* * *
"MAMA URSA!"
Ursa wrapped her arms around the cub as he ran to her arms. If he could have flown into them, he would have. Buddi curled his legs around her waist and snaked his arms around her neck, buying his face into her chest.
Ursa moved her arms to support his weight and let him sob into her chest. Alive, he was alive. Had Gum himself opened the heavens and offered her Barbic Woods back, humanity destroyed and her full clan back, she could not have been happier.
She had her baby back.
Gritty gave a loud sigh of relief and walked to his friend. When Buddi had jumped into her arms, he saw her old persona resurface. As long as she had Buddi, she had her will to live. If Buddi were to vanish forever, Gritty supposed that she would go on but it would have altered her significantly.
Buddi felt someone touch his head, play with his brown hair a bit. He turned his face from Ursa's chest and caught sight of Gritty. The elder Barbic smiled at him and said,
"I'm glad you're back, partner."
Buddi nodded, once, before burying his face back into Ursa's chest.
Gruffi motioned the others to leave. Only he remained and he said softly,
"I'm sorry Buddi."
The cub did not reply. He knew that Gruffi was not to blame. If anyone was to blame, it was himself. He wanted to reassure the Glen, especially since he knew that Gruffi, like Ursa, did not generally admit something they did was wrong. But he couldn't. He just concentrated on Ursa. On her smell, her touch, everything about her.
Ursa smoothed Buddi's hair and without lifting her face, said softly,
"Gruffi?"
The Glen turned. Ursa never took her eyes from the cub in her arms, but said,
"Gruffi, thank you."
Those two simple words seemed insignificant but Ursa rarely gave such praise or thanks. Gruffi nodded. He couldn't say anything else. He knew that it would be quite some time before Ursa forgave him, if she ever did. He couldn't blame her. Buddi he was not sure about. The cub was hysterical, distressed by whatever he had seen. Deciding not to press his luck and to give Ursa and Buddi time together, he walked out.
Ursa kept her gaze on Buddi. He had latched himself onto her with a grip so tight she was stunned that he was that strong. His muscles felt weak, malnourished. And his young eyes were bloodshot and tormented. Ursa had prayed that Buddi would never see what she had seen. But judging from his eyes, he had seen some of that and then some horror she had never seen.
"He's scared." Gritty told Ursa in a voice so light that only she heard him and Buddi was oblivious.
Ursa nodded, "I know. I'll try to calm him down. Tell Grubbi if he wants me to rest he'll have to wait."
Gritty chuckled. "I'll pass along the message, Fearless One."
Ursa gave her friend an annoyed glance. Gritty winced, aware that this was not the time for childish teasing. He nodded and said,
"You want me to have Grubbi fix him something to eat?"
Ursa turned to Buddi,
"Buddi? Are you hungry?"
The cub just whimpered and buried his face deeper into her torso. Ursa stroked his head, and rubbed his back. In answer to Gritty, she said,
"Something tame."
Gritty nodded and glanced at the cub that was clutching Ursa so desperately, needing her so much.
"Dear Gum Above, what did you see, Buddi?"
* * *
A knock at the door got Ursa's attention. She started to get up, but Buddi latched himself onto her again. Ursa was concerned. Buddi was not this clingy. He had never been this clingy. Buddi was more the type to be independent.
"Come in," she called as she sat back down. Buddi immediately scrambled into her lap and snaked his arms around her neck. Ursa wrapped her arms around him, as she always did when he got this way. It unnerved her that he was clinging to her so. She didn't mind it, especially after being separated from the child for so long but it made her worry.
The door opened and Grammi walked in with a tray.
"I didn't think Buddi would want to leave you so I thought I'd bring you dinner." She said sweetly. She caught sight of the cub and stroked his hair. Buddi didn't even acknowledge her. Grammi sighed,
"Poor thing."
Ursa nodded. Of all the Glens, Grammi alone knew how she felt. Ursa generally considered the gummi weak but Grammi knew what torture she had been going through. The love she had for Buddi was something only another mother could understand.
Grammi spoke to Ursa softly,
"Why not give him a warm bath? That generally calms Sunni down."
