Chapter Four: Sixth Sense

            “Sunners? Please?”

            Sunni gave Gusto a glare but walked past him without saying a word. He tried to call after her but she closed her ears to his voice. He started after her but then something perched don his head.

            “Acch, don’t bother Gusto. Females are strange.”

            “Hey Artie.”

            “There you are Gusto,” a voice called. The sea blue Gummi turned and was met by Zummi.

            “Hey Zummers!” the Gummi called to the elder magician. Zummi pulled his hand and started to lead him away,

            “Grammi needs heeds some nelp…uh, needs some help. She and the others went to Dunywn to help Calla and Cavin.”

            “I’m on it, Zummers. Comin’?”

            “Yes, only Sunni and Missy are staying behind.”

            “They get along?”

            “Yes, Junni’s just sealous…uh, Sunni’s just jealous.”

            Gusto sighed, deeply. He knew she was jealous and he was to blame for it. He had done her portrait to help her get out of her fear but when he saw Missy he had abandoned it and unknowingly torn her feelings apart and left them in slender shreds.

            But he could not do anything about now. He’d just have to try and win her trust back.

* * *

            “Careful, Sunni!”

            Sunni looked as the white girl smiled at her and caught the basket she had dropped. They decided to stay as Grammi was needed with Calla and Sunni was the only other one who knew the Gummiberry juice recipe. They had also learned that Missy knew it. So the two girls stayed behind to make another batch.

            “So Sunni…Grammi taught you?”

            The yellow furred girl nodded. “Yeah, but I have a hard time remembering the amount of berries.”

            Missy smiled. “I have something that might help.”

            “Really? What?”

            “A rhyme my mother taught me before she died…”

            “What is it? How does it go?”

            Missy gave Sunni a gentle smile and started to sing softly,

            “Like a hen’s fine head, six reds, that’s what it said.”

            “Like a ripe tangerine, four orange is what they sing,”

            “Like the color of the bird flying by, add three violets any less would be a lie.”

            “The blue jay speaks, ‘Just try your best’, Four blues, no more, no less.”

            “The bird sings merry, one yellow said the canary.”

            “Greens come after that, only three you have to keep yourself on track.”

            “Now you’ll be in a bind, if you don’t keep the three-step-stir in mind.”

            “Stir slow right, keep your grip tight.”

            “Go slow left-wise, it resists but you just need to try.”

            “The final step now, a big bam, to the side and the bubbles rise.

            “It isn’t a child’s lie.”

            “No matter the trial, you can do anything…just give it a try.”

            Sunni smiled at her as she followed the song’s instructions. She felt tempted to ask Missy what happened to her parents but this was only the second time she’d mentioned them. She knew one more thing than the others. They all knew that her mother had managed to give her that silver chain she wore. But that was the only thing she had of her mother or her father.

            Besides, it gave Sunni a small amount of pleasure knowing she knew one more thing about Missy than Gusto did.

            The two girls finished the batch of juice and Sunni went to get the barrel and then raced back and got the bottles. Missy gave her smile.

            “Can you open the lid?”

            Sunni tried but it was held fast. Missy grabbed the top and flicked her finger. The top flew off so fast, it nearly became a Frisbee. Sunni turned to her, her eyes wide with wonder. That girl wasn’t kidding when she said that she was strong for a Barbic. Sunni had yet to meet a Barbic that strong.

            Missy picked up the pot as Sunni held the barrel and funnel. The two girls poured the juice carefully but then, when the barrel was half full, Missy’s eyes glazed over and she dropped the cooking pot. It cracked and then broke. A river of red juice spilled all over the floor. Sunni gasped but was even more surprised when Missy collapsed, clutching her head.

            “Missy! What’s wrong? Headache? Migraine? Grammi has herbs for them-“

            “Danger!” Missy hissed. “My sixth sense! That accursed sixth sense!”

            “Sixth sense?”

            Sunni vaguely remembered Missy mentioning a sixth sense but she had not really understood what she meant. Now she thought she understood. Missy was seeing things in her mind, seeing visions of danger. And she did not like them. Sunni knelt in the spilled juice and hugged Missy’s shoulders, even as they throbbed in seizures of pain.

            “Danger, Sunni…. the Barbics! Danger…Celina is closing in on them!”

            Sunni’s heart froze and she muttered,

            “Buddi…”

* * *

            “Buddi?”

