Part 3: Accusations and Denials
The colorful wildflowers lay trampled at his feet as Gusto watched Tummi run away, his heart broken. Gusto had thought he had everything planned out so perfectly, but somehow things had gone horribly wrong. Shaking his head, he was determined to set things right as he started to follow Tummi.
"Wait, Gusto!" Vixen cried, grabbing his arm with both of her hands, "What happened? Who was that?"
He wanted to yell at her, but consciously tried to calm himself. Her kiss had been the cause of all this trouble, but she had no way of knowing about Tummi's plan. "That was Tummi," he answered, struggling to keep his voice even, "He was coming here – to talk to you! He must have seen you kiss me."
"Tummi?" Vixen repeated, her voice rising in surprise, "You mean that fat guy? What did he want?"
Gusto jerked his arm away as he anger returned. "What do you think?" he spat, "He was even bringing you flowers and everything!"
"Poor guy," Vixen said, without sympathy, "but what would have given him the idea that I could actually be interested in someone like him?" Her nose wrinkled slightly with disgust, as she grabbed Gusto's arm again. "Especially when there was someone like you around," she cooed.
"I think the bigger question is," Gusto responded, almost growling, "is how a nice guy like Tummi could be interested in you!" He jerked his arm away, which threw Vixen off-balance. She fell backwards, her left arm striking a small table of art supplies.
Gusto barely glanced at her as he hurried away, but he saw the look of outrage clearly written on her pretty face. It would be a look that would come back to haunt him later.
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Zummi paced slightly as Morlin read his entries in the Great Book. What if he can't read my writing, Zummi worried. What if he doesn't like the way I write? Maybe I haven't written enough or maybe I added too many unnecessary details. He continued to pace as he glanced at Morlin nervously every five minutes. For now, the Great Wizard's face was unreadable. Finally, Morlin finished the final page and turned to look at Zummi, who audibly sighed with relief when he saw that Morlin was smiling.
"You have had many interesting adventures," Morlin began, "and you have quite a gift for writing. It was all very descriptive and clear."
"Thank you," Zummi said, feeling his face grow warm. He wished that he didn't blush so easily, but there wasn't much way to change that.
"We have been having problems in New Gumbrea," Morlin continued, his face growing solemn, "with our younger generations. They just don't want to study and learn about our history and culture. Times for us have been far easier then it has been here, but I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse in disguise. I fear we are becoming lazy and thankless."
Zummi wasn't quite sure how to respond to Morlin's last statement, but he couldn't help but notice the sad, faraway look on his new companion's face. "Morlin," he ventured, "Is something wrong? Something you tidn't dell, uh, didn't tell us."
Morlin looked surprised. "Well, yes," he admitted, reluctantly, "There is something else. But, I don't want to bother you with my problems."
"Tell me," Zummi said softly, "Maybe I can help or at least listen."
"Well, it's just that," Morlin started.
All at once, they were interrupted by a commotion in the hallway. Tummi was hurrying by, quite quickly for him, and Grammi was following close behind as she tried to talk to him. "What's going on?" Zummi asked Grammi as she passed the open library door.
"Something's upset, Tummi," she answered, pausing momentarily, "but he won't tell me what. See if you can get him to talk, Zummi."
"Well, I," Zummi began hesitantly.
"Go on," Morlin advised, "We can talk later."
Nodding, Zummi left Morlin in the library and followed Grammi to Tummi's room. The door was shut and, for the first time they were aware of, locked. "Open the door, honey," Grammi crooned as she knocked softly.
"Come on, Tummi," Zummi added, "We want to help you, but we have to know what's wrong."
"I don't want to talk," Tummi said slowly. His tone wasn't demanding or angry, but it sounded so very sad.
"It'll help to talk," Grammi stated, "When I'm upset about something, I feel better when I can talk to someone."
"Really?" Tummi seemed hopeful. In a few minutes, they heard him unlatch the door and he opened it slightly.
"Now, tell us what's wrong," prodded Grammi.
Tummi took a deep breath. "I went to talk to Vixen," he said carefully, nearly on the verge of tears.
