Clumsy
Gummi Bears are not mine. They belong to Disney. However this plot and any new characters I claim. I hope you enjoy this little three-parter. Please send feedback!
"Don't go too far, Buddi."
"I won't Ursa." The cub replied as he tore outside the city gates of Ursalia. Ryo and Mardi stepped aside to let the cub through. The cub ran down the bridge and down towards the river. He was free for the day so he decided to go play in the river. It was getting hot, summer was approaching.
Ursa watched him run off and shook her head good-naturedly. He was so full of energy. But then he was a child. Children were always full of energy. Buddi was going to go swimming, not a bad idea, given the burning hot weather. Still, she didn't like him being down there by himself, no matter how capable he was.
"Hey Ursa!"
The Barbic leader turned and smiled at her best friend. He was going to head down towards the river because the guards had seen so unusual activity but given their position could not determine what it was. Gritty wanted to investigate.
"Hey," she replied and said simply,
"Can we expect you back tonight?"
Gritty nodded. "Yeah, if there's something suspicious I'll stay for a time but count on me being back."
Ursa nodded and Gritty took the same route down as Buddi had taken. She smiled faintly. Buddi was very close to both her and Gritty. He feared her more when punishment was involved because Gritty could be a big softie with cubs. He did not lose his temper very much and Ursa had never seen him lose it at a child.
The two best friends were different in that aspect but very much alike in other ways. They both shared a hatred of humans and a desire to protect their clan, especially their future, Buddi. He was the only future they had. Ursa did what she could to prepare him but sometimes he rejected so much that it was infuriating.
Ursa chuckled as she walked back into the city. Her child was just eleven but he was very mature most of time. However, sometimes there were little hints that revealed he was still a child. This little trip to the river was one. Another was that sometimes, not very often but sometimes, he would reject a bath or bedtime like it was a dagger to the heart.
Ursa did not know why she was musing over this. She shrugged the thoughts off and then cried to Gritty,
"Hey Gritty!"
He turned. She called to him, "If you can, get a small goat or something for us, okay?"
Gritty nodded and sent her an affirmation salute.
That said he went back to his descent towards the river.
* * *
Buddi ducked back under the water and swam a few feet. The cool water felt great against his hot skin. He rose and inhaled as his wet hair trailed into his eyes. The cub parted it and wiped the water from his eyes.
"Hey, little gummi fish!"
Buddi opened his eyes and saw Gritty sitting by the bank. Obviously the adult had a reason to be down here but judging from his relaxed state, he'd either just gotten down here or was eating lunch. Buddi ducked under and swam over to the black bear.
Gritty chuckled as the cub poked his head back up through the surface of the water. The cub smiled at the adult but didn't get out of the water. Gritty reached into his knapsack and handed the cub a sandwich, honey, his favorite. He had expected to run into the child so he brought lunch for him. Buddi smiled and ate happily.
"What are you doing here, Gritty?" Buddi asked between bites. The adult smiled and answered,
"Investigating. Ursa said the guards saw some strange movement down here but that they can't tell what it is."
Gritty stood and said,
"I'll see you later you little fish."
Buddi leapt from the water. "I wanna come too."
Gritty shook his head,
"Sorry partner. I'm gonna get very close and you don't have the sleuth needed."
"I can be sly."
"I know, but not as sly as is needed. Sorry partner," he said again. "Not this time."
Buddi sighed and plopped down. Gritty ruffled the cub's hair and then ran off into the distance. Buddi gave up and dove back into the river.
Buddi had been swimming for some time before his sharp ears picked up voices. He crept from the water and silently, with all the skills of sleuth he had learned, he crept towards the source. It didn't take him long to find it.
He saw humans gathered in a circle. Daring being seen, he slipped down and made his way to a rock by their group and listened with attentive ears. He saw three men, dressed in armor and holding swords and one female.
