Ursa pushed the rack up and then
locked eyes with Buddi.
Had stream begun to come from her
ears, Buddi would not have been surprised. She told him through clenched teeth,
in an acid voice,
“Stay there.”
Buddi complied. Ursa walked over to
the fallen swords, picked them up. Then as she settled the rack, she walked
back to Sunni and Buddi. Sunni slowly said,
“It..it was my fault Ursa. It was my
idea. I-“
“That’s enough Sunni.” She met eyes
with the girl, her temper barely contained. “Whose idea it was is irrelevant.
Buddi KNOWS how to resist temptation.” She looked at him viciously. He
lowered his head, refused to look at her. “He knows what he’s allowed to
do. This isn’t one of them.” Ursa turned her attention to Sunni. “Go back to
your room.”
Sunni was scared, scared witless.
She’d never seen Ursa so mad. She nodded and stumbled to her feet. As she ran,
she said to Buddi, silently,
“Good luck.”
Sunni vanished into the hallway.
Buddi looked up at Ursa. She glared at him so fiercely that he lowered his
eyes, couldn’t look her in the eyes. She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled
him to his feet. He still couldn’t look at her. That didn’t matter. She pulled
him out of the room and up the stairs. She said nothing but she didn’t have to.
Buddi knew that he was in trouble. Her clenched fist and ground teeth screamed
that.
She dragged him into his room and
then slammed the door shut. Buddi started to say something but when she turned
around and looked at him, he said nothing and just sat down on his bed. Ursa
stormed over to him, slapped her hands on either side of his legs and looked
him directly in the eye. Her own eyes were alive with anger, simmering.
“Buddi, I am about this
close,” she held her pointer and thumb about a millimeter apart, “To giving you
the tanning of your life. I want an explanation and I want it now!”
Buddi was close to crying now or at
least trembling. He stalled. Ursa had backed away and now she stormed over to
him, close to exploding. Buddi winced, panicked and threw his arms over his
face, like she’d hit him. Ursa froze. Had she scared him that much? Did he
really think she’d hit him? Her anger cooled a bit but was still there. She
forced her voice to cool, to lose the caustic bite it had. Very slowly and
gently, she grasped his wrists in her hands and tugged them down.
He looked at her, trembling.
Her eyes had cooled, not longer were
they burning lasers of anger. She spoke and her voice was softer, calmer,
“I’m angry, Buddi, but I’m not going
to hit you.”
Buddi managed a nod but the fear was
still there. Ursa sat by him and no longer loomed over him, as a giant. Her
voice took on a fierce tone but not nearly as biting as it had once been. She
tried to keep her calm, not to scare him. She was angry but she didn’t want him
to think that she’d hurt him because she wouldn’t.
“Buddi, I want you to tell me what
you thought you were doing. You aren’t allowed in the weapons’ room. You KNOW
that!” Her voice rose slightly but not too badly. The cub nodded, slightly.
“I know. But Sunni talked me into
it.”
“Buddi, we Barbics have strong
wills. You and I both know that. There was something that you did.”
Buddi sighed. “Alright, I was
curious, plain and simple. I hate to fight, you know that. I hate to train, you
know that too. But with the warnings I’ve been getting I started to wonder
more.”
“More?” Ursa no longer had that
angry tone, just a baffled one.
Buddi nodded. “Been interested in
the weapons for some reason. I don’t know why. I was afraid if I told you that
you’d get the impression I wanted to use them, wanted to learn to fight. But I
don’t!”
Ursa smiled. “You could have told
me, Buddi. I’d have been glad to take you in there.”
Buddi gave her a sideway glance and
threw his arms up,
“Now she tells me.”
Ursa smiled again. Then turned
serious again, “But you DO know that I put very few restrictions on you. When I
tell you not to do something, I expect you to listen.”
Buddi groaned, “I know. What do I
lose?”
Ursa smiled. “You still remember how
I punish you?”
Buddi nodded. “You rarely do, it’s
hard not to.”
Ursa nodded, grasped Buddi’s cheeks
in her hands and turned his face to meet hers.
“Your flute, give it to me.”
Buddi’s face went pale. He moaned.
“Ursa no! Not my flute!”
Ursa chuckled. “Your flute Buddi.”
Buddi groaned but got up and opened
his nightstand. He removed the instrument but before giving it to her asked,
“One song?”
Ursa raised her eyebrow but against
her better judgment nodded.
As he put it to his lips, she added,
“A short one.”
He nodded back and played. He
purposely chose one he knew that she liked. He knew she’d still take his flute
away but she might cut down on the time. He looked at her from the corner of
his eye. She was smiling, leaning against the bed board, listening. He played a
few minutes more before the song ended. Ursa opened her eyes and looked to him.
Without a word of protest, he handed
his flute to her.
Ursa smiled at him and he asked her,
“How long?”
