"Buddi, you do know that Grubbi is going to kill you if you don't eat dinner, right?" Sunni gave a light hearted tease to the boy who sat perched just above her in the low hanging tree branches. The sun was dipping closer and closer to the horizon so that meant a meal soon. She had been spending the better part of the afternoon in the woods with the boy, who had been showing her anything and everything he could think of. With the resurrection of the Woods, while the adults worked on repairing and rebuilding huts and bridges and other necessities, she had been getting an impromptu tour.

Okay, so it had graduated from an impromptu tour to a 'detailed tour' after the first few days.

Then, when their group had left for the Glen, she had returned after only a week or so (still insisting Buddi was showing her around and Gruffi scowling about the Barbics still needing direction on "simple repairs"), it had officially became simply "hanging out" though she preferred to think of it more as learning. She had only known the Barbics when they lived in Ursalia. Now, with their home back, there was so much about them being revealed! Much like Buddi had learned about her clan when he had visited not long after they had first met (and oh Gum had THAT been an intriguing visit) she was learning more and more about Buddi's clan.

The more she learned, the more she wanted to know.

Gruffi wasn't a fan of it. Last time, nearly all of the Glen gummies had come, intrigued to see the Woods restored to their former glory. Following that initial visit though, they had so much to repair at home and so many cousins to welcome back that they did not return often. Gruffi had come back a few times to aid with some more repairs and she had always tagged along. However, she was beginning to get the impression that she would start coming on her own. Gruffi always wanted to leave so soon. He didn't hate the Barbics but this was out of his element and with so many new gummies at the Glen, he was swimming in his element at home. She knew he wanted to get back there soon.

Well, she was not done learning yet!

So, while Gruffi was most likely huffing and puffing and arguing back at the main hut and wanting to return home, she had every intention of dragging her feet until traveling back tonight was not a possibility. Though, it might make them late for dinner. Eh, the Barbics were strict on being punctual but they had been a little lenient since returning to the woods, especially if Buddi was showing her around. Anything that meant she was spending more time with their clan than with Gruffi or her home clan seemed to make them happy; Sunni wasn't sure if it was because Ursa liked seeing Gruffi ruffled or if it was because they loved that she was taking interest in their ways. When Buddi and the Barbics had visited the Glen not long after they met, Gruffi and Zummi had LOVED exposing them to their different cultural traditions, even when they had not expressed a _lot_ of interest. She was actively intrigued by the Barbics' ways. Plus, any time with Buddi was always fun!

Giving her dear friend a glance, she smirked lightly. He hardly seemed concerned about the potential repercussions about coming in late though that might be because he was still trying to work the sticky honey out of his hands! She still had a little residue on her hands as well but not to the extent that her partner did! She had thought Cubbi liked honey! Oh, he was nothing compared to Buddi Barbic! That boy could put away some honey!

Amid their travels through the woods, they'd been distracted by the presence of bees in the canopy. Buddi had quickly asked her if she liked honey and when she answered yes, he had jumped into the branches. Amid some buzzing bees and a mild chase later, he had emerged from the leaves and branches with two thick, rich and full honey combs, though with a few stings for his trouble. She wasn't sure if he had been trying to impress her or if he really was just a nut when it came to the sweet liquid.

The boy in question finally gave a laugh, "Aw, I'll still eat dinner, Sunni. Honey isn't the same as regular food."

With a giggle, the girl responded, "You sound like a little kid."

Jumping down from the tree, the teenaged bear just chuckled a little. "Well, Ursa always said that honey was my weakness."

Grinning a little, Sunni responded, "I'll remember that, Mister Tough Guy." She teased gently, pushing on his left arm, "So, a good way to get a favor is to show up with a honey cake?"

Blushing a bit sheepishly, he replied, "Aw, you don't need the cake to get a favor. But I wouldn't turn it down, 'specially if you're cooking it."

Taken by surprise at that declaration, she blinked at his nervous rubbing of the back of his neck. He did that a lot if he was nervous she noticed. Both the front and back of his neck. But, that statement, despite being flattering, took her off guard, leaving her just as nervous as him, "You sure? You've never tasted my cooking," she reminded him. "I mean, it's not as bad as Grammi's but...well, sometimes my experiments have the tendency to blow up." She still remembered her first attempt at making gummiberry juice and the disaster that resulted.

