"Nana Ursa!"
Ursa, as a fifty-six year old turned and smiled as Ulisa ran to her. She knelt and hugged her 'granddaughter.' The girl was twelve now but still called her Nana Ursa. So did her sister, Tobi. Ursa didn't mind. They rarely came to her with problems now as they had when they were younger. Ursa smiled.
Her Buddi was now thirty-four and father to three, twin girls who were twelve and a three-year-old son named Warrio, after Ursa's father. Tobi was named after one of Sunni's ancestors and Ulisa was named after Ursa. Buddi and Sunni were pretty busy with the three year old but Gritty had said he'd give them a break and take all three cubs that night. The Barbics actually were raising the three together but it was Buddi's quarters they were near.
"Hey Ulisa, how are you?"
The girl giggled, "Okay, but can't stay long. Just wanted to ask if you could help train me sometime this week. I asked Daddy and he said if you said yes."
Ursa smiled, "Sure Little one. How's the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes!"
Ulisa beamed and kissed her Nana on the cheek,
"Thanks, I gotta go. Bye!"
Ursa chuckled. She was so cute. She loved all her grandchildren but Ulisa was the most like her. Warrio was a mix of Sunni and Buddi and Tobi was like her father, personality wise. Ursa stretched and decided to pay Buddi a visit. He was out by the river, thinking. It was a day's journey and he decided he needed a break so Gritty and Sunni told him they could handle it.
Buddi relaxed, enjoying the peace. He loved all his kids but they did cause headaches every so often. Right when he thought he was comfortable, a flash made him open his eyes.
The adult climbed to his feet and approached it cautiously. He didn't like to fight but if need be, he was fully trained and fully capable of defending himself. Ursa had trained him and he'd become an adult at nineteen years. He chuckled as he remembered that. Ursa had looked like she was going to cry.
Buddi eased towards where he'd last seen the light and gasped.
He was looking at himself.
The cub he was looking at was eleven. Immediately Buddi's mind raced back twenty-three years. He remembered that this was the second stop in time, due to Zummi's malfunctioning spell. If his memory served him right, he'd just seen Una killed. The adult picked up his younger self, cradling him in his arms.
Buddi walked back to camp and laid his younger self down.
"Buddi?"
The younger gummi's eyes fluttered then opened.
Buddi gasped as he took in the older bear's features. Sitting up, he demanded,
"Who are you, where am I?"
The older bear said simply, "Look at my face and tell me who I am."
Buddi did so, peering into the male's eyes. He gasped and tumbled backwards, saying,
"You're…you're me!"
Buddi's older self nodded. He smiled, "Thirty-four to be exact, I'm your adult self."
"Then I'm in the future, I'm not home!" his despair was quite plain. Buddi felt his older self gently squeeze him. The adult answered,
"Yes you're in the future, the year thirteen-ninety-three."
Tears of frustration filled Buddi's eyes. He wiped them away and hissed,
"Why did I ask Zummi to cast this spell?"
His older self smiled and tilted his head up,
"Don't worry so much, it'll be okay."
"I'll get home, right?"
Buddi's older self nodded.
Then, the older gummi picked Buddi up and said,
"If I remember right the time jumps take a ton out of you. Why don't you rest a bit?"
Buddi nodded faintly. He wanted to go home but knew he couldn't do a thing about it. So he let his older self carry him and then put him in his blanket he'd brought. Buddi inwardly knew he was too upset to sleep but if he could rest and calm down a little bit. His older self left him alone on the blanket and walked towards the fire.
"Buddi!"
The adult looked up and smiled,
"Ursa."
Buddi sat right up from the blanket and stared. It was! It was Ursa, older, but it was her. Buddi nearly ran to her, he was scared and horrified by what he'd just seen but he stayed back for a moment. His older self was talking.
"Ursa, why are you down here?"
"I thought I'd come by and see you. With your three cubs I hardly get a chance without cubs barging in."
Buddi gasped. Him with three kids? With who?
His older self spoke again,
"Ursa, remember when Zummi's spell went high wire when I was eleven?"
Ursa nodded, she'd been a wreck while he was gone, barely eating anything. The adult before her took a breath,
"Well, here was one stop."
Ursa stared at him a minute before it hit her,
"You mean-"
Buddi walked out as his older self gestured him towards them. Buddi stood before Ursa trying as hard as he could not fling himself into her arms.
Ursa stared at the tiny cub before her. It was Buddi, little eleven-year-old Buddi. She hadn't seen Buddi like this for almost twenty-three years. It was apparent he'd seen something he was frightened of. His eyes were red. Ursa had helped raise Buddi, his two daughters and now her 'grandson'. She knew what to do with a child in a state like this. And she felt no shame in doing it as no matter what time he was from, Buddi was her baby.
She knelt and opened her arms. Buddi ran into them and flung his arms around her neck. He wasn't crying yet, but the tears were surfacing and soon they spilled down his cheeks. He wasn't used to seeing death. And now he had seen Una and Warrio die. He was only eleven. He was scared.
