Chapter Seven- Chubby Little Brats
"Where do ya think you're goin'?" growled Tilly as she watched the small wrecker stroll past her. On any other day, Ralph would have cowered at the very voice of his leader's daughter but this day? This day he felt better.
He looked back only once, as if to tease the girl, and continued on his way.
"HEY!" the girl growled, rushing up to the boy "I was talkin' ta ya, RUNT!"
"I heard ya…." Ralph smirked, his nose in the air "No need ta repeat, MATILDA."
Tilly could only stop as she looked at the younger boy going past. Never, as long as she had known him, had he EVER had the courage to say something back to her! Even the older kids in the village knew it wasn't a good idea to sass the leader's daughter but of all the children, RALPH?
RALPH?
Did he have ANY clue as to what she could do to him?
Perhaps he did but on this day he did not care.
Ralph walked up to his cabin, again going through the cupboards for food.
"Ah-hem."
The young boy felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Had Tilly followed him into his home? The girl was VERY pushy so he didn't brush it past her but when he turned around.
"Mama?"
Theresa, hands on hips and foot tapping on the floor, eyed her young son.
"Looks like I caught a mouse…."
The young wrecker laughed nervously as he climbed down "Um, I was just….um, g-goin' out again. That's all! I promise!"
"While I'm happy ta see ya goin' out, would it be so troublesome if ya left some food at home?" the woman laughed warmly, patting her son on the head "I mean, we WOULD like ta have some food for dinner. An' breakfast….an' EVERY OTHER MEAL."
"Sorry, mama…" Ralph sighed, lowering his head "I guess I just got excited."
"Oh, I can't stay mad at that face…." The woman smiled, pinch Ralph's cheeks, a might too hard for his liking "Tell ya what? Ya can go out with your friends today…"
Friends?
"An' tommrow, we'll all get together an' enjoy a nice lunch out near the valley. How does that sound?"
Ralph just looked into his mother's eyes. He could tell that at the moment she thought that he was going out to play with the other children in his village, something she had been hoping for a long time.
But deep in his stomach, a pit of guilt was forming.
Ralph was NOT going to play with the other children from his own clan but others.
Others he had been warned NOT to go towards.
What would his mother think? What would his FATHER think?
WHAT WOULD THE ENTIRE VILLAGE THINK?
This was something that he had forgotten in the excitement of meeting the young boy called Felix the other day. In his joy of finally, FINALLY meeting a new friend, one who didn't tease him, one who didn't push him around, he had forgotten that he was one of them.
One of those he and everyone else had been warned to talk with.
And there he was, gathering food for them.
By now, Theresa was gathering another pack for Ralph, the woman humming happily.
"Tilly likes sweet potatoes right? I have some muffins she would love!"
"Y-Yeah…" Ralph muttered to himself "Y-Yeah, I think TILLY does…."
"Where are ya takin' us, Felix?" pouted Mary as she and the other Nicelander trailed behind the taller boy.
"I told ya! I don't wanna spoil the surprise!"
Felix was grinning from ear to ear, finding it harder and harder to keep his excitement bottled up to show the other young Nicelanders his new friend. He had been hush-hush about it as best he could, telling the lot to keep the news away from their parents but even he didn't know if he could keep his own mouth shut.
Throughout the night, he had tossed and turned in his bed, thinking about just what was to happen when he would take his old friends to meet his NEW friend.
Ralph.
"C'mon, hurry up!" Felix squealed in excitement "I said I would meet him over by tha pond! Don't dawdle!"
"We wouldn't be DWADLIN'-!" Mary grumped again, looking down the line of children "If it weren't for GENE! HE'S always so slow! I told ya we should have ROLLED him up here!"
The small Nicelander in blue growled at Mary, his tooth hurting much too greatly for him to say anything. Instead, he simply stuck out his tongue, Mary following suit.
Fooey; stupid Mary. Why does she have to ruin EVERYTHING?
Felix pushed the tall cattails away, the pond in full view…..but there was no Ralph in sight.
"Huh?" Felix pondered, looking here and there and soon everywhere but the large boy was nowhere in sight "Hey RAAAAAAAAALPH! RAAAAAAAAALPH!"
"SHH!" quivered Roy, ducking behind Don "If you shout any louder, th-th-those forest giants might come out and GOBBLE us up!"
"NO!" squeaked Meg, ducking behind Roy.
