Chapter
Three: The Search for Answers
Buddi stared at the key. It had an
oddly curved end. He'd never seen an end like that. He also knew of nothing in
the woods that it would open. They had a hidden cave under the woods where they
kept miscellaneous things but the key to that Ursa had.
"What if it's-"
The cub was interrupted by sounds
approaching. He whirled around and some of the branches parted.
Gritty stared at him a minute before
laughing.
"Kiddo, if Ursa sees you like that,
she'll blow a fuse!"
Buddi leapt up and ran to him. "But
Gritty, I found a-"
The adult gently pushed him away.
"Whoa, kid. You're too dirty to get too close to me. I don't need any extra
dirt."
Buddi backed up and said, "But
Gritty, I found something. Something I know I didn't know was here before."
Gritty looked at him, "That's a
first. I thought you knew the woods inside out."
"I do, but this is new."
Before either one could say anything
else, the branches and bushes parted and Ursa walked through. She caught a
single look of Buddi and her anger triggered. She stormed toward him and said
to gritty,
"Please tell me that is not Buddi."
Gritty backed up, clearly saying,
"Leave me outta it."
Ursa turned to Buddi again.
"You, in a bath now."
"But Ursa, it's early."
"And you're coated with mud. Dirt I
can handle. But this mud is too much. You know better."
Buddi gave in. "Okay, okay you win."
Buddi slipped the key into his
knapsack just as Ursa grabbed him by the back of his tunic. She tugged him
towards the huts and he winced. Whenever he had to take a bath because he got
muddy, she'd scrub the mud off herself. She said she did it to make sure she
got it all off.
"Meet me in the bath house."
Buddi sighed. All the Barbics had
their own baths but they were all in the same hut, divided into different small
rooms. They were in the same hut because the supply of water was easier to
store there. But Ursa was so tough on him when she scrubbed. He thought perhaps
she did it on purpose.
Buddi did as asked though.
Ursa walked in, a few minutes later,
a yoke across her shoulders. She walked into Buddi's separate bathroom and
poured the water into the tub. She vanished and then was back with another
load. She poured that in too and then lit a small fire under the water. After
five minutes, she felt the water and then put the fire out. She pulled the cub
into the room and bolted the door.
"Okay Buddi. We've done this before,
in Ursalia and before the woods fell. You know the drill."
Buddi sighed. He knew it all right
but he still thought he could clean the mud off himself. Ursa as if reading his
mind, said,
"Buddi, you always rush through
baths. If you rush through getting mud off, you miss some, and your fur
hardens. Then it's even harder to get off. Besides, you've got so much I think
you'll need the help."
Buddi sighed again but stripped off
his tunic and knapsack. He tossed his tunic in the corner and his knapsack he
just dropped on the floor. The cub then climbed into the bath obediently.
"Ow, hot."
Ursa pushed him down. "You'll
adjust."
Buddi nodded. Ursa poured some water
over his head and then over his arms. Some of the mud washed off but not much.
Ursa grabbed a cloth and drenched it in soap. Ursa grabbed his left arm and
started to scrub rapidly. Buddi yelped.
"That hurts."
Ursa hissed through her teeth, "If
you'd stayed out of the wet mud you wouldn't be going through this. You're in
fault. So don't complain."
Buddi shut his mouth but ground his
teeth. She hadn't changed. It still stung like fire.
Ursa noted the cub's teeth and did
weaken her scrub a bit. But she still went pretty swiftly.
"Other arm, Buddi."
The cub reluctantly held his arm
out. Ursa took hold and scrubbed that one hard too. Buddi hissed through his
teeth. Besides the pain, he was dying to examine that key more.
"Done Buddi."
The cub looked down at his arms. All
the mud was gone but it was flame red. He winced and rubbed it. Ursa got up and
let the water drain. She tossed a towel to Buddi along with one of his night
outfits. Buddi recognized it. His warm fur one. She must have packed it. He
didn't remember doing it.
The cub dressed and then grabbed his
knapsack. Ursa had taken his tunic but left his knapsack. The cub ran out and
then swung back to his own hut. Most Barbics would have made it there in five
minutes.
It took Buddi two.
The cub ran through the main
chamber, directly through Lundi and Gritty. Lundi called after him,
"Slow down, kid!"
Buddi called back, "Sorry," and then
ran into his room. Ursa had gotten some fur from a sort of deer they'd killed
for food and made a quilt of its fur for him. He laid down on it and took the
key out. It was still a bit dirty so the cub wiped it on a cloth he had and
dipped it in some water he had in his room, a bowl that Ursa left for him to
wash his hands in.
Once clean, the key sparkled like
gold.
He saw an insignia one the end. It
was the same mark on Zummi's medallion.
Buddi suddenly shuddered, swallowed
hard. There was something about this key that frightened him. The cub opened
his knapsack and threw it back in and then threw the knapsack as far across the
room as he could get it. The evil aura was still there.
Suddenly the cub longed for company.
He ran out of his room and back into
the main chamber.
No one was there.
He darted around, looked for anyone.
He tripped and fell flat on his
face. He fought to get up but something grabbed his foot, pulled him back.
The same thing jerked him up and
then slapped him across the face.
The cub blinked.
Gritty was looking at him, baffled.
Lundi was sharing the same look.
Buddi shook his head. "Where's
Ursa?"
Gritty answered, "Behind you,"
The cub whirled around. Ursa was
looking at him, an alarmed look on her face. Buddi walked to her and said,
"Ursa…I…I…tomorrow…I…is the cave
still here?"
"Yes," she answered, baffled by his
stammering.
"Could ya let me down there
tomorrow?"
"I suppose. Why?"
"I.. I have my reasons. Please."
Ursa sighed. "Okay, I'll do that.
But I expect you tell me why soon, understand?"
"Yes, Ursa."
She left, saying, "Dinner now."
Buddi followed, his heart pounding.
He knew that he needed answers on Celina.
And he needed them soon.
* * *
Sunni smiled as Grammi pulled the
covers tight around her. She inwardly had a plan but she had to wait until
tonight to do it.
So she waited until one o'clock before
venturing out.
The hallways were dark, spooky. Very
slowly, she crept to the library. The Great Book was open and the lights were
all out. She was alone.
Creeping up to the book, she said to
herself,
"You tell us everything else, tell
me what I need to know."
And that said she flipped to the
back, where Zummi had discovered information on 'dark mysteries.'
The one section cubs weren't allowed
to see.
She took a deep breath, lit another candle and began to read.