Ursa rose, picking Buddi up as she did so. She cradled the cub close and then said,
"Buddi, is this very far along the journey?"
The adult shook his head,
"Just the beginning, he has a ways to go."
"What?" Buddi choked out and demanded of his older self,
"How many time jumps do I gotta go through?"
The fully grown Barbic pushed his hair back under his hood and said,
"I can't tell you that."
Buddi growled in frustration. Ursa held him close to her. His tears were drying but he wanted her. Ursa didn't know how long he'd been away but knew that skipping through unknown times was enough to stress anyone out. He'd draw comfort wherever he could get it and since she was the maternal figure in his life, he'd draw it from her.
"Buddi?"
Ursa spoke to her cub's older self. Buddi was immediately alert. Ursa was fifty-six but her age had done nothing for her leadership skills, except it improved them. She went on,
"I want you to go and tell Gritty and Grubbi. They're the ones we told about this trip through time."
Buddi nodded and raced up towards Ursalia. When he was out of sight, Ursa turned to the small cub she held in her arms. He was calming but still clung to her as if his life depended on it. Ursa rubbed his hair.
"Buddi?"
The cub glanced up at her, his tears fading. She smiled at him and gently wiped them away with her thumb. She sat down on the ground, sitting on her knees. Buddi stood but didn't budge from her side. She asked softly,
"Buddi? How long have you been gone?"
"Today's my seventh day."
Ursa bit her lip. "So, a week already."
Buddi nodded and drew from her reluctantly. He wasn't her cub here. Besides, he had to keep calm, despite how much he wanted to break down. Ursa stood and took Buddi's small hand in hers. She whispered, mainly to herself,
"I'd forgotten how tiny you were."
That was true; Buddi'd been fully-grown for fifteen years. And he had gone through a grown spurt when he'd hit fifteen. The last time he'd been this small was on his twelfth birthday. A small spurt had boosted him an inch or two.
The two walked back, hand in hand. Buddi kept a firm grip as if he was afraid she would slip away. She smiled in return, but said nothing. By gum, she'd forgotten so much over the years, so many things she had taken for granted.
"Ursa?"
Buddi tugged on her dress and pointed across Ursalia's courtyard as they arrived. "Who's that?"
Ursa turned her gaze to follow his and yelped in concern. He was pointing at Ulisa, his future first-born twin. Snatching his wrist, she hissed,
"Never mind, come on."
"But-"
"Buddi, are you arguing with me?"
Her voice was quiet, dangerously quiet. Buddi shook his head,
"Sorry, I was just curious."
Ursa smiled and ruffled his hair,
"I know, you still are…your future self that is. He still needs some direction from us older ones."
Buddi almost said more but Ursa guided him into the council room.
Grubbi and Gritty were waiting.
Grubbi approached the cub and knelt,
"I heard it but I didn't believe it."
Gritty walked over to Ursa,
"Buddi got back here as fast as he could. Ursa, what should we do? Buddi can't see Ulisa, Tobi or Warrio. Or his 'mate' either. And Terri and Cubbi were suppose to come tomorrow."
Ursa bit her lip.
"I'll have to keep him inside. He's tired anyway so that'll knock him out the rest of today but there's tomorrow…"
Gritty nodded and looked over at the cub that had grabbed Grubbi around the waist was trembling. He was close to tears.
Ursa sighed. Gritty stated his thoughts,
"Poor thing."
Ursa nodded, "He was a wreck when Zummi managed to reverse the spell. I thought he'd lost his will. I was afraid I'd never get him all the way back."
She sighed deeply and then walked over to the cub,
"Buddi, let's get you something to eat and then I think you deserve an early bedtime to try and relax."
The cub nodded and took her hand again. She smiled and led him off down the hallway as Grubbi and Gritty went to retrieve Ulisa and Tobi for the night as well. It was nearly nine and they needed to get ready for bed. As swift as Buddi had come, it had been nearly eight when he finally arrived, Ursa and his younger self had arrived later.
The two sighed and headed out for the two Barbic cubs.
* * *
Buddi laid down in the warm water and let it wash over his tired muscles. The time jumps for some reason zapped most of his strength that he didn't mind going to bed early. It was almost nine fifteen but he was exhausted. He was relieved he was in the future. He'd much rather be in the future than the past; here Ursa knew him.
"Buddi?"
The cub looked up over the water and called,
"Yes?"
"Are you almost done?"
Buddi nodded, "I'm coming,"
He stood and dried off before throwing on his nightshift. His older self had kept his old clothes for his children and loaned him one of his old ones. Letting the water out, Buddi opened the door.
Ursa greeted him. She smiled and guided him towards a spare room. It was directly next to hers. It was risky because his future self's quarters were a few doors down but she could see the fear in his eyes and wanted him near her.
"Ursa?"