The leader of this band was twirling his sword tip into the ground. Buddi winced involuntarily when he saw that sword. It was larger than Ursa, and sharp. Buddi did not need Ursa to tell him that the sword could easily remove his head if this human desired it. Buddi's entire clan carried swords but it was different. He was never afraid of them. They got angry at him sometimes but they would never turn their swords on him.
Buddi rubbed his neck subconsciously. Even when he earned the highest punishment they gave, a paddling with the flat side of a sword, they never used their own swords. They would always use a dull sword, one so dull that it could not cut him. But these humans had the very look of ruthless killers.
The leader looked about mid thirties. He had dark midnight black hair and a short black beard. He had on black armor, an unusual color. His face was decorated with scars and dirt. He kept sipping a harsh smelling drink that Buddi had heard from Cavin was called alcohol. The adult gummies drank wine made from berries, which had alcohol too, which was why Buddi couldn't drink it, but it had far less than this drink. Buddi was a good five feet away and the smell was suffocating.
The two other men were slightly younger and of a smaller build than their commander. One had rusty red hair and a red mustache and the other had dirty blond hair and a beard. They had not donned their chest plates so their chests were bare.
There was the woman. She looked to be the eldest of the group. Her hair was bound in a black-rimmed hairpiece, which held her hair far back from her face, netting it in. Her eyes were a dark blue, nearly black. Her dress itself was dark black and had blood red designs about the waist and the wrists. She had an old and wise expression about her white face but it wasn't the same wisdom that Buddi saw in Ursa and Gritty's faces. This wisdom was not used for good. She was a sorceress, he could tell.
"but Walden," the red haired one began. His commander interrupted.
"No 'buts.' Yale, do you realize that these gummies are not fairy tales? With the weapons they have in there, we could conquer whatever we wished."
"But," the blond one intervened. "They outnumber us six to one. Even without that little one we see around, they outnumber us astronomically!"
"You're not scared of a few bears are you, Willard?"
Willard spat on the ground, "No, but I'm also not a fool."
"I beg to differ." The woman spoke softly, sipping some wine. Her voice was old but cold. "Do you really think that you can defeat them if they do not have something else to be concerned with?"
"You have an idea on that, Chelsea?"
"Would I have mentioned it if I did not?"
Willard spoke out, "Something else to be concerned with?"
"The cub behind that rock will work."
Buddi's breath froze in his throat. He jumped up and ran. But Willard and Yale easily overpowered him, knocking him down and restraining him. They got several cuts and bruises for their effort. With growls they brought the kicking and hissing cub back to the two remaining members.
Walden knelt to be even with the cub.
"So we have a little spy. Tell me little one, do your parents live up there?" he pointed up towards the city in the distance.
Buddi said nothing.
Walden stood. "So, a stubborn one. That's fine. Chelsea?"
The sorceress looked over at the cub and walked over to him. She touched Buddi's cheek and Buddi fought to pull away from her cold touch. She kept a firm grip, despite the cub's struggling. With a cruel smile, she rose.
"This one is stronger than he appears. He is agile, dangerous."
Walden smiled, drew his sword and pointed it to the cub's jugular. "Shall I dispatch him then?"
Cold sweat ran down Buddi's face and his heart pounded in his chest. He felt the sharp metal against his life-giving vein and knew that a simple slit would kill him easily enough. Sweat made him hands clam up and he swallowed hard, afraid for his life. Silently, he called as if he could hear him,
"Gritty…help me."
But Chelsea shook her head. "No, this one could be useful. He's obviously the only cub we've seen among these gummies. However, that agility is dangerous. I can remedy that."
Buddi stared at her. She knelt to his level again. Her hands were shimmering with a black and golden glow. She started to caress his face, sending the strange mist into his skin. As she did so, she spoke,
"All who see you in their sights, shall turn, run with fright. Not even your mother will let you into her arms. Talent will flee and all you shall bring is harm!"
The two human men released the cub that ran. He tripped as he neared the small woods. Walden laughed.
"A curse of ungainliness, Chelsea."
