Chapter Eleven: Fight On for Freedom

Chapter Eleven: Fight On for Freedom

Buddi led his best friend into the secret passages. It was dusty and a bit musty but they managed it. Besides, no one knew about this passage but Buddi. It was probably the only safe place in all Ursalia. But although the two cubs had started out confident, they were now scared, terrified.

Buddi had never been so terrified in his life. He was alone, only his best friend could help. And his plan might not work. He found that his eyes were prickling with tears. This was one time; he truly wished that his 'Mama' would interfere. He needed Ursa. He was terrified, scared to death.

Sunni felt the same way but she trusted Buddi. So, she crept along a corridor, in a hidden compartment over the main hall. She gazed down, surveying the situation. She winced, Igthorn, Ogres, and…Lady bane? Troggels?

Sunni growled. Great. Just what they needed. But she quickly took note of where they were before rushing back to meet her best friend.

"Buddi!"

The cub turned and greeted his best friend. Her face was pale and seemed devoid of any hope. He swallowed his own fear and said,

"Well?"

Sunni sighed. "Igthorn, Ogres, lady bane, Troggels and Celina's probably interfering some way."

Buddi sighed and took to thinking again until Sunni asked,

'Buddi?"

"Hmm?"

"Wha-what are we gonna do? They've got us outnumbered, outgunned and outmuscled."

Buddi smiled, in a false display of confidence.

"No problem Sunni. We just lure them out, trick them into that old ejector and pop. They're gone. All we have to do is lure them there and set it off without them wanting to come back and without noticing us setting it off. I've got it all up here," he pointed to his head, "Except for one little detail. That's how we'll win. Lure them to a trap."

Sunni stared, shrugged her shoulders and said incredulously. "True but how do we lure them, keep them out and keep them from noticing?"

Buddi sighed, looked at her and said, "That's the detail I haven't figured out yet."

Sunni sighed as well and sat down by Buddi. She looked at him.

Buddi had his face buried in his arms. He needed Ursa. He…he was just a child! What was he saying? They were outnumbered! Then, he heard Ursa's voice again, in his mind, comforting. But still tense and needing his help.

Buddi looked down at the ground and said softly,

"Ursa. I want to help you. I do. But…I'm scared Ursa. Help me. Please."

All at once, he started to remember. The very first thing that Ursa taught him:

"You aren't beaten until you refuse to fight back. And even then, you haven't been defeated, you defeated yourself."

Buddi's keen mind began to ponder, drawing on past experiences suggestions. He looked into one, from long ago when Ursa first started his hand-to-hand training, a short time after they moved to Ursalia.

* * *

"Too fast! Ursa, you're going too fast!"

Buddi glared at her as she swung her staff again. He ducked but she easily saw that and knocked the staff from his hand. Buddi growled in agitation as he retrieved it. Ursa chuckled and said,

"I go fast for a reason, Buddi. You learn more from losing once than you do from winning many times. Besides," she added. "An enemy is not going to go easy on you because you're a rookie."

Buddi growled and wiped the mud from his spear. It had rained lately and they were practicing in the field. Ursa said the slick mud improved agility and traction. Buddi didn't know. All he knew was that he was sick of falling and getting mud all over him. He didn't normally mind getting dirty but he wanted to play after this but when he got coated with mud, Ursa'd throw him in a bath.

Ursa struck out again. Buddi dodged a bit before finally deciding he'd had it.

He ran and leapt straight at her.

But at the last moment, the Barbic leader dodged and watched her cub fall face down in the mud, done in by his own momentum. He turned and glared at her. She snickered. Then, knelt to one knee and offered the child her hand. He took it. But then, a small smirk overtook his features and with one quick pull, he jerked her from her balance and she went spiraling face down into the mud with him. Buddi giggled.

Ursa was surprised but smiled. Buddi wiped the mud from his face and she noted the large bruise on it. She took on an overly exaggerated pity face.

"Oh, poor angel, did you go boom when you fell down?"

Buddi stared a her a moment before saying,

"Ha, ha." He picked up a clump of mud and threw it at her. "Here's mud in your eye!"