Ursa nodded, gave her thanks for the advice and Grammi left. Honestly, Ursa had been considering that herself. It had worked when Buddi was younger. But she didn't know, Buddi was pretty modest, especially when it came to his body.
In the end, Ursa decided to try it. The cub was still clutching her like she was the heart that pumped his blood. He embraced her like she was the air he breathed.
Buddi refused to release Ursa, even after she had asked him multiple times. He was terrified that if he released her she would vanish or he would disappear again. He was scared about releasing her for even a minute.
Ursa managed to get Buddi to let her up although he followed her around like a puppy. His arms were now curled around her waist. Well, that was better than having him hanging around her neck. Ursa was strong and Buddi was pretty light but after time he got heavy.
It didn't take Ursa long to warm a bath for the cub. She stayed with him at his insistence. She didn't know that he needed her that badly. But Grammi was right. The warm water did seem to calm him, if only a bit.
Buddi trembled and let Ursa pour some water over his neck and upper back. He didn't want her to go. Embarrassment that he would have usually felt, departed in exchange for reassurance. If she was there, he knew that he still had her. That she was still alive. He didn't want that comfort to be gone.
Buddi reached up and grabbed hold of Ursa's hands and wove them around his chest. Ursa hugged him faintly and Buddi gave a sigh of relief. Ursa whispered, trying to break through the barrier of fear that had somehow embraced him,
"I'm right here, Buddi."
Buddi just trembled.
* * *
"Ursa?"
The Barbic leader looked up as Gritty walked into her room.
"Hey Gritty."
Gritty chuckled as she laid against his shoulder. "You look tired."
Ursa sighed, "I'm worried. I've never seen Buddi this way. What in Gum's name could make him regress like that?"
"He regressed?"
"Not much, just about two or three years."
Gritty nodded and looked at her. She was still a little feverish but since Buddi returned she had gotten significantly better. He swallowed,
"How is he now?"
"He's asleep but I think exhaustion is the key reason."
Gritty nodded, "Ursa, you know you're doing all you can."
She sighed, "It isn't enough."
Gritty nodded, "You're right, it isn't. But you're only mortal Ursa."
Ursa turned to glare at him but Gritty already had a comeback,
"Ursa, Buddi's been gone almost a little over two months. Did you expect that time to have no effect on him? All you can do is help him through it. As much as you or me would like to just 'make it all better' so to speak, we can't. You know that."
Ursa drew away and sighed, "You think I don't know that?"
"No, I think you do but you're denying it. When you have a problem you face it and defeat it. This is making you uneasy because you can't defeat this problem."
Ursa growled at him before turning away again and hissing,
"Drop it."
Gritty sighed and said simply,
"Let time do the rest, Ursa."
Ursa spat, "Time has done enough already."
Gritty gave up. There was no sense in arguing with her now. But in a way he was glad to see her the old way again.
* * *
"Ursa!"
Buddi let out a scream as she began to fade in front of him. He reached out for her but his hands passed straight through her. He now saw it was he who was fading. He screamed.
"MAMA URSA!"
"Buddi!"
Buddi opened his eyes. Not Ursa, but Grammi was sitting by his bedside, shaking him awake.
"Land sakes, Buddi, are you alright, dear?"
Buddi shook his head,
"Where am I now?"
"You're in the Glen Buddi."
"What year?!"
"Buddi, Buddi, sweetie, listen to me." Grammi caught his face in her palms and looked at him with shining eyes. "Zummi reversed the spell. You're in the right time, thirteen-seventy."
Buddi was shaking. "Mama Ursa, I want my Mama Ursa."
Grammi smiled and led him out of the room, knowing there was no way he would wait.
Ursa and Gritty turned as the door opened. Buddi ran in and leapt into Ursa's lap, shaking. Grammi smiled and said,
"He wanted you."
Ursa turned to Buddi who had grabbed her in a tight embrace. She started to soothe him as best she could while Gritty tried to get what happened out of Grammi.
"A nightmare as far as I can tell," Grammi replied to the black gummi's questioning. "He doesn't seem to believe he'll actually stay in this time. He keeps thinking he'll be jerked away again."
Gritty nodded, "That explains why he's so clingy."
Grammi nodded, wring her hands as she watched the cub. "I can't really think of anything to do except be there. I mean, I think time is all that will heal this."