Buddi didn't want to believe it. He scrambled to his feet and tore into the trees, taking to the canopy almost immediately. Chelsea rolled her eyes. Her words and the illusion of lights had had the desired effect but the men were no doubt considering using the spell on old rivals.
"Men," she thought. "There is no such curse. The child shall create the curse through his own belief."
* * *
Gritty sat in one of the trees trying to determine how to approach the disturbance. he still couldn't see what it was.
"Gritty!"
There was a breaking sound and the Barbic adult was knocked to the ground. He swung his fist out of instinct.
"OW!"
Gritty saw now whom he had hit.
"Buddi!"
The cub looked at the adult through his now only good eye. He clutched the other tightly, trying to repress the pain. Gritty lowered the cub's hand. The child was sprawled across his lap, landing there when they fell. Looking up, Gritty saw that the branch Buddi had probably been standing on had snapped.
"Buddi! Don't do that! You know how I get when I'm tracking something."
"Sorry but I wasn't expecting you to punch me or for us to fall."
Gritty shook his head and looked at the cub's right eye. It was already bruised, with a imprint of his fist. Buddi winced when he touched it.
"It hurts?"
"Yes!"
Buddi suddenly remembered why he had come here,
"Gritty! Those are humans!"
"What?"
"They are! Three men and one woman, a sorceress. The men have sword and armor and all that."
"How do you know that?"
"I…I heard them and went to see what it was."
Gritty shook his head. "I thought I said leave it to me, Buddi."
Buddi looked at the grown-up with pleading eyes,
"You won't tell Ursa, will you?"
Gritty looked at Buddi with a raised eyebrow, his critical look. Buddi lowered his head and said,
"Please?"
Gritty sighed, "Sorry partner. I'll give you today to tell her but it you don't, I will. That's something Ursa needs to know."
"She'll ground me!"
"Oh I doubt that. But I'd expect a lecture."
Buddi sighed. "I just wanted to help. I never get to do anything because I'm a kid."
"In time, Buddi."
"But I don't wanna wait. I'm always told to wait!"
Gritty stood, picking Buddi up and setting him on his feet in the process. Buddi brushed the dirt off his clothes and looked at Gritty with curiosity. The adult chuckled.
"Head back to Ursalia Buddi. Do you want me to have to tell her?"
Buddi shook his head. Ursa looked down on him when he did not stand up for his mistakes himself. The cub had learned long ago that if he admitted to his errors to her, himself, soon after the error had been made, she slacked on the punishment.
The cub took off towards the city.
He was trembling inside. His eye hurt and now so did his shoulder. He'd fallen on Gritty when he had missed the branch and knocked the branch Gritty was standing on off with his shoulder.
Was that curse real?
Buddi shook that thought from his mind and concentrated on the cliff face. Getting down was easy but going up he had to climb a bit. Not too much but he had to climb the wall until he got back up to path.
Buddi found his footing and headed up. Gritty could have made it in a few second but it took Buddi a few minutes. He finally got his fingers on the path only to have his feet lose their traction. His claws were not well fixed, so he slid back down, on his belly and landed in the river.
The cub sat up and shook the water from his hair. He stood up and sighed. Was that curse real? Buddi had been raised not to believe in curses as Ursa said to him multiple times, when he tried to blame a curse or some other outward force for what happened: 'Buddi is in charge of Buddi.'
The cub started again but like before he lost his grip and fell again although not as far as before. However, he found himself wet, dirty and his clothing torn. Ursa would make him wash off before she let him inside. But it would not be the dirt that bugged her. She was used to that. However, she would not be happy that he'd managed to shred his shirt. They made their clothing by hand and it was very time consuming. Ursa made most of his clothes or Grubbi would at times.
Buddi finally managed to get himself up onto the path and started towards the city. He guessed that it was early afternoon. The sun wasn't as high as before but it wasn't low either. The cub didn't see Ursa so he made his way across the bridge. Lundi and Yves greeted him.