Ursa shrugged. “We’ll see. I think-“
She was interrupted by a mass of
voices and one of which called,
“Cubbi!”
Buddi looked at Ursa who nodded and
gestured that it was all right to follow. The two ran down the stairs and out
into the courtyard. Gritty ran over tot hem.
“Did you fix that problem in the
weapons’ room? What was it?”
Buddi winced, Gritty would not like
this any better than Ursa did. He stayed by Ursa’s side but to his surprise she
said,
“One of the racks fell. I took care
of it. Now what’s the commotion?”
“Cubbi’s back. And he brought a
friend. We’re going to the main hall. He says she’ll explain.”
Ursa nodded as Gritty took off as
the crowd began to move inside. Ursa began to follow but Buddi grabbed her
skirt. She turned. He looked at her, gratefully,
“Ursa?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for not telling.”
Ursa grinned at him and nodded. Then
the two followed the rest into the main hall. But Buddi stopped in the doorway
and Ursa crashed into him. She looked at him.
“Buddi what-“
He interrupted her. “It’s her.’
“Huh? Who?”
“That’s the girl from my visions.”
Ursa looked up. Sitting in a chair
was a tall girl, looking to be fifteen or sixteen. She had fine white fur,
silky like a Barbic’s. And her arms had the developing muscles. She had on a
tunic similar to hers. Dark blue but unlike hers it had an open mid drift. Her
shoes were silver, Roman sandals like hers to her knees. Around her neck, she
had a silver chained necklace. But what were most amazing were her eyes. They
were almond shaped and narrow. They were also a deep ocean blue.
“Who’s this?”
The girl looked up as Ursa stepped
through the crowd. She swallowed and said in a soft and shy voice,
“People call me Missy.”
“All right Missy,” Ursa smiled and
pulled a chair up. “Where did you come from?”
“I was coming to Ursalia when I saw
Cubbi collapse. I helped him out then we both came back here.”
“Why were you coming here?” Sunni
asked. The girl raised her head and met eyes with first Sunni then Buddi.
“I know the meaning of your
visions.”
Buddi and Sunni looked at each
other. The Glens and Barbics looked at them. Finally, Missy said softly,
“You never told them what they were
about did you?”
“No,”
“Why not tell us now?” Ursa said as
she looked at them. The Barbics focused on Buddi, the Glens on Sunni. The girl
tried, she really did. But her voice cracked and she couldn’t. All eyes turned
to Buddi. He sighed, closed his eyes. This truly alarmed Ursa. A Barbic did
that when gathering strength.
This vision was enough that he had
to gather strength before talking of it?
Buddi opened his eyes. “Fine…I’ll
tell you…”
* * *
The landscape was dark. Misty…darker
than midnight skies. Then, suddenly it sprung into flame. Buddi saw it again,
saw Barbic Woods scald before him, turn to ashes. Then just as suddenly,
everything went pitch dark again. He looked around. There she was. That…woman.
A woman of blackness. Her hair was
long, darker than dark. Her eyes were dark…darker than her hair. Her face was
pale, solid white. Her lips…coal black. Her eyelashes, a single lash…thick and
covering the top of the entire eye. Her forehead was small. Her ears were slick
and pointed like an elf’s. Her lips…pencil thin and black. Her dress…sleeveless
now and covering just the majority of her breasts. It stopped once her nipples
were covered. Her dress slipped to her feet, slick and black.
She knelt to the ground and slipped
her hand into the earth. It wasn’t earth anymore. She opened her hand slowly
and rivers of blood slid through her fingers. They made pools on the ground.
She knelt again and drew a blade…a blade Buddi knew.
Ursa’s sword…stained with her own
blood.
She drew another sword….
Grubbi’s…stained with his blood.
And then Gritty’s…stained with his
blood.
She drove the three into the ground
and the earth split. Dirt and soil spilled away, revealing the three.
Lifeless.
Cut numerous times, still bleeding.
But more than that…skinless. She’d
skinned them. Buddi could tell by the look of pain and horror on their faces
that they’d still been alive when she’d done it. She had let them bleed to
death. Buddi covered his eyes. When he opened them, those Gummies were gone.
But he saw the Glens now. Saw their
home first.
In flames, the same way Barbic Woods
had vanished. He saw it burn and burn become a pile of ashes.
Then that scene vanished and he was
looking at the Glens themselves.
Gruffi..tough and unyielding.
Then, Igthorn appeared…welding an
ax.
Buddi started to run to hold him but
his legs refused to move. He screamed when he saw why.
Skeleton arms, with flesh and fur
barely clinging to the bones were holding him. He looked at them and was even
more frightened and repulsed. He knew these Gummies…Grammi, Zummi, Tummi,
Gusto…C..Cubbi!