            “Huh, what?”

            The cub turned and Ursa knelt by him. He was sitting on the fountain in the courtyard, playing his flute. She took it from him, although gently. She didn’t yank it away but did take it by force. Buddi stared at her,

            “Yeah?”

            “Listen Buddi,” she said as she took his hands in hers. He stared at her again. Something serious was up. He knew all the signs. There was the seriousness in her eyes, the gravity in her voice and the way she took his hands in hers and held them close to her lap. When he was younger, she used to pull him onto her lap. But now in that place, she would push the hair under his hood so that it slipped through her fingers. Which she did now.

            “What’s wrong Ursa? Spit it out!”

            Ursa gave him a smile. “All right. I want you to be ready if this new enemy attacks so…I’ll be boosting your training up another hour.” Buddi groaned deeply and looked about ready to whine but he decided against it. If there was one thing Ursa hated, it was a whiner.

            “But-“ Ursa added, “I’ll be doing something new with you.”

            “What?” Buddi asked, his curiosity taking charge of his mind. Ursa smiled and purposely waited a minute before answering.

            “I’ll be using the first hour, just for reflexes. You’re pretty good at that. The second I’ll use for hand to hand which you need to work on,” she reminded him. He knew that. And if he didn’t that black eye would be a reminder for the next few days, until it faded. “Third…I’ve decided to start you on weapons training.”

            “A REAL weapon?” he asked. The spears he had were weapons but could not go real far. He didn’t want to fight anyway but if he had to, he wanted a real weapon. Ursa smiled.

            “Yes, Buddi, A REAL weapon.” She gave him a smile. “Made smaller because of your size though but a real weapon.” Buddi nodded.

            “What kind?”

            Ursa shrugged. “I left that up to you. I can use them all. Choose one and I’ll help you learn how to use it.”

            “Choices?”

            “Crossbow, slingshot, nunchucks, or bow and arrow. Your call.”

            Buddi thought a minute. He eventually learn to use them all. He was pretty steady with his hands. But slingshot didn’t do much, nunchucks were generally close range or thrown, crossbows were okay but he never did really like them. You had to aim them just right and if you messed up, you couldn’t fire another fast enough to counter it.

            He met eyes with Ursa. “Bow and arrow.”

            The older Barbic smiled again and nodded. “That was my first weapon. Good choice.”

            She got up and gestured the cub to follow. He knew it was time to train anyway. Maybe a weapon would make it more interesting. He wanted a change. The same old routine was wearing on his nerves and patience. He kept trying for Ursa more than himself but just couldn’t get it right.

            Ursa led the cub up and into Ursalia. He stuck close behind her. She kept on walking until she reached the weapons’ room. Buddi paused. Ursa turned to him and smiled.

            “That act of shielding Cubbi earned you just as much right to enter here as I have.”

            Buddi walked in, although he was clearly reluctant. Ursa waited for him and they went towards the back together. She reached up and took down two bows. They were both smaller than the others, just made for him and his size. One was dark brown, made from pine. The other was black and made from the bark they used to have in the woods. They had tried to salvage some of their weapons and brought back some bark that they intended to sue as firewood but they couldn’t bear to burn more of their woods.

            So they made into a bow for him.

            “Which one, Buddi?”

            Buddi pointed to the one made from Barbic Wood. Ursa gave him a smile.

            “I knew you’d pick that one.”

            Buddi took it from her and Ursa picked up a quiver of small arrows. She carried those and grabbed her little one’s arm. Tugging him outside, she let him go when they were in the courtyard by the targets. She picked up of the practice bows for herself and a handful of arrows. She walked back to Buddi and smiled.

            “Watch first, Buddi.”

            Buddi looked at her. She drew her arrow up and held it directly in the center of the bow, before drawing the feathered end back against the string. She held the arrow level and then released. The arrow cut through the air and Buddi followed it with his eyes.

            A perfect bullseye.

            Ursa lowered her bow and turned to Buddi.

            “Your shot, kid. Go for it.”

            Buddi stared at her and then at the bow before returning his gaze to her,

            “Sure…uh, how?”

            Ursa laughed and took an arrow from his quiver. She knelt down on one knee and held her hands over his. She coached him as she moved his arms.

            “First, hold the bow straight up and down.” She put his hands in different positions, one near the top and one near the bottom. Then, she took the one near the top and placed the arrow in it. She waited and he drew it to the center of the bow. She shook her head but smiled.