"What happened to you, Buddi?" Lundi asked with a chuckle. Buddi glared at him and stuck out his tongue. A childish reply but it made him feel better. Lundi and Yves rolled their eyes. Yves spoke,
"Oh, very mature, Buddi."
"Shut up."
The cub stormed through the two. If he could…
"Buddi!"
He saw Ursa in the distance. He immediately ran, knowing if she saw him like this, she'd lecture and he was not in the mood for one of her tiresome scoldings.
But Buddi had not seen Mardi by him. He ran into him and the Barbic was flung into Demi, Eiji, and Shoji. The three knocked over their training partners: Kaii, Nami, and Koan. Those three managed to knock over Kazi, Yuki, and Murai as they walked by.
Ursa walked over to pileup, a bit amused. All the fallen adults sat up and sat in unison as they looked to the cause of the chaos,
"BUDDI!"
The small cub turned cherry red and stood, saying,
"Sorry."
Ursa clamped her hands on his shoulders and then gasped as she got a view of his state. He winced.
"Now, I'm really sorry."
Ursa rolled her eyes and towed the cub away as the adults got up. When she got him into the main hall, she started,
"Buddi! What in Gum's name did you do?"
"I fell," he answered truthfully. Jerking his arm from her grip, he hissed,
"I can do that right?"
Ursa narrowed her eyes and he immediately regretted his snappish reply. She said with authority, "Give me your tunic, Buddi."
The cub stripped off his shirt, revealing a few scratches on his torso but none too bad. Ursa sighed deeply and said to the child, with a bit of anger,
"Go wash your cuts off. Your tunic's irreparable. Go wait for me in my room."
Buddi nodded and ran off. He was in for a lecture but he knew if he didn't obey he might get his flute taken. He wanted to play that some later so he went into Ursa's bathroom and took out some juice from a fruit that cleaned out wounds. The fruit itself was fatal if eaten but its juice cured wounds.
Buddi didn't have to wait long. Ursa came in shortly, closing the door behind her.
"Buddi. Gritty just came back. I think you have something to tell me?"
Buddi swallowed and nodded. Ursa sat down in a chair across from where the cub sat and crossed her arms, with a firm expression.
"Well?"
"I…I heard noise while I was swimming so I went to see who it was. It was humans-"
"Humans!" she leapt up and shouted, " You went to where those humans were? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you stay there? Did they do this to you? I'll make them wish they'd never thought of hurting you!"
"Ursa! They didn't hurt me."
Ursa glared at him,
"The truth Buddi Barbic. You know how I feel about lying."
"Well, one did put his sword to my throat…"
"I knew it! Are you hurt?"
She walked over and turned his face in her hands, trying to see if he was hurt in any way. Her eyes had gone from angry to concerned.
"Ursa, I'm okay, really."
"Then where did this black eye come from?"
"Uh…I snuck up on Gritty…"
Ursa sighed and said, "Oh say no more, that says it all."
Ursa tilted his head up,
"We tell you over and over not to surprise us."
"I didn't mean to."
He paused, "Did Gritty tell you that they were planning to-"
"Yes, he did. I've posted extra guards and I'm going to start working on some plans now."
"I didn't think you planned,"
"If I have knowledge beforehand it helps immensely in battle and I always have a backup plan. It's simply foolish not to. You can help me there. How many were there?"
"Three men and a woman. The woman they called a sorceress." He decided not to tell her about the possible curse. Ursa nodded. She was writing it down, no doubt so she could access it later when he wasn't available.
"Weapons?"
"The men had swords and spears and armor as defense. The woman knew some spells from what I saw."
Ursa nodded.
"Appearance?"
Buddi thought. "The leader they called Walden. Tall, maybe mid thirties, black hair and beard. Willard looked like he was late twenties, blond hair and beard. Yale had red hair and a mustache. The woman, called Chelsea, had on a black dress with her hair pulled back and she looked the oldest."
Ursa nodded and turned to start to plan a few strategies. They had the humans severely outnumbered but Ursa put nothing past humans. She wanted to make sure they would be beaten. And a sorceress always provided a challenge.
