't proffer the hip flexibility to hold the pose stably, but it doesn't need to be for long... Finally, he bows his head slightly and extends one fore-paw forward in a greeting, as if offering food... it's the most humanoid-like greeting and pose he can devise, and hopes it suffices to convey the same kind of greeting the old druid might have customarily made.

The cave bear tilts it's head in a manner of confusion at the absurd display, but recognising a non hostile gesture it bows to Deniz and then looks around at the rest of the party. As its gaze lands on kulloda and the iron spike in his outstretched hand, a look of recognition crosses the bears face, it nods and returns to the back of it's cave letting the group pass uninhibited. 

The group clamber up the rocky path up the side of the cave entrance and over, following the trodden path of the old druid they make their way to the top, finding themselves at a place clear of trees. The view is long, green and vibrant, the tops of trees sway in the breeze, the blue of the sky spreads out above, it feels like the top of the world, or at least this portion of it. Further out, birds scatter from a specific point in the forest and the faint echo if a shriek can be heard, even through the night, it seems that the chernomoi has kept his promise, keeping the quickling's down, repetitively killing his friends over and over in the hopes of saving them. The plan likely worked too, as the top of this hill, a circular pit of sand in the middle, is notably devoid of quickling's, no attack seems to be coming, leaving the group to follow the steps in the book and complete the ritual.

In the sand circle at the very top of this grassy hill the group find one iron spike, blackened, rusted, and driven deep into the sand but aside from that nothing else is here.

     "Maybe I should web it in?" Anachain thinks aloud after the bear, she assumes the non-Deniz one but she did kind of lose track of which was which, walks back into the cave.  "Think it would mind if I just kind of sealed the opening for an hour or so?"

     But the others are already clambering up the path so she decides they all must think it is ok to leave this probably non-Deniz bear at their backs.  She jogs a bit to catch up to the others and then falls into place with them.  "Well...  What now, Smokey?" she asks wondering if the bear can do the things as a bear...

Kulloda looks at the view and takes a deep breath in. When he sees that one of the bears has followed he finally guesses that this one must be Deniz.

”You make good bear. Now what? Just put spike in sand?”

Shifting back into his natural elven form once they reach the top of the hill, Deniz consults the druid's notes once more and then directs as best he can.

Kulloda, you must drive the spike in the ground. Over there, beside the other one. Anachain, Grimrin: There are words for a prayer of sleep to be written on the ground. Also, do either of you know how to sing a lullaby?

Kulloda takes out a spike and walks over to the sand ground where the other spike was. He sets it up so the tip is just in and he raises the hammer he found at the cottage. Kulloda looks once more over to Deniz.

"Now or wait for baby song?"

As kulloda goes to the middle of this sandy circle, he looks to the iron spike in his hand, shiny polished, not at all like the one in the ground, blackened and rusty. (DC 5 int or arcana check)

Looking into the book for reference, Anachain and Grimrin see the symbol of blessing that needs writing in the sand, trying their best to recreate the intricate lines with tip of one of Grimrin's arrows takes a moment or two. (Both give sleight of hand rolls or one can do it with advantage as the other helps DC 14)

Once these things are done the ritual calls for a lullaby to be sung out loud. (Performance check from anyone with advantage of you write out the lullaby that your character sings and describe their performance, DC 16)