The Barbic laughed and said as she pulled Buddi up,

"You were going too fast and didn't focus on your traction. So you were put at bay."

The cub gave her a cynical glare. "Oh, really? I didn't notice."

Ursa shrugged the cub's sarcastic remark off and added as she wiped the mud from his face,

"You need to be patient Buddi. Granted that in battle you can't think much but before you run flat out at someone make sure you have a good chance of him or her not seeing you. I saw you, plain as day. But if I hadn't you may have knocked me down. It's a good strategy at times but learn when to use it…"

* * *

"That's it!"

Sunni jumped and turned to her formerly silent best friend.

"What's it, Buddi?"

"I have the first part planned out. We can make them forget their own speed by keeping them preoccupied. But I still don't know how to get them outside and where we need them to be."

Sunni smiled and hugged him. "Well, I'm thinking. If we work together, we'll figure something out."

Buddi nodded and took another peak at his past memories. That seemed to be where the answers were and he was still searching for some and would keep doing so until he found them…

* * *

Buddi, a small six year old cub, swung through the branches of Barbic Woods as agile and in control as a bird in the air or a fish in water. He knew exactly how to catch a branch but he was not as swift as he usually was. This section of the forest was alien to him. Ursa had strictly forbidden him to come here but his curiosity overwhelmed his obedience.

It was dark, eerie. It gave him the creeps, made his skin crawl.

The trees had a darker bark here, nearly black. But maybe that was just because of the night air. It was already dark. His curfew was in a few minutes and he was at least a ten-minute trip from his chambers. But Buddi didn't care. He was curious.

The cub swung down and landed on a branch a few feet above the ground. But then, there was a cracking sound and the branch gave way. Buddi shrieked in shock and then in physical pain as a sharp twig gave him a deep slit down his left arm. The six year old landed on the ground and wailed aloud in pain.

Buddi tried to dry his tears but the sight of his own blood streaming down his fur added to the pain. He whimpered low in his throat and trembled slightly. Fighting the agonizing pain, he got to his feet, rubbed his backside a minute, and then whimpered before looking around at his surroundings.

It was dark and dreary. He shivered and found himself longing for the warmth of his bed and his Mama Ursa's arms. He started to walk but then heard a low growl. He swallowed hard, heart alive in his chest. He turned, very slowly.

Two pairs of yellow eyes stared back at him from the branches. Then, the two alpha male wolves came into view. The cub shivered and felt like he would wet his pants, he was so terrified. He backed up slowly and then saw as the two wolves growled again, baring their sharp yellow teeth, shimmering daggers.

They sprung towards him.

Buddi screamed and ran for his life.

* * *

Ursa swung towards the dark part of the woods. She'd forbidden Buddi to go here but that had been stupid. She should have taken him herself and showed him why. But now she just knew that was where he was. It was just like a cub. They let their curiosity overtake them.

She sighed but then felt her heart freeze:

"MAMA URSA!"

Her heart started again at ten times its normal speed. She swung towards Buddi's voice calling,

"Hang on baby. I'm coming."

* * *

Buddi was panting for air now. His lungs were burning. Finally, he tripped.

The wolves leapt at him. The cub covered his face with his arms and screamed out as loud as he could. The wolves' teeth were an inch from his throat when-

A hand grabbed the cub's shirt and jerked him up into the tree branches. The wolves slammed into the tree and then started to claw it, trying to get to their lost meal. Buddi clutched his savior tightly and inhaled. He shivered with relief as the figure took off into the higher branches, back into the safer realm of Barbic Woods.

"Mama Ursa."

He knew her smell anywhere, her touch anywhere, her voice anywhere. She soothed him by stroking his hair. He had his legs wrapped around her hips. He did not lift his face from her chest until he felt her lay him down on a bed. He heard the male voice,

"He got into that dark region, right?"

Grubbi.

Ursa smiled. "How'd you know?"

Grubbi smiled, as he took out some disinfectant and said, "Because you did the same thing, remember? It must be a cub thing."

He wiped the cub's cut arm with a stinging herb mixture. Buddi started to cry in pain. Grubbi gently blew on the wound to dull the sting. But he quickly bound it. But there was one other thing. He had to get a shot, to kill the germs. The medic nodded to Ursa, who pulled the cub onto her lap and steadied his arm.