Buddi got up to leave.
Ursa grabbed his arm without taking her eyes from her work.
"Stay here Buddi. I may need some more information."
"Aw,"
"You have something better to do than help defend our clan?" she asked dangerously.
Buddi shook his head, "well, no but I wanted to play my flute."
Ursa rolled her eyes but said, "You can play it here."
"I can? You'll let me?"
"Would I have suggested it, if I was going to forbid it? Just keep it low so I can think."
The cub nodded.
For an hour or so things went well. Then Ursa began to find the low noise nerve wracking. She turned around and ordered,
"Lower!"
Buddi stopped and stared at her. But nodded and lowered it as far as he could and still hear it. But at that point Buddi got to a note that was naturally low, on instinct he made it louder.
Ursa growled and got up, turning to Buddi. He stopped immediately.
"I said keep it down. Give it here!"
Buddi got up and said, "I was keeping it down. That note's too soft to hear."
Ursa grabbed his flute; he kept a firm grip, refusing to give it up when he had not disobeyed her. He pulled so that she was in front of him and his back was facing her desk and the window.
"Buddi Barbic! LET GO!"
"I didn't do anything!"
"I told you…"
Buddi's feet slipped and he fell backward, releasing his flute. The cub slid over the surface of her desk, smacking his head against the stonewall and knocking her notes out the window. He saw that immediately and tried to grab them. She had been working on those for almost an hour. And also he saw that it was her checklist she used for the weapons when they did routine maintenance. They fell and landed in the fountain.
Buddi reluctantly turned around, fear circulating in his blood.
Ursa stood, very calm, not red in the face.
It was worse, her face was white and when she spoke, her voice was very controlled, tense.
"Get. Out."
Buddi swallowed and said,
"I… I'm sorry Ursa."
"I said get out!"
The cub nodded and ran past her. On the way out, Ursa gave his backside a stinging smack. He rubbed his bottom but tore outside and into his own room, slamming his own door behind him.
He wasn't going to ask for his flute back.
* * *
Buddi finally decided to go back outside. He had his slingshot out and was knocking down small figurines in the courtyard or sometimes small bugs he saw. It was not as much fun as his flute but he figured Ursa would appreciate him using his slingshot more than if he was reading or something.
Buddi took aim at the lock of a window. If he could hit that small target, Ursa would have to be happy. He pulled the rock back and released it.
But his aim was less than perfect and it flew through the middle of the pane. He heard it hit something and then heard,
"Buddi!"
The cub swallowed and walked over.
Ursa shook her head and rubbed the back where Buddi had slugged her with the rock. She'd been on her way to talk to Gritty but now took time out to go and see Buddi. Ursa stood inside the shattered window and slapped her hands on her hips. Buddi stood before her and said,
"I..I'm sorry."
Ursa slid the window up and said, angrily,
"What is wrong with you today? I leave you alone for any amount of time and you do something else that's destructive!"
"I was trying to practice my aim." He said softly. The Barbic leader sighed. He hadn't meant much harm, she could tell by the remorse in his voice. And one window was not that big of a problem. She shook her head though. Buddi just wasn't himself today. She'd never known him to cause some many different types of trouble in such a short amount of time. Sliding the shattered pane up, Ursa sighed and sat on the edge of the window. Her earlier anger had cooled. She was still frustrated but she was no longer angry with him.
"How so?"
Buddi showed her, pulling back the launching device and closing one eye. She smiled.
"No wonder you missed it. Keep both your eyes open."
"Both of them?" Buddi was baffled. It seemed to him that he couldn't see as focused when he did that. But Ursa nodded.
"You'll see twice as well."
She took his slingshot. "I'm giving you your flute back."
"You are?"
She nodded. "I know it was an accident. But this was not. Flute for your slingshot. Besides, you can't break anything with that flute."
Buddi nodded, with a smile. Ursa looked at him,
"But not for a good hour. Go explore the city or something. I need to talk to Gritty. I'll get you your flute when I'm done."