            “Buddi, you’re holding it wrong. Hold it by the feather.”

            Buddi nodded and pulled his fingers backward. Ursa nodded. “Good, now pull it back onto the string.” Buddi nodded and did as asked. She took hold of his fingers and pulled back a tad more. Then, she let go and said, ‘Release.”

            The arrow flew and got a bit off the bullseye.

            Ursa gave him a smile, “Now try it yourself.”

            Buddi nodded. They kept coming for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Then, Gritty came out,

            “Someone wants to see you Ursa.”

            Ursa nodded and turned to Buddi. “Go play a while imp. I’ll be back to get you.”

            Buddi nodded and ran off, before she decided to let Gritty finish up the hour of training.

* * *

            Missy waited in the main hall, nervous. Sunni had wanted to come but Missy told her it probably wasn’t a good idea as she’d gotten in trouble last time. Besides, someone had to guard the Glen.

            But now she wished she had come, she could have used some support.

            “Missy!”

            The white furred girl looked up as the leader of the Barbics and Gritty came in. She tried to draw on her inner strength that came from her Barbic father but no such luck, she was still nervous. But she swallowed the fear and said,

            “I needed to talk to you. I…my sixth sense warned me.”

            Gritty looked at her, “Missy, what is this ‘sixth sense’ of yours?”

            She sighed. “It’s a curse really. Daydreams will hit me with intensity and pain. They’re vivid and clear and warn me of danger before it happens.”

            “Sounds like a gift to me.” Ursa said to the younger girl. Missy shook her head.

            “No, it-“

            She stopped and the two Barbics watching her saw her eyes glaze over turn solid white. She screamed in pain and clutched her head. Ursa and Gritty knelt by her and grabbed her shoulders. They were shaking with pain. The attack lasted a few more seconds before Missy slowly got up, panting.

            “Gum, I hate that.”

            “A vision?”

            Missy nodded. “That’s what I came here for. I had a vision. Celina’s closing her grip on you.”

            The adult Gummies looked at each other. “We’re preparing for the worst.”

            Missy smiled. “I figured that. My father told me you were like that. He left because he thought that I’d be rejected because of my mother.”

            Ursa and Gritty looked at her seriously.

            “Missy…what happened to your parents?”

            Missy stopped, her eyes filled with tears, which she brushed aside with her finger. “I don’t like to talk about it.”

            “Missy,” Ursa spoke now. “You’re holding it inside. You were how old?”

            “Six.”

            “Missy…” It was Gritty now. He met her eyes as Ursa did the same. Together the two said, softly,

            “Please?”

            Missy sighed.

            “All right.”

* * *

            “Missy!”

            The six-year-old cub beamed as he father came back in. She ran to him.

            “Daddy!”

            He knelt and scooped her up into his arms. Tossing her up, he caught her and kissed her forehead.

            ‘Hey, sweetie,” he smiled as she urged him to put her down. “What did you do today?”

            “Built my strength. See?”

            She grabbed her father’s sword, a sword that Barbics only about eighteen years of age could lift, and tossed it up to catch it in between her pointer and middle finger.

            “Good girl,” he smiled and then looked up at his wife. She looked past him and then her eyes went wide. He whirled around. Humans were gatehring outside. He turned to his wife.

            “Aileen, get Missy out. I’ll hold them off.”

            “But-“

            “GO!”

            “Y..yes.” she picked her daughter up and ran.

            But Missy looked over her mother’s shoulder. She saw…the humans charged. Her father struck at them with his sword. But the humans out numbered him. She heard his scream and started to cry at what she saw. They flung him down, ripped his fur off with his own sword. Then, they left him…to bleed to death.

            “Missy!” The girl watched as her mother put her outside their home in the trees and then she took off her silver chained necklace. Slipping it over her daughter’s ehad, she told her,

            “Run, little one. Go!”

            “But Mama…”

            Aileen smiled at her. “I’ll be in your heart, sweetheart.” She kissed her daughter’s forehead. Missy turned and ran. She ran and ran until she felt her lungs would collapse. But she still heard the scream as her mother met her end. Tears came then and did not stop for hours…

* * *

            She met ursa and Gritty’s eyes.

            “Now you know. Humans.”

            Ursa nodded, soluemly.

            She knew nothing she said could make a difference.