"No! No needles!"

Ursa started to coo to him, speaking softly. He still cried. Grubbi tried to be quick but that did not dull the pain. Buddi had been crying before but now he was wailing.

Ursa finally reached into her pouch where she always kept a few treats for the child. Withdrawing some hard maple candy, she gave it to her cub.

His sobs ceased immediately as he began to suck on the sweet hardened sugar.

The Barbics always gathered the candy in the spring, when they made the mixture of sap and maple, which made their bows waterproof. Ursa and Gritty always set aside some maple and mixed it with sugarcane, to produce a hard caramel like candy. But it was rare in the summer as it was harder to harvest so any piece of it was a scarce surprise for Buddi.

"Buddi.." he looked up at her and took a bite from the sweet treat. She smiled.

"Buddi, our wolves are attracted to blood. Your arm led them to you. Like fish to a hook or a human to conquest…"

* * *

Buddi shook himself from the memory. There was another piece! Of course, bait. But he'd have to use himself. That scared him but he saw no other alternative. But there still remained the question of how to make them take their enemies' minds off what they were doing to trap them. But his final memory provided that answer.

* * *

Buddi was eight now. Although he had aged, he was still fairly little, the smallest of the Barbics. In fact, he had to trot fairly quickly to keep up with Ursa. She always went so fast and always seemed to forget that because he was the smallest Barbic, his legs were the shortest. He tugged on her skirt as they walked over the warm ground, scented heavily with the smell of fresh blooming plants.

She smiled faintly and slowed her pace. Buddi could walk now, rather than run as he had been doing.

The two walked along the floor of Barbic Woods a time, Buddi groaning,

"Ursa…can't I take the tree route?"

Ursa shook her head. "No. You may not always have trees. Build up your endurance."

Buddi folded his arms across his chest and pouted. Ursa smiled but led the cub onward to the river, which flowed through the woods. It was fairly shallow here but still rich with what she wanted:

Fish.

Buddi sat down by Ursa on the riverbank. She smiled at him and then said,

"You'll need to know this Buddi, should you ever get lost. You know what fruits you can eat and the herbs that numb pain but you can't live off berries and fruits for long. So, I'm gonna teach you how to get some meat."

"You mean a fish?"

She nodded. Then, she rolled her sleeves up and removed her wrist guards. The cub watched her a time. She just sat there, peering into the water. Then, suddenly, she dove her hands into the water and jerked them back up, so fast it made Buddi jump.

A fat fish was in-between her palms, twitching desperately, trying to get back to the water. Buddi felt a strange wave of pity for the animal. It didn't bother him that the fish would die but he didn't want it to suffocate. What a terrible way to go! Then, Ursa caught his look, took out her dagger and quickly ended the fish's life. Buddi looked at her gratefully.

Ursa gestured to Buddi. "Your turn Buddi."

Buddi tried to do as Ursa had done. But he didn't really understand what she had done. So he narrowed his sights on a fish and dove for it. Ursa shook her head but smiled. Buddi started to fall into the river but Ursa caught him when his head and torso where immerged. Ursa chuckled as she tugged him up. He glared at her and she laughed out loud and said,

"Are you okay, Buddi?"

He nodded. "Right as ever, but been drier."

That said, the cub shook his head hard, sending a spray of cold water onto Ursa's face. She smiled and wiped the moisture from her cheeks and neck. Buddi looked at her, a faint red color invading his cheeks. Ursa gave his left cheek a gentle dig and then said,

"It wasn't your fault, Buddi. You're not used to this. You're also impatient. You're going too fast."

Buddi gave her a playful smile. "I'm a kid. It's against the rules to be patient."

Ursa shook her head but smiled back and said,

"You have to make the fish lose suspicion. It sees you and needs time before it decides if you're a threat or not. Fool it and wait."

Buddi nodded but sighed. "Aw, but I hate it. I hate waiting."

Ursa took on a cunning grin. "Oh really?" she faked a sigh. "That's too bad. I was gonna give you some maple can-"

"Maple candy?" Buddi interrupted. She nodded. Buddi shoved his way back to the river and said,

"Give me the stupid fish."