They pulled him down, pried at his
body. Tried to pull him down. The ground around him turned to blood,
bubbling…an ocean of red blood. He clawed for solid ground but his head kept
above for a reason he was even more terrified by.
Igthorn swung…Gruffi was divided
into two halve instantly. Blood spewed over Buddi’s face. Tears fell and he
started to scream. Then…Sunni appeared. He called to her but she merely sighed
and shook her head.
Skeletons ripped from the sea of
blood, ripped her apart before his eyes. He screamed again.
Then, a strange white Gummi
appeared…the same one he’d seen before. Her hair blew into her tearful eyes as
she whispered,
“The sea is restless Buddi…the wind
carries the scent of destruction and ruin..”
Then that black woman walked over to
her…plunged her hand straight through her body.
She held her beating heart in front
of Buddi’s face and the skeletons tugged him completely under.
He couldn’t even howl for help
anymore.
There was no one left to come…
* * *
Buddi looked at the others, rubbed
his arms, trying to ward off that chill.
The Barbics were horrified.
The Glens were repulsed.
Only Missy was calm but even she was
struggling.
“Buddi…” Ursa walked over and hugged
him tightly. “My Buddi…why didn’t you tell us?”
Buddi
said nothing. Ursa tightened her grip and her hands fell to his head and chest
again, shielding him. He nuzzled deep into her chest, let her hold him. Ursa
could feel him trembling. That had been the vivid one he’d just had. Sunni was
glad Buddi told it. She’d never have made it.
Ursa
felt someone tap her shoulder. It was Grubbi. He handed her a mug of hot milk,
which she handed to Buddi. He drank and Ursa asked him,
“Does
that help?”
Buddi
nodded.
Missy
got up and said,
“It’s
a warning.”
Buddi
looked at her, fearfully and clutched Ursa. She hugged him tightly and turned
to Missy.
“You
mean that will happen?”
Missy
shook her head.
“Not
exactly. See, when I was born I was born with three unique gifts because of my
heritage.”
“What
heritage?” Grammi asked. Missy sighed.
“My
mother was a Glen Gummi like you. But my father…” she turned to Ursa and the
other Barbics.
“But
my father was Barbic.”
The
Barbics looked at the Glens.
Missy
continued,
“My
gifts were these: I have immense strength…stronger than ten adults if need be
but it drains me if I use it too much. Second, I’m blessed with the ability to
heal with a touch. Third, I’m cursed with a sixth sense.”
She
swallowed and said,
“I
know who that woman is. I saw her in my visions. As to why I appeared in your
visions or why only yous aw them, I’m not sure.”
Sunni
asked softly, “Who is she?”
Missy
motioned them closer. “I saw her in my vision. Her name’s Celina…the Bringer of
Destruction…”
* * *
Igthorn sat in
the ruin of his castle. Toadwart slept at his feet but the former king was
silent. Then a strange light and voice disturbed the silence.
“You long for
revenge and your throne?”
“Who’s there?” he
drew his sword and waved it about.
From the darkness
came the dark woman. She smiled, evilly.
“I can grant you
that. I’ve seen the future. The Gummi Bears always interfere.
“I nearly got
them!”
“Granted Igthorn
but you forgot those in Ursalia.”
“The ones- of
course those Barbics.”
“Yes,”
“I can easily be
rid of them!”
“Do not be so
sure. Those are warriors. Even the little one.”
“So what are you
saying?”
“I’m saying
Igthorn that you’re attacking the body of the snake. How do you kill a snake?”
“You-“
“Cut off its
head.”
“You’re saying?”
“I’m saying
attack the leaders. Get rid of the leaders!”
“Ursa and Gruffi?
But-“
“No! You cannot
rule in the present. But you will rule in the future. Attack their future
leaders.”
“Future leaders?”
“Ursa and Gruffi
will still be leaders but there are two that will turn the tide.”
She smiled. “I’ll
tell you who there are in time. I’ll aid you. But you must allow me to stay and
rule by your side.”
Igthorn smiled.
“Of course…”
“Celina.”
“Celina.”
The two smiled
and Celina offered him her hand. He took it. She grinned.
“I can plan. And
I already have one.”
* * *
Missy got up. “I
believe that I’ll be more of an aid to the Glens. She turned to Grammi.
“If I may?”
Grammi nodded.
“Of course child. Any Gummi is welcome in our home.”
Ursa and Gruffi
looked at each other. Finally Gruffi said it.
“Will we work together?
Until this threat is over?”
Ursa looked at
him, the Glens, Missy, the other Barbics and finally at the child hugging her
tightly. She nodded.
“We will.”
* * *
Celina cursed.
She’d forgotten about the hybrid. She’d caused the human attack that cost the
girl her parents. She could ruin everything!
Then, an evil
smirk overtook Celina’s face,
“Unless…she isn’t
here to interfere…
End of Part One
To Be Continued…