"Oh," Grammi was surprised, "What did she say?"
"Nothing," Tummi replied, "I didn't speak to her. When I got there, I saw Gusto kissing her!"
"What?!?" Grammi and Zummi cried in unison.
About that time, Gusto came running down the hall. "Tummi," he said, trying to catch his breath, "I have to talk to you."
Shaking his head, Tummi silently closed the door and relocked it as Zummi and Grammi turned their attention towards Gusto. "What a mess," Zummi stated.
"Yeah," agreed Grammi, "You see, Gusto, Tummi was somewhat infatuated with Vixen."
"I know," Gusto said, "I heard you two talking last night in the kitchen. That's why-"
"You knew?" Grammi interrupted.
"Then why on Earth did you kiss her?" Zummi asked.
"Kiss her? You don't understand. I-"
Gruffi walked over to them with Cubbi and Sunni following close behind. "What's going on here?" Gruffi demanded, interrupting Gusto, "I can hear you all the way down in my workshop."
"Tummi's heartbroken because he saw Gusto kissing Vixen."
"But I didn't-" Gusto began.
"That's gross!" Cubbi exclaimed.
"What would you want to kiss her?" Sunni asked, jealously.
"Would you guys just listen to me for a minute?" Gusto exclaimed, anger seeping into his voice.
"I, for one, am especially interested in what you have to say," Morlin announced in a shaky voice. Vixen was standing beside him, her face downcast. She glanced quickly at Gusto, but her expression wasn't clear. "Vixen, go get Burly and Chummi and have them meet us in the main room."
"Yes, grandfather," Vixen responded and immediately walked away.
Morlin started towards the main room and all of the others, except for Tummi who was still in his room, followed quietly. Zummi was quite confused. Morlin seemed to be a totally different Gummi than he had been only five minutes earlier and his anger seemed out of place. Gusto's actions may have been irresponsible, but they didn't seem to warrant the kind of rage that Zummi could see boiling within Morlin.
Pausing once they reached their destination, Morlin waited wordlessly until Vixen and the others arrived. Then, he cleared his throat as he began. "Augustus Gummi," he said in a formal tone, "I asked you to do a portrait of my granddaughter, did I not?"
"Yes," Gusto responded, "And I…"
"I trusted you to treat her with the utmost respect," Morlin continued without letting Gusto finish, "but this is what I get for my trust. When you were alone with her, you took advantage of the situation and tried to force yourself on her. I don't even want to think about what might have happened if your friend, Tummi, hadn't show up."
A general gasp rose from the group and Zummi was briefly shocked beyond words.
"What?" Gusto cried, surprised and angered, "That's not what happened. She kissed me!"
"SILENCE!" Morlin roared, his rage now clear for everyone to see, "I won't stand here and listen to these lies! She kissed you? Are you saying that you are so irresistible that she couldn't control herself around you." His sarcasm was laced with venom.
"I'm just trying to tell you what happened!" Gusto announced.
"Then explain her injuries," Morlin shot back, "Why is her left arm sore and tender? I have seen the marks myself!"
"She fell," Gusto answered, "She was holding onto my arm and-"
"Ridiculous!" interrupted Morlin. He looked around at his comrades. "We are going," he commanded.
"What? You're leaving?" Zummi asked, dismayed.
"I need to get away from here," Morlin replied through clenched teeth, "We are going to Ursalia until we can figure out what to do about this situation."
"This has to be some sort of misunderstanding," Gruffi said, finally finding his voice.
"Yeah," Sunni added, "Gusto wouldn't do that."
Grammi, Cubbi, and Zummi all begin to speak up on Gusto's behalf, but Morlin didn't seem prepared to listen to their words.
"Are you calling my granddaughter a liar?!?" Morlin roared and his anger silenced them.
"As I said," Morlin continued, "We need to be going."
"Maybe things have been blown out of proportion," Chummi said, cautiously, "We wouldn't want to get upset over nothing. Right?"
Looking at him with an evenly, Morlin's tone was ice. "You were given the job of guiding the boat because you said you had nautical experience and had been here before. Although I didn't really know you, I gave you a chance because you claimed to be loyal to our cause. But now I am truly questioning where your loyalty lies!"