Ursa chuckled. She had long since learned that when all else failed, a bribe generally worked.

And this time was no different. Buddi sat still. Hen, he thrust his hands through the cold water and brought them up again, clutching a twitching and thrashing fish. Ursa snickered and covered her mouth. Buddi had his eyes shut to keep them from getting hit with the fish's tail. She reached out and took it from him.

Weighing it in her palms, she said, "not a bad catch, little one. Can you get two more?"

"Then-"

"Yes," she said rolling her eyes but keeping her smile. "Yes, then you'll get your candy."

Buddi did as she asked and true to her word, she handed him a bar of candy. As they headed back, carrying the fish, Ursa said, "Now you can catch fish, or actually anything for that matter, Buddi. It's all a matter of surprise and timing."

* * *

Buddi turned to Sunni. He had a plan. It was risky and dangerous but so was life. He had no choice. It was a long shot but the best idea he had. He touched Sunni's shoulder, gestured her near and whispered it in her ear. She looked scared but nodded firmly, no fear present on her face.

The two headed down the passage over the main hall, until they could see Igthorn and Lady bane beneath them. Clutching one another's hands for comfort, they eavesdropped. Buddi was an expert at it so the two humans went on with their conversation, never realizing they ere being heard.

* * *

"Get off of me, you fiend!"

Lady bane shoved Igthorn from her and padded away toward her troggels. Now that Ursalia was captured, she could hunt for the great library without worrying about little gummi bears interfering.

"But my dear, we are now allies, comrades.."

"Shut your trap. I have no intention of staying any longer than I must. I will locate the Great Library and then I'm gone."

"Surely, you want to witness the Gummies' end?"

She turned, her black hair flowing into her eyes. "Truly? You have the guts to kill them?"

"I must if we are to rule my dear. And I intend to enjoy it. Especially with that female Barbic."

* * *

Sunni felt her face pale and she turned to Buddi. There was no doubt in her mind, at that moment, he was Barbic.

The cub's face was red with anger, his eyes narrowed. He curled his upper lip back, in a snarl.

"By gum, the nisha!"

Sunni didn't know Barbic but even she knew that nisha had to be an insult.

And judging from the way that he covered his mouth, she guessed that had Ursa been there, he'd gotten a slap on the face or soap in the mouth. Buddi swallowed and said,

"No time, Sunni. I'm not letting those…creatures hurt Ursa or the others!"

Sunni nodded, fear clearly present on her face. "O…okay. Buddi, you got Lady bane right?" The cub nodded, as Sunni went on. "Then, I guess let's go with your plan."

Buddi smiled at her, in a futile attempt to calm her. Then, at once both cubs opened the door and leapt down into the hall, knocking their appropriate humans over in the process. The two jerked to their feet and ran as the humans got to their own feet and gave chase.

Buddi could hear Lady bane cursing behind him but he just focused on his traction as Ursa had taught him to do. Judging by how she yelled so, he hoped that she was not terribly concerned with her own traction. If she was, this plan might not work and he might be captured or killed.

"I'm not through with you yet! Don't you even think you can get away!"

Buddi let out an involuntary yelp as a blast of power; in the form of fire hit his leg hard. He tumbled forward, into the wet cement of the courtyard. He'd gotten outside but now the rain was blinding, although the cool rain helped the pain in his leg diminish faster. He leapt up and ran, although slower than before and he was favoring his left leg.

He thought the pain would kill him, it grew so swiftly. But then, once more, it was as if Ursa sensed his need and said, deep in his memories,

"When it comes to pain, take your mind away. Focus on the matter at hand."

The cub ran and ran and saw Sunni keeping Igthorn at her heels. The two cubs greeted each other, over the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. To the two humans they seemed trapped but the two cubs had other plans.

Before either human could stop him, Buddi leapt up, pushed a panel of the fountain and the ground beneath the four fell away. Buddi took Sunni's hand as they fell and guided her down a separate path, to the Great Library while the humans fell down into the underground Quick Tunnels. Sunni didn't know Ursalia had them underground but Buddi knew this city inside out.