Buddi sighed but nodded.
As she left, he decided not to bug her anymore. He knew that after a meeting she would most likely forget about giving back his flute and if he bugged her then that would just make it worse. Besides, after all the trouble had caused her so far, he decided to save her the trouble and get it himself.
* * *
Buddi glanced around Ursa's room. He saw her desk, which had been cleared, solely so nothing else could be knocked off it. Her window was closed. The cub glanced over at her cabinet where she kept her clothes and a few extra weapons.
On top of the cabinet right where Buddi knew it would be was his flute, alongside her sword. He looked along the cabinet's side and jumped onto her bed. He used the hinges for footholds and managed to make his way up the tall cabinet. He despised being short!
Buddi pulled himself on top of Ursa's dresser. It was where she kept both her sword and things she took from Buddi when she grounded him. He got his flute easily. It felt a little too easy to Buddi.
The cub was just beginning to feel that maybe things were going better when he found himself stumbling over her sword and he fell to the ground, bringing her sword with him. He hit the ground hard and saw her sword had clattered down by his side. He looked up.
"Buddi!"
The cub grinned sheepishly when he saw that Ursa had heard the commotion and was now standing over him, hands planted firmly on his hips. Buddi waved and she pulled him up by his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"I…I didn't want to bug you anymore so-"
"So you thought you'd get your flute yourself."
"Yeah."
Ursa rolled her eyes. "Buddi, don't ever touch my sword again, understand?"
"I didn't mean to…"
"I know and that's why I won't punish you."
She handed him the flute and said,
"Now go,"
Buddi decided to accept the good fortune and ran off. Ursa sighed. Why was he being so…mischievous?
"Even for Buddi." She mused as she scooped up her fallen weapon.
* * *
With Ursa doing meetings, everyone was on their own for dinner. Buddi decided to have another honey sandwich. He was not a cook by any means. In fact, the few times he had cooked he had nearly thrown up when he tasted it. But he could do a sandwich.
Buddi sighed as he pulled a chair up.
"Why do you adults put everything so high?"
The honey was on a high shelf, nearly two feet over his head. The cub had to stand on chairs to reach anything in the kitchen practically. It was quite the bother. Ursa told him that he was the only short one so it made more sense to have things at the average height of the others. The cub had to agree with her logic but that did not make it any easier.
The cub had to stand on his tiptoes and stretch before he got the very edge of the honey jar. He managed to pull it the edge before his balance was lost. He fell and realized he should have asked for help. But Barbics never did that!
The jar fell and broke as it hit his head. He yelped in pain and then in discomfort as the honey spilled over his hair, down his face and over his shoulders. He whined,
"Why me?"
"Buddi!"
Grubbi came in and had to stifle a laugh. The cub was drenched with honey. He looked like a living breathing honeycomb. And judging from his face he did not want to be reminded of that. He glared at Grubbi. The cook smiled and offered the cub a hand. He helped the cub up and using a wet cloth tried to get the honey from his face. But it was to no avail. If anything, it made it worse!
Buddi tried to pull away as the motions were making his fur hurt with the honey was yanking at his skin. He whimpered in protest and Grubbi stopped his scrubbing.
"Sorry, little one."
Buddi groaned. "Aw Gum Above, why me?"
The door chose then to open and Ursa walked in, obvious anxious to eat herself as it was a bit late for dinner, almost ten at night. She took one look at him and her jaw dropped.
"Buddi? Oh Gum, Buddi."
"Hey, ya think I like this?" he snapped peevishly.
Ursa shook her head. "Come on, Buddi. Let's get that off. I'll run you a hot bath."
"Ow!"
"Hold still!"
"It burns! It's hot and ow! Ursa!"
The Barbic leader sighed and said, in frustration. "If you would hold still, we would have finished sooner."
"You hurt!"
Ursa growled, rung out the cloth in her hand and assaulted the cub's hair again. It was still coated with sticky honey and Buddi was not making this any easier. She knew the water burnt but it would have been next to impossible to get the honey off in cool water.