Shaking his head, Buddi smirked, "I still bet you cook good." He didn't really have much else to add. He hadn't tried her cooking but he was pretty certain it would be good. And even if it wasn't, he would still eat it. Wouldn't wanna hurt her feelings! 'Sides, Grubbi would welcome help in the kitchen! His skills were...limited, though if he had a campfire, that was another arena altogether! Actually, come to think of it... "Say, Sunni, do you wanna eat out here tonight?"

She eyed him, "Won't they start to wonder where we are?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Naw, not really. Long as we're in before I have to go to bed. Sometimes I'll skip dinner and just hang out in the trees. Just hafta make sure I check in every so often. And remember I won't get a plate later." He beamed "But that's no biggie. I can make us something out here. Or we can gather stuff. 'Sides, you haven't seen the woods at night, not in detail. That's the best part about here!"

This intrigued her. Much as she didn't used to be an "outdoor girl" she found that the more she explored with Buddi, the more she learned, the more she liked it. There really were some interesting creatures out here and it was beautiful. She could begin to understand some of that scary anger that the Barbics had possessed when they first met! To lose something as glorious as this...she would have been quite infuriated as well. So, hearing from Buddi that this wood was even more amazing after the sun set...

Well, call her a sucker, she wanted to see what had made him so passionate about it.

"Well, sure..."

Thus, their interrupted walk was resumed. The sun was already pretty low so Sunni just fell into step behind Buddi who seemed to have a specific destination in mind. He lead her through a few tree groves and twisted paths before finally stopping before a huge tree, one that seemed to disappear into the canopy. He grasped hold of a nearby vine, yanking on it a few times to test its strength then held an arm out to her. "C'mon, I wanna show you the sunset from their canopy. It looks...well, trust me, it's something you HAVE to see."

Now, while not afraid of heights, this was a huge tree! It made her a bit nervous but the huts were pretty high too. So far, she'd seen a lot of the forest floor, the creatures that scampered here and there. That in itself had been beautiful so reason dictated that there would be even more hidden treasures in the canopy. Hard to believe Buddi was petrified of mountain climbing but scaling this mammoth oak wouldn't bother him.

Must have had a good idea of where he was going and how to get there. He probably had climbed this thing so many times when he was younger...

Sunni steeled her nerves and stepped up, taking his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Ack!" She drew back at the sudden stickiness coating her front. "Buddi!" She playfully punched his arm, "You have honey on your tunic!"

Feeling a little guilty at the redness that spread over her friend's face, she tried to apologize, "Sorry, it just-"

"Naw, my fault. Thought I avoided drips when I got it from the hive. Must have missed some." He was quiet a moment as the coloring in his face faded before pulling the offending garment over his head and tossing it on the nearby tree branch "I'll grab it later." Honestly, this made him more than a little nervous, baring his chest like this. Barbics only did that among family. Granted, he had on a red undershirt but it was...exposing himself the most he ever had to her.

But...well, the way he felt for this girl...yes, yes, he was sure. This was fine.

The yellow furred girl blinked in surprise at moment but quickly recovered, walking forward and wrapping her arms around his shoulders and neck again. "Know what you're doing?" she asked, half-teasing.

Buddi gave her a wink, "Been doing it since I could walk. Just hang on and try put your feet where I put mine." He had never carried anyone up with him before. He was pretty certain he could do it just fine but just in case, he wanted her to know what to do if he couldn't. She was a fast learner, long as she had a guide, she would be able to do fine. Seeing her nervous but sure face nod slowly just convinced more than before that she wouldn't have to.

Thus began their slow ascent.

Buddi felt a little embarrassed to be frank. When he saw the others scale a vine or a tree with a passenger, even if it was another adult, they seemed to do it so smoothly, so fluidly. His was hardly that. He paused, regained his grip multiple times, climbed slower than an old woman. More than once, Sunni asked if she could help and he refused. He was a Barbic! More than that, his muscles had started to develop. Best way to help is to use them!