Chummi seemed discouraged at Morlin's outburst. "Now, do you have any more objections?" Morlin asked and Chummi shook his head.
"Good," Morlin said as he turned to look at the others. "I will consider what has happened here carefully," he announced, "but I must admit that I am beginning to wonder if it's such a good idea for any Gummies to leave New Gumbrea to resettle here."
The force of his statement took them all by surprise and Zummi felt almost as if he had been dealt a physical blow. Yet, it was Gusto who spoke up.
"That's not fair," he said, "Even if I was guilty of what you claim, that's no reason to punish them. I don't even live at the Glen! I'm not from here either!"
Morlin seemed to consider this, but chose to direct his answer at the group rather than Gusto personally. "Although this bear does not live here at the Glen itself, I still hesitate to invite others. He lives much too close for my taste. Besides, they say that you can always tell what someone is like by the company they keep. Now, if you'll excuse me." He turned and started away. Vixen and Chummi fell into step behind him, but Burly paused. He shook his head sadly and laid one his large hands on Gusto's shoulder. I'm sorry he said in his own special way, but it'll be okay. With a warm smile as his goodbye, he followed Morlin and the others.
Silence followed for several minutes after they had left. Suddenly, one of the trap doors opened and Artie came flying into the room. "I tell you guys," the toucan began, "that was the best vacation I ever had. I needed some time to myself." He stopped when he noticed the sad faces of the Gummies. "What's going on?" he asked, "What did I miss?"
"A lot, Artie," Gusto replied in a heavy tone, "A whole lot."
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Ursa stood atop the highest tower looking out across the lands that surrounded Ursalia. Things were changing all around her, and she had no means to stop these changes. She was no longer sure she even wanted to.
It had been many centuries since a band of Gummies had gone their separate way from the Great Gummies to form the first group of Barbics, but until recently little had changed. Living in Barbic Woods, they did things their own way because they had to, although they tried to convince themselves it was the way they wanted it. Yet, being forced to move to Ursalia had brought things to a different light. As the years passed, their numbers had dwindled and it looked as if Buddy may be the last of their kind. The thought saddened Ursa.
Yet, it appeared as if the Great Gummies might soon be returning. Although she didn't have the 'connection' with them that the Glen Gummies boasted, she couldn't help but feel a certain amount of excitement. It wasn't that she was ready to rejoin the larger group, but having more allies so close would be nice. Besides, as they had seen in the past, there were places were the two cultures could meet and rejoice in both their similarities and differences.
"Someone sure looks like they're daydreaming," Gritti announced as he joined Ursa at the top of the tower.
Ursa laughed lightly. "It may look like I'm daydreaming," she responded, "but you better believe that I'm aware of everything going on around me."
Gritti laughed with her for it was an old and common joke between the two. Yet, as his laughter tapered, a serious look took possession of his face. "You thinking about the Great Gummies?"
She nodded. "Yeah. What do you think about all this, Gritti?"
"I'm not really sure," he admitted, "We separated from the other Gummies so long ago. I guess I'm a little worried that they'll want us to just join up with them and try and live the way they do – and I'm not ready to do that. I was born a Barbic and I'll die a Barbic. I'm too old and stubborn to change now."
"I feel that way too," Ursa agreed, "Yet, it might be nice to so many friends living nearby. Maybe they'll be more celebrations like the one we had the other night."
Gritti smiled, "Don't mention that celebration," he began jokingly, "I ate so much my stomach still hurts. If we have many more parties like that, I'll probably burst!"
Ursa chuckled. "Just because the food's there, doesn't mean you have to eat it."
"Well," Gritti responded, "I couldn't exactly let it go to waste now could I?"
"I suppose not," Ursa said, smiling, as she turned her attention back to the scenery that stretched out before her. "I just can't help but wonder," she said, "what is lying just beyond the horizon."
"I know what you mean," Gritti stated.
"Someone's coming!" a voice called from below.