The two cubs landed amid a dusty pile of books. A rather rough landing and left both cubs with a few bruises and scratches, but Buddi yanked Sunni up and through the passage to the Quick Tunnels. The humans were stumbling to their feet, trying to get from the path. Sunni caught on swiftly and leapt into a car, fastening her belt. Buddi followed and snapped the controls on.

The car rumbled towards the two humans.

The two swiftly decided that they would rather be somewhere else and ran. The car took time picking up speed, as Buddi had expected. He needed to get them out to the courtyard, and then he could put the next part into action. But the timing had to be right. The timing was everything.

And then there was Sunni's part. She would split from him and do away with the troggels and Ogres. He trusted her but he pitied the stress on her shoulders. As he felt the suffocating stress himself.

The two humans ran faster but they were still gained. Finally, they attempted to climb out the side but it was too slick and they collapsed backward. Then, scrambling to their feet, they emerged back up into the courtyard and leapt over the narrower path and onto the square. Sunni and Buddi nodded at each other. Sunni unbuckled herself and leapt down to the ground before scrambling into the shadows.

Buddi unbuckled his and slowly climbed out until he was on the nose of the car. The wind flew past him, blowing his fur back. He was struggling to hold on. Then, he saw the tower he wanted. The platform that held the GummiScope. Swallowing more fear than he knew anyone was capable of feeling he let go and jumped, the car's momentum sending him flying.

His face developed a large bruise as he barely made it, the stone burrowing its way into his skin. He dug his fingers into the rock and managed to pull himself up and over onto the ground. He was panting, terrified. By Gum, he longed for trees. He couldn't deal with height otherwise. And now his cheek hurt along with his leg. He groaned as he ran to the instrument,

"Note to self: don't do that again."

He crawled to his feet and let out a yelp of pain as a shard of sharp stone flew through the air, slicing his upper arm open. He looked down. Lady Bane. And Igthorn too. They were watching him and didn't hear Sunni. She was imitating them. She was very good at it. Even Buddi would have been fooled. The Ogres seemed confused but they thought they heard Ightorn ordering retreat. So they obeyed. The troggels thought they heard Lady Bane. They fled.

Celina's full intelligence had not filtered down yet so that was to Buddi's favor. The groups of animals were still pretty slow witted. Buddi ran to the scope and saw that the emergency lamp was in place. It was for when there was no sun as they was no sun now. Buddi saw the humans climbing up towards him.

He grabbed one the wheels and turned. It was so hard!

He'd forgotten how hard it was to turn. But gradually it turned. Slowly but assuredly. He saw a hand clamp on the platform. He gulped and grabbed the message writer, slamming it down hard. The beam shot out. Igthorn leapt down, crying in fear. Buddi fired again. The two humans were dodging but refused to run.

Taking a chance, the cub turned the scope downward and fired again.

A section of the patio burned away and now the two humans ran.

They ran to the gates. Sunni opened them.

The humans, stunned, tried to stop but just as with Buddi and Ursa their momentum carried them on, especially in the slick rain.

Sunni slammed the gates, as they had only been opened a bit, and locked them tight. She could hear the humans cursing and calling their troops back, who had been waiting for further orders.

Buddi fired again.

The humans stumbled, scared and with a scowl that could kill, ran.

He smiled as he heard Igthorn say, "The brat! I knew that he had to be alive! I knew!"

Buddi collapsed. Although the procedure itself may have seemed simple, the whole thing had taken most of the night. And the chase by lady bane had been harder than he thought. His leg still hurt. So did his arm from whichever human had thrown the stone made dagger.

He watched as Sunni ran up to him. She flung her arms around him.

She'd been let off easy. She had had to lead Igthorn out but that had been easy as she used her juice, which allowed her to keep ahead. Buddi had had a worse time. But in terms of stress, the cubs were even. They were tired. They were hungry. They were cold.

But they were happy.

They'd won Ursalia back, although they still weren't one hundred percent sure why.

They didn't care.

The two cubs wrapped their arms around each other and hugged one another until the first rays of the sun penetrated the still storming clouds.