"Okay, can ya just admit there is no Ralph, Felix?" Deanna sniffed "Because if ya don't we gonna start a conga-line of fear back here."
"I swear on my cap, DeeDee! He was here! Where else did ya think I got those sandwiches from?"
"Aliens?" Tony asked, scratching his head. Mary glared at the boy, pushing him a bit.
"GAH! Tony, your sister has more brains than YOU an' she isn't even BORN yet!"
"Guys, look! I'm tellin' ya tha truth!" Felix said, giving his friends big sad eyes "Ya gotta believe me! H-He was a forest giant an' he wanted ta-!"
"Hi!"
The group of tiny children screamed in shock as a large figure BOUNDED out from the trees, landing before them in a great BOOM on his feet! The Nicelanders al toppled over, Felix sitting before them but his shock quickly wore off, a huge smile appearing on his face.
"RALPH!"
"H-He's REALLY REAL?!" Mary gasped, looking upon the form of the giant before her "HE'S REAL!"
"Told'cha." The young repair-boy smirked at the others "Aw man, what took ya so long, Ralph?"
"I, er, had to make sure that I wasn't followed….that's all."
"Eh? Why not?" Felix asked curiously "I was kinda hopin' ya had some other friends ta meet an'-!"
"No, no, no! Trust me!" Ralph gasped, shaking his hands "I-It would be best right now if it were just me! I mean-!"
The large boy then stood still, looking off to the side to see the group of Nicelander children. They looked in SMALLER than they appeared on that night Tilly had lead him to the apartments. Of course, everything during the catastrophic night had happened so fast Ralph was STILL dizzy from it but there was just something about the way they looked at him.
They were scared.
And why shouldn't they have been? It wasn't as if they didn't see his face, along with some other of the village children's, that night.
Even so, seeing everyone so scared of him didn't make Ralph feel any better.
"H-H-hey, it's okay."
The Nicelanders moved back again, Ralph hearing a few of them whimper.
"Guys, it's fine!" Felix said in a comforting tone "He's not gonna do anythin' ta y-!"
"IF YOU'RE GONNA EAT ONE OF US!" Mary shouted as she jumped from the crowd, clutching onto Gene "EAT THIS ONE! HE'S FAT AN' TASTE LIKE BLUEBERRIES!"
Ralph didn't know what to do as the tiny Nicelander was held up before him but as Ralph and Gene's eyes met….
"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Even Ralph fell back, never hearing such a high-pitch SQUAWK in his life.
"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
"Mary, MARY! PUT ME DOWN!" Gene sobbed, his stubby legs kicking in the air, tears falling down his face "PLEASE! I DON'T WANNA GET EATEN!"
"Put him down!" Felix shouted, managing to pull the two Nicelanders apart and as soon as they were, Gene tore off as fast as he could behind the nearest tree.
When you're one of the smallest in your group of friends, EVERYTHING looks frightening.
"Aw, Gene. C'mon…." Felix said, trying his best to cox the shaking boy from the tree "Ralph isn't gonna eat cha!"
"N-NO!" the boy cried, ducking as best he could "P-Papa said that forest giants are BAD GUYS! JUT BAD GUYS!"
Ralph felt his heart skip a beat; Just a bad guy?
JUST A BAD GUY?
The larger boy knew that the others were scared of him, but did they really think he was…BAD?
Felix went to the tree, trying his best to bring the Nicelander boy around "Look, he's not gonna eat ya. Ya gotta believe me, Genie."
Gene turned towards Felix, still crying horribly "Y-Yes *hic!* he is!"
"Gene, if ya come out I promise ya he won't hurt ya! Ralph wouldn't hurt a fly!"
The tiny boy looked past Felix, his eyes set on Ralph.
Big, huge, GIANT Ralph.
Gene didn't know what was worse, his toothache or the prospects of being devoured whole by the very creature who only days ago attacked his home. He shook, eyes going down to pin-points and without another word he ducked behind the tree once more, tucking himself into a tiny ball and whimpering.
"J-Just give him some time…" Felix said sadly as he turned back towards Ralph "H-He can get kinda antsy, I guess."
"Gene always gets 'antsy' 'round things that are bigger than him." Laughed Mary but Felix was NOT smiling.
"Mary! It's not as if that wasn't your fault!" the boy scolded "If ya hadn't just THROWN Gene at Ralph, he wouldn't be cryin'!"