Gritty nodded and Grammi left. Gritty turned to where Ursa sat, a petrified cub clutching her as if she were life itself. Buddi was crying, a sound that had become familiar to Ursa and Gritty in the last few hours,
"I'm scared Ursa! I woke up and I didn't know when I was! I didn't know if you were alive, dead, or not even born yet! Don't leave me!"
Ursa hugged the cub close and said,
"Buddi, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
Buddi tightened his grip. He didn't care if he looked like a wimp or baby. He wanted her. He was still trying to reassure himself that he was truly home and that he would not be taken to different time.
The only way he could feel that he was truly here was to lock himself onto Ursa. He didn't want to have that fear again. He didn't want loneliness. He didn't…
He didn't want her dead again.
"'Sa?"
Ursa was stunned. Buddi hadn't called her 'Sa, since he had learned to talk and couldn't pronounce the 'u' and 'r' in her name.
"What?"
"Can…can I stay with you tonight?"
"Buddi, aren't you a little big for that?" Ursa knew he was scared, but was he truly that terrified?
In answer, he tightened his grip. "You…you don't know what I saw."
"Why don't you tell me?" Her voice was uncharacteristically soft. She stroked his wet cheeks.
"No," Buddi looked at her with fearful eyes, "Not now, not yet, please."
Ursa lifted Buddi to look her in the eyes. "Buddi, what did you possibly see that scared you this much?"
Buddi could not reply, just begged,
"Please. For tonight."
Every bit of Ursa's body told her that it was unbarbic and weak. But…she had not held her baby for over two months. She looked at him, clutching her so desperately. He was scared, petrified. Why she did not know but he was afraid of losing her. She knew that pushing him would achieve nothing. She glared at Gritty and he nodded and left, closing the door.
Ursa turned to the cub in her arms and whispered,
"Well, just for tonight."
Buddi relaxed considerably. His grip on her loosened but he still kept his arms locked around her neck. Ursa laid down gently and Buddi moved his arms to her waist and slinked his legs around her lower legs. Ursa sighed deeply,
"Dear Gum, what did you see, angel?"
Buddi shuddered in answer. Ursa held Buddi closer to her and in reply, she felt his grip loosen. She sucked on her pointer and thumb and put out the candle, the sole light in the room. In the dark she felt Buddi tighten his grip.
Ursa laid her head down and just played with Buddi's hair. Buddi had drifted off asleep again, now that he could feel Ursa's arms around him. He had his face buried into her chest and Ursa turned his face a bit so that he wouldn't smother himself. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled the sheets up to cover them both.
Buddi trembled and murmured,
"Mama Ursa…Mama Ursa!"
Ursa tightened her grip on the cub and whispered,
"I'm right here baby. I'm not going anywhere."
Buddi opened his eyes,
"Promise?"
Ursa looked at him, appalled and worried at his sudden desire for her word. He shrieked,
"PROMISE?"
"Shh, shh, shh," she stroked his sweaty hair and he wrapped her tighter in his small arms. "Shh, I'll stay with you as long as my life lets me."
"Swear?"
"On my honor."
Buddi relaxed after that. He knew when she said her word she kept it. He had never known her to break a promise to anyone, despite the circumstance. He inhaled her scent. After so many months, it was like the scent of fresh life in his nose and lungs. He laid against her waist and closed his eyes slowly. Wrapping his legs around her lower legs, he let her warmth and security wash over him. He nuzzled down and began to finally drift into a peaceful sleep. He'd never felt such warmth, such emotion and relief to have her so close.
Ursa let out a sigh of relief.
"I love you, Mama Ursa."
That declaration was so sudden it stunned Ursa speechless. Barbics never said such things. Their actions always spoke louder than their words. But Buddi had spoken it desperately, as if he were afraid he would not get another chance to show it.
She remembered Grammi's words which she had considered weak,
"Be there for him."
But now Ursa realized that was probably the best thing she could do. She wrapped her arms tighter around the cub and still heard his words echoing in her mind,
"I love you Mama Ursa."
Ursa spoke no verbal words, just spoke silently to herself. She drew Buddi's face up until his hair brushed her cheek. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. Kissing his forehead once, she thought to herself,
"I love you too Baby. More than life itself."