Eventually, when he thought his arms were going to fall off, they reached the top, a thick branch that gave a nearly flawless view of the entire wood. He took an extra moment to make sure he had good footing before easing from the vine onto the wood, gently settling his friend on her feet next to him. Wiping a little sweat from his forehead, he pointed to the west, "See what I mean?" He had been worried that with his sluggish pace they would miss the sunset but nope! His climbing lessons and strength training with Ursa had paid off! The horizon was painted all kinds of colors and seeping through the clouds and branches, with the majority of the wood spread out below you like a green blanket.

Sunni blinked, breathed "Beautiful..."

But she wasn't looking at the sun.

Granted, that had been what she INTENDED to look at but instead, she found herself captivated by her friend, by Buddi. Standing not even arms' length away from her, the wind blowing his hat a bit and ruffling his fur. His muscles in his arms were still tensed from the climb and GUM...he looked so...well, there wasn't a word for it. Sweat made his torso and arms look even more appealing. All her old stories about knights, princes and warriors, suddenly had a face. When before, she would imagine all kinds of faces and forms, she was fully convinced, right now, that the only possible look for a hero was the gummi she staring at right now. She could not imagine anything more...beautiful...than that.

To be frank, it made her entire body feel hot and a tightness in her stomach she had never felt before. Recall she could not think of a word for how Buddi looked? The closest thing she could come up with was "yummy" and she had no idea what that even meant! You didn't describe a person that way! It didn't make any sense! Yet, as she stared at him, she could only think of how much she wanted to wrap her arms around him and just...well, she didn't know but she knew it was not something she had EVER thought about doing before! Especially not in regards to her friend!

When he turned and looked at her, his eyes went wide and concerned, "You okay, Sunni?"

"...yeah, yeah, I'm fine." she breathed but even as she said that, she felt like she would get lost in those eyes of his, like she would drown in his gaze.

Buddi raised a brow, "You sure? You look like a fish...well, I mean, your mouth is hanging open a little." he tapped his own lower lip to demonstrate.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist (Gum, girls didn't drool!) the girl forced her eyes away and towards the sun "S-sorry. You're right. This is a great view! I mean...wow."

The barbic eyed her, not convinced. She was shaking, just a bit and it wasn't even cold. Her cheeks were all flushed and she smelled. Not bad, but not just sweat or somethin' either. Something else. It was like her scent but there was something different about it. Something he had never smelled before. It wasn't _bad_ but...well, it was odd. Different. Made his palms sweat and he found he couldn't stop looking at her. Admiring her. Never really realized before how pretty she was. Oh, never thought she was ugly but...this was different.

The way her hair fell. The look of her face, the way her body curved in all the right places...

Wha...since when did a body curve in the "right" places?! And since when did he stare at his friend's backside like he was doing?! Or at her chest?! If Ursa didn't slap him for it, he'd slap himself for it.

Jerking his head away, Buddi put one hand on his gut, feeling an odd twisting he was unused to. Not a bad feeling he supposed but...well, thoughts were rushing through his head that had NEVER been there before! He liked some of them, definitely didn't like some of the others. He wanted to pull Sunni into his arms, smell her hair, touch her shoulders, rub...

Not that any of that was...bad...or anything but...this was his friend! Granted, he had been thinking of maybe the possibility of them being more than that but he had never expected to be hit with such a rush of hormones and emotions all at once! He could smell a shift in his scent, as he smelled the shift in hers. The two of them stood there a moment, awkwardly staring at one another before Sunni stepped over and said, "Ma..maybe we should go to dinner after all? At least for tonight?"

"...right."

Her arms went over his neck again and then he was staring at her, right in the face. Those bright beautiful orbs, that smile that he loved so much suddenly seemed to make the sunset dull in comparison.

"..got a good grip?" he asked.

A nod, and she shifted her eyes away but he could tell it was not out a desire to look away but more out of plain confusion like he was feeling! What the heck...?!

As he made his way back down towards the huts, he could only think, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart in his ears that only grew louder when she clutched him tight when his grip faltered once or twice and made his belly roll and tense...

Gum, I gotta talk to Gritti.