"Ow! Ursa! You're gonna pull off my scalp!"
"Stop your whining, Gum Above!" she hissed back. She grabbed a handful of coated hair and began to scrub it viciously between her hands. Buddi yelped in protest, saying,
"Stop it!"
"Buddi, will you stop complaining and cooperate with me?"
"But it hurts."
"Deal with it."
Buddi pouted and bit down a yelp as she tore through his hair again.
Ursa sighed. The hair was the hardest part. As she worked she asked,
"How in Gum's name did you get honey all over yourself?"
"You put it up too high!"
"Buddi, were you climbing on the counter again?"
"No!" Buddi sulked. The last time he'd done that he'd slipped and smacked his head nice and hard on the countertop. He hadn't been able to sit up without pain for three whole days. He went on, "I was on a chair and lost my balance."
"You've been losing your balance all day!" she stated as she finished with his hair finally and started to scrub at his shoulders. She ignored his protests and went on, "I swear today you've been such an troublemaker. I can't leave you alone for two seconds!"
Buddi lowered his head and winced as she dug into his shoulders again.
"Why do you scrub so hard?"
"It works better. Now hold still while I do your neck."
Buddi tried to but it tickled.
Ursa shook her head but smiled. It helped to hear him laugh. She tried to be as swift as she could because she knew how ticklish her cub was. It was hard enough to keep him from pressing his chin into his shoulder, an instinct to stop her from tickling.
When she finally got to his face, it was a struggle, especially on the forehead where the least amount of skin was. It burnt like mad she knew from just his expression.
When she finally managed to finish, she ran her hands over his upper torso and hair, to make sure she got it all out. Fortunately she had.
"Okay Buddi we're done. Think you can keep out of trouble long enough for you to eat?"
Buddi blushed and nodded.
Ursa handed him a nightshirt and towel and left him alone.
* * *
Buddi laid in his bed, face buried in his pillow and silent tears making their way down his cheeks.
"Why? Why me? All I ever wanted to be is be someone Ursa could be proud of. And now I'm even denied that!"
Buddi was not sure how long he laid there, quietly sobbing, in self-pity and in self-accusation for not listening. If he had listened then Chelsea would never have cursed him. Perhaps then he could have done something right.
All Buddi knew was that suddenly he felt a hand on his back.
Buddi turned and swiftly wiped at his eyes and sniffed,
"U..Ursa?"
Ursa turned lit a candle by his gas lamp. She didn't need a lot of light. She looked at him sternly,
"Buddi you've become a fountain lately. Why are you crying now?"
"You're…you're right."
Ursa looked at him, confused. He went on to explain.
"I haven't meant to be a troublemaker. I've just tried to be helpful and all I do is get in the way!"
Ursa sighed and lifted Buddi's head so she looked into his eyes.
"Buddi, none of those were your fault. I'm snappish because of the threat of attack. Is that why you're crying? Because you think you've made me so upset and angry?"
Buddi nodded, "All I want to do is make you proud of me."
Ursa smiled faintly and said, "I'm proud of you anyway."
She took a breath, "Buddi, don't worry about your mistakes so. Learn from them but don't dwell on them. What's been done can't be reversed."
"But I got into so much trouble today!"
"Buddi, we all have our off days."
" This off?"
Ursa smiled, "Buddi, you made mistakes today. That's no big deal when it comes down to it. Tomorrow's a clean slate."
Buddi looked at her with hopeful eyes. She hugged him gently and said,
"Trust me, I'm sure tomorrow will be different."
"You think so?"
Ursa nodded. "So you were a little clumsy today. That isn't very important. Set your thoughts on tomorrow and dry those tears!"
Buddi smiled and laid back down. Ursa drew his comforter back up to his shoulders and patted his back twice before getting up and blowing out the light.
Buddi drifted off to sleep with her words in his mind and said to himself,
"Well, it can't possibly get worse…can it?"