"He cries at EVERYTHIN'!" huffed Mary.
Felix groaned; he knew there was no point in arguing with Mary. Somehow, even if she were smaller than him, she ALWAYS managed to get her way with Felix one way or another. This argument was as good as LOST on his part.
"Okay, FINE. Be that way then but you're gonna miss out on the pie."
Ralph's eyes lit up once he heard those words.
Felix HAD said he would bring pie but the big boy never imagined that he would ACTUALLY keep to his promise and with the way Nicelander pie smelled, even at the far distance….
"Pie?"
"Yup!" Felix smiled, taking a large basket into his hands "I asked everyone ta bring a slice from home! Ya know, ta thank ya for tha sandwiches ya brought over!"
"But…but why would ya-?"
"I SAID I was gonna give ya Nicelander pie, right?" Felix smiled "So why not bring some from EVERYONE! I mean, I couldn't just choose ONE type!"
"Auntie made pear…" said Meg.
"Mine made blackberry!" squealed Nel.
"My folks made pum'kin!" said Norwood.
"I made pecan!" Don said rather proudly "I made MINE all by myself since I'm the biggest!"
"Liar." Deanna said, pulling Don's ear "You know good and well that Roy and I made OURS as well. In fact, I think I recall a certain WATER-BUG beggin' for help when ya couldn't get the dough to turn out right."
"Ow, DEEDEE!"
Ralph blinked; this was turning into a picnic like no other!
"Ya brought pie?" the big boy grinned, his gap-tooth smile showing through "Mama packed me THIS for everyone!"
And out came the muffins and sandwiches! Theresa had made sure her little wrecker was prepared!
"WOW!" said Felix, the other children looking in at awe "See, didn't I tell ya he was great?"
Great?
Ralph hadn't been called great before.
Maybe….
Maybe his leader was wrong.
"Hey Gene!" Felix cried "You're missin' out on somethin' GOOOOD!"
"No!" Gene squeaked, though by the pangs in his stomach, he was now in a battle between fear and HUNGER. He could smell the pie and other tasty treats just calling to him.
But he didn't want to go near the forest giant! He knew what his father had said!
And he ALWAYS had to obey what his father said, his father was ALWAYS right.
He peered from behind the tree, seeing his friends enjoying their time with Ralph, Felix having never looked happier in his life.
And if Felix was happy…
But the forest giant!
Felix was enjoying himself….
They're just bad guys!
Felix seemed so happy with Ralph.
And more than that?
*Queeeee!*
Why did Gene have to be so hungry all the time?
"Gene?"
The boy felt a jolt as he turned, Felix looking over at him.
"Hey, is your tooth still botherin' ya?"
The Nicelander said nothing, only shaking his head.
"Ralph's mom made sweet potato muffins! They should be soft enough for ya ta eat!"
Again, Gene's eyes went up to Ralph, the giant boy sitting amongst the other Nicelander. All he felt was nervousness and fear, his father's warnings swirling around in his head.
But the food did look good.
There was no point in this! Gene HAD to be brave! He couldn't cower in the face of some forest dweller! A Nicelander shouldn't fall! A Nicelander-!
"Sweet potato muffins?" Gene meeped, taking the large pasty into his hands "I-I don't think I've ever tried one."
"Just try it, Gene!" Felix smiled "They're good!"
There was nothing to fear, there was nothing to fear.
Gene took one nibble, the muffin so soft and warm.
And…
So soft.
So warm!
SO SWEET!
SO GOOD!
It was if Gene had entered some sort of paradise of food, the sweet taste instantly tossing all his fear out the window! Without so much as a second thought, Gene SHOVED the entire muffin into his before going in for more.
"Whoa, slow down!" Felix laughed, pulling Gene back by the collar of his sweater "Leave some for the rest of us!"
Ralph found that he was lost for words as he sat around, the Nicelanders gathered around him and a smile beaming on his face. He still could not believe that after so much warning and so much anger displayed by the others in his village that he was sitting down and enjoying a day with Nicelanders.
Was Horace wrong all this time? He had been so certain that Nicelanders would cause nothing but trouble should one of the forest dwellers even come NEAR them.
Ralph didn't see it. He saw it from none of them as they continued to eat and chatter amongst themselves.
And he ESPECIALLY didn't see it from Felix.
