Chapter Six: Past Memories and New Friendships

Chapter Six: Past Memories and New Friendships

It was late night and Buddi still hadn't come back. Ursa had gotten concerned when he'd missed dinner and now it was nearly eleven o'clock. She was frantic. Where was he?

"Ursa? Where are you going?"

Ursa turned as Gritty called to her from her doorframe. She tied a shawl around her shoulders and answered as she lit a lantern.

"I'm going to find Buddi."

Gritty walked in and stated, "Not without me you aren't."

The two left and headed outside.

* * *

Sir Plucki and Sir Blastus exchanged glances.

"Sound sleeper, isn't he?"

"Qui, Sir Plucki. Shy as well, qui?"

Plucki nodded. They had found out the child's name from Wooddale. It was Buddi and he was thirteen.

He had been asleep by eleven and it was nearly eleven thirty now. They found out from Wooddale that he had been raised in the woods by Gummadoon but that was it, the child was very reserved.

"Are you gonna stand there all night?"

The two knights turned as the cub sat up.

"You knew we were here?" Buddi nodded at Sir Plucki. He said simply,

"Ursa taught me how to tell."

He lit the candle and wrapped his arms around his shins. "She raised me to be tough and to be a fighter. I can tell when someone's sneaking up on me or looking at me…. most of the time."

The two knights sat down by the cub's bed and noted the cub was still a bit nervous around them but not nearly as bad as he had been. He was starting to open up.

Sir Plucki took a gamble, "Buddi, what were you doing in Gummadoon?"

The cub answered, "Getting my arrow. I'm starting to train with a bow and arrow but my aim was off. Our weapons are limited. I couldn't lose it."

"Interesting," Sir Plucki said simply. "You fight?"

Buddi nodded. "I can. But I hate it."

He added, "What's with the return? I know the legends. You're supposed to return once every hundred years."

Sir Plucki was not about to tell this child about Celina. No child should know of her.

"How do you know this isn't the one day?"

Buddi answered without hesitation, "Cubbi told me."

Sir Blastus burst out, "Mon ami, did you say Cubbi?"

Buddi nodded. "Or as you know him, Sir Cubbi."

Sir Plucki decided that maybe they could get some information. They could think of a cover-up later.

"How long as it been lad?"

Buddi answered, "How old was Cubbi?"

Buddi was the only Barbic Cubbi'd told about Gummadoon, he never imagined Gritty's face if he found out but now he thought of it and smirked. Plucki answered,

"He was seven."

Buddi replied to his question with, "He's eight and a half now."

Plucki was stunned, it had felt like a few hours to him and yet to their young knight a year and a half had passed. Buddi remembered suddenly something Ursa had said. Said to return only one day every hundred years. Unless there's severe danger."

Buddi still did not feel great around these knights but he said,

"It's Celina isn't it?"

The two adults stared at the child. Buddi answered the gaze of disbelief with,

"We've met."

* * *

Ursa was ahead of her friend by a few feet. She hadn't found Buddi anywhere in the woods and it was now well past midnight. She was his 'mother,' she was scared to death. She ran ahead and then finally saw a rise in the field. She ran over to it and peered over.

Her mouth dropped.

Gritty came up behind her and stared as well.

"Gummadoon?" Gritty nodded.

Ursa swallowed, "But it was only a legend,"

Gritty spied footprints. "Legend or not, those are Buddi's footprints."

That was all Ursa needed to hear. Without a moment's hesitation, she walked straight towards the city. There were guards at the gates. But Ursa walked straight on, no fear. She had one thing on her mind, getting her baby back.

The two knight guards drew their sleep horns at the approach. But they lowered them when they saw a tall Gummi female.

"State your name and purpose," the first demanded.

Ursa narrowed her eyes at them, "Ursa. And my child's in there."

The two gummies exchanged some glances; there was one new cub,

"Buddi?"

Ursa nodded. "Now where is he?"

The two guards stepped aside to let the female Gummi through. She raced in, followed by Gritty. Councilor Wooddale greeted them.

"You must be Ursa," she spoke to the female. "Your child mentioned you several times."

Ursa started forward but Gritty held her back, "My Buddi!" Ursa shouted, "Where's my Buddi?"

Wooddale smiled, this Gummi truly did love this child, and she was not the cause of his lack of confidence at least not purposely. The Councilor motioned the two to follow her and led them into the city.

* * *

"I've met her before." Buddi repeated. "So has Sunni."

The Knights started to say something but heard voices. Suddenly, the door opened and Wooddale, Gritty and Ursa walked in.

The knights took note of the new gummies. The male was about Wooddale's height, and black. He wore a patch over his right eye and a tan tunic. The female Gummi was taller, the tallest Gummi they'd seen and had blondish red hair to the middle of back and a helmet on her head. Her tunic was blood red, much like Buddi's and she wore a red shawl. A sword swung at her hip. The cub saw her and leapt up.

"Ursa!"

The female dropped to her knees and Buddi flew into her arms. Ursa picked him up, hugging him tightly. When that moment passed, she set him on his feet and held him at arms' length.

"Buddi! Were you trying to give me a heart attack?"

The cub made no reply but the knights saw that he was uncomfortable. Ursa went on,

"I was looking all over the world for you! Gum's sake, you know better!"

Buddi managed to say, "I'm sorry," and glanced up at the taller Gummi. A smile spread over Ursa's face as the back of her cub's hand hid a yawn. She turned to the knights,

"I see you met my cub."

They nodded, Sir Blastus spoke,

"Qui, M'Lady."

Ursa was surprised to be called 'M'Lady.' It was a name she was unaccustomed to. Barbics weren't generally that formal. The only time they were formal was during the 'Coming of Age' Ceremony. That was when the leader of the Barbics would give a child their own sword, when they were strong enough to lift one. Then they became an adult. Formal Barbic was used then.

"M'Lady?" Ursa repeated. Buddi looked up at her, his cheek against her right thigh.

"It's their sign of respect, Ursa."

Ursa, being a surrogate mother turned to the knights to conform it. They nodded in reply. Plucki particularly noted that since his 'mother' was here, Buddi clung to her desperately. Ursa noted that he was tired, he kept rubbing his eyes.

"I assume that we can stay here the night?"

Ursa did not generally trust strangers but these were knights, well known and she had seen how kind they were. Besides, they were gummies.

The knights nodded. Plucki replied,

"There are two adjourning chambers right across the hall. I assume you two want to stay close to Buddi."

Gritty nodded. He and Ursa were near Buddi often. In the huts, his door was across from Ursa's who's was right next to Buddi's. Ursa still tucked Buddi in, although he was thirteen. Barbics were tough but not heartless. Ursa knew it made Buddi feel better too.

The knights seemed to catch onto this and left. They called back, "Tomorrow, we can talk."

Gritty and Ursa nodded and as soon as the door closed, they turned to Buddi and ordered in unison,

"You. To bed now."

For once, Buddi didn't disagree. He must have been tired. He got into bed and laid down. He sat up, stunned, when the door simply closed and Ursa blew the candle out before leaving. Buddi was shocked, Ursa always at least told him goodnight. More often than not, she would talk to him a while. It made Buddi's eyes sting that she just left.

He guessed she was angry with him. She had told him several times not to enter a place he was unfamiliar with alone. It was one of her major rules. He guessed he'd be getting extra training tomorrow.

Buddi had never realized how much Ursa's little talks or even her goodnight had helped. He tossed for at least an hour. Then, with a sigh of exhaustion and hurt, he clutched the pillow tightly and slept, as two tears slid down his cheeks.