'What?" she replied as the cub obediently climbed into bed. She sat on the bed and fingered his hair. Buddi laid against her chest. Inhaling, he said,
"Thanks for your help but…this isn't my time. I wanna go home."
Ursa rubbed his back, "I know you do."
Buddi looked at her and sighed, "I wish I'd never asked Zummi to cast that spell. I wanna go home, I wish I was in my own bed, I wish…"
"Shh," Ursa titled his head up, "Nothing is going to be accomplished by wishing. Just hang in there, little one."
"I know," he replied, closing his eyes, "I know but I also know your past self is probably going crazy…" he trailed off and his breathing began to turn heavy.
Ursa held him a moment, before saying,
"Buddi, going crazy doesn't begin to describe it. I was hysterical."
PresentUrsa closed her eyes and laid her face into her palm. The clock in the Glen's main hall chimed two am. A hand placed itself onto her shoulder. Turning, Grammi smiled at her sympathetically.
"Ursa, dear, you should sleep."
The Barbic shook her head, "Would only be a waste of my time, I can't sleep when Buddi's Gum knows where."
Grammi sighed deeply and sat down across the table from the Barbic.
"Ursa, you can't do anything right now. Making yourself sick with worry won't help…"
"I'm fine!"
Grammi grabbed Ursa by her cheeks, surprising both Barbic and glen.
"Don't lie to me, Ursa. I know you love that boy as much as if he was your own flesh and blood. I haven't known you very long but that gleam in your eyes when you saw Igthorn had him told it all."
Grammi smiled at her, "Ursa, it's been ten days. I know for a fact you've barely eaten anything. What's Buddi gonna say when he comes back and finds you skinny as a stick?"
Ursa made no reply but rolled her hands into tight fists,
"Buddi…"
She rose and walked towards the library,
"I'll rest when Buddi's back in my arms, not a moment before."
1393
Buddi watched the cubs play in the courtyard. He'd been in this time for four days. Generally he stuck by Ursa but Ursa was busy today. He couldn't go outside, Ursa forbade it. Buddi's attention was focused on one cub in particular. She had the same color fur as he did and a patch over one of her eyes. Her hair was blond and cut to her shoulders. She wore a green tunic with a belt with a golden bear clasp face. She had an attitude that reminded Buddi of Ursa but she also had a love for music that reminded him of himself.
"Bored?"
Buddi turned and saw a girl he'd never seen before. She was about twelve and looked like Ulisa except her patch was on her opposite eye and her hair was longer and in a ponytail. Her dress was green as well but she didn't have a belt and she wore boots like Sunni's. Buddi glanced at her and then at Ulisa.
The girl chuckled, "Ulisa's my twin sister. I'm Tobi."
She sat down. "I'm supposed to be training but that's not for me. Give me my music any day."
"What do you play?"
Tobi smiled, "a flute."
Buddi smiled, "Me too."
Tobi smiled back, "I know."
Buddi looked at her, "How? I've never seen you before."
Tobi shrugged, "Na-uh, Ursa told me to stay away from you but I don't know why. Adults are weird."
Buddi giggled. This girl made sense! It was the first time he'd laughed since that stupid spell was cast. Tobi almost said more when-
"Tobi Barbic!"
Whirling, Tobi swallowed,
"Ursa…" she had to remind herself not to call her Nana Ursa in front of Buddi. Buddi was her father but his past self couldn't know or it might very well disrupt the future. While her twin and little brother were impulsive, Tobi had inherited her father's planning abilities.
"Tobi, go to Gritty, I'll deal with you in a minute."
"But-"
"Go, young lady."
As she walked out, Ursa smacked her backside once. She yelped involuntarily. Ursa almost followed when Buddi asked,
"Ursa?"
She turned around. Buddi glanced at her with inquisitive eyes.
"Who is she?"
Ursa sat down and said,
"Her name's Tobi. That's all you need to know."
"But…"
"That's all I'm telling you."
Buddi pouted, "I hate being left in the dark."
Ursa chuckled, "I know you do."
Buddi sighed. "She's a lot like me, isn't she?"
"I suppose." Inwardly Ursa laughed, Tobi and Buddi were very much alike. Tobi was a major Daddy's girl. In fact both the twins were. Warrio was more of a Mama's boy. She looked upward. She prayed that Tobi's little intrusion had not altered the future significantly.
"Ursa…"
She felt Buddi tug on her shirt. Turning, she gasped.
"Buddi!"
He was fading right before her eyes. He grasped for her hands but his were like a mist and passed right through hers.
'Buddi!"
"Another time jump," he gasped out. It was hard to breathe as he was being switched through time. He looked at Ursa with tears in his eyes,
"I'm scared, Mama Ursa. I'm scared."
Ursa tried to hug him but her arms passed through him. He pressed as close to her as he could get. Ursa couldn't very well blame him for being scared. She merely told him,
"It'll be alright. I promise. My past self will be there when you get home."
She held her arms over him until he faded from that time.