Felix was the one, the one who had talked to him first, the one who had introduced him to the others, the one who had called him great.
Ralph had never been called GREAT before.
And it was from the boy who lived with the Nicelanders.
Ralph felt a bit of blush forming on his cheeks but he snapped himself to. After all, he was all about sharing but he still had a reputation to uphold! He WAS a Forest Giants and Forest Giants always made sure that people knew who was in charge.
Though maybe this time, he could put the act down. Right now, PIE was more important than putting up a front.
"Wow, ya gots big feet!" came a laugh. Ralph looked down, seeing tiny Nel poking his toes with a cattail.
"Nel, stop!" said Felix "That's not nice!"
Nel? Wasn't she the one that Tilly had gone after? One would have thought that after such a shock, the Nicelander wouldn't want to go NEAR a Forest Giant but there she was, giggling away like mad.
"A-ah, it's okay." Ralph said "It's not like I'm tha ONLY one with big feet back at home!"
"Still, I gotta thing 'bout messin' with people like that!" the smaller boy frowned "I mean, I already have enough on my hands with THOSE TWO back there!"
"Gene, stop eatin' all tha muffins!" growled Mary.
"Mmmph, stay on your side!" mumbled Gene.
"Wanna see somethin' cooooooool?" Nel smiled at Ralph, the boy noticing a playful glint in her eyes.
"Er, m-maybe?"
"Nel, don't show him!" shouted Deanna.
"Nel, SHOW HIM!" laughed Norwood.
Poor Ralph, he was so horribly confused "Wait, what's goin' on?"
The repairman's son put his face in his hands "Here we go."
"Wait, what's-?"
"Ya got big feeeeet…." Nel grinned, reaching for her right show "But LOOK'IT MINE!"
The group of children gave a shout, Ralph looking down because-!
Because Nel only had three toes on her right foot.
"NEL!"
Too late; the purple Nicelander was already laughing up a storm, Ralph looking on in shock.
"TH-THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE OTHER NIGHT, DID IT?!"
"No, no!" Nel smiled "They've always been like this!"
"Sooo…I didn't hurt ya durin' that….well."
"Nope!" Nel smiled "I think tha only one who got HURT last night was MARY when her mama spanked her for causin' so much noise!"
"She did NOT!" screeched Mary but Nel was all a giggles again.
"Yes she did! I never heard ya scream so loud! Betcha your butt is pink NOW!"
"NEL, I'M GONNA TIE YA TA NORWOOD WITH YOUR BOW!" the pink Nicelander screamed, taking chase after her smaller neighbor.
"NUH UH! I'mma have RALPH sit on ya if ya do!" said Nel.
"Then-! THEN-!"
Mary was losing steam, quickly reaching for a lily pad and tossing it around.
"I SAID COME BACK HERE!"
Nel managed to duck just in time, the lily pad smacking Don in the face instead.
"Gaah! Mary!"
Mary didn't even wait, running right into Don as the chase continued.
"Ya won't be laughin' once I'm through with ya!"
"Oh, don't think you're gonna get away with throwing that thing in my face!"
"Donald, sit down!"
"Roy, don't encourage him!"
"Wait, guys! The pie!"
And before long, Ralph found himself sitting right in the middle of a heated war, Nicelanders screaming and tumbling over each other though by now they had all but forgotten the reason WHY they were fighting.
"Guys, I said no fightin'!" said Felix "An' GENE! Enough muffins, ya nearly ate tha whole plate!"
Gene didn't care at this point, the boy happily stuffing his face as everyone else fought around him.
"Omnom! Muffin heaven!"
"DOG PILE ON THA BIG KID!"
"Excuse M-OOOF!"
Before Ralph even knew what was going on, down he went, Nicelanders piling ontop of him, scurrying about like rabbits.
"H-Hey! OW! I know I'm pretty big but that doesn't mean ya can-! Bwoof! FIGHT ON ME!"
Any cries for help were all but drowned out, everyone acting so silly to even bother.
"A-are….are ya seein' what I'm seein'?!" whispered a voice in the brush "He CAN'T really be doin' this!"
"Look at it!" said another, rubbing their eyes in shock "First tha pie, now this?! What does Ralph think he's doin'?"
"Diggin' his own grave…." Growled a voice, seeing nothing but red from their point of view "That traitor thinks they can get away with this?! Wait till he gets home!"