Immediately, the reflective look was gone from Ursa's features. Gritti and her were ready for action as they hurried down to find how the identity of their visitors. She was shocked and unprepared when she saw Morlin's group standing there, looking somewhat tired and disheveled after their long ride through the Quick Tunnels.
"Morlin," Ursa greeted, "What brings you back to Ursalia so soon?"
He looked at her and she could see the rage burning in his eyes like a wild fire. "We would like to stay here for a few days," he stated tensely, "Can we use the rooms that we did before?"
"Of course," Ursa replied, "but is something wrong?"
Morlin's expression didn't change. "I just need some time alone. The trip here was rough, so I think I will rest up for a bit." Without another word, he walked back to the quarters he had used previously and his comrades followed suit.
"What do you think's going on?" Gritti asked once they were out of sight, "A disagreement with the other bears?"
"Perhaps," Ursa began, "but what could the others done to make him so angry. He looked ready to kill somebody."
"Well, we have had disagreements with them before," Gritti offered.
"Yes, but that is because we have somewhat different beliefs," Ursa replied, "but they try to live exactly according to the Great Gummi traditions. What could they have possibly done to make him so angry? I think something else must have happened."
"Should we send someone down to Gummi Glen to find out?"
Ursa considered this for a moment. "No," she finally said, "If they need to talk, they will probably come here. Right now, everyone is upset so we probably couldn't get the entire story anyway. For now, we will wait."
Gritti nodded and seemed satisfied with Ursa's response. Yet, despite her calm answer, she was far more worried that she had admitted. She couldn't help but feel that something important had just happened.
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The steely clouds hung low and heavy across the horizon and, although the day had officially begun several hours ago, the sun had yet to make an appearance. The wind had been unseasonably cold earlier, but it had died down. It was as if the Earth itself was holding its breath – just waiting for the first few raindrops to fall. Gruffi walked up the small, grassy slope and he could see Gusto sitting at the top of the hill. When Gusto hadn't shown up for breakfast this morning, the others became worried. He had been obviously upset the day before when Morlin had hurled his accusations, so they felt someone should try talking to him. Unfortunately, he was not in his studio or anywhere else they looked. Artie had finally told Gruffi of this small hill where Gusto would go to think, but added that usually Gusto wanted to be alone there. However there were things that Gruffi needed to say.
Gusto turned around to look at him when Gruffi was a few feet away. He must have heard Gruffi's progress up the slope. "What am I being accused of now?" he demanded bitterly.
Gruffi didn't respond as he walked up beside of Gusto and sat down. "Artie told me you'd be here," he said in lieu of a greeting.
"Yeah," Gusto admitted, "I like to come up here when I need to think." He turned to look at Gruffi. "I'm sorry for being so mean when I saw you. I'm just upset."
"I understand," Gruffi responded. He was a bit uncomfortable when he saw the expression upon his friend's face. Gusto had a tendency to be melodramatic at times, but Gruffi had never seen anyone look so broken and forlorn. "We didn't treat you very nice the other night," he continued, "and we didn't stand up for you like we should have. I guess I was just so shocked that anyone could think you would do something like that that I could barely speak."
"That's okay."
"No, it's not. We should have defended you."
Gusto smiled slightly which made him look even sadder. "You tried," he said softly, "You know I was the one who told Artie that he should go on vacation." Gruffi didn't respond at first as he wondered what had brought this up. "He told me that he was feeling restless," Gusto continued as if he didn't notice Gruffi's silence, "and I said that it might be good for him to get away for a bit. I have to do that sometimes. But I wish he had been there. Maybe it wouldn't have happened or at least there would be a witness." He laughed slightly, but it was short and bitter. "I really have to stop giving advice," he added, "I never realized before how dangerous it could be."
Gruffi wasn't sure what he meant. "Gusto," he began softly, "What happened?"
Taking a deep breath, Gusto slowly told Gruffi everything, starting with how he had told Tummi to bring flowers for Vixen and up to the point he saw Tummi running away. Gruffi was beyond surprised. "You mean, you were the one who told Tummi to show up?" he asked.
Gusto nodded. "I heard him tell Grammi that he liked her but he didn't know how to approach her, so I thought I would help."
"So that's what you mean about giving advice," Gruffi realized, "But what about Vixen's arm? How did she get hurt?"
"After we saw Tummi, I told her why he had come there," Gusto answered, "She seemed almost disgusted calling him 'that fat guy' and saying something about how she could never be interested in someone like him. I was already mad with her, but that just made me even madder. She was holding on to my arm and I just sort of jerked away and I guess she lost her balance. When she fell, she hit that small table I have with all my brushes on it."
Gruffi exhaled slowly as he heard the story. "You believe me, don't you?" Gusto asked nervously.
Managing a small smile, Gruffi turned towards him. "Sometimes I think you're crazy," he began, "You're irresponsible and flighty, but you have never been a liar. Yes, I believe you."
"Thanks. So, what do we do now?"
"I don't know," Gruffi answered, standing, "Morlin is probably still in Ursalia. I wanted to go this morning to talk to him, but Zummi said we should wait to make sure he's cooled off. Maybe Zummi's right, but I just don't know."
"I've been thinking about leaving," Gusto said in a soft measured tone.
"What?" Gruffi cried, "But why?"
There were tears glimmering in Gusto's eyes as he spoke. "It's not fair that the Great Gummies can't come here just because of me."
"But you didn't do anything wrong. What happened wasn't your fault."
"I'm not from here," he added, "and I'm used to being on my own."
"You may not be from here," Gruffi stated, "but you are just as much a part of the Glen as any of us. You are a part of this warren even if you do live behind the waterfall."
Gusto didn't seem to be listening. "I wish I knew why every time a place starts feeling like home, I have to leave."
Gruffi blinked a few times in surprise. "Every time? Gusto, where are you from exactly?"
A tear trailed down his sad face and dangled a moment on his chin like a tiny, imperfect diamond, but Gusto didn't answer. He just sat there, staring out into the valley but Gruffi knew he wasn't really looking at the landscape.
Feeling helpless, Gruffi finally left Gusto sitting there alone, but he couldn't help but turn back to look at him. Gusto was an enigma wrapped up within itself so tightly, it was hard to find where it began. He seemed so open in a way, but now Gruffi realized that he knew so very little about him. "What happened to you?" he whispered softly.
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As the day wore on, Chummi was feeling more and more restless. He wished he had stood up for Gusto more, despite Morlin's apparent anger. Besides, he may have only known Gusto for a short time, but he honestly didn't feel that his new friend could be guilty of such a crime. Sighing, he stared up at the morbid clouds that hung heavily in the sky.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped slightly. Turning around, he saw Burly standing there, his expressive face seemingly drained of energy. "You startled me," Chummi said, unnecessarily.
Burly didn't try to 'respond' as he pushed a piece of paper towards a surprised Chummi. In all the time that he had known him, Burly had only had to resort to writing notes a few times. "What's this?" Chummi asked as he unfolded the paper. As he read Burly's hurried handwriting, his eyes grew large.
"Are you serious?" Chummi demanded and Burly nodded. "We have to tell the others right away!" Turning, he headed towards the Quick Tunnels.
Burly put his hand on Chummi's shoulder and Chummi turned around. Once he had Chummi's attention, Burly motioned his head towards Morlin's quarters. What about Morlin, he asked.
"I don't care what Morlin thinks anymore," Chummi answered, "He asked me earlier where my loyalties lie. Now I know. My loyalties are to my friends and to the truth!" Without another word, he hurried away but he paused to look back at Burly. His large companion was still standing there his arms folded across his chest, but a slight smile was upon his face. As usual, Chummi knew what he was saying.
I will stand behind you, my friend.
End Part 3
Psst…Want to know a secret? When I started this section, I realized I had forgotten about Artie. That's why I added the part about the vacation. I hope it doesn't sound too 'tacked on.' Usually when I do something like that, I try to make it sound like I did it on purpose – and that's what I tried to do here. Part 4 will soon be on the way, but I'm unsure how many parts this story will end up having. Thanks to everyone who has been reading this story and thanks for the wonderful reviews.
